The upcoming film adaptation of Painkiller Jane has reportedly (via Deadline) enlisted screenwriter Christine Boylan. Known most recently for her work on the cancelled DC Comics-based TV series Constantine -- for which she was credited as a co-executive producer -- Boylan is a veteran of genre TV, having also written for ABC's fantasy-adventure series Once Upon A Time and the Nathan Fillion-led Castle.
RELATED: Soska Sisters Tapped as “Painkiller Jane” Directors
The upcoming action film -- based on the comic of the same name created by the dynamic duo of Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada, for Event Comics -- will star Academy Award-nominee and Golden Globe-winner Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty). Chastain is also set to star in the next X-Men movie, Dark Phoenix (and recently confirmed she is not playing Lilandra).
Chastain has been tapped to play the New York City street cop Jane Vaski, who over the course of the film gets recruited by the FBI to secretly infiltrate a drug and human trafficking ring. In the wake of a near-death experience, Jane gets unusual regenerative abilities that make her nearly indestructible. Off to seek revenge against those who nearly killed her, she takes on the Painkiller Jane moniker in pursuit of justice.
RELATED: Jessica Chastain to Lead, Produce Painkiller Jane Movie
Painkiller Jane has a history in live-action; the series spun off into a made-for-TV movie produced by Syfy (then known as the Sci-Fi Channel) in 2005, followed by a series in 2007 that ran for a single season.
Painkiller Jane most recently returned to comics in June 2014 through Marvel’s creator-owned Icon imprint for Painkiller Jane: The 22 Brides, written by Palmiotti with art by Juan Santacruz, Noberto Fernandez and Steve Mannion.
RELATED: X-Men: Dark Phoenix: Jessica Chastain Says She’s Not Playing Lilandra
Palmiotti will executive produce the Painkiller Jane film, alongside Bill Johnson, Jim Seibel and Ara Keshishian. Lotus Entertainment’s Lenny Beckerman and Solipsist Films’ Stephen L’Heureux are producing alongside Chastain through her Freckle Films banner.
In July of 2014 it was reported that directors Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska (known for their work on several horror films) would helm Painkiller Jane, though the latest developments on the project make no mention of the identical twin directors. Most recently, the duo helmed Vendetta, See No Evil 2 and a segment in The ABC's of Death 2.
RELATED: SDCC EXCLUSIVE: Jimmy Palmiotti Brings “Painkiller Jane” To Marvel’s Icon
The Painkiller Jane film adaptation hasn’t been given a release date.