Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that it acquired the feature film rights toDescender, the forthcoming comic book series from New York Times bestselling authorJeff Lemireand New York Times bestselling comic artistDustin Nguyen. Josh Bratman will produce the film withLemireandNguyenattached to executive produce. The first issue of the eagerly awaited series will be published by Image Comics on August 11, 2025. Here’s whatLemireandNguyenhad to say about the adaptation in a joint statement.
“It was a competitive situation forDescender, and we are thrilled that it ended with Sony Pictures acquiring the series. We know that their film translation will do justice to the original comics, and we are thrilled with their belief in the franchise potential.”
A sprawling, science-fiction space opera full of mystery and adventure,Descenderis a rip-roaring, heart-felt cosmic odyssey about a little boy looking for home in a universe that hates and fears him. The incredibly lifelike artificial boy, TIM-21, may hold the secrets deep in his machine DNA to the origin of robots that have decimated entire planets. As a result, he is the most-wanted robot in the universe. Before long the entire galaxy is looking for TIM-21 and his rag-tag group of unlikely companions, as they make their way from one exotic planet to the next with new foes advancing on them at every turn.
Lemireis the creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder and Trillum. His upcoming projects include the original graphic novel Roughneck from Simon and Schuster, as well as Black Hammer with Dean Ormston for Dark Horse Comics, Plutona with Emi Lenox and A.D. with Scott Snyder. In 2008 and in 2013,Lemirewon the Schuster Award for Best Canadian Cartoonist. He received The Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent and the American Library Association’s prestigious Alex Award, recognizing books for adults with specific teen appeal. Lemire has been nominated for 8 Eisner awards, 7 Harvey Awards and 8 Shuster Awards. He has also written such titles as Green Arrow, Animal Man and Hawkeye for DC and Marvel Comics.
Nguyenis best known for his work on American Vampire along with numerous Batman titles including: Batman Eternal, Batman: Streets of Gotham, Detective Comics, and most recently, Batman: Li’l Gotham, which has spawned its own line of toys, of which Nguyen is the designer.
LemireandNguyenare represented byAngela Cheng Caplanof Cheng Caplan Company, Inc. and represented legally byAllison Binderof Stone, Meyer, Genow, Smelkinson & Binder.Michael De LucaandRachel O’Connorwill oversee the project for the studio.
