Following his Oscar-nominated role in Birdman as an actor struggling to move past his work in a comic-book adaptation, Michael Keaton will star in and produce Fox’s new adaptation of a Boom! comic entitled Imagine Agents, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Fox recently acquired the rights to the comic, but is still looking for a director and writers to adapt the material. Set to produce alongside Keaton are Michael Sugar (The Fifth Estate) and Boom! Studios founder Ross Richie, with Stephen Christy and Ashley Zalta as executive producers.
The comic, whose first issue came out in 2013, was written by Brian Joines with artwork by Bachan. It is set in a universe where children’s imaginary friends are real, and an agency called IMAGINE exists to deal with the consequences when these figments get out of hand. IGN assumes that Keaton will play veteran agent Dave Slatern, who trains and mentors Terry Snowgoose, a young archivist, in an adventure described as having the humour of Who Framed Roger Rabbit with the action of Men in Black.
Keaton is currently filming The Founder, a biopic about the battle over the rights to fast-food giant McDonald’s directed by Saving Mr Banks’ John Lee Hancock. He appears in the role of Ray Kroc, the businessman who wrested control of the McDonald’s franchise from brothers Mac and Dick McDonald. Kroc went on to develop the restaurant into the world’s best-known fast-food chain. The Founder is scheduled for release in late 2016.
- This article was amended on 3 September 2015 as it credited Doug Wald and Eli Selden with executive producer roles; they do not currently have credits on Imagine Agents.
