Charles Burns' acclaimed graphic novel has been one of the great 'unadaptable books' that fans have lusted to see an adaptation of over the decade or so that it has taken to rise to prominence. Considered unadaptable not because of structural or technical issues - the story is straightforward enough and all of the technical demands can be easily met with current technology - the story has been considered untouchable for years because it fuses graphic sex and violence - plus bizarre mutations triggered by an STD - amongst high school kids. It's just like real life, basically.
The thorny subject matter hasn't stopped people from trying ... it was at Universal for a time, with Alexandre Aja originally slated to direct from a script adapted by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. I've read that script, it's amazing and did not shy away from the book's difficult subject matter one iota. Then Aja slipped off and David Fincher - a better choice, in my book - came on. And then everybody realized that it would be both expensive and absolutely certainly R rated and the whole thing just sort of fell apart.
But Black Hole appears to be alive again, with The Hollywood Reporter including a sideways mention of the film - with Fincher still attached - in a new article detailing upcoming projects on the slate at Brad Pitt's Plan B production company. Will they find the money this time? The environment certainly hasn't gotten any easier, but it's good to know it's not dead just yet ...