What's next for comic book movies?, From the Associated Press Options

[jonerik]

Who's the next great film superhero?
Look to the movies to make -- or break -- comic book champs

Friday, July 15, 2005; Posted: 4:46 a.m. EDT (08:46 GMT)

NEW YORK (AP) -- "I want suit approval."

Who can blame Vincent Chase, the movie-star character on HBO's "Entourage," for his Aquaman ultimatum? He understands that superhero films teeter on a precarious edge between laughable ("Catwoman") and arguably brilliant ("Spider-Man").

There's no current plan for a King of the Seven Seas flick, but this year has already seen "Fantastic Four," "Batman Begins," "Sin City," "Constantine" and "Elektra." And waiting in the wings are dozens of superheroes, each poised to either make movie history ("X-Men") or get ridiculed into oblivion ("Daredevil").

On Thursday, tens of thousands of comic enthusiasts began descending on San Diego for the annual Comic-Con convention, where movie adaptations are among the hottest topics. But with so many cartoon superstars like Batman, Superman, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four already gone Hollywood, who's left?

"Ha ha!" laughs Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad. "You know we have 5,000 characters?"

Next up for Marvel is "Ghost Rider," in summer 2006, with Nicolas Cage as a possessed motorcycle rider hellbent on justice.

"For the hardcore group, 'Ghost Rider' is probably the most anticipated one," Arad says. "I think once the world gets to meet him, it will extend this community."

In various stages of development, Arad says, are movies for Thor (the hammer-welding Nordic hero), the Silver Surfer (who rides a flying surfboard), Captain America (the most patriotic hero, fashioned during WWII) and Namor the Sub-Mariner (one of the oldest superheroes -- think a more cranky Aquaman).

Also in the pipeline is Iron Man (who's protected by a suit of armor, to be directed by Nick Cassavetes), Doctor Strange (a sorcerer of the mystic arts), Nick Fury (a James Bond-like spy) and Black Panther (the first black comic book character, although he was beaten to the big screen by "Spawn").

Sexy, sacred ... and ridiculous

DC Comics is similarly situated, with thousands of their own characters.

"Our properties span a really wide range of style and themes," says Paul Levitz, president of DC Comics. "We turn to them and look at what's new and what's in the stack and think how we can take advantage of it."

Queen among them is "Wonder Woman," which is still several years off. Joss Whedon, the brains behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," will direct -- though the super-heroine may need some updating.

"The costume works phenomenally well in the comics, but is it going to work so well in a live-action film?" wonders Johan Weiland, executive producer of www.comicbookresources.com. "We know Linda Carter looked sexy (in the TV version), but she also kinda looked a little ridiculous."

Coming this November is "V for Vendetta," starring Natalie Portman (with shaved head) and Hugo Weaving. It's written and produced by the Wachowski brothers, who made the "Matrix" trilogy.

Set in the near future, "Vendetta" is a series created in the '80s by Alan Moore, one of the most respected writers in comics. Moore's previous forays to the big screen haven't gone well, with duds like "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Constantine." He has already been very critical of the Wachowski brothers' script, calling it "imbecilic."

A delay on the release date of "Vendetta" also seems possible given that the hero, V, blows up London's Parliament and subway system.

Moore's "Watchmen" is also in early preproduction, with Paul Greengrass ("Bourne Supremacy") to direct. The landmark graphic novel takes place in an opposite world where President Nixon enjoys extreme popularity as he leads the U.S. to victory in Vietnam. Superheroes are real and must register with the government.

"As sacred as 'Spider-Man' is, 'Watchmen' is even more sacred," says Weiland. "It's probably the one all comic fans want to see made, but it's also the one we dread the most. If they screw that one up, big trouble."

Another classic, the Flash, is also in the incubator. After penning the screenplays for "Batman Begins" and "Ghost Rider," David S. Goyer has been tapped to direct the speedster.

Closer to fruition are "The History of Violence" and "Aeon Flux," both out later this year.

Charlize Theron stars in "Aeon Flux," due this fall.

"Violence" stars Viggo Mortensen, is directed by David Cronenberg and comes from the same publishers of "Road to Perdition." "Aeon Flux" stars Charlize Theron as the futuristic secret agent. It will get a sneak peak at Comic-Con Saturday.

It doesn't end with movies, either.

Stan Lee, who created so many Marvel heroes, has formed his own company, Pow! Entertainment. Aside from films, Pow! is currently creating an "urban superhero" for Vibe magazine, developing the animated show "Hef's Superbunnies" for MTV (which he says "will finally reveal the true secret of Hugh Hefner's existence") and has a reality TV show in the works that will be titled something like "So You Want to be a Superhero?"

Will comics remain popular long enough for all of these projects to flourish?

"The whole trick is taking a story that has a fantasy angle of some sort, but doing it as realistically as possible," says the 82-year-old Lee. "Saying, what if a fellow really could shoot a web and crawl on the walls? What would his day-to-day existence be?"

Whether the films in the superhero assembly line can achieve that balance won't be clear until each hits theaters. For now, they might as well be "Aquaman" -- which, as "Entourage" creator Doug Ellin says, "could be a really bad movie or a really good movie."

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[mercyjames]

They didn't mention this, but there is also some animated work that is being done. Marvel is releasing straight to DVD an animated "Ultimate Avengers" which debuts at the con. They also have some others in the works.

I for one would like to see fewer live action super hero movies and more animated ones.

That solves the problem with characters looking silly in costumes and gives the director more consistency with the source material.

Look at how good "The Incredibles" was. Now picture the Hulk as an animated movie instead of that Ang Lee crapfest. Or Dr. Strange even. It would work much better in my opinion.

Very few comic book heroes are as human as Spider-Man or even Batman so an animated movie would work better in most cases.

[FrankD]

The HULK *was* just an animated CGI image.

LOU FERRIGNO kicked ass back in the day!

I prefer live action to animation for superheroics.

[The Undude]

Why not just do the "Justice League of America" and get a Super-Hero bonanza?

[PRIMECHUQ]

The first x-men was *ok* & the original Batman. By and large I've been fairly disappointed with the movie renderings of comics so far. I've yet to see Sin City.

[The Undude]

The first x-men was *ok* & the original Batman. By and large I've been fairly disappointed with the movie renderings of comics so far. I've yet to see Sin City.

Have a strong drink that will leave a glow in your thought before you start the DVD. It'll help you relate to the characters.

[FrankD]

Why not just do the "Justice League of America" and get a Super-Hero bonanza?

SUPERMAN need's to come out first. THEN a "WORLD's FINEST" type team up movie.....then maybe Wonder Woman before JLA can be "introduced" to the masses.

THERE IS a dude who makes these very intricate MOVIE TRAILERS that has made several shorts that look way better than any superhero movie I've seen....cannot find the link......

[PRIMECHUQ]

I was just thinking that I wish they hadn't fucked up Daredevil so bad. Ben Affleck!??! ugh

[JimFoster]

If they make a Captain America movie, it had best be in a WWII setting. I want to see Cap fighting the Red Skull, not Islamic terrorists. And I don't want to see him beholden to the current administration.

I've got a lot of Silver Age Cap comics, and for several issues in the late sixties he did nothing but brood and act conflicted over the "my country, right or wrong" mentality. It generated some nasty letters at the time (I love reading the old letters pages) but in retrospect it really prevented the character from being one-dimensional.

Now that I think about it, why aren't they doing more Marvel flicks in the original period settings? The Hulk would have been 10 times better in its original Cold War context.

And I am sure the Fantastic Four would have as well, but I haven't seen it yet. From what I've heard, I'd rather dig up Roger Corman's quickie version. I refuse to wreck my high hopes for what it COULD have been (well, at least until the rentals are available, anyway).

[JimFoster]

If they make a Captain America movie, it had best be in a WWII setting. I want to see Cap fighting the Red Skull, not Islamic terrorists. And I don't want to see him beholden to the current administration.

I've got a lot of Silver Age Cap comics, and for several issues in the late sixties he did nothing but brood and act conflicted over the "my country, right or wrong" mentality. It generated some nasty letters at the time (I love reading the old letters pages) but in retrospect it really prevented the character from being one-dimensional.

Now that I think about it, why aren't they doing more Marvel flicks in the original period settings? The Hulk would have been 10 times better in its original Cold War context.

And I am sure the Fantastic Four would have as well, but I haven't seen it yet. From what I've heard, I'd rather dig up Roger Corman's quickie version. I refuse to wreck my high hopes for what it COULD have been (well, at least until the rentals are available, anyway).

[JimFoster]

Oops, sorry about that double posting.

And I'd like to know who came first, Dr Strange or Dr Fate. My money's on Stephen Strange, but I was a diehard Marvel guy so I'm not sure. The characters are pretty damn similar.

Although one must wonder about Dr Strange, what with his mansion in the Village (great for parties I'm sure) and his faithful manservant named "Wong".

[Orbitron]

Oops, sorry about that double posting.

And I'd like to know who came first, Dr Strange or Dr Fate. My money's on Stephen Strange, but I was a diehard Marvel guy so I'm not sure. The characters are pretty damn similar.

Although one must wonder about Dr Strange, what with his mansion in the Village (great for parties I'm sure) and his faithful manservant named "Wong".

Dr. Fate was a golden age hero who predates Dr. Strange by a good 20+ years. I don't think he made a silver age appearance until after Strange though.

[Orbitron]

If they make a Captain America movie, it had best be in a WWII setting. I want to see Cap fighting the Red Skull, not Islamic terrorists. And I don't want to see him beholden to the current administration.

I've got a lot of Silver Age Cap comics, and for several issues in the late sixties he did nothing but brood and act conflicted over the "my country, right or wrong" mentality. It generated some nasty letters at the time (I love reading the old letters pages) but in retrospect it really prevented the character from being one-dimensional.

There was also a storyline in CA shortly after Watergate where it is suggested the UBG was the president of the USA.

[jonerik]

Oops, sorry about that double posting.

And I'd like to know who came first, Dr Strange or Dr Fate. My money's on Stephen Strange, but I was a diehard Marvel guy so I'm not sure. The characters are pretty damn similar.

Although one must wonder about Dr Strange, what with his mansion in the Village (great for parties I'm sure) and his faithful manservant named "Wong".

Dr. Orpheus from "Venture Bros."

Dr. Orpheus: You are one lucky duck! Oh, it must be dreamy to have a costumed nemesis, chasing you, wringing his gloved hands in concern of your every move.
Dr. Venture: You're kidding, right?
Dr. Orpheus: It just seems so romantic.
Dr. Venture: Oh sure, it looks all glamorous from the outside, but really it's a huge pain in the ass. They send robots into your lab, break everything, and does my insurance policy cover arch enemies? No!
Dr. Orpheus: I'm jealous. There, I said it.
Dr. Venture: If you want one so bad, take one of mine.

[The Sleepwalker]

You know what drives me nuts? V For Vendetta is exactly perfect to turn into a movie as it was written and they have to crapify it...well, I haven't seen it yet, but if it's as well-written as The Matrix...

Watchmen would make a great 12-hour miniseries and a completely useless 2-hour movie.

blah...

[JimFoster]

If they make a Captain America movie, it had best be in a WWII setting. I want to see Cap fighting the Red Skull, not Islamic terrorists. And I don't want to see him beholden to the current administration.

I've got a lot of Silver Age Cap comics, and for several issues in the late sixties he did nothing but brood and act conflicted over the "my country, right or wrong" mentality. It generated some nasty letters at the time (I love reading the old letters pages) but in retrospect it really prevented the character from being one-dimensional.

There was also a storyline in CA shortly after Watergate where it is suggested the UBG was the president of the USA.

Oh yeah, I've got all those. As I recall it centered on the Secret Empire, and I think the idea was that Nixon (or maybe Spiro Agnew?) was the leader of the Secret Empire. I'll have to dig those up and take another look.

[jonerik]

You know what drives me nuts?  V For Vendetta is exactly perfect to turn into a movie as it was written and they have to crapify it...well, I haven't seen it yet, but if it's as well-written as The Matrix...

Watchmen would make a great 12-hour miniseries and a completely useless 2-hour movie.

blah...

"V For Vendetta" has been pushed back to March. "Post-production issues" are the official reason, but it's not very hard to imagine what the real reason probably is.

[Arz]

Wasn’t Watchmen at one time supposed to be a HBO miniseries?

Marvel needs to slow down. They’re forgetting the lessons learned before Spiderman and X-Men were released and are flooding the market with crap movies.

Actually, both Marvel and DC need to focus on delivering quality films, as the average movie goer doesn’t care whether it’s a DC or a Marvel character. If it’s great, it’s a good superhero movie. If it sucks, it’s a bad one, regardless of the publisher.

[Orbitron]

If they make a Captain America movie, it had best be in a WWII setting. I want to see Cap fighting the Red Skull, not Islamic terrorists. And I don't want to see him beholden to the current administration.

I've got a lot of Silver Age Cap comics, and for several issues in the late sixties he did nothing but brood and act conflicted over the "my country, right or wrong" mentality. It generated some nasty letters at the time (I love reading the old letters pages) but in retrospect it really prevented the character from being one-dimensional.

There was also a storyline in CA shortly after Watergate where it is suggested the UBG was the president of the USA.

Oh yeah, I've got all those. As I recall it centered on the Secret Empire, and I think the idea was that Nixon (or maybe Spiro Agnew?) was the leader of the Secret Empire. I'll have to dig those up and take another look.

Yes, the Secret Empire. I reread the series a few years back and I was surprised at how ambiguous the leader's identity was left. At the time it seemed clear it either Nixon (or Agnew?) when filtered by the days current events.

[JimFoster]

If they make a Captain America movie, it had best be in a WWII setting. I want to see Cap fighting the Red Skull, not Islamic terrorists. And I don't want to see him beholden to the current administration.

I've got a lot of Silver Age Cap comics, and for several issues in the late sixties he did nothing but brood and act conflicted over the "my country, right or wrong" mentality. It generated some nasty letters at the time (I love reading the old letters pages) but in retrospect it really prevented the character from being one-dimensional.

There was also a storyline in CA shortly after Watergate where it is suggested the UBG was the president of the USA.

Oh yeah, I've got all those. As I recall it centered on the Secret Empire, and I think the idea was that Nixon (or maybe Spiro Agnew?) was the leader of the Secret Empire. I'll have to dig those up and take another look.

Yes, the Secret Empire. I reread the series a few years back and I was surprised at how ambiguous the leader's identity was left. At the time it seemed clear it either Nixon (or Agnew?) when filtered by the days current events.

That's how I remember it as well. When Cap confronts the leader of the Secret Empire, he dramatically removes his hood and a flabbergasted Cap says something like "YOU! But..."

And then the guy (who's face we never see) replies "Yes! But a high political office didn't satisfy me....." and then he shoots himself. I think it was written after Agnew resigned but before Nixon resigned, so I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be Agnew.

The whole episode is so troubling and disillusioning for Cap that he ditches his Captain America persona for a few months and becomes "Nomad, The Man Without A Country" for several issues.

I remember this pretty vividly considering I haven't pulled these out of their bags in a long time.

[ƒ(x)]

What about an Elf Quest movie?

[InLameRockBand]

You know what drives me nuts?  V For Vendetta is exactly perfect to turn into a movie as it was written and they have to crapify it...well, I haven't seen it yet, but if it's as well-written as The Matrix...

Watchmen would make a great 12-hour miniseries and a completely useless 2-hour movie.

blah...

"V For Vendetta" has been pushed back to March. "Post-production issues" are the official reason, but it's not very hard to imagine what the real reason probably is.

i think the problem is that it was ridiculous for them to think it would be out by guy fawke's day (nov 5th) since they only started filming it a few months ago! and switched lead actors midway (sounds like for the best, though, hugo weaving should be perfect). i was very skeptical about "v" until i watched the trailer, which looks awesome.

[jonerik]

You know what drives me nuts?  V For Vendetta is exactly perfect to turn into a movie as it was written and they have to crapify it...well, I haven't seen it yet, but if it's as well-written as The Matrix...

Watchmen would make a great 12-hour miniseries and a completely useless 2-hour movie.

blah...

"V For Vendetta" has been pushed back to March. "Post-production issues" are the official reason, but it's not very hard to imagine what the real reason probably is.

i think the problem is that it was ridiculous for them to think it would be out by guy fawke's day (nov 5th) since they only started filming it a few months ago! and switched lead actors midway (sounds like for the best, though, hugo weaving should be perfect). i was very skeptical about "v" until i watched the trailer, which looks awesome.

Well, Alan Moore's washed his hands of it. The entire history of the movie has been plagued by lousy scripts and bad decisions. I don't have a lot of hopes for it, sad to say. I don't understand what's so hard about doing a version that's faithful to the comic book? I just don't get it.

[InLameRockBand]

i think the problem is that it was ridiculous for them to think it would be out by guy fawke's day (nov 5th) since they only started filming it a few months ago!  and switched lead actors midway (sounds like for the best, though, hugo weaving should be perfect).  i was very skeptical about "v" until i watched the trailer, which looks awesome.

Well, Alan Moore's washed his hands of it. The entire history of the movie has been plagued by lousy scripts and bad decisions. I don't have a lot of hopes for it, sad to say. I don't understand what's so hard about doing a version that's faithful to the comic book? I just don't get it.

i'll start by saying that "v for vendetta" is one of my favorite comics of all time, and when i first read it in the mid-80's it really affected me heavily. that said, it is a very problematic comic, mostly due to alan moore's naivitee about the effects of nuclear war, and his pretty simplistic view of fascist government. the general premise of the comic is pretty shaky, although the execution of the story is amazing. remember, he wrote half of it really early in his career, left it unfinished, and then dashed off the ending years later. the comic as a whole is disjointed and has major plot holes and implausible parts. so, i'm not surprised they had to re-think the backstory to make the movie workable. what are these "lousy scripts" you speak of, have you read old versions of the scripts? all i know is a few plot points that have circulated, and the trailer that was put out a few weeks ago, which totally ruled. did you see it? i think that natalie portman wouldn't be my first choice for evey but she'll be adequate, and that steven rea and hugo weaving seem perfectly cast. i think going to "matrix" route is perfect for "v for vendetta". the visual aspect of the film, at least from the trailers, seems pretty dead on.

[T-Bone]

I think there should a movie about The Tick!