Flush with the success (and the cash) from the spectacular debut of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which has already earned nearly a half a billion dollars at the box office (versus a cost of under $50 million), Summit Entertainment is filling out its slate by developing a feature film version of the Top Cow comic book Alibi with Mandeville Films, which acquired the rights to the property last August (see “Top Cow’s Alibi to Film”).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Summit has assigned John Hlavin, a writer on FX’s gritty cable series The Shield, to write the adaptation of the comic book series that was created by Top Cow COO Matt Hawkins and Michael Renegar, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, and illustrated by Jeremy Haun.

Summit’s acquisition of the Alibi project demonstrates that the highly successful, but still small studio is attempting to broaden its output. The espionage-themed saga of a socialite whose public presence provides the perfect cover for the covert activities of his secret twin brother, who just happens to be a government assassin, is about as far from the realm of teenage vampire romance as you can get.

Summit is in preproduction on another comic book-based property with a spy thriller storyline, an adaptation of Warren Ellis’ Red, which stars Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, and which just might provide audiences with the unique opportunity to see Dame Helen Mirren wielding a sniper rifle (see “Red Debut Set”).