Justin Simien has had a busy few years, with his critical success helming the Netflix series Dear White People and tackling the Disney reboot of Haunted Mansion. But now, he will be jumping into the world of comic book films, as Simien is set to adapt Heist: Or How to Steal a Planet, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film will be based on the sci-fi comic series of the same name from Vault Comics.
While not one of the more well-known comic series, Heist: Or How to Steal a Planet presents a unique foray into the world of science-fiction. The comic, created by Paul Tobin and Arjuna Susini, is set on a planet known as Heist, where the worst criminals in the galaxy reside. While the galactic government is at its wit’s end with Heist, the protagonist Glane Breld works with a gang of thieves to try and steal the entire planet.
Details remain slim on the adaptation, but Simien will direct the feature from a script by Christopher Yost, best known for helming screenplays for the MCU‘s Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, as well as the Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian. Also getting in on the action is Tommy Oliver, who will produce Heist: Or How to Steal a Planet alongside Wayne Horton. Simien will executive produce alongside Kyle Laursen for their production banner Culture Machine, while Damian Wassel and F.J. DeSanto will EP for Vault. In a statement, Oliver said:
“Vault’s How to Steal a Planet is just a good time. I can’t imagine a better duo than Justin Simien and Christopher Yost to bring this to the screen, especially as a part of Confluential’s growing slate of tentpole films from creators of color ,”
Simien Has Made a Name For Himself as a Director
While he broke onto the scene with the aforementioned Dear White People, it was Simien‘s turn behind the camera for Haunted Mansion that put him on the map as a major studio director. However, he was no slouch when it came to Dear White People, which is often considered one of the greatest television shows of the last decade.
Simien also made headlines when it was announced that he would be helming a Lando Calrissian Star Wars series for Disney+. However, it was reported last summer that Simien had exited the project in favor of brothers Stephen Glover and Donald Glover. However, it appears that Simien remains a sought-after talent in Hollywood, if his new project is any indication. He is also slated to direct Paramount+‘s reboot series of Flashdance.
“How To Steal a Planet wowed me and I’m humbled by the challenge of bringing a genre bending dose of afro-futurism to the culture,” Simien said in a statement.
No release window has been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for more information. In the meantime, Simien‘s Haunted Mansion is streaming now on Disney+.
via Collider