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Frequent ComicSource visitor Batton Lash announced that his self-published Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre comic book is headed for the big screen.   Universal Studios outbid Disney Studios for the right to produce the live action feature.

An original Wolff & Byrd watercolor,
painted by Batton Lash exclusively for ComicSource.

The screenplay,  under the working title of Supernatural Law , is being written by Stephen Mazur (co-writer of Jim Carrey's hit Liar Liar) and S. S. Wilson (writer of Short Circuit,  Batteries Not Included, and Tremors , and the in-production Wild Wild West ).

"Needless to say,  I'm very excited by this whole thing," Lash said."   Wolff & Byrd has been optioned a number of times over the years,  but this is the first time a project has gotten this far.   I'm particularly pleased that Universal bought the rights,  since they'll be able to use the original Universal monsters in cameos in the movie."

The producers of the film are Nancy Roberts and Annabel Jankel.   Jankel,  who is slated to direct the film,  is best known as the co-creator (with husband Rocky Moran) of the original British Max Headroom.

Lash created the characters of Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd, attorneys for the supernatural,  in 1979 as a weekly newspaper strip for The Brooklyn Paper;   it later ran for 14 years in the National Law Journal.   With his wife,  Jackie Estrada,  he has been publishing the Wolff & Byrd comic book since 1994.   Their company,  Exhibit A Press,  has published 17 issues of the comic,  three collections of the comic book issues,   and two collections of the Wolff & Byrd comic strip.  

Lash garnered two Eisner Award nominations for the comic in 1997 and won the Don Thompson Award for Best Cartoonist as well.   Lash has visited ComicSource twice in the last two years.

Lash is quick to point out that it will take a while for the film to be produced.   "Meanwhile,  I'll be concentrating on writing and drawing the comic,  which is still my primary concern.   The comics medium is my first love,   and I hope that the announcement of the movie will encourage new readers to pick up Wolff & Byrd and give it a try."