Hailed by Variety as a 'comicbooks-to-film specialist, Hans Rodionoff, who was just announced as the writer of the Spawn sequel, has snagged another comic-tinged gig as the writer of a film based on Clive Barker and Todd McFarlane's Tortured Souls line of action figures (see 'Universal Picks Up Tortured Souls').   The grisly Tortured Soul action figures were originally sold with a chapter of a Clive Barker-penned novella so that customers who bought all the figures could piece together the entire work (see 'McFarlane Fields Diverse Lineup, Part I).  According to Variety, Barker has already written a draft treatment of his novella, though it is unclear how closely Rodionoff will hew to Barker's storyline.  Both Clive Barker and Todd McFarlane will serve as producers on Tortured Souls along with McFarlane executive Terry Fitzgerald and Joe Daley, the VP of Barker's Seraphim Films.

 

Universal picked up the option for Tortured Souls over a year ago, but the hiring of Rodionoff signals that the studio is getting serious about developing Tortured Souls, which Variety terms 'a potential horror film franchise.'