SPENCER & LOCKE, Action Lab Entertainment’s critically acclaimed new crime series from writer David Pepose and artist Jorge Santiago, Jr., has been optioned for film by Hitman film producer Adrian Askarieh and his company Prime Universe Films. You can learn more about this new development at The Hollywood Reporter.Described as “a fantastic debut” by Batman writer Scott Snyder and “a fiendishly fun take on an age-old classic” by IGN, SPENCER & LOCKE follows hard-boiled Detective Locke as he solves a brutal murder with the only partner he can trust — his imaginary talking panther, Spencer. But as their investigation stirs up a vicious crime syndicate and memories of Locke’s traumatic upbringing, can this unlikely pair survive long enough to learn the truth?
I was hooked from the very first issue,” said Askarieh to The Hollywood Reporter. “There is something darkly visceral and uniquely cinematic about what David and Jorge have created.”
“Action Lab is very pleased to have partnered with Prime Universe Films to bring SPENCER & LOCKE to life on screen. I can tell when I speak to Adrian that he shares David’s passion for SPENCER & LOCKE and this is the key to a successful partnership,” said Bryan Seaton, Action Lab CEO/Publisher.
“From the beginning, SPENCER & LOCKE has been a labor of love from me and my artist and co-creator Jorge Santiago, Jr., and we are thrilled to be working with someone as passionate and committed to our story as Adrian,” said SPENCER & LOCKE creator David Pepose. “We are tremendously grateful for all the fans, retailers and press who have rallied around our hard-boiled detective and his imaginary talking panther since their debut, and we couldn’t be more excited to team up with Prime Universe to see SPENCER & LOCKE’s adventures reach new audiences and new heights.”
SPENCER & LOCKE #4, which concludes the series’ action-packed storyline, will be available at comic shops and digital devices Wednesday, July 19. Series writer David Pepose will be signing copies of all four issues at Comic-Con International in San Diego at the Action Lab booth (#2006), including a never-before-seen SDCC variant cover from artist Joe Mulvey.
