More graphic novel movies on the horizon
Following the success of Sin City and (presumably) the coming success of 300, another Frank Miller graphic novel is being primed for a cinematic treatment. Ronin is a hard-hitting tale that mixes samurai with sci-fi:
Ronin begins in feudal Japan, when a samurai's master is killed by Agat, the demon who has been his archenemy for years. Forced to become a disgraced ronin to avenge his master's death, the samurai finally confronts and slays the demon, but at a terrible price.
Leap to the 21st century, where the Aquarius Project and its biotechnological wonders are the last saving grace for a New York that has become a festering corpse. A telepath named Billy Callas becomes the focal point for the renewed battle between the ronin and the demon, a battle which will take on horrific proportions as the violence and corruption brought on by the enemies' resurrection spreads. Who will survive?
It all sounds very Samurai Jack-ish to me, although Ronin is no doubt far more gritty and violent. Unfortunately the rumoured director appears to be a virtual unknown. Sylvain White has a background in music videos and commercials (cue style over substance!). Here’s Aint It Cool News’ article on the matter.
Meanwhile, low grade rumours are swirling that apparently Joel (Batman & Robin) Schumacher wants to make a Sandman movie. Author Neil Gaiman fortunately shot down this rumour with the following post on his blog:
I remember about eight years ago the then Warner Brothers co-studio head Billy Gerber told me that he got weekly calls from people who wanted to make, direct or star in a Sandman film. "On Wednesday," he said, "Michael Jackson called about it." Given the comments some months ago from Alan Horn and Jeff Robinoff, who now run Warner Brothers, I don't believe the calls from people who want to make Sandman have decreased in the last eight years -- quite the reverse. Which I mention because I got a small deluge of letters from people asking me what I thought about Joel Shumacher saying in an interview that he'd love to direct a Sandman film and wondering if that meant that it was now about to happen, and of course it doesn't and it isn't. It simply puts Mr Schumacher in a very long line of people who want to make Sandman, some way ahead of Michael Jackson.
Personally I think Sandman would work far better as a massive-budget miniseries. Hello, HBO and BBC?
In other news, Alan Moore’s Watchmen IS coming to the big screen! Pre-production is well under way according to director Zack (300, Dawn of the Dead) Snyder in this interview at FirstShowing.net. Some important revelations:
Shooting could begin as early as this mid-2007.
Snyder’s casting won’t be ‘Hollywood’.
The film will be set in 1985, like the graphic novel.
A quote from Synder: “I think that the appetite for me is to make a movie that feel's more like Taxi Driver than like Fantastic Four.”
Frankly I’m excited but also terrified. Watchmen could be fantastic but it could also be a disaster of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen proportions. I think the big determinant will be the degree to which Synder can achieve his vision. Things WILL fall apart if the studio starts meddling too much in an attempt to make Watchmen a conventional superhero crowd-pleaser. Because Watchmen sure as hell ain’t that!
Ronin begins in feudal Japan, when a samurai's master is killed by Agat, the demon who has been his archenemy for years. Forced to become a disgraced ronin to avenge his master's death, the samurai finally confronts and slays the demon, but at a terrible price.
Leap to the 21st century, where the Aquarius Project and its biotechnological wonders are the last saving grace for a New York that has become a festering corpse. A telepath named Billy Callas becomes the focal point for the renewed battle between the ronin and the demon, a battle which will take on horrific proportions as the violence and corruption brought on by the enemies' resurrection spreads. Who will survive?
It all sounds very Samurai Jack-ish to me, although Ronin is no doubt far more gritty and violent. Unfortunately the rumoured director appears to be a virtual unknown. Sylvain White has a background in music videos and commercials (cue style over substance!). Here’s Aint It Cool News’ article on the matter.
Meanwhile, low grade rumours are swirling that apparently Joel (Batman & Robin) Schumacher wants to make a Sandman movie. Author Neil Gaiman fortunately shot down this rumour with the following post on his blog:
I remember about eight years ago the then Warner Brothers co-studio head Billy Gerber told me that he got weekly calls from people who wanted to make, direct or star in a Sandman film. "On Wednesday," he said, "Michael Jackson called about it." Given the comments some months ago from Alan Horn and Jeff Robinoff, who now run Warner Brothers, I don't believe the calls from people who want to make Sandman have decreased in the last eight years -- quite the reverse. Which I mention because I got a small deluge of letters from people asking me what I thought about Joel Shumacher saying in an interview that he'd love to direct a Sandman film and wondering if that meant that it was now about to happen, and of course it doesn't and it isn't. It simply puts Mr Schumacher in a very long line of people who want to make Sandman, some way ahead of Michael Jackson.
Personally I think Sandman would work far better as a massive-budget miniseries. Hello, HBO and BBC?
In other news, Alan Moore’s Watchmen IS coming to the big screen! Pre-production is well under way according to director Zack (300, Dawn of the Dead) Snyder in this interview at FirstShowing.net. Some important revelations:
Shooting could begin as early as this mid-2007.
Snyder’s casting won’t be ‘Hollywood’.
The film will be set in 1985, like the graphic novel.
A quote from Synder: “I think that the appetite for me is to make a movie that feel's more like Taxi Driver than like Fantastic Four.”
Frankly I’m excited but also terrified. Watchmen could be fantastic but it could also be a disaster of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen proportions. I think the big determinant will be the degree to which Synder can achieve his vision. Things WILL fall apart if the studio starts meddling too much in an attempt to make Watchmen a conventional superhero crowd-pleaser. Because Watchmen sure as hell ain’t that!
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