Mark Hamill Directing 'The Black Pearl'

The Wrap reports that Mark Hamill may be directing a feature version of his comic "The Black Pearl." Participating in the Los Angeles Comedy Shorts Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, Hamill hinted at the project:

Then Hamill dropped numerous hints about the film: it’s based on a comic book that Hamill wrote, it’s set in the real world, and “at first glance it’s a drama, but it has dark humor.”

“My two co-writers wrote a David O. Russell film for Paramount,” he said, “and now they’ve very hot. So now there are people who are willing to give us $30 million to make the movie. But if we took that deal, I wouldn’t get to direct.

“If you go over about $8 million, you have to start getting foreign sales before you start shooting. But if you stay in the $5-to-$7 million range, you don’t have to do presales and you can maintain much more creative control.”

Published by Dark Horse Comics in 1996, the five-part comic was co-written by Hamill and Eric Johnson, illustrated by H. M. Baker, and inked by Bruce Patterson and Dan Schaeffer. The story focuses on Luther Drake, a troubled man who becomes a costumed vigilante "hero" by accident and media pressure.

An official announcement is expected at the Cannes Film Festival.