Universal Pencils In Pilgrim
Brian Lee O'Malley's alt-lit, rock 'n' roll graphic novel is picked up by Universal as a potential vehicle for a certain British zombie comedy director.
By Todd Gilchrist

Oni Press Photo
Two volumes, many more fans

Universal Pictures has tapped Michael Bacall to adapt 26-year-old Canadian cartoonist and musician Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic book Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life. The source material follows a young do-nothing who becomes ensconced in a martial arts adventure, during which he faces off against his girlfriend's ex-boyfriends to win her hand.

The studio, which struck gold last year distributing Focus Features' zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, has enlisted Shaun helmer Edgar Wright to direct after he finishes his follow-up, Hot Fuzz, also written by and starring Simon Pegg. Wright's unconventional, cheeky approach to genre material should prove well-suited to the comic book, which transforms relationship peccadilloes into real-life confrontations.

Bacall, meanwhile, is working on the Stacy Peralta-directed feature In Search of Captain Zero, a surfer biopic which is to star Sean Penn, as well as Justice Deferred an adaptation of a novel by Len Williams that Maguire Entertainment has set up at Warner Brothers. Other upcoming projects include a spec script, Psycho Funky Chimp, for Dimension Films and a graffiti tome for New Line tentatively titled Graff.

Scott Pilgrim is 23 years old, lives in a cold, unnamed Canadian town, plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and has a very cute 17-year-old Chinese-Canadian girlfriend, Knives Chau. His "precious little life" is amiably unstructured, and he drifts, happily unemployed, between band practice and time spent with Knives. His relationship with Knives is chaste—walks, chats and hugs—although Knives is getting bigger ideas. "We haven't even held hands," Scott explains. "It's just nice, you know." But then he starts having dreams about Ramona Flowers, a mysterious, equally cute and perfectly legal hipster chick on Rollerblades who delivers books for Amazon.com. Ramona is anything but simple, and O'Malley's tale of adorable slackers in love is transformed into a wildly magically manga–kung fu fantasy adventure. We meet the first of Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends, Matthew Patel, who challenges Scott and his band to a supernatural martial arts duel right out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. O'Malley has crafted a delightfully hybrid comics love story. It's an alt-lit, rock 'n' roll graphic novel with wonderful manga-influenced drawing and a comically mystical plot that manages to capture both the genuine intimacies and serial dishonesties of young love.

The graphic novels are really great.

I really enjoyed the first one, not read the second.  What's it like?  As good as the first?

Yep, just as good.

I can't believe this thread is so old!

Diablo Cody is in his top friends. Well, she does hang out with Edgar now. I heard that they were boinking, but I think that's just my mate Spanos enjoying the idea rather than it being anywhere near true.

I hope they get the casting right and don't just tag big names on it.

I can't help but think that Scott should be someone slightly...cooler. I adore Michael Cera, but his characters are always sweet and someone you feel almost sorry for at times, whereas I think Scott needs a more 'excited kid' energy and attractive confidence. Hopefully Cera will pull it off; I have faith.

Edgar was in Toronto recently.
Scouting for locations perhaps? 

This begs the quesiton will they keep it to one evil boyfriend for film, or will Ed try to fit the first 3 books into the 1st film, or what?

If they're going to film it in Toronto, I wonder if they'd need an RN on the set.

My awesome friend has Pilgrimized Ad and me.

Hoping to confirm those soon, though I'm sure they're legit. Also just discovered we will be getting 'Pilgrim' video blogs - huzzah!

Is there an actual production start date scheduled yet?