AceShowbiz -

"Irredeemable" is heading to big screen with Adam McKay ("The Big Short", "Ant-Man") tapped to direct. According to Deadline, the 20th Century Fox has acquired the film rights to the BOOM! comic book for an entirely new superhero universe.

"Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" writer-director Tommy Wirkola is writing the script. Adam and Kevin Messic are producing through their Gary Sanchez Production along with BOOM! Studios' Ross Richie, Stephen Christy and Adam Yoelin.

"Irredeemable", which was illustrated by Peter Krause, has sold more than a million copies and even won Waid the Eisner Award for Best Writer. The comic tells the story of Plutonian, the world's greatest superhero who becomes evil and kills people who defy him. A superhero group known as the Paradigm later join forces with an old supervillain to try and figure out how to stop him.

The film rights acquisition to "Irredeemable" comes amid a sort of comic book arms race with rival studios Disney and Warner Bros. betting big on their respective Marvel and DC franchises.