Thoughts on Hoax Hunters Being Optioned for a Movie

I'm willing to bet most of you have heard this news--Jeff Krelitz, the producer of Peter Panzerfaust and Red Brick Road, has picked up the option on Hoax Hunters with the intent of turning it into a movie. Suffice to say, this is an incredibly exciting development. The news broke last Thursday, and it has been a roller coaster since. Steve and I were slammed at C2E2 this past weekend, doing better business than we ever had at a con, fielding questions (casting, directors, etc), and receiving so many kind words, which we appreciate. It's going to be a fun couple months as this moves forward, and we look forward to sharing news as we get it.

So what does this mean for the book? Well, I can't say for sure, not yet. Hopefully good things. Hopefully great things. Because, as many people know, Hoax Hunters has struggled with sales. There's no getting around that fact. It's been a challenging few months for Steve and I--exhausting and stressful. It hasn't been easy watching the reviews get better and better with each passing issue while sales continue to slide down and down despite our very best efforts. Our backs have been against the wall, we've been pushed to a point where many other creators would've called it quits already and moved on.

But Steve and I are invested in this thing, all the way.

Thankfully, many of you are as well. I can't tell you how much the tweets and messages and facebook shares, the support of retailers and journalists, means to us. Hearing that Hoax Hunters is someone's favorite comic, among the myriad other choices out there, has helped ward off many nights where I'd lie awake, frustrated beyond repair, desperately trying to conjure a way to keep this book going.

The coming arc, which begins in August (we have the second trade in May, the annual in June, then July off--more on why later this week), is some of the best Hoax Hunters story I've written, that Steve and I have crafted. So much of what has happened comes to a head, it's emotional, surprising, and really dark. And the ending for this arc, which marks the end of season one, is going to be killer.

Does the movie news validate our struggle? Well, yes and no. It's certainly beyond both Steve's and my dreams that this is even happening. It's incredible, and we are both grateful and aware of how lucky we are. But, ultimately, the book is what matters most. It's what we control; it's the story that we're telling, on our terms; it's where this all started over two years ago, as a small backup in Tim Seeley's (the generous and kind and amazing Tim Seeley) Hack/Slash. We want to keep the series going for a long time, and whatever helps us in doing so is more than we can ask for.

To those who have been with us from the start, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. We wouldn't have made it this far without you, and I can't wait for you to see what's in store in the coming months. And anyone new to the Hoax Hunters world, welcome. Things are about to get really good.

-MM