Brian K. Vaughn’s wonderful Vertigo comics series Y: THE LAST MAN is making yet another bid for the screen, with THR reporting that New Line are hiring two new screenwriters to adapt the material.

Matthew Federman & Stephen Scaia (WAREHOUSE 13; JERICHO; and the upcoming ZORRO REBORN) are the poor folks saddled with the utterly futile attempt at condensing a 60-issue story into 140 mins. Good luck, guys.

For those unfamiliar, Y: THE LAST MAN tells the story of a mysterious global epidemic which kills every male of the planet virtually instantaneously, with the exception of one Yorick Brown and his pet monkey Ampersand. Together they travel the world incognito on a quest to reunite with Yorick’s girlfriend Beth, and unravel the mystery surrounding the virus. Things, as you can imagine, do not go smoothly.

 

As much of a fan as we are of the source material, this news disappoints no end. Film continually proves itself to be a poor choice of mediums in which to re-tell these stories. With a condensed running time and nervous executives unwilling to do anything other than pander to mass audiences, a lot of comic book movies don’t stand a chance. On TV however, well, that’s a different story entirely. Case in point, THE WALKING DEAD. Free to go at a more natural pace, a series can develop characters properly and spread the many arcs over a period of years. A Y: THE LAST MAN series is essential. A movie is doomed from the start. And ignore any promises they’re inevitably going to make regarding a trilogy in which to tell the story adequately – the gamble that the first film will find a large enough audience to facilitate 2 & 3 is huge. Trust us, the studio will have no qualms leaving Y fans high and dry when the numbers disappoint.

We’ll be keeping a very cautious eye on this one. Our recommendation – just read (or re-read) the comics instead and wait until Hollywood comes to its senses.

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