Rick Famuyiwa To Write, Direct Adaptation Of Black Hole

The director of Dope has lined up his next project — and it's a weird one.

Rick Famuyiwa is taking the reins on a long-in-the-works adaptation of Charles Burns' comic book series Black Hole, signing up to write and direct the feature, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Much like Dope, Black Hole can be described as somewhat of a coming-of-age story, but where that 2015 movie focused on the ecstasy of growing up, this one will center on the unsettling, horrific agony.

The stark, black-and-white comic series centers on the moody suburbs of Seattle in the 1970s, where a mysterious STD is spreading among the teenage population. The disease causes bizarre and disturbing mutations in those affected, leading some to isolate themselves from school and family to live in the woods. It's a creepy, gross, engrossing story that touches on many themes of young isolation and self-destruction, with the final product reading sort of like what would result if Daniel Clowes and Junji Ito had one big pervert of a kid.

The story was published in 12 issues over ten years before being collected into a graphic novel upon its conclusion in 2005. A movie version of Black Hole has been in the works since the series wrapped up its run, with the project at times being attached to Alexandre Aja, Roger Avary, Neil Gaiman, and David Fincher. Director Rupert Sanders also produced an 11-minute short film adaptation of the story in 2007 as part of a bid to make a feature that never materialized.

Famuyiwa's recent work includes directing the pilot of The Chi on Showtime, and he's also in pre-production on an adaptation of the graphic novel Son of Shaolin.