As revealed exclusively at the Hollywood Reporter, trailblazing new comic book publisher BAD IDEA announced today that they are adapting their celebrated comic book series, THE LOT, into a feature film. BAD IDEA has tapped blockbuster screenwriter Akela Cooper to script. Cooper’s resume boasts a list of critical and commercial hits including James Wan’s MALIGNANT, THE NUN II and the M3GAN franchise. Cooper scripted the sequel, M3GAN 2.0, which is set for release next summer. The film will be produced by Dinesh Shamdasani and Benjamin Simpson for BAD IDEA, alongside Akela Cooper. Development financing comes from Smartest Termite and producers Andrew Gallina & Shahin Chandrasoma.
THE LOT is a horror story set in the most miserable, vicious pit of vipers — a Hollywood studio lot.
Aviva Copeland has just landed the biggest job of her career, running a Hollywood studio — one of the few black women to do so. But this is no ordinary studio because its backlot harbors the since abandoned soundstage where decades ago an authenticity-obsessed legendary filmmaker hired actual cult members to perform a real-life occult ritual for his latest horror masterpiece. Something evil awoke that day and in the bloody aftermath, the production was permanently shut down, the footage suppressed, and the soundstage that bore witness shuttered…until now. Aviva is about to learn that though the lot may have been closed for a half-century, it’s far from empty.
THE LOT from writer Marguerite Bennett (BATWOMAN, DC BOMBSHELLS) and artist Renato Guedes (WOLVERINE, SUPERMAN) was published in 2021 as part of BAD IDEA’s first wave of comics. BAD IDEA will be at New York Comic Con this weekend and will be discussing THE LOT at their panel presentation on Saturday, Oct 19th at 3:00pm, in Room 408 where they will also be giving away a limited New York Comic Con exclusive edition of THE LOT #1 featuring a new cover by EM Carroll (THROUGH THE WOODS). The NYCC edition also includes a new HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE story by Robert Venditti (SUPERMAN ’78, GREEN LANTERN) & David Lapham (BATMAN, STRAY BULLETS).
BAD IDEA recently announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Derek Kolstad, creator and writer of the internationally acclaimed, box office dominating motion picture franchise JOHN WICK, as well as the multi-award winning action-thriller NOBODY and its upcoming sequel for Universal Studios is adapting their upcoming title ORDAINED from New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (SUPERMAN ’78, GREEN LANTERN) and Harvey Award-nominated visionary Raúl Allén (DUNE: The Graphic Novel, SECRET WEAPONS) with Antonio del Hoyo (DRACULA, THE CROW).
Akela Cooper has two viral hit features under her belt in MALIGNANT and M3GAN, both made in collaboration with heralded horror writer-director James Wan. 2021’s MALIGNANT, a gonzo, Giallo-inspired slasher, found massive success online during the pandemic. The film centers around the fury of a murderous twin tumor that emerges from the back of a woman’s skull and is equal parts campy and violent. The following year marked a huge success for Cooper and established her as a formidable force within the horror genre with the release of her next film, M3GAN. The AI-centric story is a crowd-pleasing cautionary tale about the dangers of technology wrapped up in the cute but murderous hijinks of a high-end perfect companion doll for children.
Collaborating with filmmaker James Wan, who craved a modern-day version of CHILD’S PLAY for a new generation of horror fans, Cooper deftly tread familiar ground while making the film delightfully bonkers in the process. M3GAN instantly became an audience favorite, dominating at the box office pulling in $180 million against its $12 million budget and becoming a critical darling. In addition to that, the viral swoopy murderous dance seen in the film racked up 1.3 billion views on TikTok, cementing her place in pop culture as a horror movie icon. Having made it to the top of the studio lists for horror projects with Wan’s Atomic Monster production company, Universal and Blumhouse, the genre-busting Cooper’s upcoming credits include IT’S OVER for Sony Pictures and DON’T LOOK for Universal Pictures with Janelle Monáe attached to star. Her TV credits include STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS and LUKE CAGE.
For more information, visit Bad Idea online at BadIdeaCorp.com, X, and Instagram.
