Legendary Entertainment is working on a movie adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s comic book Ex Machina, says The Hollywood Reporter. Its premise is certainly unique: the story follows New York major Mitchell Hundred, a former civil engineer and superhero who gave up fighting crime to embark on a political career. Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel, who previously collaborated on biographical dramas Seberg and Race will pen the script for the movie, retitled The Great Machine. Vaughan will be a producer on the project.
Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, Ex Machina was first published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint. The adaptation rights for the comic have been in hands of New Line for years. In 2012, they reverted to its creators. Cale Boyter oversaw the adaptation and continued championing the project there when he moved to Legendary Entertainment.
Critically acclaimed, Ex Machina ran for 50 issues from 2004 until 2010. A prolific writer, Vaughan co-created and wrote comic books Y: The Last Man, Pride of Baghdad, Runaways, Saga, and, most recently, Paper Girls. He also worked on television, working on shows such as Lost, Under the Dome and the TV series adaptation of his comic book Runaways.