AMERICAN JESUS TO HIT THE BIG SCREEN

I'd heard about the comic book mini-series, Chosen, by Mark Millar a few months ago when I stumbled across the issues at my local comic book store back issue bin. I bought the trade today, where it's been renamed, American Jesus: Chosen.

Now American Jesus will soon be headed to a movie theater near you.

British filmmaker Matthew Vaugh will team up again with comic book author Mark Millar to adapt Millar's American Jesus comic book series. The story centers on the return of Christ in the modern world, leading to a final confrontation with the Antichrist in a bid to save humanity. Vaughn is already planning to start this up in the summer after finishing Kick-Ass, which doesn't have a distributor yet and was independently financed. American Jesus will be developed the same way, independently, by Millar.

Mark Millar's "American Jesus" follows a twelve-year-old boy who suddenly discovers he's the returned Jesus Christ. He can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk and perhaps even raise the dead. How will he deal with the destiny to lead the world in a conflict thousands of years in the making?

American Jesus, made with artist Peter Gross, originally appeared as a three-issue miniseries in 2006 with the title "Chosen." When Millar decided to continue the story as a trilogy of miniseries, the overarching title became "American Jesus." The second installment is subtitled "The Resurrection" and is due out in the fall. If you're interested in picking this up, the actual trade paperback collecting the first mini-series is out later this week, so wait until then to buy it. I'm not at all familiar with the series, so I'm curious if it's really interesting enough to stand up to the likes of Millar's Kick-Ass or Wanted.

I love Kick-Ass, it's the comic book that made me start collecting again and I can't wait for the movie. You can look at some stills from the upcoming film here. I haven't read American Jesus yet since I just picked it up today but I'm looking forward to spending my weekend with the Chosen.

You can buy the trade here but I suggest picking it up at your local comic book store. Sure, Amazon sometimes has cheaper prices but at $9.99 it's the exact same price you'd pay at the comic book store. Plus, your local comic book store should have this in stock right now while Amazon won't have it until April 8th.

Link