Over land, over sea,
We fight to make men free,
Of danger we don’t care…
We’re Blackhawks!
Stephen Spielberg will be directing a film adaptation of “Blackhawk” for D.C. Comics and Warner Brothers, DC Comics announced today.
“Welcome to the family, Steven Spielberg! The iconic director will enter the world of DC with BLACKHAWK” The Official DC Entertainment Twitter account declared happily.
David Koepp is writing the screenplay while Spielberg will be set to direct the film. There is no word yet on who will play the characters.
In the press release, seen below, Toby Emmerich commented on the project, elated to have someone such as Spielberg at the helm of the WWII-era property;
““We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg’s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure. We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing Blackhawk to movie audiences worldwide.”
Blackhawk (Bart) first appeared in 1941 in the pages of Military Comics #1. He was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera and Bob Powell. He moved from Quality Comics to DC Comics in 1957. Bart Hawk carried the nom de guerre ‘Blackhawk” in the ‘Pre-Crisis’ DC Universe. Post-Crisis it was Janos Prohaska who took the name; and his first appearance in comic books is 1988’s ‘Blackhawk #1’.
Let’s hope we get to see the Grumman WWII-era naval fighter plane XF-5F in the film!
DC COMICS PRESS RELEASE:
Fresh on the heels of Ready Player One (which features cameo appearances by Batman, Harley Quinn, Batgirl and more), Steven Spielberg is ready to dive into the DC Universe proper with Blackhawk, a just-announced feature film from Spielberg, Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures based on the classic DC series about a squadron of WWII-era pilots. Blackhawk, which Spielberg is hoping to direct, will be his first featured centered around characters from the DC Universe.
In announcing the film, Warner Bros. Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich said, “We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg’s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure. We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing Blackhawk to movie audiences worldwide.”
The screenplay for Blackhawk is being written by frequent Spielberg collaborator David Koepp, who was the screenwriter on Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worldsand Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Spielberg will produce the film together with Kristie Macosko Krieger, under the Amblin Entertainment banner, while Sue Kroll will executive produce, under her Kroll & Co. Entertainment shingle.
In the world of comics, Blackhawk is a wartime adventure series focusing on the titular Blackhawk, who commanded a squadron of ace pilots also known as the Blackhawks or the Blackhawk Squadron. The squadron would battle the Axis powers, as well as more fantastic super-villains and war machines, such as the memorable shark planes, which could operate in water as well as in the air. While the team debuted in 1941 in the heart of comics’ Golden Age, they’ve also been adapted to the modern era as a part of The New 52 and have spawned a well-known DC heroine, Lady Blackhawk, who joined the series in the late 1950s.
Spielberg noted, “It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bring Ready Player Oneto the screen. They bring a blend of passion and professionalism to everything they do and have a tremendous history in this genre. I am excited to reunite with them on Blackhawk.”
Expect much more on this going forward, but for now, let us know your thoughts on seeing the high-flying Blackhawks on the big screen!
