Dear White People’s Justin Simien will direct an adaptation of the Vault Comics title Heist: Or, How to Steal a Planet.
One of the titles in Vault Comics‘ catalog is being adapted into a feature film. The independent comic book publisher is home to a plethora of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy comics, from some of the biggest creators in the industry. Hollywood always keeps an eye on what projects are coming out of the comic book community, and the next title to get the live-action treatment is Heist: Or, How to Steal a Planet. The project has an impressive list of creatives behind the scenes, including filmmaker Justin Simien (Dear White People) writer Christopher Yost, and Tommy Oliver’s Confluential Films.
Justin Simien of Dear White People and Haunted Mansion fame will direct Heist: Or, How to Steal a Planet, with Christopher Yost writing the script. Along with penning comics for Marvel, Yost has also worked on TV shows like Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Star Wars Rebels, as well as Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. Tommy Oliver is producing Heist: Or, How to Steal a Planet with Wayne Horton.
“How to Steal Planet wowed me and I’m humbled by the challenge of bringing a genre bending dose of afro-futurism to the culture,” Simien said in a statement.
“Vault’s How to Steal a Planet is just a good time. I can’t imagine a better duo than Justin Simien and Christopher Yost to bring this to the screen, especially as a part of Confluential’s growing slate of tentpole films from creators of color,” Oliver added.
What is Heist: Or, How to Steal a Planet about?
Heist: Or, How to Steal a Planet comes from the creative team of Paul Tobin, Arjuna Susini, Vittorio Astone, and Saida Temofonte. It focuses on the planet appropriately named Heist, which is home to the worst criminals in the galaxy. Con-man Glane Breld is responsible for stealing Heist to begin with, and now he has to steal it again. It’s described as “Ocean’s Eleven in space,” which is a compelling backdrop for a sci-fi heist film of this caliber.
The official description of Heist: Or, How to Steal a Planet from Vault Comics is below:
Glane Breld conned billions when he turned over the planet Heist to the Pan-Galactic goverment. Now he’s going to steal it back. Of course he’s a fugitive, and everyone wants him dead, but Glane won’t let the little things in his way.
Welcome to planet Heist! It’s the cutthroat capital of the entire Nehring System, home to billions of the worst men and women in the galaxy. The Pan-Galactic government has no idea what to do with the planet, but conman Glane Breld and his band of thieves know exactly what to do with Heist—they’re going to steal it. It’s Ocean’s Eleven in space, brought to you by writer Paul Tobin (Colder and Bandette) and Arjuna Susini (The Replacer)—the only minds crazy enough to steal an entire world.
