Ben Templesmith Unveils Art for Black Sky

Ben Templesmith has been hard at work on a new ilustrated film directed by Matt Pizzolo called Black Sky. Templesmith debuted some images from the film at Comic-Con and had a few things to say about it as well.

Templesmith was joined on the panel by director Pizzolo, developer Brian Giberson and co-creator Tim Seeley (yes, that Tim Seeley). The work has been described as "'Band of Brothers' vs. Cthulhu. The film is being produced by Halo-8 as both a comic book and the illustrated film. The film is set to be released this fall.

Full press release and other images from Comic-Con after the jump.

BEN TEMPLESMITH unveils new art for BLACK SKY with illustrated-film director MATT PIZZOLO

At Halo-8's "Illustrated Films & Comics" panel during SDCC10, Ben Templesmith unveiled brand new artwork for his upcoming post-apocalyptic epic BLACK SKY, a dark war-movie-style adventure described as Band of Brothers vs Cthulhu.

BLACK SKY is in production at Halo-8 as both a comic book and an "illustrated film" to be directed by Matt Pizzolo (GODKILLER).

Templesmith was joined on the panel by illustrated-film developers Pizzolo and Brian Giberson, as well as fellow creator Tim Seeley (whose LOADED BIBLE will next receive adaptation as an illustrated film) and movie producer FJ DeSanto (The Spirit, upcoming The Shadow).

Templesmith and Pizzolo announced the BLACK SKY comic book and illustrated film will debut this Fall.

About Illustrated Films
Illustrated Films are a new filmmaking format where art & cinema collide. Designed by filmmakers Matt Pizzolo and Brian Giberson, ill-films utilize comic book sequential art and add 3D-CGI, motion graphics, elaborate sound design, music, and dramatic voice performances by genre actors and rockstars. Though similar in some ways to motion comics, ill-films are a new format of cinema whereas motion comics are a new format of cartoons. Pizzolo explained at C2E2 "on first glance, ill-films and motion comics look very similar... and people might say 'it's moving comics on a screen, that's motion comics' to which I say 'just because Seinfeld is moving people captured on 35mm film doesn't make it the same thing as Full Metal Jacket.' We're filmmakers so we're bringing a cinematic sensibility to this. We animate motion in the frame, but the need for motion is different in film... it's not like Michael Madsen bounces around the frame in Reservoir Dogs the way Wakko does in Animaniacs." The first ill-film was GODKILLER, whose breakout success led to the launch of an entire slate of upcoming ill-films. GODKILLER's expectation-beating release included a platform theatrical run, multiple sold-out DVD pressings (including various shortform episodic DVDs), and VOD distribution into 75 million homes. Upcoming ill-films currently in production include Ben Templesmith's BLACK SKY, the giallo-horror THE LONG KNIVES, James Farr's XOMBIE: REANIMATED, and Tim Seeley's LOADED BIBLE.