20th Century Fox has acquired screen rights to the Mark Millar/Steven McNiven  graphic novel Nemesis. Tony Scott is attached to direct and Scott Free will produce. The graphic novel was written by Millar, whose Wanted and Kick-Ass creations were turned into films, and whose Marvel Comics titles include the revamped X-Men, the Avengers series The Ultimates, and Civil War, the latter of which is DC Comics Superman: Red Son. Nemesis was published in March by Marvel’s Icon Comics imprint. McNiven is the artist behind Civil War and other collaborations with Millar. (The website Bleeding Cool had the Scott news first.)

Nemesis focuses on Matt Anderson, a billionaire genius who’s the world’s greatest fighter. bent on avenging the death of his beloved parents. The twist is, they were villains and he is also a bad guy, a costumed vigilante who travels the world, picking off top cops. He returns to D.C. to launch a campaign of terror against Blake Morrow, the police chief who captured the caped vigilante’s parents.

Scott Free will set a writer and work on the adaptation. Deal comes as Scott preps the release of the Denzel Washington-Chris Pine drama Unstoppable. He is deciding on his next project, between Potzdamer Platz, Hell’s Angels and The Associate. Mickey Rourke is attached to both Potzdamer Platz and Hell’s Angels, while Shia LaBeouf is attached to The Associate and is the choice to join Rourke in Hell’s Angels. The property was repped by CAA and Harris Miller.

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