Geoff Johns’ creator-owned and shared company Ghost Machine teams with Oscar-winning producer Charles Roven to start bringing their books to life onscreen. Through Roven’s Atlas Entertainment, Johns’ and Bryan Hitch’s Redcoat will charm his way into theaters.
It’s a great choice. Simon Pure, roguish British soldier in the Revolutionary War, accidentally takes the immortality meant for not-so-pure George Washington. From the announcement in Deadline, it seems that Johns will adapt the first arc himself. A hundred years after inadvertently foiling the American Illuminati, Pure teams with a child genius named Albert Einstein to face off against a threat to their adopted nation.
From a production standpoint, this hits a few quadrants. A few American historical heroes get knocked off their pedestals. Though British, Pure becomes a new American hero, albeit one constantly denying it. And fans love late 19th Century history merged with science fantasy. Pure offers hope, which makes Redcoat a better first adaptation for Ghost Machine. As opposed to Geiger, a good book which launched the company but sets up a line-wide mystery of what happened to create that post-apocalyptic world.
Here’s also hoping it launches a film franchise, so that Johns can revisit Simon Pure’s time in the Civil War — and encounter the mysterious Northerner. That story needs to make it to film. And now… who will play Simon Pure?
From Image Comics:
Today Deadline announced in an exclusive scoop that Atlas Entertainment and Ghost Machine are developing a feature film adaptation of Redcoat, the critically acclaimed series written by Geoff Johns (Aquaman), illustrated by Bryan Hitch (The Ultimates), colored by Brad Anderson, and lettered by Rob Leigh.
The feature film adaptation will be written by Johns based on a story by Johns and Hitch and is being produced by Charles Roven and Alex Gartner for Atlas Entertainment.
Redcoat launched in April 2024 to an instant sellout, and the ongoing series has since established itself as a mainstay on the top seller charts for Image Comics/Ghost Machine.
“All great franchises are built on great characters and Redcoat’s Simon Pure is one of them. Funny, charismatic, and lovably roguish, he anchors the IP fantastically,” said Gartner.
Roven added: “I have known Geoff Johns for many years and in some cases had a front row seat to his excellent work in the DC world. Johns and Hitch have formed a brilliant collaboration as writer and illustrator of the Redcoat comics, which have become a top selling fan favorite. Redcoat is innovative comic material and ripe to become a tentpole.”
The story follows a British deserter after he mistakenly gains immortality during the American Revolution and is forced to face his cowardly past and fight against a sinister plot to destroy America. Reminiscent of the bombastic historical action in Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones, Redcoat pulls back the curtain of American History to tell the legend of the unknown hero who saved us all.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with one of the most accomplished producers working today,” said Johns and Hitch in a joint statement. “From Oppenheimer to Wonder Woman, Chuck Roven helped bring some of the most iconic and inspirational films of our time to the screen.”
Founded in October 2023, Ghost Machine is the first-of-its-kind creator-owned-and-operated media company which generates, adapts, and controls its fully owned universes of original characters and stories. Among these are tentpole titles Redcoat, post-apocalyptic western Geiger by Johns and artist Gary Frank (Batman: Earth One), sci-fi epic Rook: Exodus by Johns with art from Jason Fabok (Batman: Three Jokers), and the horror series Hyde Street by Johns and illustrated by Ivan Reis (Aquaman). Since its launch, Ghost Machine has sold millions of comic books and graphic novels, published with Image Comics, and secured multiple licensing partners, including McFarlane Toys and MEZCO.
Redcoat is available at local comic book shops, independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones in the following collected editions:
Redcoat, Vol. 1 trade paperback – ISBN: 9781534373181, Lunar Code 0125IM465
Redcoat, Vol. 2 trade paperback – ISBN: 9781534331242, Lunar Code 0925IM0461
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