Captain America To Be Set During World War II
Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige revealed today that the Captain America movie will be a period film, set during World War II. I’ve never read any Captain America, but some of my friends who are really into the series have insisted that a WWII period setting would be the only way to do the story justice.
This basically confirms that Marvel will be sticking close to the original origin story which involved Steve Rogers volunteering to be a test subject in Operation: Rebirth, a top-secret defense project for the U.S. Army. Rogers took a Super-Soldier serum which altered his physiology, turning him into a “nearly perfect human being”. Unable to duplicate the process, the United States government turned Rogers into a superhero who served as “both a counter-intelligence agent and a propaganda symbol to counter Nazi Germany’s head of terrorist operations, the Red Skull.”
The First Avenger: Captain America (and not Captain America: The First Avenger, which sounds infinitely better) is scheduled to hit theaters in May 6th 2011, just weeks before Marvel’s superhero team-up film The Avengers hits screens in July. It’s assumed that the film will likely end with a cliffhanger. In the comic series The Avengers discovered Steve Rogers’ body in a block of ice in the North Atlantic years after his supposed death, and were able to revive him. It’s assumed that a similar situation will probably happen to bridge the two movies, especially considering that The Avengers takes place in modern day. But Feige promises that you won’t need to see any of the other films to understand The Avengers:
“Each of them have to stand on their own,” Feige said. “You won’t have to have seen any of the films to understand The Avengers… but it will help.”
Feige also confirmed that Matthew McConaughey is not in consideration for the film adaptation as was rumored on CinemaBlend weeks back. That should make fans happy. You can read more about Feige’s “State of the Marvel Address” on CHUD.
Brett Ratner to Direct Comic Book Adaptation Harbinger
Does big time studio director Brett Ratner lie around the Grotto half-naked with Hugh Hefner and his Bunnies while searching through ancient Valiant comic books for his next franchise? If not, did an assistant bring him a copy of Harbinger and if so, why not a copy of Turok Dinosaur Hunter or X-O Manowar instead? I mean, at least those forgotten Valiant series had snazzy holographic covers. The world may never know or care.
Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand), who is currently toying around with a Hefner biopic entitled Playboy, is attached to direct a Harbinger feature film for Paramount Pictures, with MTV Films circling the project as well. The discontinued ’90s comic series followed a group of angst-stricken teenagers called Harbingers who had superpowers, the catch being that these teens’ powers had to be unlocked by more experienced “omega” harbingers. Conflict arises when one teen Harbinger must face his omega mentor, an evaaal industrialist.
“The movie is in the vein of a young ‘Blade Runner,’ as this 17-year- old gifted kid helps other kids tap into these parts of their brains,” said producer Alexandra Milchan.
A “new, young Blade Runner” aside, reportedly one reason why The Rat took interest in the series is that he wants to create a (possibly suck-worthy) comic book film franchise from the ground up. According to Variety, Valiant Comics is set for a comeback after its extensive library was purchased by a private company that will apparently kick-start the better known titles. I’m guessing Harbinger will be one of those, though it definitely wasn’t the most popular Valiant comic when it was around.
Scarlett Johansson to star in Frank Miller’s The Spirit
Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation) is in final negotiations to star as the femme fatale in Frank Miller’s (Sin City, 300) big screen adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Johansson has also signed on to star in Mary Queen of Scots and Into You, but who really cares?
Johansson will play a dangerous beauty named Silk N. Floss, a character that THR describes as “a sexy and intelligent secretary with a vindictive instinct that makes her the perfect accomplice to the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), an evil mastermind.” It appears that the character was created for the film adaptation and will probably be a combination of characters from the comic series.
I’ve been less than impressed with Johansson lately (yes, I just saw The Nanny Diaries), and it’s a shame because I use to love everything she did. I’m not quite sure if she’s putting less effort into her roles, or if she is growing out of her looks with age (let me clarify: she is obviously still very attractive, but not as attractive as a few years ago. May-be her looks blinded us from her inabilities as an actress, and only now are we noticing?) One thing is for sure, Eisner’s comic strip has women with curves, and Johansson certainly fits that bill.
The Spirit follows a detective (Gabriel Macht) who fakes his own death in order to fight crime in Central City as the masked avenger. Frank Miller will start shooting the flick in October for a late 2009 release.
Teen Titans Live Action Movie Announced
Warner Bros has announced that they will be making a live-action big screen movie based on the ht DC Comic series Teen Titans.
While the first incarnation of the junior Justice League-type group appeared in 1964, it wasn’t until the 2003 cartoon network animated television series hit before they became popular in the mainstream (the comic book series was also popular in the 1980’s but not to this level). The cartoon team features Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven, while the original comic series consisted of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy. It is unknown which of the characters will be included in the feature film outside of the boy wonder. The cartoon series has been praised for also being character-driven, with a focus on the main characters’ struggles with being teenage superheroes, their mutual friendships, and their limitations.
Producer Akiva Goldsman says that the film’s tone will be consistent with “such recent Warners’ comic book fare as Batman Begins, Superman Returns and the upcoming Watchmen.” We’re taking that to mean darker and more realistic. It will be interesting to see what that actually means. I’ve never actually been a fan of the series (nor have I disliked the series, I just haven’t had much experience with it) so it’s hard for me to gauge if this has potential. At first thought, it seems like they are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Comic Book turned television and feature film writer Mark Verheiden has been brought on board to write the script. Verheiden has a strong background in the comic and sci-fi genre, having written and produced episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Smallville, and scripted My Name is Bruce, Timecop, and The Mask.