Comments | jducoeur: Which comic book *should* be made into a movie?

jducoeur

Which comic book should be made into a movie?

Jul 16, 2008 15:24

It was occurring to me this morning, as I reflected on the rash of (mostly surprisingly good) comic-book movies coming out this summer, that there were some I've always wanted to see. And that seems like a good topic for a conversation ( Read more... )

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Comments 45

liamstliam July 16 2008, 19:44:48 UTC

I am gonna toss a question back:

"Girl Genius?"

How would you do it?

"Preacher" would be cool, but they would have to emasculate it to get it down to an "R."

There's certainly always sequel potential, too.

dreda July 16 2008, 20:08:05 UTC

Ohhh... yeah, they'd never get Preacher past the MPAA. But oh, what fun!

"This day, you shall be with Me in Paradise."
"Fuck."

(Although interestingly, there are some dribs and drabs on the 'net about HBO picking it up. Samuel L. Jackson as the Saint of Killers!)

new_man July 17 2008, 12:17:02 UTC

As far as I can tell, Samuel L. Jackson is either the manwhore of geekdom films (Star Wars, Nick Fury in the Marvel stuff, Unbreakable, The Spirit, etc.) or there's been some law passed recently that says you can't make a comic book based film without him.

"Changed it into wine! Humper dumper dido do!"

jducoeur July 17 2008, 14:54:40 UTC

Well, he's defined his on-screen persona as The Avatar of Badass. So he's a pretty natural fit in many circumstances. (And Ultimate Nick Fury was pretty much tailor-made for him -- they *had* to get him for that...)

Thread 9

tashabear July 16 2008, 19:44:50 UTC

Heckle and Jeckle! Wait. No. They already did that.

(Sorry. I didn't read superhero comics growing up.)

jducoeur July 16 2008, 20:15:47 UTC

Well, as you can see in my comment below, I'm not especially focused on superheroes. While it's true that Hollywood is currently a little obsessed with them, I suspect that the best opportunities aren't confined to traditional superhero fare...

tashabear July 16 2008, 20:23:48 UTC

Are they ready for talking magpies, though? The world may never know...

I am not the demographic cristovau July 16 2008, 20:03:24 UTC

Marvel's Longshot limited series was a pretty decent once off story. It would have to be revamped and edited and ideally directed by Guillermo del Toro. He would do a good job making the Mojoworld scary and make Longshot's amnesia interesting. I also simply like luck as a power. Ideally, few Marvel cameos.

Re: I am not the demographic jducoeur July 16 2008, 20:14:47 UTC

Intriguing -- yes, I can see del Toro having a very interesting take on that, and there's lots of "message" to be played with. Mojoworld is a scathing commentary on modern American consumer/media society, and probably works even better today than when it was written...

jducoeur July 16 2008, 20:10:09 UTC

Okay, here's two ideas offhand from me:

Oz Squad -- one of those obscure classics that are much-loved by the ten of us who remember them.

Oz Squad takes the L. Frank Baum books very seriously and literally, but assumes that the real world gradually intruded after them. The portals from Oz to Earth, numerous enough in the books, finally got discovered by the mundanes, and all hell broke loose. The backstory is never fully explored in the issues that got published, but it's clear that there was a truly grim alliance between Nazi Germany and the wicked witches, with the result that Oz has had to change a lot.

The story takes place in the present, as a relatively grown-up Dorothy (20-something in physical age) and her friends from the books have wound up as part ambassadors, part agents in the now-complex relationship between Oz and Earth.

For those who know Fables, this is one of its precursors, and has much the same flavor. And I suspect you could turn it into a truly excellent movie: it has enough relationship to the well-known ( ... )

alexx_kay July 17 2008, 15:26:12 UTC

I still vividly remember the spread with "MUNCHAUSEN!!!"

baronessv July 16 2008, 20:28:16 UTC

Too many of the comics I read have story lines too lengthy to lend themselves to movies. Strangers in Paradise would fill several seasons worth of an HBO drama, but I digress...

I love Bendis' work, so I'd say that Alias or selected storylines from Powers would be awesome.

I'm also eager to see Warren Ellis' work in film. I'm sad the Global Frequency pilot didn't take off. I suspect almost anything else he's done would be too dark for most audiences. :( Which is a sham, because I think he's brilliant.

And as for comics that have already been optioned for film, I'm omg-get-a-fire-extinguisher-my-pants-are-on-fire excited about We3, and I really hope it doesn't die on the vine.

And of course while researching this, have discovered that two other favorites, both by Brian K. Vaughn, have also been optioned: Y: the Last Man and Ex Machina. Hold me down. Seriously.

jducoeur July 16 2008, 22:21:00 UTC

Strangers in Paradise would fill several seasons worth of an HBO drama, but I digress...

Heh. But it *would* be fun to watch, wouldn't it?

I love Bendis' work, so I'd say that Alias or selected storylines from Powers would be awesome.

Oooh -- or Jinx or AKA Goldfish! Have you read them? They're his hard-boiled crime classics, the pieces that really put him on the map in the first place. Much more self-contained than his Marvel work, and *very* cinematic.

And as for comics that have already been optioned for film, I'm omg-get-a-fire-extinguisher-my-pants-are-on-fire excited about We3, and I really hope it doesn't die on the vine.

*Blink*. I hadn't heard about that. I'm having trouble imagining it, I confess -- marketing it would be a sunnuvabitch. I mean, I can just imagine all the parents going, "Oh, look -- a sweet uplifting movie about intelligent animals!"

And of course while researching this, have discovered that two other favorites, both by Brian K. Vaughn, have also been optioned: Y: the Last Man and Ex Machina. Hold me ( ... )