Doesn't DC have any "Movie" quality heroes than just Batman & Superman? (1 Viewer)

[Paul_Scott]

This monkey see/monkey do attitude of Warner/DC will only hasten burn-out if they don't/can't keep their eyes on the ball- which is to simply tell engaging stories.
These movies don't all have to be mega extraveganzas and they don't need to kick off every new character/franchise with an obligitory formulaic origin film.
I just hope these things make it in the memos as well.

 

[TravisR]

Garth Ennis (the book's creator) said he thinks that's probably not going to happen now.

 

[DavidPla]

Plastic Man! With the Washowskis! And Keanu Reeves! Maybe..

Silver. Wachowskis. Keanu. PLASTIC MAN?? -- Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

 

[Ray_R]

I'm waiting for a THE FLASH film to come out. If I were a Hollywood director, I'd be extremely faithful to the comics, Wally West is my fave Flash, and know what to do to make a highly accurate adaptation. I wouldn't even deviate from most of the costumes and I'd film alot on loacation with the extremely tough stuff on location. Alot of practical effects should be employed and the CGI looking highly photorealistic and not that laminated plasticy shite either.
I'd have the film be shot 2.39:1 and on film stock. None of this HD video shit for me. Course I'd also have a highly dynamic sound field since Wally can run at extremely high speeds. I'd cast Ryan Reynolds and grab Mark Waid and Geoff Johns for the script. With Scott Kolins for the character designs. It'd be an overarching trilogy with each film having a long running time if I were a Hollywood director. Of course I'd have tons of villains since there's the Rogues Gallery.
Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard,
Mr. Alchemy, Gorilla Grodd, Tar Pit and a hell lot of others. The comics are known for him fighting multiple enemies anyway.
Only a pipe dream! (Great video game too.)

 

[Paul_Scott]

The Flash is a hugely problematic character to do in a live action context.
Just think about the general premise here logically for a second: The whole point of the character is that he can operate a super speed. How do you show this? Trails? That was a big problem with the TV show- the time lag as people stood there immobile while the Flash ran around them in a circle tying them up, or driving stakes into the ground to cage them for example. You can't simply port over super feats from the comic because the comic panels operate independant of temporal reality. It is the same reason it is difficult to have Spidey or any other character continually quip thru a live action fight scene as much as they do on the page.
Any Flash derring do is predicated on quick, if not instantaneous resolution. If you want to be realistic, you are going to be sacrificing the cinematic.
Not saying it can't be done, just that a lot more thought has to go into this character and how to utilize him effectively than ever went into the TV show.

 

[todd s]

Ray. You had me at Ryan Reynolds.

 

[Ray_R]

Paul and Todd,
Oh, I'd go for slight realism but I'd go highly cinematic on The Flash. I also chose Ryan Reynolds as he's a huge fan of the Wally West version since I am too. And if I WERE a Hollywood director, I'd hire the fans of the characters so it'd be a very faithful adaptation. I'd also do a long and arduous (sp?) pre-production for storyboarding and pre-vis too.
Perhaps it'd be best to have alot of the super-speed from the POV as it would a speedster with a little of it as it'd be perceived from the villains and other characters. The Flash is actually one character where you can have multiple villains on screen and not feel overwhelmed by them. Largely due to the fact ole Flashy's Rogues have teamed up multiple times in the comics.
It'd certainly look real but not striving for the heavily realistic as say Christopher Nolan's Batman series. Of course I'd go for stylised but believable with alot of the origin stuff told in flashbacks with a bit of narration. Of course I'd have Reynolds do narration as done in the comics so as long as I'd be directing it, don't I wish!, I'd also be wanting to watch it.
Now who could be Jay Garrick? Dennis Quaid? Barry Allen would be in alot of flashbacks of course. Have Wally with his Speed Force-level powers? Meaning I'd already have Wally established as a character instead of a huge originy-type film. More origins as reminiscing and such too. I'd use practical on set effects with greenscreen at the studio and mixed with CG. Lots of miniatures and such too.
Hell, if even if I were directing, this would be a film, if I did do it dead-on, I'd even want to buy the action figures of. Sounds like a huge professional fan-film if I could direct it but dammit I have tons of respect for the character. Literally I own far more The Flash comics compared to any other DC comics character, including Batman and Superman. And if I were a Hollywood director, I'd be to The Flash on film as Guillermo del Toro is to Hellboy, if you know what I mean. Makes me wish I were a Hollywood director as this would be one of my top dream projects. Eh, one can only wish...

 

[Paul_Scott]

Assuming a being with this ability existed
He would need to be able to think as well as move at super speed to be able to anticipate and react appropriately.
It would naturally follow then that he would be on a much different plane of existence than anyone else. He would be the eqivilent of an 18 year old surrounded by 90 year olds. He would find it very hard to relate to normal people who operated at a significantly slower pace.
"Well, that just means he can control the ability"
The more control the character has, the more all-powerful he seems.
To me, there is an intersting premise in the idea of one man whose accelerated metabolism places him on a different plane of existence from the rest of humanity. I think that could make a fascinating character study. If the story is just about a guy running around in a costume doing things in a blur, it seems like it would quickly become tedious.Because there is another problem- if he is facing a specific antagonist, why couldn't he run up and have him in custody before he even finished the opening statements about his masterplan? You need to constantly place contrivances in the characters way to keep him from ever resolving a crisis or problem too fast. Those Contrivances will be transparently that, and will become frustrating for the viewer.
You will quickly develop a situation like in the first Superman movie where he turns back time. If he can do that once, why not just do it for every big problem that comes along? If Flash can turn on the extra super duper speed for a big climactic solution, why can't he do it for every mundane solution as well?
I just see a lot of pitfalls with this character in a live-action world...unless you went for a tone like the Batman TV series. And a straight adaptation of the comic would need to circumvent rigidly logical sense- and that would yield a 'camp' sensation. Personally, I don't think that would be a bad way to go..if you want to keep all the trappings of the comic.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

David Goyer was writing and possibly attached to direct Flash for a while (often siting Ryan Reynolds to star). As far as I know it's still a possibility, but that damned Justice League movie has really fucked over a lot of DC properties. If they hadn't wasted so much time and resources on that, Flash might already be in full production, along with Green Lantern and Wonder Women, etc...

 

[todd s]

I believe Green Lantern is still in pre-production. And I hope they use Hal Jordan. Who of course should be played by....

Nathan Fillion


Green Lantern (Hal)

 

[Sam Favate]

Great casting for Green Lantern. Hope to see it happen.

There are plenty of characters to choose from in the DC pantheon. Historically, the company has only focused on the big two in all marketing endeavors. They should change that way of thinking. If Marvel Studios can have a hit with Iron Man - who is, let's face it, a second tier character at best (although a great movie!) - DC could do well with it's stable, if they were willing to trust the public to be receptive to more than that which they already know.

 

[Andy Sheets]

The whole "second tier/third tier character" ranking is completely irrelevant to movie adaptations anyway. Nevermind Iron Man, Blade to this day is still largely unknown to the general public as a comics character, and Men In Black isn't even known to most comics readers.

What should be considered is how a particular concept might translate to film - The War That Time Forgot might not have been a huge hit as a comic but I have to think that a film about WWII soldiers stuck on a deserted island battling dinosaurs might hold some fascination for the general public assuming good production values. And that's just one example. DC has a *huge* library of characters in all genres.

 

[dana martin]

well the truth of it is that dc has a lot to exploit, but its not seen that way, everyone looks movies, but how many series has been attached to superman, all the way back to the serials, same can be said for batman as well, 3 year stint for wonder woman, the flash has a year long run on tv.

the problem becomes how to do it, remain faithful to the spirit of the comic (pun intended) and still be able to present it to the public, all the while not trying to tick off the hard core comic fans.

great quote somewhere the other day that iron man was the best comic book movie but the dark knight was the best graphic novel movie. with 60 plus years of history to draw on what is needed is some kind of contuninty, with the story line, while some did not like singers take, i thought that SR booted nicely after S1 and S2(Donner Cut).

real world mentality says that you will not see big blue in nolans universe, but a mention, would suffice. The one DC property that i am looking forward to is Supermax, (Green Arrow) seems to be sort of the same gritty world that the next batman is set in.

What DC needs to do is take control as Marvel has of their properties, and make sure that the remain true.

who watches the watchmen, if its faithful to the masterwork of alan moore, i do.

 

[Paul_Scott]

I agree with you Andy.
Ultimately, the play is the thing. A great character without a good concept of how to use him is headed for disaster.
At the same time, if you have a high concept, you don't need the name recognition character...and War That Time Forgot is a great concept for a potentially killer summer popcorn movie.
It would be great to see the same diversity in optioned properties that existed in comics pre-1980. War, Mystery, Sword and Sandel, Western. Sci-fi. There's a huge pool to dip into.
I realize that fans weren't crazy about it, but I think the general (not specific) premise of Amazons Attack would be good vehicle to get Wonder Woman finally on screen.
If suddenly a curious highly organized (alien) culture revealed itself and started making demands it would have huge cultural and geopolitical ramifications that would be interesting to see speculated. The premise also lends itself to a slam bang 'clash of civilizations' conflict and Wonder Woman can then be used as emissary and mediator as well as warrior. You could even do a Romeo and Juliet like spin on her relationship with Steve Trevor. I see tremendous possibilities with that character...I just hope the eventual get a creative team in place that will approach the concept as thoughtfully as it appears Nolan has approached the world of Batman.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

I recall really enjoying "The Question" comic book. Not sure if it would translate very well as it was more of a cerebral-type story.

I would love to see "Reid Flemming: Worlds Toughest Milkman" on the big screen. One of the funniest/strangest comics I remember.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Don't forget /htf/images/misc/wikipedia.gif Howard the Duck! (Howard the Duck - Marvel Universe: The definitive online source for Marvel super hero bios.)

 

[Pete-D]

Well now that is looks like Batman is going to reclaim his throne as the crown jewel of superhero movie characters (it's 1989 all over again), I think DC/Warner Bros. suits can walk with a little more of a strut, knowing they got at least one up on their Marvel counterparts.

I'm sure they will be more patient now with other properties, Superman on down.

 

[Sam Favate]

No, that the success of the movie doesn't change the fact that this is the moment for superhero films and Warner & DC have only one iron in the fire right now (two, if you count next year's Watchmen), while the competition is having all sorts of success with multiple films. Add up Dark Knight's expected take and compare it to that of Iron Man + Hulk, etc. Fast forward to 2011, when Marvel has 3 or 4 movies out in a single summer and DC, maybe, has one. Dark Knight is an excellent film, and deserves all of its success, but being patient is not a good business move right now. The success of the comic book genre (now 6 years old, since 2002's Spiderman) won't last forever.

 

[Paul_Scott]

I agree. But the key is to not keep making 'comic book movies' but rather just making good films in different genres that have a comic book character in them. Not every property adapts to a crime/thriller genre like TDK did. But something like Wonder Woman or Thor or Shazam will fit in a fantasy genre where Batman can't go. Instead of two 'comic book movies' you have a crime/thriller and a fantasy adventure that just happen to have comic book characters in them.
That should be the great object lesson here.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Paul Scott wrote (post #85):


Good thoughts, but for a sobering dose of "ultimate reälity" in regard to the consequences of being a hyperaccelerated human, see the X-Files-episode "Rushhttp://www.tv.com/the-x-files/rush/episode/634/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;4".