When I recently got Jane on the phone to talk about his directorial debut, the noir thriller "Dark Country," I had to ask him about "Criminal Macabre," too—more specifically, whether there's been any talk of him bringing the downtrodden hero to the big screen.

"[Cal McDonald] is a fantastic character," Jane told MTV News, adding, "I’m born to play that role."

With a ghoul for a partner and a drug habit that puts even the most hardened junkie to shame, McDonald isn't your typical hero—but Jane insists that it's no coincidence he's been the cover model for Cal over the last years. He wants that part.

"Cal is one of the great characters and I’m perfect for the part," he said. "As far as I know, Universal is interested in putting together a Cal Mcdonald film and, well... we’ll see what happens."

The "Criminal Macabare" screenplay is currently being penned by Kyle Ward, but there's no telling how long it could be until the project takes the next step. Until that happens, fans (myself included) will just have to get their regular fix of Cal McDonald mysteries in author Steve Niles' comics (published by Dark Horse) and both online and print prose novels.

"My feeling is that somebody is tapping away as we speak, busting out a first draft," said Jane. "And it's something I definitely have my eye on."

Would Thomas Jane make the perfect Cal McDonald? Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter!