J.J. Abrams will be producing a robot period piece, according to The Hollywood Reporter. BOILERPLATE: HISTORY’S MECHANICAL MARVEL will be based on a graphic novel/picture book by Heartbreakers authors Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett.
BOILERPLATE is the tale of the world’s first robot, who came upon the scene in the 19th century and took part in some of history’s most memorable moments including the legend of Lawrence of Arabia, the silent movie era, and World War I. BOILERPLATE is not to be confused with Atomic Robo, a similar graphic novel series from Red 5 Comics that tells the story of a different robot who is instrumental in major historical events.
The story of BOILERPLATE is told in the graphic novel by picturing the main character in familiar period imagery. If this style choice carries over to the film adaptation, it could make for a really fascinating piece of alternate-reality storytelling.