Warner Bros have Marvel in their sights
November 23rd 2008 13:48
GENERAL RAMBLINGS
Apart from Batman, Warner Bros. just can't seem to get things going with their DC Comics products on the big screen.
We've had Batman Begins and, of course, The Dark Knight, but Superman Returns and Catwoman both tanked in varying degrees critically and at the box-office, while the likes of Wonder Woman, Flash and the Green Lantern haven't even had their own cinematical vehicle, one while on duty with the Justice League.
Now, WB is turning its attention to the aptly-named Captain Marvel.
Not to be confused with the Marvel brand - DC Comics' fierce rival that has had great success recently with live-action adaptations of Spider-Man and Ironman - this is Marvel of Shazam! fame.
The Captain is the alter ego of 12-year-old boy Billy Batson who is chosen by an old wizard, called Shazam, to be a 'champion of the good'. Every time he shouts out the man's name, which is actually kind of a bit freaky, he turns into a hulking adult superhero.
The name Shazam is itself an acronym for the six various legendary figures who agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject - the wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules; the stamina of Atlas; the power of Zeus; the courage of Achilles; and the speed of Mercury.
It makes Captain Marvel kind of a cross between Thor and Superman. Read more here.
He was first published by Fawcett Publications in 1939, not long after Superman and Batman burst onto the scene.
His popularity however has long paled in comparison to star pair, apart from a brief period in the 1940s, about the time DC picked up the rights to the character and had him join the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader in its own stable.
Captain Marvel has gone onto assist Batman and Superman in various Justice League-based comics, and even against them.
It now looks as though he will also now join them on the big stage with Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam closer to a production start. Read more here.
Warner Bros has just acquired the rights to make the film from New Line and assigned Peter Segal (50 First Dates, The Longest Yard, Get Smart) the director's job. Segal has in fact also co-written the script.
And with that in mind, WB will no doubt be taking a decidedly different path to the one it went down for The Dark Knight, and even Superman Returns.
While those films had dark tones - the former in particular, the latter not so much - with Segal, and his track record, on board you just know where WB is heading - down a very light-hearted, maybe even fun-for-the-whole-family type of alley.
The proposed title itself has got it written all over it.
I know it's probably got to be done, the story is afterall primarily about a 12-year-old boy, so it's like Big meets Harry Potter meets Superman.
It's just a shame. Personally, I haven't had a lot of experience with Captain Marvel - the first I learnt of him was through Beyonce yelling out 'Shazam' in the last Austin Powers movie.
But, the character really blew me away in the acclaimed Alex Ross graphic novel Kingdom Come, about a futuristic battle for superhero supremacy featuring an older Superman.
In that series, Marvel had grown into the man he would become when young Billy would do his wizardy thing, but was now doing thy bidding for an evil master - none other than Lex Luthor. His final showdown with the Man of Steel is spectacular. Read more here.
Ever since reading ... reading?, oh, who are we kidding ... looking at the pictures of Kingdom Come I've had a dream that that story would in fact one day be showing on my 106cm plasma television, or at least some standalone Captain Marvel movie of serious action fare, and not some braindead kiddy fare.
My other dream is ... Shazam! ... Nope, still hasn't worked either.
Here's Superman and Captain Marvel going at it in the animated TV series Justice League Unlimited:
We've had Batman Begins and, of course, The Dark Knight, but Superman Returns and Catwoman both tanked in varying degrees critically and at the box-office, while the likes of Wonder Woman, Flash and the Green Lantern haven't even had their own cinematical vehicle, one while on duty with the Justice League.
Now, WB is turning its attention to the aptly-named Captain Marvel.
Not to be confused with the Marvel brand - DC Comics' fierce rival that has had great success recently with live-action adaptations of Spider-Man and Ironman - this is Marvel of Shazam! fame.
The Captain is the alter ego of 12-year-old boy Billy Batson who is chosen by an old wizard, called Shazam, to be a 'champion of the good'. Every time he shouts out the man's name, which is actually kind of a bit freaky, he turns into a hulking adult superhero.
The name Shazam is itself an acronym for the six various legendary figures who agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject - the wisdom of Solomon; the strength of Hercules; the stamina of Atlas; the power of Zeus; the courage of Achilles; and the speed of Mercury.
It makes Captain Marvel kind of a cross between Thor and Superman. Read more here.
His popularity however has long paled in comparison to star pair, apart from a brief period in the 1940s, about the time DC picked up the rights to the character and had him join the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader in its own stable.
Captain Marvel has gone onto assist Batman and Superman in various Justice League-based comics, and even against them.
It now looks as though he will also now join them on the big stage with Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam closer to a production start. Read more here.
Warner Bros has just acquired the rights to make the film from New Line and assigned Peter Segal (50 First Dates, The Longest Yard, Get Smart) the director's job. Segal has in fact also co-written the script.
And with that in mind, WB will no doubt be taking a decidedly different path to the one it went down for The Dark Knight, and even Superman Returns.
While those films had dark tones - the former in particular, the latter not so much - with Segal, and his track record, on board you just know where WB is heading - down a very light-hearted, maybe even fun-for-the-whole-family type of alley.
The proposed title itself has got it written all over it.
I know it's probably got to be done, the story is afterall primarily about a 12-year-old boy, so it's like Big meets Harry Potter meets Superman.
It's just a shame. Personally, I haven't had a lot of experience with Captain Marvel - the first I learnt of him was through Beyonce yelling out 'Shazam' in the last Austin Powers movie.
But, the character really blew me away in the acclaimed Alex Ross graphic novel Kingdom Come, about a futuristic battle for superhero supremacy featuring an older Superman.
In that series, Marvel had grown into the man he would become when young Billy would do his wizardy thing, but was now doing thy bidding for an evil master - none other than Lex Luthor. His final showdown with the Man of Steel is spectacular. Read more here.
Ever since reading ... reading?, oh, who are we kidding ... looking at the pictures of Kingdom Come I've had a dream that that story would in fact one day be showing on my 106cm plasma television, or at least some standalone Captain Marvel movie of serious action fare, and not some braindead kiddy fare.
My other dream is ... Shazam! ... Nope, still hasn't worked either.
* * * * * * * * * *
Here's Superman and Captain Marvel going at it in the animated TV series Justice League Unlimited:
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