The trades are reporting that Platinum Studios, Top Cow Prods. and Arclight Films will team on a live-action feature adaptation of "Witchblade," based on the Top Cow comicbook franchise.

The comicbook introduced the Witchblade mythology, which centers on an ornate jewel-encrusted gauntlet that gives extraordinary powers to the wearer, a specially chosen female from each generation.

Pic will be produced by Arclight's Gary Hamilton and Nigel Odell, Platinum Studios' Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and Steve Squillante of Havenwood Media. Top Cow's Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins will be exec producers with Platinum Studios' Rich Marincic and Greenberg Group's Randy Greenberg.

There is no doubt in my mind that plenty of second tier comic book characters will get their chance on the big screen now that Iron Man has proven even not-so-well-known comic book characters can be blockbusters as long as the movie and marketing is done right. (I'm waiting for Dr. Stange dammit!!)

I'm pretty sure that some time this year comic book fans will be hearing about other characters such as Evil Ernie, Lady Death, Purgatory, Dark Chylde and many other 90 comic book properties being greenlit and moving into production.

Let's just hope that the big screen version of Witchblade doesn’t end up being the disaster the recent live-action TV series starring Yancy Butler was.