Studio coffee run
Mucho news from the Hollywood side of things.
§ First off, a court date has been set for the WATCHMEN trial and it’s January 6, giving Warners plenty of time to release the movie should things go their way:
With a March release date looming, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess said Fox should forgo any attempt to get a preliminary injunction against Warners to stop the release of the film because the issues were far too complex to be resolved on an interim basis, sources said.
Instead, Feess told both sides to start building a factual record and start expedited discovery and depositions immediately.
Fox still could ask Feess to permanently enjoin Warners from releasing the film following the discovery phase.
§ What with Dark Knight taking in $500 million and other comics/superhero themed movies dominating the box office this summer, everyone is wondering what it all means:
Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore finds that the very accessibility of the heroes is what cinched the deal this summer.
“Neither Batman nor Iron Man have special powers — anyone can be that person,” Moore says. “What resonates for people is there’s someone out there who us their resources to help their fellow man. At a time when the economy’s not that great and we’ve got a war no one likes, it gives people a sense of hope.”
§ The bad news is, Geoff Boucher has rounded up the problems with making a Superman movie:
It was by nature a sunny film, sentimental and playful, never embarrassed while soaring with its John Williams score and (literally) with its special effects. But show it to a teenager today and he or she will snicker and roll their eyes. These are kids who have sat in dark theaters with Wolverine, Hellboy and Heath Ledger’s Joker. If they’re holding out for a hero, you can bet he’s not going to be plucking kittens out of trees, reciting patriotic mottos and chasing down bumbling bad guys named Otis
.
§ The good news is, Mark Millar has all the answers!
Mark Millar (Wanted) talked to G4 about his proposed Superman movie project which has a mysterious American director attached. They pitched the idea to Warner Bros. Pictures and hope to get word over the next few weeks. If the studio decides to go with their version, they’d like to be shooting by next summer: “I’ve had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a Lord of the Rings epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. One to be released each year.” Millar said.
§ This prompted Warren Ellis to write on his Bad Signal mailing list:
Amused by a news story the other day where Mark Millar appears to announce that he’s putting together a trilogy of Superman films. Leaving just enough wiggle room to claim he wasn’t fully quoted later. I love watching Mark play the game, and you can’t say it hasn’t worked out for him. A couple of years from now, he’ll have had something like three or maybe even four films produced from his graphic novels, and people in LA will be asking why he WASN’T brought in for meetings on Superman.
§ A new option. This time the Russo brothers, the directing duo behind YOU, ME AND DUPREE, are planning to make a film from their Oni book CIUDAD, which has art by was co-developed and scripted by Ande Parks:
Story centers on a weary hostage extractor who travels to Paraguay’s Ciudad del Este, a border town considered one of the world’s most dangerous and corrupt locales, to save a kidnap victim.
The brothers have been researching this story for several years and visited Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as other gritty metropolises to flesh out the story. They will be traveling to the South American city of 250,000 inhabitants soon; they’re looking to return to their gritty filmmaking roots.
§ Related: a profile of Eric Gitter, Oni’s dealmaker. You’ll see Gitter’s name attached to all of Oni’s movie announcements…but who is he?
With more than 10 of Oni’s properties in development around town, Gitter’s company, Closed on Mondays, is supplying A-list producers with proven pulp alternatives to the same old superhero fare. “What’s so incredibly unique about Oni is they’re one of the very few comicbook companies that’s not genre-specific,” Gitter says. “When I looked at what they had coming out, it was almost like they were running a studio development slate in a different medium.”
§ Meanwhile, here’s a stunning headline: Jeff Katz leaves Fox production; Sources say his new job will involve comic books. Wait — who is Jeff Katz?
Katz declined comment on where he is going, but sources said his new job will involve comic books/graphic novels and movies.
The executive has on the side co-written DC Comics’ “Booster Gold” with Geoff Johns and has made a name for himself in the genre arena. He played key development roles in the development of the upcoming X-Men project “Wolverine” and the big-screen version of “The A-Team.”
Hmm………..
09/4/08 at 12:14 pm
“‘What’s so incredibly unique about Oni is they’re one of the very few comicbook companies that’s not genre-specific,’ Gitter says.”
Spot-on! The only exceptions being Image, IDW, BOOM!, Fantagraphics, Top Shelf…wait. Oh, nevermind.
Snark aside, nice to see Oni getting stuff picked up. I’m looking forward to the Scott Pilgrim movie and the Whiteout movie.
RE: Katz. He states in the article that his move is due to an opportunity involving his own IP. Creator-owned series at DC with Warner picking up the film option?
09/4/08 at 12:16 pm
jeff is a good guy and talented writer. i wish him all the best.
09/4/08 at 2:07 pm
Yeah, those teenagers of the 1970’s were so much more optimistic and sunny and less cynical than the kids today. They didn’t have to deal with a grim and dirty world of economic stagnation, decaying urban centers, rising crime rates, or the spectre of international terrorism. They hadn’t yet been desensitized by nasty cinematic anti-heroes yet — they had heroes like Charles Bronson’s Death Wish character and Dirty Harry and Michael Corleone as prologue to the first Superman movie.
That analysis seems to miss the reason why the first film worked so thoroughly, I have to wonder if it was intended as a parody. That being said, the suggestion at the end of the blog post (make the next Superman movie cosmic) is actually not bad.
09/4/08 at 2:10 pm
If done correctly, Superman can appeal to a wide range of audiences. Kids love the superpower aspects, like flying and heat vision. Teen boys (and fans) want to see some big slobberknocker fights where lots of property damage occurs (one of the three requirements of teen movies, the other two being nudity and disrespect for authority). Teen girls want some romance and a heartthrob. (See: Orlando Bloom) Adults want a well-written story, featuring good acting from marquee actors. The fans, they want to see some cool stuff adapted from the comics.
Make an epic trilogy. Sched it during the fall as a tentpole with Oscar legs. Surf other DC films on the tsunami wave of publicity (Summer promotion of previews, Autumn release, Winter nominations, Spring DVD release (with previews of next movie and other movies), start over with next movie), in much the same way that Watchmen is using Dark Knight. Four DC superhero movies a year, with perhaps four more lesser known properties (such as The Cowboy Wally Show). Also use the Superman movies as a backdoor pilot, introducing other heroes which can be spun off into other properties.
09/4/08 at 4:26 pm
Between all the kids that grew up with comic books and want to make movies about their heroes and gusy who could care less and just want a piece of the profits, there has to be a superhero that would please them both…. Maybe some sort of alternate universe superman that travels to 16 different universes with 16 different outfits - each with a branded logo based on the “S” and the corporation that is getting a piece of the profits. Crisis On Infinite Trademarks.
Yeah, I’m just being stupid and cynical.
09/4/08 at 7:56 pm
Keep Millar the hell away from Superman.
09/4/08 at 8:54 pm
“Between all the kids that grew up with comic books and want to make movies about their heroes and guys who could care less and just want a piece of the profits, there has to be a superhero that would please them both.”
Booster Gold.
//\Oo/\\
09/4/08 at 9:23 pm
Every time a Superman movie is mentioned, Millar says hey look at me!!!!!!!!!
He has done this in the recent past.
DC has stated that a Marvel man will not write a DC movie. And Millar knows this, but doesn’t hesitate to blow his own horn.
Trying to live off the vibes of others makes him a shnorrer.
09/4/08 at 9:31 pm
“If done correctly, Superman can appeal to a wide range of audiences.”
Isn’t that already sort of a given? We can rail on how the youth of today doesn’t relate, etc. etc. but what do we know? We’re just grumpy grown ups. Superman is appealing, they got that part right 70 years ago.
If Mark Millar does indeed make a three-part epic Superman movie (which I would love to read — is that his goal here? hmm) I will eat a good chunk of an old Batman and the Outsiders comic in an equal display of outlandish somethingorother. On Youtube! In a Mr. T sweater! Maybe!
Brad
www.greendoorfilms.com/blog.htm
09/5/08 at 2:21 am
It’s amazing how some people (and studio execs in particular) just can’t get that you need to play to each characters’ particular strengths to make them appealing. IronMan did that, DK did that, but that’s not the one and only formula…and it never should be. Otherwise, it’s back to mid-90’s “grim and gritty” crap
Anyhoo, if they want ‘dark’ Superman, maybe someone should grow balls and adapt Millar’s RED SON (only decent Superman comic in ages!)…THAT’d be a movie worth seeing!
09/5/08 at 10:42 am
“DC has stated that a Marvel man will not write a DC movie. And Millar knows this, but doesn’t hesitate to blow his own horn.”
Have they really stated that? Or did Miller state it, sort of like he stated that DC would never collect Red Son?
09/8/08 at 12:35 am
Well Marc Gughenheim is writting a green lantern movie script so know. The real reason is unlike Gughenheim who has worked in hollywood before Mark had no standing when he first tried to pitch this back before the release of Wanted when millar was just a comic guy only.
09/8/08 at 5:32 pm
Not a fan of Millar in general, but I really liked his Superman Adventures run and I think he more or less got what makes the character appealing. So, if he did get a Superman film pitched, I’d be (very) cautiously optimistic.