Author: Rick Marshall

Oz to Justice League Filmmakers: Not Our Fault!

Oz to Justice League Filmmakers: Not Our Fault!

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Following up on a previous Hollywood Reporter article in which Warner Bros. blamed the delays in production of a Justice League film on script issues and problems with potential Australian tax deductions, Variety now reports that the government of Australia has denied any fault in the matter. Apparently, Warner Bros.’ implication of the Aussies couldn’t have happened at a worse time, with the announcement hitting Australian wires on the first day of a government-sponsored celebration of American-Australian tourism and trade relations.

Australian officials were quick to issue a statement assuring the public that there was no conflict with tax incentives, but rather a conflict with "creative issues" related to the script. However, Variety‘s report would seem to indicate that the truth lies somewhere in the middle:

Pics seeking the uncapped 40% refund need to meet specific criteria to be deemed Aussie, and this is where "Justice League" appears to have failed to qualify, despite the studio having inked helmer George Miller in September and some Aussie thesps such as model Megan Gale.

 

Richard Thompson Interviewed

Richard Thompson Interviewed

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Over at The Comics Reporter, Tom Spurgeon has posted a great interview with Richard Thompson, the creator behind Cul de Sac and Richard’s Poor Almanac, among other projects.

The interview provides a look at the daily routine for a creator balancing multiple ongoing projects and the struggle to keep things fresh. It also provides a few funny examples of the relationship between a creator and his/her editor, as described below.

Nowadays my editor, Ann Gerhart, doesn’t ask for a rough, or even any idea of what I’m doing, so I guess we’ve reached a level of trust, or maybe nobody’s reading it still. The only complaint I ever remember getting from Gene [Weingarten, a former editor of Thompson’s], whose motto is that he edits for humor but not for taste, was when I used the phrase "fart-catcher" to describe a presidential aide twice in as many weeks and he found that excessive.

 

Zack Snyder Posts Watchmen Storyboards

Zack Snyder Posts Watchmen Storyboards

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Over at the official Watchmen film site, director Zack Snyder has posted an interesting explanation of how storyboards play into his production of a film, and even included a few boards from the much-anticipated adaptation of the Watchmen graphic novel.

The boards feature several scenes involving the character of Rorschach, played by Jackie Earle Haley.

As you can see from these frames, my storyboards aren’t necessarily super-finished art pieces on their own. I often find that the frames that get the most detail are the ones where I’m stalling – thinking of the next shots. In contrast, if I already have a sequence sorted out in my head, the boards tend to be much sketchier.

 

Prince Caspian Photos and Interview Hit the ‘Net

Prince Caspian Photos and Interview Hit the ‘Net

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

USA Today has posted an interview and gallery of photos from the set of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, set to hit theaters May 16. The photos feature the returning cast from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as many of the second installment’s new characters. The interview focuses on how filmmakers conquered one of the series’ most frustrating obstacles: how to "bring the sexy back" to Narnia.

… But with a quartet of mostly unseasoned child actors as the Pevensie kids, the 2005 release was severely lacking in an elixir that fuels many fantasy epics: sex appeal.

But that was then. This is wow. Ben Barnes, 26, the British newcomer who plays the title role in Prince Caspian, has visitors to the film’s Internet Movie Database message board virtually drooling.

What, putting Warwick Davis in a lead role wasn’t sexy enough? Come on, people!

 

What Would Golden Age Wonder Woman Do?

What Would Golden Age Wonder Woman Do?

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Boingboing.net points us to a great feature on Again With the Comics, the blog of Brian Hughes. In "Ask Golden Age Wonder Woman," Hughes answers questions from readers using actual panels from Golden Age issues of Wonder Woman.

The panels provide insight on everything from Wonder Woman’s musings on the subjugation of one’s spouse to the heroine’s lessons on corporal punishment. An example is pasted below:

Dear Golden Age Wonder Woman-

I have met the girl of my dreams, but there is one problem: she doesn’t want to get married. She’s worried that if she marries me, she won’t get alimony any more, and I say she doesn’t need it if she’s married to me. I don’t make much money, but I’m going to school at night, and I think we can do just fine. Who’s right?

-Frustrated in Mesa, AZ

Shia LaBeouf on Indy 4, Transformers 2 and Y 1

Shia LaBeouf on Indy 4, Transformers 2 and Y 1

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Comingsoon.net has a short interview with Shia LaBeouf, the young actor seen in, well… just about everything these days. LaBeouf answers a few questions about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as well as Transformers 2 and the role that could be the most intriguing of the bunch: a rumored lead spot in the film adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s soon-to-be-concluded graphic novel, Y: The Last Man.

Yeah, we’ve been talking about it. "Y: The Last Man" is cool. I don’t know when I would do that though or how I would fit it in. It would be kind of ridiculous to keep doing the same deal over and over. "Y: The Last Man" is kind of similar to some things.We’re both huge fans of that comic book.

Novels to Comics: Examining the Crossover

Novels to Comics: Examining the Crossover

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

The Times of London posted a story last week examining the "celebrity writer" trend in comics, in which established novelists take a turn telling the stories of some of comics best- and, occasionally, least-known characters. The article references the recent forays of novelists Jodi Picoult and Ian Rankin into the worlds of Wonder Woman and Hellblazer, respectively.

According to The Times, writing for the funnybooks can be a rough transition for novelists accustomed to creating a universe around their subjects.

“It was so much harder than I thought,” [Picoult] says. “When I write a novel, I’m used to making up my characters and their backstory. I couldn’t change Wonder Woman’s history, and she’s been around a long time. I did attempt to get her out of that bustier – any woman can tell you that you don’t fight crime without straps – but no cigar."

Iron Man/Hulk Film Crossover Announced

Iron Man/Hulk Film Crossover Announced

  • News
  • January 21, 2008

Marvel Studios appears to be sowing the seeds for an Avengers film with the latest news regarding this summer’s Incredible Hulk. William Hurt, who portrays General Thaddeus Ross in the film, revealed to MTV that his character will appear in a scene with Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr.

Hurt went on to discuss a few other key scenes in the film – including some that the more spoiler-conscious might want to avoid.

"I don’t know how it’ll work," Hurt admitted, saying it was a thrill to appear as General Thaddeus Ross during Downey’s scene. "I know it’s weird [to work with a character from another movie], and to know it’s a device. We did something; I don’t know what that’s going to be like [to watch]."

 

Keith Giffen on DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar

Keith Giffen on DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar

  • News
  • January 20, 2008

Good news for fans of Keith Giffen’s run on Legion of Superheroes: He’ll have another chance to play with the team this April, when DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar hits shelves. The six-issue miniseries will pair Giffen with artist Lee Garbett (Midnighter).

Newsarama has an interview with Giffen about the series, the inevitability of a brawl whenever heroes meet and the relevance of the miniseries in the greater DC and Wildstorm Universes.

Legion of Super-Heroes is a concept that always exerts this weird type of siren song to me. I swear, I’m walking around, going "I’ve got to touch them again." And I wind up back toying around with them. This is something I thought would be interesting to play around with. I haven’t dealt with the characters for awhile. This is an opportunity to go in and remind people of my take on the characters without violating anything that’s gone on since I was on the book. And that’s fun. It’s fun to play around with those characters again. I’ve got a fondness for the concept.

Crash Course on Marvel’s Next-Gen Heroes

Crash Course on Marvel’s Next-Gen Heroes

  • News
  • January 19, 2008

Over at Marvel.com, the second-tier heroes are getting a first-class treatment with "The Future Is Now," a five-week series aimed at reacquainting readers with superteams like The Runaways and The Initiative. The first part of the series, posted Thursday, focused on the Joss Whedon-penned Runaways, and featured some interior art by Michael Ryan.

Although the on-the-run cast of teens usually remains below the radar, series writer/co-creator Brian K. Vaughan dropped a startling reveal in the "True Believers" arc that kicked off the second volume of RUNAWAYS: roughly 20 years into the future, team member Gertrude Yorkes will lead the Avengers!

 

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