Seth Green recently gave word to Dark Horizons that he will make his feature directorial debut with Freshmen, an adaptation of the comic book series he co-created with Hugh Sterbakov which was first published in 2005.

Says Green, “The premise is very simple. It is kids - it’s Revenge of the Nerds meets X-Men. It’s kids in their first year of college, their first days of college, leaving the nest for the first time, awkwardly discovering their own identifies, trying to cast off all the things that have been placed on them throughout their scholastic career, and define their own identity in college. And these kids are - you know, because of the overflow of the enrollment, they’re put into the science building, where they don’t even have permanent housing. And, you know, now this is a makeshift group they’re supposed to be best friends with, and they find themselves at a fraternity party where they are the butt of every joke and humiliated beyond their imagination. And then they go back to the dorm and kind of mull over the notion of being trapped in this place for the next four years. And then they are the victims of a scientific event, which gives them borderline useless superpowers. So now in addition to being these outcasts of the outcasts, they are additionally alienated, with a physical deformity.”

Green went on to estimate that the production would be independently financed with a budget of around $35 million.  He also revealed he has no plans to appear in front of the camera in the film.

As a big fan of the comic, I immediately got writer Hugh Sterbakov on the horn for some details.

“Seth and I have worked hard to make sure the Freshmen movie is handled properly. This is a movie that has to be done with the right tone, or it won’t work at all,” says Sterbakov. “There’s no two ways about it– this flick has to be R-rated and it has to deliver action, comedy and romance that won’t disappoint the passionate fanbase of the comic. This is going to be a movie for comic book fans by comic book fans, and it absolutely will not disappoint.”

So there you have it.  You know, shortly before Episode III was released, I can remember thinking that there would be nothing left to look forward to anymore once we crossed over into an existence beyond The Saga.  But it’s news like this that makes me feel like setting the old countdown clock again.  Stay tuned for more on Seth Green and Hugh Sterbakov’s “Freshmen” as it develops, and in the meantime, click HERE to see what you’ve been missing!