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Paramount Picks Up SLG's Agnes Quill Graphic Novel

by Alex Billington
October 30, 2008

Paramount has picked up the rights to SLG Publishing's graphic novel Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery written by Dave Roman and first published in 2006. Thor Freudenthal, of the upcoming Hotel for Dogs, will direct this adaptation, while Evan Spiliotopoulos, of Art Heist and Terra, will write the screenplay. The graphic novel tells the story of Agnes Quill, who upon turning 16 inherits an estate, and the ability to see and communicate with the dead, from her grandfather. This is one of the first projects producer Adam Goodman has started since DreamWorks split with Paramount. Sounds interesting?

Agnes Quill is the story of a teenage detective, the haunted city she lives in, the strange cases she solves, and the ghosts who help, hinder, or just plain annoy her. Set in Legerdemain a congested, fog-filled, cobblestone-paved Victorian city built around a cemetery the size of Central Park Agnes adventures include confrontations with trapped spirits, cursed souls, possessed relatives, disappearing pets, decapitated scientists, ambitious zombies, and a mess of other supernatural oddities.

Although I don't like the talent behind this yet, I do like the story. Or at least it seems like something fun. I'm not sure if this will be turned into something aimed more at kids, e.g. a PG-13 kind of ghost story, or something else more adult. In concept it just sounds like a creepy story about a 16-year-old ghost hunter, which is why I'm leaning towards the former. The graphic novel seems to have some supporters and sounds like a good read, but not too many people are familiar with it. That also might give this the edge in being adapted for the big screen because it doesn't have to follow the graphic novel exactly. Thoughts?

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tzarinna

I agree it does look like a fun tale, a cross between "Harriet the Spy" and "The Sixth Sense" maybe. I do like the art in the GN.
Peloquin

Sounds similar to Constantine mixed with Ghostbusters, but definitely something I'll be keeping my eye on. I wonder if it will focus more on comedy or have a more detective drama-like feel. It could even go down the road of horror from the sounds of it. Guess I should read the graphic novel before I make assumptions though, but lately my list of obscure comics to check out has grown exponentially due to Hollywood's latest boner for everything graphic novel related.
Peloquin

damn you tzarinna...you beat me to the first comment by mere seconds...argh ;o)
tzarinna

Whoops, my bad. I second Hollywood making me spend loads of dough for GN's/comics.
Noemi

Since I'm a fan of Ghost Hunters and the paranormal altogether, this sounds like an interesting read. I'll definately pick this up.
James

After reading the graphic novel, I would say that Agnes Quill would be best in one of two directions: casting a female lead who is in their early 20's and making the movie more mystery and horror oriented, where Agnes has already come to terms with her ghost-interacting abilities and working at the New Curiosity Shop or casting a female lead between the ages of 14-18 and making it more of an origin story set immediately after her parents die and when she first is contacted by her grandfather, Ages Quill. Agnes Quill is a very complex character and needs to be handled by a talented script-writing team to make her work. Throughout the stories, we see that Agnes Quill typically works for money (as I remember she often thinks outloud about remembering to charge the client more), but she is not without a heart or conscience. As well, we see from the stories that Agnes Quill does not freeze up when placed into a dangerous situation, but in honesty, it seems a lot of ghosts are in the right place at the right time acting as deus ex machina. She can take a punch and handle a shotgun as well as anybody out there. She can't be overly cold and professional, but she can't be portrayed as a sex-symbol either. As long as the director doesn't deck Agnes in a latex bodysuit, works closely with the comic's writer, Dave Roman, and uses Agnes' personality from the stories, that should make her a compelling and likeable character on the silver screen. All in all, I really hope that Paramount invests some time and effort into making this movie. It's an interesting premise with many possibilities because of Anges' position as a detective. If it's done well (or at least decently) a lot of people might pick up the anthology and discover a really unique character that does not rely on guns or big breasts to get the job done. As a final note, if anyone from Paramount is reading this, please get Morgan Freeman on board as Mr. Lorik because he would be perfect.