At this weekend's Comic-Con, producer/distributor Samuel Hadida announced that his Davis Films is actively moving forward on the production of their epic adventure "Solomon Kane", adapted from the Robert E. Howard classic, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. Howard, considered one of America's greatest authors, also created the fantasy heroes Conan the Barbarian, King Kull and Bran Mak Mom.
British director Michael Bassett, whose previous credits include the atmospheric horror film "Deathwatch" and the upcoming survival shocker "Wilderness," has come aboard to helm the project for which he has also written the screenplay. The film will be produced by Hadida and Wandering Star principal Paul Berrow.
Said Bassett, "Being given the chance to bring Solomon Kane to the screen is a dream come true. I've been a fantasy fan my whole life but until very recently there have been so few great fantasy movies. We know the audience is out there just waiting for great films like this and with Kane I'm getting the chance to bring this fantastically intense and dark character to the screen in a story that will just blow audiences away."
"Solomon Kane" is the story of a mercenary who owes his soul to the devil but hopes to redeem himself by fighting evil in the name of good. One of Howard's most iconic characters, Kane is a Puritan force of nature whose name strikes fear in the heart of his enemies.
Additionally, on the eve of the largest comic book and pop culture event in the United States, Davis Films and Wandering Star have partnered with Paradox Entertainment, owners of the entire Robert E. Howard library, and the two companies have now completed a publishing deal with Dark Horse Comics for a "Solomon Kane" comic serial. In an effort to further build what he sees as a fantastic franchise with a "very big hero," Hadida has also made a deal with Great White Games to develop a role-playing video game based on the film. "Solomon Kane" is currently scheduled to shoot in Eastern Europe in 2007.
"The fact that this year's Comic-Con 2006 featured a panel on '100 Years of Robert E. Howard' proves the timely nature of the project," remarked Hadida. Films recently produced under his Davis Films banner include the Tony Scott actioner "Domino," starring Keira Knightley and Christophe Gans' horror pic, "Silent Hill," based on the Konami video game.
