For those amongst you who prefer your material a little bit bloodier and darker than the mainstream, it would appear that two comic books that are right up your street may soon be making the transition from page to screen.
First up is the news that after the massively positive feedback they’ve just received for ‘Deadpool’, 20th Century Fox are looking to try and repeat their success by adapting an equally cynical story.
‘Irredeemable’ sees a thinly-veiled incarnation of Superman going rogue, and tracks a frantic alliance of his former heroic colleagues and as they try to deal with his apocalyptic rampage around the world, whilst forming a desperate alliance with his enemies in a bid to stop him.
The series delights in targeting and subverting a lot of the more traditional features of the Marvel and DC super-families, and takes great pains to stress the hopeless and vulnerable nature of ordinary people on the face of a superhuman conflict.
‘Anchorman 2’ director Adam McKay has been lined up to direct, with ‘Hansel and Gretel’ director Tommy Wirkola working on a screenplay. McKay was recently praised for his unique take on the MCU with the script he created for ‘Ant-Man’, and is still believed to be involved in that film’s sequel, ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp’.
The second feature currently in development is a Cinemax adaptation of the bloody and brutal comic parody ‘The Boys’. This story paints all superheroes as corrupt celebrities, whose heroics bring more pain and suffering to the people than any villain could. The CIA’s response to this is to dose a small team of unhinged vigilantes with super-serum, and turn them loose to police the unstable super-community.
‘The Boys’ is one of the most violent and sexually graphic storylines to have ever hit the market, and has a cult following, with Simon Pegg having introduced the series. Cinemax have approached Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to write and direct the project, after their recent efforts on the AMC comic show, ‘Preacher’. Here’s hoping they don’t tone it down too much.
We’ll keep you fully updated on these two projects, and others, as the irresistible rise of the comic-book continues!