Category: Comic

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rebooted

    Deadline reports that Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures are rebooting the live-action franchise of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Platinum Dunes to produce; a production that usually focuses on horror films — and its most notable member being Michael Bay.

    The tone of the original comics for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were more serious, gritty, and violent. The humor was downplayed and more satirical. It’s safe to say that the original movie was in a similar vein. And as a child, I loved that film. The cartoons that followed were more lighthearted and relied heavily on humor. It was good, but it took the franchise in a different direction.

    It’s peculiar that Platinum Dunes is selected to produce the reboot since their track record is horror films while Nickelodeon is a company that provides entertainment mainly for children. It’ll be interesting to see whether Platinum Dunes will be adding a children’s movie to their list of produced movies or if Nickelodeon will be taking a chance and bringing back the darker tone of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or maybe they’ll surprise us and make a film that balances the two.

  • The First Avenger: Captain America

    It’s been confirmed that Tommy Lee Jones will be joining the cast of Captain America: The First Avenger. It’s speculated that Jones will be portraying General Chester Phillips, the man who puts Steve Rogers in the program that ultimately turns Rogers into Captain America. I could see that being the case. The role suits him.

    Hugo Weaving playing the part of Red Skull is an inspired choice. His theatrical prowess will help bring the commanding presence of the antagonist Red Skull. Weaving has the ability to give “inspiring” propaganda speeches, and has already proven in V for Vendetta that he can emote without the use of his facial expressions. Hugo Weaving will make an effective Red Skull.

    Marvel Studios had to be careful with casting Captain America since he’s the character who leads the Avengers. They would need an actor who can not only play the role, but can convincingly order around Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. Chris Evans was the unexpected choice, especially since he’s already played the role of Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four. The guy has the charisma that can rival Downey’s, and he’s proven himself a capable actor for the part in Sunshine. He’ll do the part justice. And I look forward to his interactions with Robert Downey Jr. in the Avengers.

    Captain America: The First Avenger is shaping up nicely with the casting; and the premise taking place during World War II is a perfect judgement call. Placing Steve Rogers in any other war would’ve fundamentally change the character. In fiction and in reality, Captain America is a creation from during that specific time period. This film has massive potential, and I’m excited for it.

    Source: (SciFi Wire)

  • Spider-Man Reboot

    Sony plans on rebooting Spider-Man, which I consider a good thing since the prior films never really captured Spider-Man’s personality. They insisted that they want to distance the new film from the trilogy and focus on Peter Parker during his high school years. Again, I consider this a good thing.

    So why are they bringing in a screenwriter from the former films? Scriptwriter Alvin Sargent has been hired to polish the screenplay written by Jamie Vanderbilt. Does this means all of Spidey’s witty quips will be practically nonexistent and replaced with drama? Spider-Man does have his drama, but without his sarcasm, comic fans won’t be nearly as happy with the reboot.

    If Sony is smart, they would look at the recent success of Iron Man 2 and realize that a gritty drama is unnecessary. Fit the mood of the source material. If it worked for readers, it’ll work for viewers. Also, cast Logan Lerman as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He’s right for the part and you know it.

    Source: (Heat Vision Blog)

  • Judge Dredd Makes a Return

    Comic book character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, Judge Dredd, will be making a return; DNA Films spent over two years negotiating for it.

    Garland, Macdonald, and Allon Reich are set to produce; with Pete Travis directing, and the script by Alex Garland. The budget for the film is $45 million and will be filmed in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    I was a fan of Sylvester Stallone’s version of Judge Dredd despite it being campy, but this current project looks to stick close to the source material; with Wagner as a creative consultant, and the owners of the publishing company Rebellion/2000AD, Jason and Chris Kingsley as co-producers.

    Judge Dredd already seems to be shaping up to be a proper adaption for the comic book; with another co-producer in Michael S. Murphey, who had a hand in District 9. A smaller budget might work just fine, considering the people involved who are no strangers to it.

    Source: (Hollywood Reporter)

  • “Iron Man 2” Easter Eggs

    Iron Man 2 came out only days ago, and someone has already put together all the easter eggs in the movie. Do not click the link if you don’t want to be spoiled on Marvel’s movie projects.

    Easter Egg Spoilers

  • Matthew Vaughn for X-Men: First Class

    According to Deadline, Matthew Vaughn and 20th Century Fox are negotiating a deal for Vaughn to direct X-Men: First Class, a prequel to the X-Men films. The former director, Bryan Singer is set to be one of the producers.

    It’ll be interesting how this turns out, since this film is essentially a reboot of the franchise. The prior films did help pave the way for movie adaptions of comic books, but they took a few liberties with the characters that left comic fans unhappy — most notably downplaying Cyclops’ leadership to bump up Wolverine in the films. This could be Fox’s opportunity to fix their mistakes, and get characterizations correct. It’d be a smart move since Marvel’s own movie adaptions are making a huge impact on the market.

  • Third Batman Movie

    Recently Warner Bros. set the official date for the third Batman movie to be July 20, 2012. It’s the only concrete detail on the movie while it’s under the presumption that Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan will be involved in the film.

    The Riddler is a fan favorite for the next villain, though I’m hoping for the Riddler to be an intellectual rival to Batman as a detective. The third movie can easily suffer the fate of most trilogies if it follows the same formula of “bigger is better” — having the Riddler as a rival on top of an actual villain would help keep the film grounded, and further display the detective aspect of Batman that was only touched upon in the prior movies.

    As for actual villains: I’d like to see Bane and Black Mask being used. If Bane’s characterization is the intelligent version like in the comics — coupled with Black Mask who hates Bruce Wayne and eventually controls much of the underworld of Gotham — they would make a formidable team against Batman while he’s in his rivalry and occasional help from the Riddler.

  • Thor

    Actor/director Kenneth Branagh is set to direct Marvel’s movie Thor, which should excite any fans of the superhero. Mr. Branagh is most notable for his adaptions of Shakespeare plays; something that fits perfectly with the Thor franchise.

    Playing the part of Thor will be Chris Hemsworth, who portrayed George Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek.

    The question on my mind now is if this will be the Ultimate’s version of Thor. I’d imagine that version would make a seamless transition onto film.