EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Entertainment has acquired film rights to Nonplayer, the comic book series from writer-illustrator Nate Simpson. The pic will be written by Eric Pearson, whose credits include co-writer on Disney/Marvel’s upcoming Thor: Ragnarok and who wrote on ABC’s Marvel’s Agent Carter.

Image Comics

The comic, from Simpson and Image Comics, is said to be in the vein of Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Matrix. It follows a tamale delivery girl named Dana Stevens who lives the life she wishes she could as a high-ranking warrior doing anything she can to level up in an augmented reality video game. When AI infects the game and madness spills into the real world, she’ll learn that escaping from reality is no longer an option, and has to level up and become her alter-ego in the real world.

The first in the two-comic series was published in 2011. Nonplayer #2 hit shelves in 2015.

Pearson is repped by ICM Partners, which packaged the deal, and attorney David Colden. Simpson is with attorney Marc Von Arx at Nelson/Davis.