Comic-Con 2014: The Soska Sisters to Direct Painkiller Jane

Although the superhero movie renaissance is in full swing, there aren’t many films in the genre with female protagonists, or from female directors. That’s all set to change: Hollywood Reporter has revealed that The Soska Sisters will direct Painkiller Jane, based on the Event Comics series created by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, in an announcement straight out of Comic-Con 2014.

Related: Comic-Con 2014: ‘Amazing Spider-Man 3’ Pushed Back to 2018

Painkiller Jane is the story of an undercover cop whose identity is uncovered, and who is then tortured. In the process she develops superhuman healing abilities and an unnatural resistance to pain. The comic book series has been adapted twice before, in the TV movie Painkiller Jane starring Emmanuelle Vaugier (“CSI: NY”), and a subsequent TV series starring Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3). The film wasn’t particularly faithful to the original comic book series, and the TV series practically ignored it completely; maybe it should have paid closer attention, since it was cancelled after a single season.

It’s the biggest project yet for Jen and Sylvia Soska, aka “The Twisted Twins,” who rose to prominence in the horror world with the films Dead Hooker in a Trunk and American Mary, a film CraveOnline compared to “the origin of a Batman villain” and declared one of the most underrated films of 2013.

Painkiller Jane will be produced by co-creator Jimmy Palmiotti under his Paperfilms Banner, and by Stephen L’Heureux of Solipsist Films. 

The Soska Sisters are here at Comic-Con promoting their new WWE horror sequel See No Evil 2. We’ll be sure to track them down and get the latest scoop on their exciting new project.


William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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