Painkiller Jane (film)

Painkiller Jane is a television film based on the comic book character of the same name. It was first broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel on December 10, 2005. The 2-hour film stars Emmanuelle Vaugier as the titular heroine. The film differs significantly from the story of the comic book character.

The movie was a backdoor pilot for a possible television series, which was eventually approved. The Painkiller Jane TV series appears to be a "reboot" of the TV-movie, discarding the film's backstory and starting anew.

Plot
A Special Forces unit, known as the Painkiller Unit, is exposed to a biochemical weapon while on a mission in Sovetskaia, Chechnya. After attempting to retreat, the entire unit is ambushed and executed by a group of armed men in protective hazmat suits. One member of the unit, Captain Jane Browning (Emmanuelle Vaugier), not only survives the execution, but recovers from the viral infection, and develops an abnormally rapid healing factor, increased dexterity, speed, strength, enhanced senses, mental abilities and a photographic memory.

She's studied by a Dr. Graham Knight, who later reveals himself to be Captain Lucas Hensley, claiming to be investigating her superior officer, Col. Ian Watts, who has created the fake identity of Peter Erfan, who ostensibly created the virus she was exposed to. Hensley later admits that he is, in fact, Peter Erfan and has a vial of liquid which he has extracted from Jane. As he is talking with her the assassin starts to move in on her and she shoots him. Erfan refers to her as the new Eve, as something in her body altered the virus and then the virus changed her. This is why she survived but the rest of her unit did not. Erfan has been able to recreate this modified virus and already gave it to the assassin. As he is talking with her the assassin that was shot gets up and rips off a power box on the wall and hits Jane in the head with it.

The final scene sees a group of Asian gentlemen walking into a laboratory and meet with Lucas Hensley who apparently survived the fall unharmed. He holds a vial of green fluid, the genetic material for the enhancement virus in solution. The implication is that Erfan took the serum himself, in order to survive the impact with river and he will soon be creating an army of superhumans for the unnamed Asian business partner.

Cast

 * Emmanuelle Vaugier as Captain Jane Elizabeth Browning
 * Eric Dane as Nick Pierce
 * Richard Roundtree as Colonel Ian Watts - Jane's supervising officer
 * Nels Lennarson as Agent Thorpe
 * Richard Harmon as Squeak
 * Tate Donovan as Dr. Graham Knight/Lucas Insley
 * Venus Terzo as Carla Browning - Jane's sister

Reboot
In an interview with Moviepilot, Palmiotti is in progressing on a new film. In November 2016, Deadline reports that Jessica Chastain has signed on to star as Jane Vasko in the big screen with Lotus Entertainment’s Lenny Beckerman producing along with Solipsist Films’ Stephen L’Heureux and Chastain through her Freckle Films banner. Bill Johnson, Jim Seibel, Ara Keshishian and Palmiotti will exec produced the film. In September 2017, Christine Boylan is writing the script.