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BOOM! Studios announced yesterday that its 5 issue mini-series Unthinkable, written and created by (all around nice guy) Mark Sable and penciled by Julian Totino, has been picked up by Mandalay Pictures, who purchased the film rights yesterday. The story is about a group of the world’s most imaginative minds who are tasked by the government to come up with possible scenarios for terrorist attacks. Why? So that the government can adequately plan against them. However, years after this group of thinkers have ended their duty, the attacks that were envisioned begin to actually occur! Only one man has the power to put an end to his country’s betrayal, but the government is looking to take him down first…

It’s a crazy story; one that would make for a helluva thriller/action movie. The producers of the film are Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby of BOOM Studios! and Peter Guber along with Cathy Schulman from Mandalay Pictures. Overseeing the project for Mandalay is vp Adam Stone; the man Mark Sable originally pitched the script to at Comic-Con in July (isn’t awesome how the world turns?). Given the ‘alertness’ of today’s society, the script can be considered a touchy one to some; one that blurs the line between uncomfortable fiction and reality. It has already caused trouble for Mark in real life; when at the LA International Airport he was briefly detained after security read some of the script. Gotta love the Patriot Act.

I had the opportunity to meet Mark during a signing event at Collector’s Paradise back in June (where he was promoting Unthinkable #1), and he is one of the most humble people I’ve met in the industry. He was very friendly and open to conversation about his work. I remember him stating how it was still so surreal to him, his popularity amongst the comic book community. Apparently, the fact that people were so interested in something he had created, and that they’d want him to sign it for them, was still a fresh experience for him, and a well deserved one. At the time (remember this was when the book was being released) he stated that Grounded is the work that he’s most proud of, but I’m thinking that statement may finish a little differently if he were to be asked that question today. Some of Mark’s other credits include Fearless and the Cyborg mini-series with DC.

Other BOOM! titles that are currently in the works and potentially making the shift to the big screen include Talent, Tag, and 2 Guns at Universal, North Wind with David Entertainment and Station at CBS Films.

Now go do yourself a favor and read Unthinkable before you happen upon a spoiler somewhere… and don’t worry, it’s ok to question our government’s innocence.

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net