Black Market Narrative and ZQ Entertainment are set to bring the popular Image comic book series “NO/ONE” to the big screen. The adaptation will also include elements from its accompanying scripted podcast “WHO IS NO/ONE,” which features a star-studded voice cast including Rachael Leigh Cook, Patton Oswalt, and Todd Stashwick, the companies announced on Friday at San Diego Comic-Con.
The original comic, created by Kyle Higgins, Brian Buccellato, and Geraldo Borges, has gained critical acclaim since its release. Higgins and Buccellato will write the screenplay for the film with Higgins also serving as director.
“NO/ONE” chronicles the story of a digital hacktivist’s attempts to root out corruption amongst Pittsburgh politicians and leaders of industry, as well as the resulting movement of murderous accountability that jumpstarts a media maelstrom.
Debuting in March of 2023, the series became an instant critical and commercial hit, selling out of multiple printings, and has been lauded for pushing the boundaries of immersive storytelling with its utilization of an in-universe scripted podcast, along with in-universe websites, newspaper articles, data drops and viral videos.
The film will be comprised of sit down interviews, phone and drone footage, news coverage, and first-person GoPro and helmet videography from the “NO/ONE” operation itself. The upcoming true-crime found-footage feature “I AM NO/ONE” will be the final chapter in this multi-narrative experience.
“I AM NO/ONE” will be produced by Higgins and Buccellato, ZQ Entertainment’s Ara Keshishian and Petr Jákl, and Steven Schneider, known for his work on genre-defining films such as “Paranormal Activity,” “Insidious” and “Late Night with the Devil.” Stuart Manashil of Novo will serve as executive producer.
“Unconventional storytelling makes for the most compelling narratives, particularly when it comes to film. Even when playing within the rules of genre convention, audiences want to be surprised. They deserve it,” Schneider said in a statement. “’I AM NO/ONE’ being structured as a documentary, that is also in-universe with the comic and podcast, is something that has never been done before. And that alone is incredibly exciting to me.”
“As both a storyteller and a world-builder, immersion is incredibly important to me,” Higgins added. “From day one, when Brian and I embarked on this journey nearly three years ago, we planned this multi-narrative approach in a way that would allow us to play to the strengths of our favorite mediums, designing a story that—while standing on its own in each format—became incredibly additive when experiencing all aspects of it together. I am incredibly excited to make my feature-film directing debut on a project so intensely personal and that speaks to the type of boundary-pushing, outside-the-box storytelling that I pride myself on trying to achieve.”
“This film is a culmination of over three years of meticulous planning and world building and I am so excited to be embarking on the final leg of this journey,” Buccellato added. “Executing a superhero murder-mystery across multiple mediums is the biggest creative swing we’ve ever taken. We’re proud that each element stands on its own, and can’t wait to bring it all together for a truly one-of-a-kind storytelling experience.”
“NO/ONE” and “WHO IS NO/ONE“ finished its ten-part run on Wednesday, with the final moments of both the comic book series and the podcast laying the groundwork for the story’s next evolution in “I AM NO/ONE.” All issues and episodes are available now.
The “NO/ONE” comic books are now available at comic book shops and across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play. The podcast is available on all podcast platforms as well as the “WHO IS NO/ONE” in-universe website, The Drop.
A collected edition of all ten issues, all ten episodes and all in-universe storytelling material is slated for release in November.
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