DC Comics acquires rights to prose antihero The Tyrant

DC Comics plans to develop a comic book and multimedia properties based on The Tyrant, the Las Vegas casino owner turned vigilante of Jon Land’s 2009 novel The Seven Sins, Variety reports.

The thriller follows Michael Tiranno, aka The Tyrant, an orphaned farm boy in Sicily who’s adopted by the local mob godfather after the murder of his parents. Tiranno becomes a master of finance, eventually becoming the owner of The Seven Sins, “the grandest and most extravagant casino in the world.” But when Las Vegas is targeted by terrorists, Tiranno returns to his homeland to track down those responsible.

DC struck the deal with King Midas World Entertainment, which envisions a multimedia franchise — the film rights were optioned in 2008 — including, eventually, a real Seven Sins casino. Talks reportedly began with the comics publisher as far back as 2009.

Fabrizio Boccardi, founder of King Midas World Entertainment and, according to this video, the inspiration for The Tyrant, tells the trade paper, “We conceived the character as the Batman of Las Vegas. Honestly, I want to build a franchise. I know it’s not an easy task but I’d like to create something that can endure longer than just three movies.”