James Badge Dale is Set to Star in The Supernatural Thriller THE EMPTY MAN
20th Century Fox is developing a feature film based on the Boom Studios’ 2014 graphic novel, The Empty Man. This is a supernatural set story that will be directed by David Fincher protege David Britten Prior, and the film just landed a great actor: James Badge Dale, who has starred in films such as Iron Man 3, The Walk, World War Z, 13 Hours, and more.
According to THR, Dale will be play an ex-cop, who is “plagued by the violent death of his wife and son, who battles to find a missing girl but soon discovers a sinister presence around him.” It’s also said that Prior’s version of the story “takes some departures” from the source material.
The comic comes from Eisner Award-winning writer Cullen Bunn and illustrator Vanesa R. Del Rey and here’s the official description:
The Empty Man made me do it.
It’s been one year since the first reported case of the Empty Man disease, and no drug has been able to slow its progress. The cause is unknown, and the symptoms include fits of rage, hideous hallucinations, suicidal dementia, followed by death, or a near lifeless, "empty" state of catatonia. As cults rise nationwide, the FBI and CDC enter a joint investigation of the Empty Man, hoping to piece together clues to stop the cult and uncover a cure. THE EMPTY MAN is a dystopic version of the world we know, where a terrifying disease has taken on almost deific connotations.
I’ve never read the comic but this sounds like a great story that could make for a solid film. There’s no word on when the film will be released but shooting may start this fall in South Africa.