The Hollywood Reporter is exclusively reporting that Gerard McMurray has signed up to direct and adapt the Black Mask Studios comic book series Black, which is from Studio 8 and will be distributed by Warner Bros.

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Debuting in 2016, the comic book series starts with a police shooting in Brooklyn in which teenager Kareem Jenkins survives a hail of bullets and discovers that he is a lot more powerful than he ever knew. As Jenkins connects with others who share similar powers, a widespread oppressive global conspiracy to keep the knowledge of such superpowers from the world and especially blacks themselves in unveiled to all. The comic was created by Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3, with artists Jamal Igle and Khary Randolph.

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A followup comic book series, Black [AF]: America’s Sweetheart, focuses on Eli Franklin, a young girl who becomes a superhero to bridge racial divides in America.

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Jeff Robinov, Studio 8 CEO and Founder, released a statement saying:

Gerard is a gifted storyteller who has a unique ability to bring character, authenticity and heart to every genre he approaches. When we saw his vision for Black, we knew he was the only one to bring this incredible comic series to the big screen.

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Gerard McMurray also released a statement saying:

Black is a bold and fresh spin on the superhero genre. I fell in love with the colourful world Kwanza and Tim created in the comics, and I’m excited to bring life to a story that entertains and challenges the audience at the same time. Black does just that.

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Studio 8 had acquired the film rights for the comic book series back in the summer of 2017, and the last time I heard about the project was in 2018 when Seith Mann was being brought on board to adapt.

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Robinov will be producing for Studio 8 alongside John Graham, while Osajyefo and Smith will co-produce, and Black Mask Studio’s Matteo Pizzolo and Brett Gurewitz will serve as producer and executive producer.