Out April 1 from Broadway Books, Max Brooks’ The Harlem Hellfighters graphic novel has been purchased by Sony Pictures, in conjunction with Overbrook Entertainment.
With illustrations by Caanan White, The Harlem Hellfighters is biographical, detailing the story of World War I’s 369th Infantry Regiment.
Formed in 1913 as a part of New York’s National Guard, the squad was built up for duty in the racially-divided South Carolina and sent out into France where they saw active duty in the war in 1918.
Seriously…these dudes were BAD ASS. They destroyed enemies left and right and had very few casualties. But then when they came back stateside, they were treated even worse than Vietnam War veterans would end up being treated. While many of them received high honors both here and in France for their service, “they weren’t publicly recognized and were left out of the Victory Parade.”
Their story sounds emotional and intense and I’m looking forward to the graphic novel. And say what you will about the adaptation of World War Z, I have some confidence in this new project, as Overbrook Entertainment was co-founded by Will Smith. I don’t see him backing down easily when it comes to the film’s content. It’s also way too early to know if Smith plans on appearing in the film.