Yet another one of Brian K. Vaughan’s most seminal comic book series is getting the film treatment. However, it will arrive in theaters under a different title. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Legendary Entertainment has secured the rights to Ex Machina. The studio will release the movie as The Great Machine, named after the superhero persona of lead character Mitchell Hundred.
Vaughan and artist Tony Harris launched Ex Machina in 2004 through DC’s Wildstorm imprint. The comic traced the political career of Hundred, who became the Mayor of New York City after 9/11. Additionally, the series featured flashbacks to Hundred’s time as The Great Machine. His heroic alter-ego famously had the ability to speak with mechanical devices and command them to do his bidding. Vaughan, Harris, and guest artists John Paul Leon and Chris Sprouse produced 50 issues and two specials before concluding the title in 2010.
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Legendary’s reason for using The Great Machine as the film’s title is presumably to avoid confusion with Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, which came out in 2015. To pen the adaptation, the studio has enlisted the screenwriting team of Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel. Most recently, Waterhouse and Shrapnel wrote the scripts for Seberg and The Aftermath. Both of those films hit theaters last year. They also collaborated on Race, which opened in 2016.
Hollywood has been trying to bring Ex Machina to the big screen for about 15 years. New Line obtained the rights to the comic in 2005. But in 2012, the rights reverted back to Vaughan and Harris. Vaughan will also serve as a producer on the upcoming film.
Are you excited that Ex Machina is finally becoming a movie? What do you think of The Great Machine as a title? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Ex Machina: The Complete Series Omnibus
