If and when another 'Indiana Jones' movie comes out, it should have better competition than 'The Mummy' franchise. Luckily, French director/producer Luc Besson may be attempting his own action-adventure film based on old comic book serials: "Les Aventures Extrodinaire d’Adele Blanc-Sec", based on a series of comics by Jacques Tardi.

I am not familiar with the work of Tardi, but the film takes place in pre-World War I Paris, and involves a hatched pterodactyl terrorizing the carefree city from the skies. Adele Blanc-Sec is described as "an intrepid young reporter," who will "go to any lengths to achieve her aims, including sailing to Egypt to tackle mummies of all shapes and sizes."

The character was first serialized in 1972, and her career has included tackling crime and the occult.

Besson, meanwhile, is no slouch as a director, as his resume includes Le Femme Nikita, Leon, and The Fifth Element. Has the man helmed anything noteworthy in the last 12 years? Maybe not, but at least Besson is a proven visionary, so maybe "Les Aventures Extrodinaire..." won’t just look like a 'Mummy' retread with French accents.

The film, projected as the first installment of a trilogy, is expected to be released in 2010. Our thanks to Twitch for alerting us to it.