Before names like Han Solo and Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds were synonymous with space pirates, there was Cobra. Cobra – The Space Pirate was originally a Japanese manga created by Buichi Terasawa back in the late 1970′s. A few years later around 1982, it was then converted into an anime series which became widely popular across most of Europe.

Alex states that he was pestering Terasawa for some time and has finally been granted the rights for a film. His goal for the futuristic saga is to turn it into a live action franchise. It would seem kind of odd that a horror director that’s made such films as The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D and Mirrors would be interested in directing a sci-fi movie. That’s perfectly fine for Alex, as he states that he’s been a huge fan for some time, which is good news, because he’ll be more prone to stay close to the story.

Here’s what Alex had to say about the series:

“I grew up dreaming about Cobra. My day was, finish school, run home and switch on the TV and I was hardly the only one. Kids did it in France, Italy, Spain, all over Western Europe. For many people there is Star Wars and nothing else, but for me and my writing partner Gregory, there is Star Wars and Cobra. I am so surprised it never crossed the ocean and made the same impact in the U.S., because it is so big everywhere else. There are 60 books, a lot of TV animation and so many adventures, pirates and bad guys that it is perfect to be reinvented into a really cool space opera adventure franchise for a new generation.”

The story takes place in the future where merchant spaceships and space pirates sail across space. Cobra is a space pirate with a notorious reputation and also refuses to align with the United Galaxies Federation or the Pirates Guild. Because of that, he ends up with a huge bounty on his head with everyone and their mother trying to get a piece of him. During his adventures of trying to keep his identity a secret and avoid capture, Cobra comes across a sexy bounty hunter named Jane. She is trying to locate her sisters and translate a treasure map tattooed on their backs. That sounds similar to Waterworld, when the little girl had a map on her back which led to land. In any event, their main goal becomes locating a lost treasure on Mars.

The story looks intriguing and I’m definitely interested to see what Alexander can come up with for a movie genre he’s never worked with. No details as of yet for a projected release date.