Author Archives: Leo Choy

About Leo Choy

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Leo Choy stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Leo can see and hear. And so, Leo finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Venom: Web of the Spider-Man Franchise

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It seems that Josh Trank, the director of Chronicle is in talks to direct a Spider-Man franchise spin-off. The movie which has been in the works at Sony since 2008 is called Venom, reports the LA Times.

It wasn’t that long ago in 2009 that Gary Ross; director of the Hunger Games; was in the very same talks to direct a Venom feature film. A draft of a potential script was produced several years ago, but Sony has since been looking for a new writer.

Venom made his first appearance in Spider-Man #252 as Spider-Man’s alien costume; made of a black liquid substance that moved of it’s own free will. The costume is actually a parasitic symbiote, but Spider-Man doesn’t know that yet. All he knows is that the costume makes it so he can change into whatever outfits he wants at anytime, plus it has somehow produces web fluid without replacement cartridges or web spinners. So the webhead returns with his new toy from the Secret Wars; a Marvel comics crossover.

A later full examination of what Spider-Man is wearing is conducted and Peter Parker freaks out as the symbiote tries to permanently latch on to him. Like a good super natural monstrous being, the symbiote has it’s share of weaknesses; loud noises and fire.

The symbiote is seperated from Peter Parker and is spurned like a jilted lover. Really? It’s trying to force itself onto another sentient being and it’s still has the gall to think it’s in the right. No means no!

Isn’t this the character traits of someone who is crazy? It turns out that other symbiotes also think the Venom entity is mentally unstable. Venom wants to share consciousness with the host rather than outright dominate.

To top it off, when venom bonds to another host, it also augments the new host with the exact same abilities as Spider-Man. If it’s really pissy, it’ll share with the host all of Spider-Man’s secrets like a gossipy ex-girlfriend. Also like ex-girlfriends, they tend to want lots of blood sacrifices. Venom now makes their host take on the appearance of Spider-Man with the addition of impossibly toothy smile and long serpentine tongue. Why? The better to eat people with of course.

So that’s that’s what Venom is all about. Since Spider-Man, the symbiote has passed on from one host to another like a case of alien German herpes; and somehow passed onto Peter Parker’s childhood bully, Flash Thompson. Hah! How’s that for karma? It was in the 90’s the Venom contracted the popular Anti-Hero bug that was sweeping the comic book bad boys of it’s day.

Though it remains to be seen if this Venom movie has any connection to the upcoming movie, The Amazing Spider-Man, it’s definitely unlikely that there will be any resemblance to Sam Raimi’s take of the Spider-Man villain. That’s right, no Topher Grace portrayals where Venom doesn’t look scary at all. It especially got ruined when the mask kept peeling back so Topher could talk more.

So out of the slew of potential candidates, who will be the subject host of the Venom symbiote? It’s almost like asking who my favorite Doctor is from Dr. Who, except less important. Two well known hosts are Eddie Brock, the muscle head failed photographer, and Mac Gargan, the original Spider-Man villain known as the Scorpion.

Forgot those two. It would require far too much writing and ret-cons to make any of the previous hosts a viable character. I hope they go with someone completely knew or relatively new enough.

You want a movie that will make Spider-Man fans sit up and take notice? Make the new host Miles Morales; that’s right, the kid who’s the new Spider-Man.

 

Journey 3: Profit!

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A Trip to the Moon

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has already raked in over $270 million at the box office worldwide.  With such a huge success, the only logical thing is to milk it for more.  Warner Bros. has tapped director Brad Peyton with writers Brian and Mark Gunn to create the next movie.  It is not known yet whether we will see Josh Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson or Michael Caine in the next movie.  If they really wanted to make it a grand tie in, they’d have all three plus Brendan Fraser from the first movie.

The film which is a sequel to Journey to Center of the Earth 2008, is also inspired by Jules Verne, The Father of Science Fiction.  The movies thus far have followed the naming convention of Verne’s novels as well as the general setting.  However I doubt the Rock is really what the first nerd author had in mind.

Obviously the movies take place with a familiar, more contemporary start point than what the books were written for; back in the 18th century and all.  Even the characters are written from scratch and have no bearing on the current day story.  Starting from present day civilization, the adventurers find themselves in extraordinary places and situations.  Then again, not all of Verne’s work is cut out for adaptation.  It would be funny though if I ever saw a Journey movie called Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen.  It’d be more hilarious if they could somehow bend the movie away from the topic of slavery; maybe they’d make it about vampires.

I haven’t watched these movies.  Up until I saw the title, I didn’t even remember they existed until I saw the trailers for both.  If I look away from the screen right now, I’m convinced that the memories will fade again and I’ll have to start tracking the memory by drawing on myself with a marker.  So I have no real reasonable argument to make against watching these movies.  In saying that, I’m not a very reasonable person.

Where’s the steam punk action?  The novel that this movie is loosely based on is a tie in to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.  Even back then, publishers were all about sequels and crossovers.  As I understand it, there is a scene in the movie where the heroes need to take Nemo’s Nautilus, but that’s backwards!

The third movie Journey 3 is currently being slated for release sometime in 2014.  The next adventure will most likely be called Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon.  It’s pretty much planted as the Rock gives Sean the very same Jules Verne book in the current movie.  In Verne’s story, a gun club fires an oversized bullet ship into space; via the gun called Columbiad.  It’s not that different than being shot to the moon by a rocket called Columbia.

What can we expect from adventures on the moon?  Well if we can look past the deadly sentient robots, we can enjoy what Fungineers have created.

We’re whalers on the moon,
We carry a harpoon.
But there ain’t no whales
So we tell tall tales
And sing our whaling tune.

Bolivar the Last Dinosaur Optioned For The Big Screen

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In another bold move, Warner Bros. has picked up the adaptation right for an upcoming graphic novel that has not been released yet. The graphic novel is due for release come May 2013 is called Bolivar, written and illustrated by Sean Rubin from Archaia Entertainment.

Bolivar is a story about a young girl named Sybil who moves to New York. Sybil discovers that her neighbor is Bolivar, a dinosaur. Well aren’t they extinct? Yes, well he is the last of his kind.

Bolivar refuses to befriend Sybil despite her persistent efforts. Somewhat of a recluse, the dinosaur hides away from the world, a world that Sybil wants him to explore with her. He soon realizes that Sybil means a lot to him and that he would risk everything for her.

I’m conflicted here. This could go three ways.

One, this could be very kiddy where everyone learns a valuable lesson from caring and sharing in the end. Bolivar who can be equated to a garbage can dwelling muppet, might learn the true meaning of ‘friendship’ for once in his life. There may also be songs that I cringe at.

Two, this could be sadistic and evil on so many enjoyable levels; to me at least. Asides from the difficulties that Bolivar should have with combustion engines; they run on the liquefied remains of his people; this could be a very sarcastic movie. For example, Bolivar must be able to get whatever job he wants as no one has met the dinosaur quota for employees. Heh, affirmative action is funny. I’m also reminded of one of my favorite movies, Leon/The Professional. Leon the creepy assassin befriends a child named Matilda and later gives up everything for her. I really want to see a dinosaur wearing the toque and round sunglasses now.

Three, the story becomes serious in a mock sense. Take some of Rubin’s previous works in Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard. It’s about cute mice in medieval garb fighting for their lives! They struggle for survival against their natural foes and against each other with lots of treachery. So for as cute it is, it has a lot of death and mature themes. For all we know, the story of Bolivar might be a tale of his victimization and survival, the failing struggles of a guy who was born looking like a dinosaur.

Though it would be interesting as a live action movie, Bolivar has been slated as an animated feature. This will be adapted and directed by Irish filmmaker Kealan O’Rourke, winner of the best animation prize for The Boy in the Bubble at the Irish Film and Television Awards. Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster are expected to produce this film via their Weed Road company, while Archaia editor-in-chief Stephen Christy will also produce.

Men in Black to the Future! New Official Trailer and Still!

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Men in Black 3, produced by Columbia Pictures, has released a new still for the upcoming movie (which you can see above).  If that wasn’t enough, today we get to see the new trailer.

Official movie description:

In Men in Black 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

There have always been stories and conspiracy theories.  Almost part of urban myths and legend, the men in black would appear in the wake of paranormal activity, suppressing all information leaks.  Even though this may be the inspiration, the Men in Black was originally adapted from a black and white comic book back in 1990.  Created and written by Lowell Cunningham and illustrated by Sandy Carruthers, the comic was published by Aircel Comics.  In an example of how small fish are constantly eaten by larger fishes; which we call the food chain; Aircel was bought out by Malibu Comics, only to be bought out by Marvel.  In the end there can only be one, and Disney ate Marvel.

This serves to illustrate why the original story of the Men in Black has changed over the years.

The original story introduced Agent Jay; Caucasian male; the new guy being inducted into the Men in Black organization by his partner, Agent Kay.  Even though Kay is a tough guy who gets the job done, he’s also psychopath; which makes him the ideal MIB agent according to the manual.

In all situations that they go into as partners, Agent Kay prefers to have Jay go ahead of him.  It allows Jay to act as bait while Kay just enjoys aiming a gun at his partner’s back.

Jay is often forced to play the good cop trying to find alternatives to Kay’s problem solving methods.  For example, Kay suggests that killing witnesses over memory wiping them for efficiency.

The prime example of how twisted Kay can be occurs when he’s forced to mind wipe a kid who’s been beaten by his father.  Jay has no idea what’s being said to the kid, but the tail end of the commands are, “Then, when you turn nineteen, take the rifle to the top of the tallest building you can find and do the same thing.  Got it?”

I think I would have gotten a kick out of watching Tommy Lee Jones act like the chain smoking psycho that the character truly is.  Then again, it’s nice to see Will “I make this look old” Smith do a comedy.

Meanwhile the new trailer looks visually hot.  While it does feel like an Austin Powers movie, traveling back in time we see old time science fiction pieces in the trailer.  The space men have bubble helmets!  I’m even sure I saw some inspiration drawn from Lost in Space.

The movie will open on May 25 in theaters, available in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D.  Check out the new trailer below.

Game of Thrones MMORPG: Cash Grab is Coming

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Cable network HBO has signed a deal with Bigpoint to develop a new online game.  This new game will be a massive multiplayer online role playing game based on HBO’s series” Game of Thrones”, which in turns is adapted from George R.R. Martins original A Song of Ice and Fire book series.

The German game developer Bigpoint has already had some experiencing developing MMORPGs, creating one based on the Battle Galactica television series.  The “Game of Thrones” online game will also be available as a free-to-play and set in the fictional world of Westeros.

Bigpoint CEO Heiko Hubertz had this to say:

“With a rich and complex story, expressed through an amazing level of detail, it’s easy to see why the HBO series Game of Thrones has amassed an army of fans worldwide.”

“We intend to build a game that resonates intimately with its diehard community of followers, while also creating an authentic gaming experience that attracts newcomers to the franchise.”

Jack Wulff, Artplant’s founder and executive producer has said,

“Our goal is to be one of the worlds leading developers of 3D MMO browser based games…”

“As a fan of fantasy it’s a dream come true to be working with Game of Thrones, and there’s hardly any other fantasy license in the world with a bigger potential”, Jørgen Tharaldsen, the games producer added.

Here’s the hitch, while HBO has signed a deal with Bigpoint; a German video game developer; the game will actually be developed by Norwegian games studio, Artplant.

Why’s this?

First off, Bigpoint makes games for stand-alone browser-based games.  Think flash games and social media games.  It also runs a gaming portal website already with a lot of browser based MMORPGs. Meanwhile, the biggest name in MMORPGs right now is World of Warcraft.  That game originally required purchases of DVDs and expansion packs, coupled with many downloads.  The graphics are amazing.  There isn’t much a browser-based MMORPG can do to compete against WoW in terms of quality.

So at this point, the expectation for the imagery of Westeros is set pretty high.  The goal is most likely get that realistic medieval feeling one gets watching the television show.

That’s why Artplant was brought it.  Why not just go to Artplant or another developer then?

I think it’s because HBO likes Bigpoint’s business model for online games.  Bigpoint is currently one of the leaders in the fast-growing free-to-play gaming industry.  Free-to-play means that you don’t have to purchase the game, an activation fee, or a monthly fee.  The catch is that if you want any perks to the game, you have to pay for it.

Take Dark Orbit for example.  Dark Orbit is a game which was developed by Bigpoint.  The game is set in outer space; where flying ships are easier to render than the illusion of walking and riding around on terra firma.  Players control a spaceship in a battle against non-player characters and other players. In these battles they can be supported by combat drones.  There are different levels of drones ranking up to the 10th drone; the Zeus; which is very rare.  In order to obtain one, you need to have all 9 previous drones and the blueprints to make it.

The game has over 7 million registered users and amongst them, a fraction will actually pay an exorbitant fee for in game advantages.  The cost of bypassing all the rules to get a Zeus drone was offered for the low price of 1000 Euro Dollars.  That’s around $1300.00 U.S for those people who love the game, perhaps their primary source of enjoyment.  To them it may seem like good value.

Unlike most social media games that try to nickel and dime with minor in game perks; like buying into the in game monetary system; the business model of the Bigpoint is not to get everybody to spend a dime, but to get the addicted gamers to spend a whole lot.

As of today, they already have over 250 million registered users and I think HBO wants a piece of that online pie.  This is in addition to the console adventure game being developed by Cyanide studios.  Their game perk is currently an art book that comes with pre-orders; while supplies last.

While I look forward to wild incestuous sex and nudity in an online game, in the end, this is basically another HBO cash grab.  It’s only a matter of time before there’s a MMORPG for “The Walking Dead.”

The second season of “Game of Thrones” begins on April 1.

Before I Go to Sleep Might Make Nicole Kidman Forget

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Nicole Kidman is currently in talks to play the lead role for Rowan Joffe’s adaptation of Before I Go to Sleep. Based on the novel written by S.J. Watson. If all agreements are successfully made, then Kidman will play the role of Christine, the woman with a severe memory problem.

The official book synopsis from S.J. Watson’s website:

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle- aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities—tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life—and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more un- believable it seems.

S.J. Watson’s book was published in 2011 and has gone on to become a best seller, translated into 30 languages and has reached number 7 on the US bestseller list. That makes it the highest position for a debut novel by British author since J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. Even the New York Times described the author as an “out-of-nowhere literary sensation.” Nowhere or somewhere?

You know what, I think I have a memory problem too. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this movie already. Twice actually.

The first time I’ve watched this movie was in the year 2000 it was called Memento. It was about a man who’s short term memory was unable to transfer to long term memory. It got so out of hand that he couldn’t remember a person spitting up in his drink a minute prior; only to drink it for the amusement of all. The premise of the story is that the amnesiac man is trying to find his wife’s killer. So combat his memory loss, he tattoos clues and findings on his body, while taking Polaroid pictures of everything he goes. The story is actually a rather boring one if told straight up. What makes it cool is that the entire sequence of the film is chopped up in a cunning manner; which actually makes it interesting.

The second time I’ve watched this movie it was in 2004 and it was called 50 First Dates, the romantic comedy that stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Sandler tries to pick up Barrymore who has a severe memory problem; which resets every morning she wakes up, prior to her accident. Incidentally it also makes her forget she already starred in romantic comedies with Sandler in real life, forcing her to repeatedly relive the rehashed story. This story is told in a proper Sandler sequential fashion; which includes 80’s references, horrible singing, and Rob Schneider. “You can do it!”

How is this fair?  That’s it.  I’ve decided that I’m going to write a story about children that go to a special magical school for the morbidly gifted that teaches them how to bust ghosts.  Combined with remakes, franchise reboots, literary remixes and public domain rehashes, it seems we can add one more flavorless ingredient to the Hollywood stew: Movie splicing. Combining two or more movies to produce an entirely new film. It must be a new technique right? Ow! What the Hades?  Is that a tattoo on my leg?

“Look up Star Wars, The Dam Busters, and The Hidden Fortress.”

Stupid tattoos. Stop telling me how to live my life!

Feel the Wrath of the Titans Two New TV Trailers

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Two new trailers for the Wrath of the Titans have been released for television consumption. You can also check them online as the two have quickly made their way online.

The movie which picks up a decade after the events in Clash of the Titans, finds Perseus; Demigod son of Zeus; attempting to get away from it all, living a quieter and simpler life. It’s one thing to live a humble life when you’re secretly rich, it’s another to turn down powers of a deity. It would be like being the genie from Disney’s Aladdin, accessing semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic powers.

To make it more corny, not only has Perseus turned down all this power, but he’s a single dad, just trying to do right by his kid. They just needed to give him a prison tattoo, a cowboy hat, and a patriotic country song. It would have completed the translation of Greek Mythology to modern day pretend values. The kid is ten years old and named Helius. So did Perseus give up the power before having a son, or was it the first thing he did going mad with power?

Perseus: “Hey baby. I’m the son of God.”

Slave girl: “You don’t look like Jesus.”

Perseus: “No, I mean Zeus.”

Slave girl: “Oh. You’re one of those. Meh.”

Meanwhile, on a plane of existence not privy to mortal eyes but amazingly looks like bright and shiny 3D, the Gods are having a spat. The Greek pantheon is losing precious power due to a loss in human devotion; they find the lack of faith disturbing. Without the power to frivolously smack around humans, turn into a myriad of beasts to mate them with, or even throw lavish parties, the Gods are no longer able to sustain their lowest priority of power consumption: Keep the Titans imprisoned. Especially Kronos, cheesed off father of the Gods.

Long lost Ninja Turtle?

They have enough power to create, raise, and release a giant Ninja Turtle called the Kraken, yet they’re running out of power. This is like the great energy crisis that’ll hit humans one day. We’ll be too busy zipping around in gas guzzling SUVs to care and then one day, blam! Not enough energy to make instant noodles. On that day I will lose it.

An excerpt from the official movie description:

“… Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.”

The original 1981 Clash of the Titans wasn’t that good to begin with. It was an excuse to run around with swords and fight claymation monsters. While the original movie was fun in it’s way, the remake didn’t really give me the nostalgia I was looking for. It actually put me to sleep in theaters until I was startled awake by the sound of a kraken roaring. What chance does Kronos the lava monster have against a ninja turtle in keeping me awake? Yes, that’s Kronos and that’s Perseus flying towards Kronos on Pegasus wielding lightning bolts of Zeus. I think that’s near the end of the movie. Then there the Makhai spinning around with four arms and swords. It reminded me a lot of Optimus Prime in Transformers doing robot jujitsu.

Originally I was excited to see the movie and thought the trailer music rocked; The Bird and the Worm by the Used. Now that I’ve felt the sting of disappointment, not even Marilyn Manson’s cover of Sweet Dreams can get me motivated to watch the sequel.

Check out the trailers for Wrath of the Titans below.

Steampunk Batman: The Video Game That Disappeared

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A video of an abandoned Batman game has surfaced on the internet. Based on the Gotham By Gaslight graphic novel from DC Comics, this Victorian era take on the Batman was written by Bryan Augustyn and drawn by Mike Mignola; the creator of Hellboy. This sprang from a series of What If type comic books called Elseworlds.

The Elseworld tag:

“In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others that can’t, couldn’t or shouldn’t exist. The result is stories that make characters who are as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow.”

In this Elseworld comic, Gotham By Gaslight, the book begins with Wayne retelling a dream to Dr. Sigmund Freud; where Wayne watches as his parents are shot down by a bandit, then gets saved from the bandit by annoyed bats hidden in trees. Freud’s all into this because he’s got a symbolism obsession; not a far stretch for the greatest charlatan and father of modern Psychology. Wayne insists that it’s just a dream flashback, while Freud gets his oral fixation on with his cigar; sometimes a cigar really is just that.

The backdrop for this story is in Victorian-era setting, where Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham City after training all around the world. Freud even mentions that Wayne trained under a London Detective; perhaps the fictional Sherlock Holmes? That’s right. If Batman started off back then, he would have been the first Behavioral Science Unit.

Antsy to get started on being Batman in the Gotham equivalent of Victorian-era London, Bruce Wayne wastes no time establishing himself as the original darkness that flaps in the night; move aside Darkwing Duck. The primitive screw heads are no match for his fisticuffs and bat-horse-mobile. One problem, everyone thinks that Bruce Wayne is Jack the Ripper. Can Batman stop one of history’s elusive serial killers while behind bars?

A lot of people think of this version of Batman to be steam punk. The first book shows no steam punk like gadgets or cool technology. If it were to be redone today, they’d have shown Batman using a modified Nerf Maverick gun, while wearing goggles with brass gears glued to the thing. However it’s just Batman, dark brooding gentleman in a cowl. Without computer technology and a victim to leech based medicine, this dark knight is no match of another Elseworld comic called Superman: Red Son.  Comrade Batman!

Originally the game was being produced by Day 1 Studios, but was later on dropped when THQ passed on the sales pitch back in 2009 reports Siliconera. Probably a smart move as Warner Bros. Picked up DC Comics the same year. It could have turned really messy with copyright and trademark legalities.

So the speculation right now is that the video is a deliberate leak by Day 1 Studios, possibly hoping to get Warner Bros attention in the wake of Batman video game popularity. Let’s hope the attention that it does get from Warner Bros. doesn’t turn into the Eye of Sauron. I somehow picture a horde of ring wraith lawyers charging into the night.

So the video that’s surfaced is probably the prototype video for the project. Let’s take a gander at the game that could have been.

The video depicts a barrel chested Batman skipping across rooftops and the streets of old day Gotham. Like the Matrix, we see duplicates and people holding guns that make sudden jerking movements, pointing at the Batman like a counterstrike arrow bot. We also see the Batman leaps on top of buildings in a single bound. Again, this is forgivable as it’s a prototype.

What catches my eye is the cape. It ripples in the air and swings with each movement. Sometimes it just moves with a mind of it’s own. Over all, the cape looks amazing as it appears a lot of code must have been invested in it. Like a lot. Like DOA-bikini-volleyball-mammary-glands-physics lots. Was this the focus of the pitch? The cape physics are almost Spawn like.

If they wanted to give Batman an Elseworld gimmick that would have completely held the interest of comic book gamers, they should have created a whole new storyline revolving around current day Batman getting his hands on a Green Lantern’s ring of power; not the In Darkest Knight horror they spun together either.   I can almost imagine the weeks of game play I could get out of that as Batman goes mad with power.

So in the end, this video should remind the world that the steampunk genre and Victorian-era storylines are the untapped markets ready to be exploited today. The closest I’ve come to seeing a proper airship was in the 3 Musketeers movie. So chop, chop, Hollywood. Give me steam!

New Poster for The Avengers Revealed

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A new poster has hit the internet for the upcoming movie The Avengers, only one day before the new trailer kicks off. Adapted from Marvel comics, the Avengers are a team of superheroes who gather together to battle problems that each singly can not.

The eye catching poster features the main cast in in their superhero glory, posing ridiculously as they would in comic books. I’m more surprised that Black Widow isn’t showing more cleavage or more in a cheesecake position. It would have been more inline with the comic book industry standards of, “making it big.” Go google “black widow comic” and take a look. It seems that all superheroines have their hips permanently locked and should have problems moving. As silly as the poses are for the Avengers, it still strikes a chord of badassery. At least it’s not the Ginyu Force team pose.

The backdrop for the poster shows the heroes set in what appears to be a semi-destroyed New York still under attack. Without their headgear to obscure the star studded faces, the poster shows Chris Evans as the pro-drug use Captain America, Robert Downy Jr. as the Incredibly Pompous Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor; Space God of Thunder and Abs, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury; such a bad ass that he stopped being white, Jeremy Renner as the Bullseye version of Hawkeye, and a CGI Hulk who’s alter ego is played by Mark Ruffalo. Then we come back to Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. Her superpower set is using a gun and launching a luchador wrestling technique that disables men with her swinging crotch.

The Marvel Comics that the movie is actually adapted from is called The Ultimates, a dark and gritty reboot of the Avengers franchise. The comics did well to distance itself from more campy versions of the Avengers and other complex storylines.

Too bad the poster in the U.K will label the upcoming film adaptation as “Avengers Assemble.” Which is understandable because the Brits have their own team of heroes that fight crime called The Avengers.

In the states, the Marvel comics version of The Avengers debuted in September 1963. While in the U.K. Citizens tuned in to watch a spy adventure television show January 1961. It was also called the Avengers which was well produced before Marvel ever started cranking out their comics. So to protect everyone from confusion; and obvious questions about trademarks and copyright laws; it was probably for the best that the movie was renamed. Though I think Ultimate Avengers would have been better move.

One of the more memorable opening sequences of the show explained the spy adventure succinctly:

“Extraordinary crimes against the people, and the state, have to be avenged by agents extraordinary. Two such people are John Steed, top professional, and his partner Emma Peel, talented amateur. Otherwise known as The Avengers.” The opening narration would then cut to the theme song.

Though it happened so long ago, doesn’t make it any less of a cultural icon. I grew up on black and white versions of the show, and still to this day want a sword umbrella. A real proper gentleman one. Not a samurai sword handle umbrella or a shiv umbrella. That and add a intelligent, yet beautiful sidekick wearing a catsuit. That wouldn’t be bad either.

Mrs. Peel, we’re needed.

Jonah Hill and James Franco Set Out to Film a True Story

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Superbad star Jonah Hill and 127 Hours actor James Franco will be teaming up and getting ready to headline the film adaptation of True Story. Based on the memoir by Michael Finkel, True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa. The 2006 release of the book is a bit of twisted meta storytelling.

One of the official book descriptions:

The story begins in February of 2002, when a reporter in Oregon contacts New York Times Magazine writer Michael Finkel with a startling piece of news. A young, highly intelligent man named Christian Longo, on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list for killing his entire family, has recently been captured in Mexico, where he’d taken on a new identity—Michael Finkel of the New York Times.

The next day, on page A-3 of the Times, comes another bit of troubling news: a note, written by the paper’s editors, explaining that Finkel has falsified parts of an investigative article and has been fired. This unlikely confluence sets the stage for a bizarre and intense relationship. After Longo’s arrest, the only journalist the accused murderer will speak with is the real Michael Finkel. And as the months until Longo’s trial tick away, the two men talk for dozens of hours on the telephone, meet in the jailhouse visiting room, and exchange nearly a thousand pages of handwritten letters.

With Longo insisting he can prove his innocence, Finkel strives to uncover what really happened to Longo’s family, and his quest becomes less a reporting job than a psychological cat-and-mouse game—sometimes redemptively honest, other times slyly manipulative. Finkel’s pursuit pays off only at the end, when Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally says what he wouldn’t even admit in court—the whole, true story. Or so it seems.

Hill will play the role of Finkel, opposite to Franco who will take on the role of Christian Longo.

Brad Pitt, who recently starred in the film Moneyball with Hill, will produce for the project through his Plan B production company. I’m sure Pitt will no problem funding the venture. Pitt can just use the opening day box office ticket sales of the upcoming World War Z film. Rupert Goold is set to direct and the movie will be his theatrical debut.

Hill must be happy to reunite with Pitt for a movie, particularly when he believes that they had a chemistry off the set; like in a one sided bromance. In a talk with MTV News, Hill said, “I think [Brad] and I are really close in the movie. The movie is really the two of us playing off of each other a majority of the time, so if that chemistry wasn’t there between us, I think the movie would have completely failed.” Hill went on to add, “So I think we both knew that going in, and I think we both happened to like each other a lot.”

First rule of bromance club.  Don’t talk about bromance!