Jessica Chastain has already hunted Osama Bin Laden, saved Jason Bourne’s ass, and met Furiosa on the battlefield. The Crimson Peak actor was also recently tasked with traversing a besieged New York City in an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s The Division. And yet, despite her badass bona fides, Chastain has somehow never played a superhero. Thankfully, Hollywood plans to make things right, as Variety reports Chastain has been cast as the lead in a Painkiller Jane adaptation.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Event Comics character, Painkiller Jane is an undercover cop turned vigilante, and the creation of Jimmy Palmiotti and longtime Marvel editor Joe Quesada. In the comics, Jane attempted to infiltrate the Fonti job, who got wise to her and tried to blow her up. But the man she was supposed to take out miraculously revives her, and she ends up with superhuman regenerative powers. Although she recovers from every beating, stabbing, and gunshot she incurs as a vigilante, Jane‘s not immune to pain. So, in addition to being a skilled fighter and sniper, she’s kind of a glutton for punishment.
Syfy previously ran a Painkiller Jane telemovie and series in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Co-creator Jimmy Palmiotti will executive produce this feature-length adaptation, which is presumably the one that nabbed its directors back in 2014. There’s no word on who’s helming the movie now, but Chastain is producing the project with Palmiotti and Lotus Entertainment’s Lenny Beckerman.