Graphic Novel Delilah Dirk and The Turkish Lieutenant to be Made into Disney Movie

Disney has bought the film rights to Tony Cliff’s New York Times bestseller, Delilah Dirk And The Turkish Lieutenant, a children’s graphic novel and comic series. The books tell the story of a 19th-century adventurer who escapes prison, busting out a Turkish officer with her who becomes her sidekick in her many pursuits of justice. Something of an Indiana Jones-type character, Delilah’s adventures take her around the world in her flying boat.

The studio is working toward a live-action film, with producers Roy Lee, Mark Mower and Justin Giritkian signed on for the project. Lee will be working through his Vertigo Entertainment banner, a middle-man company of sorts that sells remake rights for Asian films, with previous remakes including The Ring, The Grudge and Oscar-winner The Departed. Disney is currently looking for writers, and there are no directors or actors attached to the title yet, either.

Disney has seen varied results in the action-adventure genre, with Pirates of the Caribbean taking off into a franchise, but Prince of Persia: Sands of Time falling through the cracks (no pun intended). A female protagonist—who is a vicious sword fighter—and a diverse cast certainly won’t hurt in Delilah Dirk.