It seems that a Painkiller Jane movie has been trying to get off the ground for years now, but this past weekend saw the film take a giant step forward by casting its titular Jane.

Deadline is reporting that Jessica Chastain has signed on for the film, with the two-time Academy Award nominated Zero Dark Thirty actress to tackle the lead role. Chastain will also serve as a producer on the movie through her Freckle Films banner.

The Painkiller Jane character debuted back in 1995, created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada for an appearance in Image’s 22 Brides miniseries. 1996 then saw a tweaked version of the character return for her own series, with the story being that Jane Vasko was a regular police officer who ends up on death’s door when an undercover operation goes sour. Fighting back from the brink, Jane actually gains regenerative powers and becomes a badass vigilante. The character was previously brought to live-action life with Syfy’s 2005 Emmanuelle Vaugier-starring straight-to-TV movie, and then Terminator 3’s Kristanna Loken also headlined a brief Painkiller Jane TV series.

The last we’d really heard on this new Painkiller Jane was that Jen and Sylvia Soska were to direct the movie. Now though, it appears that the project is without a director as all has gone quiet on that front.

As ever, expect more on this as it develops.