Humanoids Taps Taika Waititi to Turn ‘The Incal’ Into a Feature Film

Humanoids, the celebrated French-American graphic novel publisher and media platform, announced plans to partner with academy award-winning director Taika Waititi to adapt The Incal, the bestselling epic science-fiction graphic novel by Alejandro Jodorowsky and the late artist Mœbius, into a live action feature film.

The announcement of the film project marks the first time the classic 1970s-era graphic novel has been adapted into a film. Waititi, who is also an actor and writer, will direct the adaptation and write the screenplay in collaboration with Jemaine Clement and Peter Warren. He is likely best known as the director of Marvel’s 2017 blockbuster film Thor: Ragnorak. Waititi is represented by CAA and Manage-ment.

Waititi said, “the films and graphic novels of Alejandro Jodorowsky have influenced me and so many others for so long. I was stunned to be given the opportunity to bring his iconic characters to life and I am grateful to Alejandro, Fabrice and everyone at Humanoids for trusting me to do so.”

Created in the 1970s by Jodorowsky, a filmmaker and writer, and the late acclaimed French comics artist Moebius (1938-2012), The Incal is considered a masterpiece of the space opera genre and one of the world’s biggest selling science fiction graphic novels. It’s the story of John Difool, a seedy private eye in the far distant future who comes across the Incal, a mystical artifact of tremendous power. As Difool begins to understand its power and purpose, he and a motley crew of companions embark on an unlikely mission to save the universe; a journey that eventually becomes a literary examination of the meaning of existence.

In addition to The Incal, Jodorowsky is also the author of the bestselling graphic novel space operas The Metabarons (with artist Juan Giménez) and Megalex (with artist Fred Beltranz). Now 92 years old, Jodorowsky lives in Paris.

Jodorowsky said “When Humanoids’ CEO Fabrice Giger introduced me to Taika Waititi’s work, it became obvious to me that he was the one. I fully trust Taika’s creativity to give THE INCAL a stunning take, intimate and at the same time of cosmic proportions.”

Humanoids is producing the film with Primer Entertainment, a production house directed by David Jourdan that acquired a stake in Humanoids publishing in 2019. The acquisition brought in additional investment that will be used to fund film adaptations of other Humanoids graphic novel content.  Humanoids will announce additional partnerships for the film’s distribution and release at a later date.

Humanoids CEO Fabrice Giger said that much like the mystical artifact, The Incal graphic novel has “transformed everything it's ever touched and continues to do so: its creators, its publisher Humanoids, countless readers, writers, directors around the world, and myself in the process.” Giger continued, “and soon, I believe, the great Taika Waititi himself and everyone who looks to him for inspiration.”