It's not just in Hollywood - French producers are also working on a string of mega-budget, high-profile comic book adaptations.

Back in 1999, the French language comic book adaptation Asterix And Obelix Take On Caesar stormed the local box office, and was swiftly followed up by chart-topping sequel Mission Cleopatra last year.

Between them, the two films appear to have sparked off a new French love affair with big budget, special effects comic book adaptations - with an array of such projects currently in production or set to shoot in 2003. What is different about the new films, however, is that they are resolutely aimed at the core film going crowd - the late teenage/young adult age group - instead of the comic adaptation's traditional children/family audience.

One of the most ambitious of comic book adaptations is The Adventures of Mike S. Blueberry (Muraya : l'Experience Secrete de Mike Blueberry), which is being made by Thomas Langmann's company La Petite Reine.

Currently in post-production, the western carries a hefty Euros 27m-30m price tag and is the translation to the big screen of the adventures of US Marshall Mike Blueberry. Based on the cult comic book character created by Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) and Jean-Michel Charlier, it is set during the American War of Independence.

Blueberry, which is set for a third quarter release in 2003, is the second film by French film-maker Jan Kounen. It stars Vincent Cassel as Blueberry and US actor Michael Madsen as the man who has killed Blueberry's love interest and is seeking a cache of gold in Indian territory. Eddie Izzard, Colm Meaney and Juliette Lewis also star.

Thomas Langmann is producing Blueberry, which has been co-written by Gerard Brach, Matt Alexander and Kounen himself, along with Ajoz Films, the production company of French film-maker Ariel Zeitoun, who lately directed the Luc Besson-produced hit action title Yamakasi.

Another comic book adaptation is Michel Vaillant, produced by Luc Besson's Europa Corp and directed by Louis-Pascal Couvelaire. The adaptation of the eponymous French comic book series set in the motor-racing world, stars Sagamore Stevenin , previously seen in Catherine Breillat's Romance, along with Barbara Schulz and Diane Kruger. The film has recently wrapped. Both foreign sales as well as French distribution are handled by Europa.

Meanwhile, Christophe Gans' L'Aventurier (aka Bob Morane), based on an adventure comic book series set in the Pacific, re-unites the production team behind Gans' Brotherhood Of The Wolf. This includes Samuel Hadida (Davis Films), who will also distribute in France through Metropolitan Filmexport. The film stars Mark Dacascos, Michael Rooker and Maggie Cheung.

M (working title), which is produced by Charles Gassot's company Telema, is a live action, English-language adaptation of La Marque Jaune, about the adventures of the two heroes of a French-language comic book series set in London, Blake et Mortimer. M boasts the participation of Chinese star Gong Li and also stars two UK actors, Rufus Sewell (as Blake) and Hugh Bonneville (as Mortimer). The film is scheduled to start shooting as of February 2003.

Telema is also currently producing The Woman Trap (La Femme Piege), a 3D/live action futuristic tale adapted and directed by Enki Bilal from his own comic book characters. After L'Aventurier, Gans is preparing a comic book-based, 3D/live action prehistoric epic, Rahan

However, competing with big budget US studio films for this multiplex audience is an expensive proposition. So it comes as little surprise to find that all the current comic adaptations currently in production or in development carry price tags in the $24m - $31m range.