Ron Wimberly’s graphic novel Prince of Cats has had its feature rights bought by Legendary at auction. In an exclusive, Deadline reports that the film will be developed as a star vehicle for Lakeith Stanfield, who most recently starred in Sorry to Bother You and has also had major roles in Get Out and FX’s hit series Atlanta.
Originally published by DC Comics’ Vertigo and now published by Image Comics, the graphic novel is an ‘80s hip-hop retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. However, Prince of Cats follows the story of Tybalt (Juliet’s cousin, whose nickname is “prince of cats,†for those of you who haven’t done your assigned reading ever). He and his fellow Capulets cross swords with the Montagues in Brooklyn “alongside a vibrant music scene,†which sounds like the coolest thing to happen to Shakespeare since Leonardo DiCaprio brooded to Radiohead in an abandoned amusement park. Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, former editor-in-chief of The Source, will adapt the story.