Devil May Cry film rights acquired by Resident Evil studio

Screen Gems, the speciality studio behind the Resident Evil series, has nabbed the film rights to the Devil May Cry franchise.

Variety reports the studio has hired Kyle Ward to write the script; according to IMDB, Ward is also behind an upcoming Kane & Lynch adaptation.

Screen Gems is the logical home for the series for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its success with Resident Evil, which has grossed $580 million worldwide. The most recent offering, Resident Evil: Afterlife, took in nearly $300 million.

Fellow Capcom franchise Devil May Cry began life as a Resident Evil spin-off, and Screen Gems is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures, which seems nice and neat given the first game's status as a PlayStation 2 classic.

The new film will join an anime series, manga and toy lines in the Devil May Cry licensed family.

Thanks, Capcom-Unity.