Popular Comic Books That Still Don't Have Live-Action Adaptations

The internet is full of endless chatter about supposed superhero fatigue and whether or not comic book adaptations are heading towards retirement. Truth be told, this conversation has taken place for years, yet the genre continues to power ahead, dominating the box office and television ratings alike. The situation is much like anything else in the entertainment biz: People will continue to tune in as long as the material is interesting and provides something fresh to watch. Consequently, creators working in film and TV remain interested in finding comic book properties that haven't yet enjoyed live-action adaptations. Regurgitating current heroes can only take you so far, after all — we might love Scott Lang, but a movie like, say, "Ant-Man VIII: Scott Takes Manhattan" is a fairly remote possibility.

Ferreting out new comic books to adapt may sound like an impossible task, considering how gung-ho the industry has been about acquiring these assets. But in fact, there is a plethora of popular comics that have not piqued the interest of television and film executives — or not seriously enough to get them into active production, anyway. It's true that many of these properties peaked in popularity in different eras — some before the big comic book boom in the late 2000s, even — but a good story remains a good story. These books have been well-received for a reason, and a few of them are still going strong to this day. We're here to take a look at the popular comic books that still don't have live-action adaptations, from space-faring family dramas to post-modern epics.

Mobster Jackie Estacado receives cosmic powers from an entity known as the Darkness, which protect his body, bestow him with supernatural abilities, and open a portal that allows a bunch of talking and charismatic imps known as Darklings to do his bidding. How is this not a major movie already? The character has already appeared in two video games, for Pete's sake — there's a proven track record of his ability to find success in other mediums.

Created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl, the Darkness is one of Top Cow's premier comic book heroes, along with Witchblade. While Witchblade has enjoyed her own television series, starring Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini, and regularly teams up with Jackie in the comics, a live-action adaptation of "The Darkness" has yet to materialize. This is seriously surprising, considering the character is pretty much a perfect combination of Spawn, John Constantine, and Venom, and would undoubtedly shine as the star of a supernatural comic book movie.

This state of affairs might change in the future, going by comments made by Silvestri to ComicBook.com in October 2022. "I cannot say anything," he said. "Look, it's like we're looking at here ... you always have things going on. And I can say this, that we have something. But I can't say anything more than that." Could the Darkness' debut be drawing near? Fans should keep their fingers crossed.

From "Teen Titans" to the first "X-Men" line-up, teenage superhero teams have always been in vogue. Jim Lee, Brandon Choi, and J. Scott Campbell appeared to have struck gold from this vein with the creation of "Gen 13" in 1993. Another glittering part of the WildStorm imprint, these youthful and fashion-loving superhuman characters caught the attention of comic book fans and crossed over with major characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. However, this team began to suffer from overexposure as time wore on, before they experienced a complete 180 when DC bought WildStorm and put them on the backburner.

An animated "Gen 13" movie was all but scrapped in the United States, with only certain countries receiving a limited release in 2000. The team continued to disappear into the periphery of the DC Universe, becoming something more of a footnote from the 1990s than a mainstay in the ongoing comics saga. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that "Gen 13" had some of the wildest adventures and most colorful characters around, back in their heyday. Sure, they might need to update their wardrobe for modern times, but Caitlin Fairchild, Grunge, and the rest of their pals would make for electric viewing.

Love. Space. Fantasy. Family drama. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' "Saga" has it all, and is widely regarded as one of the best comic book series of the 2010s. Not only has it been praised for its critically acclaimed storyline, it's also sold like hotcakes: This sprawling series competes on the sales charts with the unstoppable juggernaut known as "The Walking Dead." To further cement its importance in pop culture, "Saga" even made an appearance on "The Big Bang Theory."

With such fanfare and an envious sales record to its name, you'd expect Hollywood to be knocking down Vaughan and Staples' doors with offers for adaptations. However, the creators aren't exactly inviting them in for tea and biscuits. In an interview with Barnes & Noble, Vaughan explained how they would listen to ideas for adaptations, but that he believes the story of "Saga" is best told in the comic book medium. "I've never finished listening to a great album and said, 'I can't wait for them to make a novel out of this!'" he said. "I like a lot of adaptations just fine, and I've even worked on a few myself, but I still think of comics as the ultimate destination, not a stepping stone to something else."

On a surface level, "Savage Dragon" looks like a comic about the Incredible Hulk and the Abomination's love child. However, the concept is much different than what's taking place in Marvel Comics. Created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics, Dragon is a superhero cop who has been appearing in comics for over three decades now. Over the course of this impressive run, he has featured in his own animated series and inspired a toyline. Yet Dragon hasn't crossed the great divide to the live-action realm, despite the technology now being available to make him look extremely believable as a CGI character.

The reason for this is simple: Larsen isn't interested in making it happen. In a now-deleted Twitter post, the creator explained that while he understands some people want to see a "Savage Dragon" movie, he prefers Dragon to stay put in the comics medium, and added that he has control over every facet of the character there. Larsen was adamant that the character will always exist in comics, and that's where fans should come to see Dragon if they like him with such an enduring passion.

Jeff Lemire is no stranger to having his creator-owned stories adapted. From "Essex Country" to "Sweet Tooth," his work has found a lot of success on the small screen. However, one of his most popular comics, "Black Hammer" — which he created with artist Dean Ormston — has yet to find a home in film or television. This Dark Horse Comics series combines the sensibilities of superhero shenanigans with a "Twilight Zone" influence, and has racked up numerous awards and a rabid fan base since its debut in 2016. One would anticipate it to be high up on a network or studio's agenda, but alas, this doesn't seem to be the case.

There was a time, though, when Legendary Entertainment — the production company behind "Dune" and "Godzilla vs. Kong" — had its eyes set on "Black Hammer," and was working with Lemire to develop a story. However, that era came and went, as Lemire revealed to The Beat. "Legendary's option on the book has passed," he said. "I had a great time adapting it with them, but we are currently looking for a new home." Hopefully they find one.

Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson's "Nailbiter" is like "The Silence of the Lambs" on steroids. This Image Comics series introduces two terrifying notions: A town that's a breeding ground for serial killers, and one such murderer who wants to chew off people's nails. This book is a pure horror show that isn't afraid to get gory or graphic when it has to — even the covers are often enough to make readers lose their lunches. The series received high praise from outlets like IGN right from the get-go: As that publication put it, "'Nailbiter' #1 is an icky and eerie debut that's sure to turn your sweetest dreams into the stuff of nightmares."

Considering "Nailbiter" debuted in 2014, concluded its original run, and has already produced a sequel, it's remarkable that it hasn't had more attention from the powers-that-be at major studios, networks, and streaming services. Williamson is now a busy writer at DC, and this is the sort of property that Warner Bros. Discovery and New Line Cinema should be eating up — pardon the disgusting pun. Heck, they should be mapping out all the franchise and sequel possibilities by now. Seriously, just hand this story over to James Wan's Atomic Monster Productions and make horrifying magic already.