Wednesday, April 28, 2010

List of the Week: Most Anticipated Comic Book Adaptations

Ever since Spider-Man swung into theaters smashing box office records, studios have been scrambling to find the next big hit. Some have been masterstrokes (The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Spider-Man 2), some have been just alright (The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy), and a lot have been just downright awful (X-Men 3, Elektra, Daredevil, Both Fantastic Four). I am a fan of the genre and I try my best to catch all of these flicks, both the good and the bad. So I've decided to compile what I believe to be my most anticipated Comic Book adaptations.

1. Iron Man 2 - Sequels usually fare well in the comic book world (The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, X2) but this one has a lot to live up to. The trailers are tightly knit and well made and Iron Man looks just about as bad-ass as ever. Rhodes dons the War Machine suit as they team up to fight Michey Rourke's whiplash. It looks like a lot of fun. Let's hope so!

2. The Dark Knight Follow-up - When we left our Caped Crusader he was on the run from the cops for crimes comitted by Harvey Dent/Two-Fac. Joker was arrested and we assume was sent to Arkham Asylum. When the credits rolled people were left wondering what would happen next. Would there be a sequel? Or would Christopher Nolan let Batman go out on top, let his series end with a masterpiece? Well a few months ago he and his brother Jonathon started writing the follow-up. The excitement and questions came rushing in: What would it be called? The Dark Knight 2? Batman Begins 3? The Return of the Dark Knight? Who is/are the villain(s)? We all expect great things when this one comes out.

3. Green Lantern - Martin Campbell(Casino Royale) is tackling the (or "a" seeing as there are several Green Lanterns) Green Lantern origin story with Ryan Reynolds playing Hal Jordan. Pitch perfect casting if you ask me. Then we got news that they would be shooting the film in 3-D, Avatar style. Then we got word that the suit would be all CGI to achieve an "alien-like" look. Say whaaa? That sounds interesting. The supporting cast is strong as well with Peter Sarsgaard playing the villain Hector Hammond. So we've got a director who knows how to shoot an action movie, a lead actor who seems born to play the role, and one of the most under-rated actors ever playing the villain. I say let them take some risks, this is gonna be sweet!

4. Thor - Im just really interested to see how they do this one without making it cheesy (same goes for pick number 5). Thor seems to be one of the more difficult to make the translation from page to screen, but with Kenneth Branagh behind the camera you gotta think the seasoned vet knows what he's doing. Chris Hemsworth will play the Norse God/ Donald Blake (Thor is placed in Donald Blake's body without him knowing that he is a God in order to teach the arrogant Thor humility) and Natalie Portman will be playing the love-interest Jane Foster. Hemsworth showed his chops in the opening of Star Trek as Kirk's father and we all know Natalie Portman can act. This one will be interesting, with the potential to be either fantastic or a flop.

5. Captain America- Oh, Captain America. One of the most beloved comic book characters of all-time, it will be interesting to see how they pull this one off. Chris Evans is a great pick as Cap (though I personally wanted Matthew Fox) and Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull is excellent casting. Here is the problem, Joe freaking Johnston is the director. The guy who did Jurassic Park III, The Wolfman, and Hidalgo. Three swings, three misses. Rocketeer was alright, and October Sky was a sweet, if overly sentimental, movie. Does he have the chops to pull of a movie like Captain America? His track record would say no, but apparently Joss Whedon (Serenity) is doing a re-write of the script. We'll see what happens...

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