Only in comic books—and in the movies they inspire—could a cancer diagnosis be something to celebrate. (And not always then, either.) The 2011 graphic novel Malignant Man concerns a guy whose terminal illness turns out to be a blessing in disguise: He doesn’t have a tumor, as his doctors initially believe, but a tumor-shaped parasite that grants him supernatural powers. Beat that, Make A Wish Foundation.
In a shocking twist, this high concept comes not from the prolific mind of one-man idea-factory Mark Millar, but rather from horror maestro James Wan. Less shocking is the news that Fox has optioned the rights to a Malignant Man movie and that Wan—who’s currently busy helming the seventh Fast & Furious film—will likely direct it. Wan has already launched a few franchises (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring), so it’s not inconceivable he could parlay this opportunity into a multi-picture deal. As of this writing, some executive at Fox is probably scrambling to find an open space on the 2017 release calendar for Malignant Men, featuring an Avengers-like team of falsely diagnosed superheroes. Didn’t Fox release The Fault In Our Stars, too? We smell a crossover.