According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oni Press just inked another deal with Universal. This time, it is for The Last Call, a two volume series by Vasilis Lolos. The adaptation will be penned by Evan Spiliotopoulos. The story is a horror-adventure about two young teens who are out for a joyride in a stolen car, when they are struck by a "ghost train." The train is responsible for ferrying departed souls from one dimension to another, and the boys find themselves in a bit of trouble when they are caught riding without a ticket. In trying to escape, they find themselves embroiled in a mystery that, if solved, may allow them to return to the living.
It would be awesome if the movie adaptation could achieve a Tim Burton ghoulishness. But Spiliotopoulos' credits consist of The Lion King 1 1/2 and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie, so it could be more ... well, cute. He did recently pen an adventure movie titled The Box for 20th Century Fox, so I may be overly hasty in judging his credits.
Oni Press has a 38 page preview of it on their website. As with most previews, it cuts off just as it is getting interesting. I found the two boys incredibly annoying at first, but you do have to laugh when they decide their fondness for death metal landed them in this mess. Vol. 2 looks intriguing, as apparently the mystery goes unsolved, and one of the boys actually ages 10 years. It seems promising, though the inhabitants of the ghost train resemble aliens from Men in Black more than Beetlejuice. Have any Cinematical readers read the whole thing? Sound off if you have. I'm curious to know how the story plays out, and whether it's worth picking up.
1. The Last Call is a three volume series, not two :)
Posted at 11:42AM on Jun 21st 2008 by Oops!