Hey, remember the CrossGen martial arts series Way of the Rat? Sure you do, well it might finally make it to the big screen. The wuxia-influenced comic book series, which was written by Chuck Dixon, lasted for 24 issues before publication was halted when CrossGen went bankrupt.
Way of the Rat was an ongoing series by writer Chuck Dixon and artists Jeff Johnson and Tom Ryder that followed a thief named Boon Sai Hong who runs across more than he bargained for by stealing two objects with magical properties. Along the way he gains a talking monkey named Pop Po as an advisor and the criminal element of the Asian-based world out to get him.
Disney/Marvel purchased the assets of then-bankrupt company Crossgen. Two of the properties, "Sigil" and "Ruse," were recently resurrected at Disney-owned Marvel Entertainment but there has been no announcements about a new "Way of the Rat" series.
Despite the fact in 2002 Dreamworks initially set up a Way of the Rat adaptation with Chuck Russell directing but that apparently went nowhere. But it looks like the movie adaptation might be on again. How? China’s Global Times reported that The Way of the Rat was one of three films announced Monday at the Beijing International Film Festival along with "Flying Tiger" and "Looper."
The project is described as a joint
production between China, the US and Canada. No word on casting or a
director but with a budget of $94 million we could see shooting start
as soon as the end of the year.