Director Sam Raimi is taking Wyatt Earp to the future, having attached himself to direct an adaptation of Earp: Saints For Sinners. The graphic novel transplants the historical Earp from the Old West to a “future in which he takes on outlaws in a ravaged society where the only boomtown left is Las Vegas,” according to a report from the Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog. Matt Cirulnick, co-creator of the comic, is set to write the script.
Dreamworks hasn’t given a greenlight to the project, but I would expect that the studio is probably waiting to see how next summer’s Old West and science fiction mashup Cowboys And Aliens fares before moving on to active production.
Mixing the science fiction and western genres haven’t proven to be a winning combination for the public. Joss Whedon’s Firefly television series tried it, but never was able to capture a substantial audience. A film spinoff, Serenity, played well to the show’s cult fanbase, but didn’t have much crossover appeal. Likewise, the anime series Cowboy Bepop also only enjoys a cult following only.
Meanwhile, Raimi is set to direct Oz, The Great And Powerful as his next film and has numerous other projects, including an adaptation of Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and the pulp hero the Shadow in development.
