Company founder and producer J.C. Christofilis has optioned the script from the comics creator Martin Shapiro in a deal valued at low-six figures once the film moves into production.
The script is essentially a modern spin on the classic Sleepy Hollow mythology with storylines revolving around a headless outlaw biker seeking vengeance in the afterlife by killing mortal sinners.
Earlier this year, DILEMMA successfully produced and self-distributed an ambitious nine episode web series that introduced prequel storylines intended to set up the feature film material and the concepts overall mythology.
The series starred horror heavyweights Tyler Mane (Michael Myers/ Halloween 1,2) and Andrew Bryniarski (Leatherface/ Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1,2) and generated over 2 million views for sponsors Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and Sullen Clothing. The rocking soundtrack also featured heavy-metal luminaries Machine Head, Attika7, Unearth and Ministry.
Christofilis also wrote and directed the series content and commented Im extremely proud and excited that fans have discovered and supported the creation of an original horror icon online. Chopper was developed to leverage innovative, transmedia storytelling tactics to create a new horror franchise from scratch by finding and building our audience across multiple platforms. The phenomenal response to the series from both fans and international press has proven the concepts potential to connect on a broader scale with a feature film that promises to be bigger, badder and bloodier.
Scribe Shapiro and Producer Christofilis originally met as classmates at UCLA film school. Shapiro attended the schools graduate Screenwriting program and went on to option scripts to numerous producers including Ilya Salkind (Superman), while Christofilis attended the graduate Producers program and created multi-platform content for various companies including Mandalay Pictures prior to launching DILEMMA. They reunited at Comic Con 2010 when Shapiro shared some early panels of the Chopper comic that publisher Asylum Press released Halloween 2011.
Christofilis added, I immediately recognized the potential for Martins concept to resonate authentically with niche, but passionate fan communities that lover horror, heavy metal, tattoos and bikers. Those were the four-quadrant demographics I knew could drive our success. Ultimately, the never-ending viability of the horror genre combined with the exploding interest in shows like Sons of Anarchy made my decision to bring our title character to life a no-brainer- pardon the pun.
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