Zac Efron To Star In Bendis Adaptation

What? Nooooo! Look, I know the guy has his fans, but sticking him in as the lead in a gritty, violent and really damn good comic book story is just wrong and make my every atom quiver with fear. Word is that Zac is to tackle FIRE, the classic two issue indie title written and illustrated by comics luminary Brian Michael Bendis, in which he would play a college student who is recruited by the CIA for a secret program that takes a rather sinister turn.



It's nasty, hard hitting and really not the sort of thing I can see Efron pulling off. Then again, that's probably down to my abject dislike of High School Musical. I can understand the guy wanting to get away from his HSM days, but this just seems a bit wrong. Shia LaBeouf would have been great for the role, but if it's gotta be Zac, at least the flick will find a decent sized audience.

It's probably a good thing that FIRE, originally published by Caliber Comics and later reprinted by Image, was a pretty small scale tale that only the diehard comics geeks will have heard of, let alone read, as it means there's a smaller number of people that will be picking over the film for inconsistencies. It'll be interesting to see where this project goes.

SUPERMAN- DOOMSDAY FOR THE LEGENDARY HERO?

With DC's apparent U-turn on all of their comic book movies, (see this article) it seems that the original DC superhero, Superman himself, is in limbo once more. With the Superman Returns film being something of a damp squib with fans, critics and the box office, it was clear that the franchise needed a new direction to survive. Now, there had been many attempts to bring Superman back to the screen before that film, and most of them would have fared better than what was eventually released. It wasn't the fault of Brandon Routh or director Bryan Singer- it was a pedestrian script and a lackluster story that just came off flat and tired, which was a shame.

How should Superman come back to the screen? We need a better villain than tired old Lex Luthor, for a start. Braniac or Darkseid would be fantastic, but then again, they might not have enough of an impact to really invigorate the series, so how about adapting that most hard-hitting (literally) of modern Superman stories...

DOOMSDAY.

If Superman was to face off against Doomsday, as in the Death of Superman story from the early 90s, we would have a massive film full of action and drama that could tie into the larger DC movie universe that so sorely needs to be created for the DC movies to survive and grow beyond the blinkered view that everything should be like The Dark Knight now. It would also provide Warners/DC with huge merchandising opportunities for the character, not to mention the other DC heroes that show up in the story. It could even be the precursor to a Justice League movie, if you think about it.

The Death of Superman storyline would even be a good idea for a trilogy of films. There could be the Death of Superman story to start with, then the second film could be the World Without a Superman/Reign of the Supermen stories rolled into one. The third would take care of the Return of Superman and maybe the second Doomsday story. think about it. It has the potential to be the greatest superhero movie trilogy ever, with genuine danger and something at stake as the heroes take on this terrifying foe.

The source material is there. The ideas are there. The graphic novels are there to be adapted. The talent is out there. Come on Warners, give us a Superman film we can be thrilled with. It's been far too long since Zod did his stuff.

THE SPIRIT: NEW POSTER REVEALED

A brand new poster for Frank Miller's forthcoming movie adaptation of Will Eisner's classic comic book character has arrived online. Check it out by hitting the thumbnail. While nowhere near as inspiring as the other images that have surfaced from the film, this does take away a bit of the 'another Sin City' problems the film has had so far. The film looks awesome, like some kind of sick Dick Tracy movie put through Frank Miller's unique visual blender, but this poster doesn't really convey just how awesome the film is going to be.

SUPERMAN: FRANCHISE GETS A REBOOT

Here’s one instance where starting over again is a good thing. With every film under the sun getting a remake, which I’m absolutely sick to death of, the news that the Superman movie franchise is to be started over again is actually a breath of fresh air.  Bryan Singer’s bloated misfire Superman Returns was a big fat lesson in mediocrity. It did look and feel like a Superman film, but absolutely nothing happened in it bar the baseball stadium scene. To carry on from that film would have been a mistake, as there was no real sense of scale or drama in that film, despite strong performances from a pretty decent cast.

Warners have made a brave - not to mention sensible – move in starting the franchise over. That said, I’m hoping they give us something a bit different than just another origin story (maybe something more along the lines of the recent Incredible Hulk reboot), and that there are some supervillains in it other than Lex bloody Luthor.

Y’know, there’s still some of out there that think Warners should take another look at Kevin Smith’s Superman Reborn script and use some of that. If nothing else, they need Smith or another comics afficianado on board to ensure we get something cool this time around. Doomsday would be cool. A big screen version of Superman’s death would go down very well indeed, and of course then there could be the relevant sequels.

Mind you, this new revamp could also be used to start tying the DCU movies together a bit, much in the same way Marvel have been doing of late. If there’s something that the recent DCU movies are lacking it is any coherent world. Remember, there’s a Justice League movie on the way (eventually) and this would probably have to tie into that somehow. One problem is, with that JLA movie coming, won’t that have a different Superman actor? Aaaaaaggghhh…. Is the DCU movie universe imploding already? I swear if someone says the word ‘Multiverse’ ion there I’m going to have to go Doomsday on DC’s asses.

WATCHMEN MOVIE: POSSIBLE DELAY

Fox appear to be having a bit of a tantrum, don’t they? Apparently the movie giant still retains some rights to the Watchmen property, and is trying to stop the Warner Bros-made movie being released. Right, why on earth did Fox wait until the film had actually completed production until bringing this up? The matter came up six months or so ago, after the Zack Snyder film was in the can, and has now reared its ugly head again. Look, Fox, people want to see this film. Lots of people. Some of those people have been waiting twenty years to see it, and if you held the rights back then, why wasn’t it put into production. Warners have made good on their promise of creating a hell of a feature film, that looks set to do the legendary Watchmen comic book series justice, and now fans can’t help but feel that Fox are throwing a bit of a strop for no good reason, I mean, they had their chance. Let it lie. I hope this matter can be resolved without any delay to the film’s release, or there are going to be a lot of fans out there calling for Fox’s collective heads on a platter. This is a real shame, as both studios are excellent and sometimes it would just be nice if they would get along.

THE DARK KNIGHT- A SECOND OPINION

Okay, Rich posted his glowing review of The Dark Knight over at our mothership blog on this post here, and now I’ve finally had chance to see the film I can offer my own take. I’m probably going to be burned at the stake for this, but I honestly thought the film was a huge disappointment. Whoa, put those pitchforks and flaming torches down a second, let me explain.

I went into the cinema with my girlfriend (a writer and journalist) and a bunch of friends (who are also big fans of Batman) and eagerly awaited the follow-up to the excellent Batman Begins, a film that saved the franchise from the awful memories of Joel Schumacher and Batman’s nipples. In that company, I was genuinely embarrassed by the film.

The film that followed the inane trailers was a lengthy, repetitive bore. I hate to have to write a review like this, but I’m here to tell you the truth and bring you genuine opinion. The Dark Knight, to these eyes, was a tedious film full of tedious scenes linking tedious set pieces. Much has been made of the cast, but they are almost all criminally underused, apart from the ever glorious Gary Oldman and the late Heath Ledger. The Joker does steal the show, but unfortunately this is due to there not being much of a show to steal.

Something that stunned all of us is the rating the film has been given. 12A for this? A film crammed with knives, violence, death, scarred faces and someone with half their head burnt into a mess of meat and sinew? How did the BBFC come to the decision that this was appropriate for viewing by small children? Many parents will be going under the assumption that this is a kiddie friendly superhero movie (trust me, some people WILL think that), and instead will have their kids watching the Joker stab a pencil into someone's head, shoot people at point blank range, kill people and slice a man's face open.

With the running time so bloated and arse-numbingly long, I couldn’t help but notice a good hour or so that could have been cut. Where I had expected a fascinating crime drama with added costumed action, I got the same 30 minutes of story repeated six times. The film kept on building towards something and the payoff never came. No satisfying resolution was offered, no scene really gripped me and the closing speech from Commissioner Gordon had us all cringing. I wish I could be less critical, but this is a Batman movie and thus needs more scrutiny.

Heath Ledger’s deranged performance as the Joker was a high point, and didn’t echo Jack Nicholson’s pantomime performance from the Tim Burton era, but it isn’t the earth shattering feast that the reviews have been deeming it as. It was indeed a tragic loss when he died, but his performance has to be seen on its own merits. He was an unusual choice for the clown prince of crime, and as an epitaph this seems sadly hollow.

Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent (and indeed Two Face) was my favourite aspect of the film, and his descent into madness was gripping, if a little rushed. That’s one strength the film has- Two Face wasn’t just tagged on, like, say, Venom in Spider-Man 3. The effects for his mangled face were well handled, and he carries the part off well. Unfortunately he’s in the middle of a cast who, aside from Ledger, seem to be on autopilot. Actually, Nolan seemed to be a bit on autopilot too.

With a surprisingly weak script, uninspired cinematography (what happened? Batman begins was beautifully shot!) and overly minimalist production design, the film was sadly lacking and this fan left the screen feeling short-changed, tired and rather let down. Hopefully the third in this series will prove to be better, and not get bogged down in hyperbole.

WITCHBLADE MOVIE SITE AND POSTER NOW ONLINE

Well this is jumping the gun a bit isn’t it? Not a frame shot, and is there even a script yet? Already there’s a Witchblade movie site, and, get this, a teaser poster available. The poster looks superb, but who is the girl in the glove? The role of Sara Pezzini hasn’t been cast yet (although rumour has it that Megan Fox is up for the role), and they’re going to have to float some names soon if the hype and production machines are to get underway on the Witchblade movie properly. It was only announced recently, so it does make me wonder how much work has already been done on the project. I do hope they stick with the glove design as it appears on this teaser poster. The version that appeared in the TV movie and subsequent series was cool but not cool enough. This one looks pretty much exactly how the gauntlet looks in the comic book series, which is what fans wanted all along anyway. Hopefully this time we’ll also get to see the real Witchblade armour in all its glory. Megan Fox would certainly have the presence for it, and she does have a strong resemblance to the comics incarnation of Ms Pezzini. One question though; Will the Darkness make an appearance in this new movie? We will keep you posted on the latest developments.

WITCHBLADE MOVIE ANNOUNCED

According to Variety, the long-running comic book franchise Witchblade is heading for the big screen. Set to be a co production between Top Cow, Arclight and Platinum studios, the film will be the first big screen outing for the legendarily sultry superhero. She did, of course, turn up on TV in one TV movie and a series that lasted for two seasons, starring Yancy Butler as the feisty brunette Sara Pezzini. The anime incarnation of Witchblade has also proved to be a success, but in cinemas, I think we’re in for the finest version yet. The comics mythology has some clout in the movie, and Top Cow’s Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins will be on hand as Executive producers. Here’s hoping the film lives up to the promise shown in the years of comic book stories. I hope it doesn’t dwell on the origin story for too long. The trend for comic book origin movies is becoming a bit stale. Sure, deal with the origin but don’t let it take over the whole film. There’s been a hell of a lot of fans garnered since the comic began in 1995, and the audience is gonna want a bit more than two hours of being told what they already know. It is hoped that the Witchblade feature film will begin production in September.