AceShowbiz -

"John Wick" director Chad Stahelski is set to serve behind the lens for the big-screen adaptation of "Kill or Be Killed (2019)" at Columbia Pictures. The helmer is reteaming with his "John Wick" producer, Basil Iwanyk, to make the film which will be adapted from the Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips comic series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stahelski will direct from a script written by Dan Casey, who previously adapted another Brubaker series "Incognito" that's now set up at the studio. Iwanyk, meanwhile, will produce with Erica Lee through their Thunder Road banner. It was the company behind awards contender "Wind River" as well as the "John Wick" film series. Jeff Waxman ("mother!") is also producing, while Brubaker will serve as executive producer.

The comic book series, which was nominated for four Eisner Awards including Best Continuing Series, Best Writer, Best Cover Artist and Best Coloring, tells the story of a deconstruction of a vigilante. After attempting suicide, a depressed young man is rescued by a demon who demands the man continues killing for him in order to stay alive. As he is forced to kill bad people, he struggles to keep his secret as it slowly ruins his life and the lives of his friends and loved ones.

A prolific comics author, Brubaker is probably best known as the creator of Winter Soldier. Played by Sebastian Stan in the big screen, Bucky Barnes was reintroduced as the brain-washed villain in Marvel Studios' "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". Additionally, FOX's "Gotham" is partially inspired by Brubaker's "Gotham Central" series for DC.

In recent years, the comic creator, who often focuses on the crime and thriller genres, has garnered acclaim for his comics such as Hollywood noir "The Fade Out" and supernatural noir "Fatale". His spy thriller series "Velvet" is in the works as a TV series on The Paramount Network.