Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have today officially that Steven Spielberg is set to produce a big-screen adaptation of vintage DC Comic Blackhawk.

Blackhawk is the story of a squadron of freelance fighter pilots set (mainly) during the Second World War. Because of their varied nationalities it proved difficult for them to join the RAF during the early days of the war and so they privately bought several Grumman XF5F Skyrocket fighters which they used to shoot down improbable numbers of Axis warplanes and, later, fantastical science-fiction villains.

The stories first appeared under the Quality Comics banner, created in Jewish comics legend Will Eisner’s studio, and were one of the few Quality properties which survived that company’s absorption in the 1950s.

The Blackhawk squadron continued well into the modern era, crossing over with Superman and Batman, before being cancelled in the 1970s. There have been several attempts to revive the title over the ensuing years.

Blackhawk is evidently a passion project for Spielberg, who has been connected with the title since the mid-1980s. As yet the storyline is unknown but a retro take on the character set in the early days of WW2 would sit well with his interest in Indiana Jones.

David Koepp, who has worked with Spielberg on films such as Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is set to write the film’s script.

“We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg’s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure,” said Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich. “We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing ‘Blackhawk’ to movie audiences worldwide.”