Slice of SciFi has just learned that Samuel L. Jackson is in negotiations to star as a mysterious supervillain in the Frank Miller-helmed comic book adaptation “The Spirit” for Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment.

If all goes well Jackson will play the Spirit’s nemesis, the Octopus, a shy lab assistant who reinvents himself as a psychotic nightmare that kills anyone unfortunate enough to see his face. The Octopus’ tentacles reach into every aspect of crime in fictitious Central City, a city he plans to wipe out.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Miller (“Sin City,” “300”), who will direct and adapt the screenplay, announced at the Cannes Film Festival that Jackson is his first choice to play the evil genius who knows the secrets behind the Spirit.

[See related story: Eisner’s “The Spirit” Get’s Direction]