The Week In Geek: Sandman on TV, F4 Reboot, America Still Loves Mel
Warner Brothers Television is planning on bringing one of the most critically acclaimed comic book series of the past twenty years, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, to the small screen very soon, and possibly with the executive producer of Supernatural, Eric Kripke behind it. Apparently, Warner Brothers tried to get HBO involved but nothing ever came of it. Creator Neil Gaiman was not much of a part in those discussions, but it seems no decision has been made as to the involvement he will have with any future Sandman television project.
On the plus side: at least this is not being attempted as a movie. Sandman (as well as Preacher and Y: The Last Man for that matter) are tailor made for ongoing cable series. Attempting to shoe horn these long, sprawling fantasy narratives into a two to three hour film and still be faithful in any way to the comics is pretty much a gonna be a huge waste of time. Imagine some of the problems Watchmen had on the big screen, but times a thousand. On the negative side though, the inclusion of Eric Kripke has got the rumor mill swirling that this means that Sandman is destined for the CW Network. This would be the kiss of death for a show like this, without changing just about everything from the original property and make it fit the CW’s teen girl demographic. Sandman was one of the first comics books to get respect from the literary world outside of comics, and remains a consistent seller well over a decade since it ended. Why not just make a CW show about Maus while we’re at it.
FANTASTIC FOUR REBOOT PICKS UP STEAM
Fox seems intent on getting this Fantastic Four reboot off the ground by 2012, no doubt to A) keep their rights to the franchise and B) have something of their own to feed off The Avengers that same summer. (btw, that makes FOUR big super hero movies the summer of 2012….Batman 3, The Avengers, Spider-Man the reboot and now this. Overkill anyone?). Director and casting rumors are in overdrive this week. It appears there is a shortlist for the director gig already, and on it are Joe Carnahan, the guy behind The A-Team and Smokin’ Aces, James McTigue (V for Vendetta) and David Yates (the last 3 Harry Potter flicks) My money is on Carnahan, because he already made A-Team for Fox, and since it underperformed he won’t be asking for a lot of money and making a lot of demands….remember, this is Fox, they are very bottom line and they are notoriously cheap. As for the casting rumors, the two big ones this week are Stephen Moyer (Vampire Bill from True Blood) as Dr. Doom, who will supposedly be the Latverian dictator version of Victor Von Doom from the comics, and not the lame Lex Luthor/Norman Osborn rip off from the first two movies. Also, this time Ben Grimm/The Thing will be all CGI and they are hoping he will be voiced by none other than Bruce Willis. I gotta say, that would be a smart choice on Fox’s part, a studio not known for making smart choices with the genre properties they own. Now all they gotta do is not get a sexy Latina “actress”, put her through some weird bleaching process to make her look WASPy and then cast her as the Invisible Woman. Do that Fox, and you at least get the benefit of the doubt from me.
80% of AMERICAN WOULD CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MEL GIBSON; YET TOM CRUISE REMAINS HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE
Mel Gibson must somehow be related to George W. Bush…no matter what they say or do, shit just never sticks to them. In a recent poll conducted by 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair magazine, nearly 80% of Americans said they would continue to support Mel Gibson at the Box Office, despite years of racist, mysoginistic, and homophobic rants, the last fifty or so which were even recorded and released to the internet. I am usually for separating the art from the artist, but at what point do you just want to stop putting money in the guy’s pockets? On the reverse side, there is poor little Tom Cruise. Aside from being part of a weird cult, marrying a much younger woman, and over all seeming kinda douchey, this guy has never done or said anything nearly as offensive as Gibson has, and yet America just can’t forgive the guy. Guillermo del Toro wants Crusie for his forthcoming adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness, but the studio wants James MacAvoy instead. We live in a world where the guy who played Mr. Tumnus in those Narnia movies is more favored than one of the biggest stars in the world, that is how toxic Cruise is now. And for doing far, far less than Mel Gibson ever did. Just sayin’.
DIRECTOR OF PIRANHA 2 ATTACKS PIRANHA 3D.
Speaking of douchiness, James Cameron lashed out at the producers of Pirahna 3D for using 3D to >gasp< make some money. Here is what he had to say:
I tend almost never to throw other films under the bus, but [Piranha 3D] is exactly an example of what we should not be doing in 3-D. Because it just cheapens the medium and reminds you of the bad 3-D horror films from the 70s and 80s, like Friday the 13th 3-D. When movies got to the bottom of the barrel of their creativity and at the last gasp of their financial lifespan, they did a 3-D version to get the last few drops of blood out of the turnip.
Look, I looooove James Cameron and all, but he did not fucking invent 3D with Avatar. 3D is just a tool, like sound or color film, used to enhance a movie. ANY movie. It should not just be reserved for “A list” movies, every kind of movie should have the opportunity. Besides James Cameron, you directed Piranha 2. So get off your high horse, will ya? For reals….
