Lionsgate Picks Up Dark Fantasy 'Solomon Kane' (Nope!)

Fantasy fans, get ready--Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane may be heading to movie theatres after all thanks to the folks at Lionsgate. The film received enthusiastic buzz on the festival circuit (I saw it at Fantastic Fest this year and thought it was a well-made piece of kick-ass pulp fiction), but its fate was uncertain until Lionsgate's purchase of the $40 million indie at the American Film Market.

The film stars James Purefoy as Solomon Kane, a bloodthirsty soldier during the Eilzabethan Era who changes his ways when an encounter with a wraith leads him to believe that he's damned himself to hell. His new vow of peace is soon brought into question as a demonic presence terrorizes the countryside. Michael J. Bassett (Deathwatch) wrote and directed the stylish dark fantasy, creating an interesting origin story for Robert E. Howard's character. Lionsgate has not made any formal announcement regarding Solomon Kane's eventual release (whether it's opening wide theatrically or going straight to DVD). It's certainly good enough to deserve a theatrical release, but their marketing team will have their work cut out for them trying to sell the character to the public on his own merits, especially when he's a dead ringer for Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing. See for yourself; you can watch the trailer here.

(via Fangoria)

UPDATE: Thanks to a few astute friends on Twitter, we've learned (from @michaelJbassett himself) that, and I quote: "Lionsgate + Solomon Kane = not true."