Ten Deep 1.26.12: Top 10 Comic Book Movie/TV Wishes

Posted by Mike Gorman on 01.26.2012

From not screwing up The Avengers and doing justice to Superman in Man of Steel to Woman Woman's fate, more urgency in The Walking Dead, and more, 411's Mike Gorman serves up his Top 10 Comic Book Movie/TV Wishes for 2012!

"2012 Comic Book Geek Wish List"


A year ago at this time many people were proclaiming 2011 as the year of the comic book, in both movies and television, and if you just go by sheer numbers, they were not far off but if you take into account quality… well.. last year left a lot to be desired. As a diehard comic book geek I am however cursed with a never-ending hope for the better and it is definitely coming to surface as I look at the year ahead. There may not be as many new comic book related projects on the horizon but there are plenty to keep us busy for the next twelve months. Before we got too far into 2012, I wanted to get my personal wish list out there. This week I give you my ten deepest hopes, as a comic book fan, for the year to come as they relate to the movie and television industries.


10. Please, no Buffy





Mixing genres a bit here, but if you are not aware, the wonderful world of Buffy and her pals has been continuing for two "seasons" in comic book form since the end of the TV series. The book has Joss Whedon behind it and while the storylines have gotten a little bit out there at points it has been a solid continuation of a much loved show. When I say "no Buffy" for 2012 I am not referring to the comic, instead I am praying to the continued "in limbo" status of the big screen franchise reboot being bandied about with no input from Whedon and no connection to the original cast. As of a month ago, we could breathe easier hearing that the proposed film was losing steam and may be in a permanent hold. My wish is for this to continue. Sure the TV series was a reboot in and of itself of the first Buffy the Vampire Slayer film, but it built itself into the definitive continuity for the property. The comic is proving that they could mine the series for more stories; a reboot is definitely not warranted.



9. Go Joe!





The first G.I. Joe film makes me shudder. It was so far from the cartoon and comic book roots of the property that it seemed like a generic super-military film with the names of familiar characters and the series itself slapped on the poster. My wish for this year's sequel is a return to the roots of the series and that it does everything possible to distance itself from its predecessor. From what I have seen so far, this film may actually be on track to fulfill my wish. ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** Apparently this film will begin with the death of many of the characters from the first team. If this is true, bravo! I must say the involvement of the character Zartan, a redesign for Cobra Commander's helmet to be more like the original and the Rock as Roadblock has me hopeful for some real popcorn worthy summer fun.


8. People let me tell you 'bout my best friend...





In a much criticized and equally praised moved, the gentlemen of 411Mania voted X-Men: First Class as their pick for movie of the year for 2011. I am one of the voters who did consider this one of the best films of the year and am very excitedly looking forward to the production of a sequel. While I am well aware that we will not see this occur in 2012, there are still many important decisions the producers must make this year. They already have most of the original cast signed for a sequel but they are lacking one big piece of the puzzle, and that is Mathew Vaughn's name cemented to return as director. He brought so much to the production that losing him would be a tragedy. Also, I would like to see them spend more time working on the friendship and the rift between Xavier and Magneto. It is too deep to cover in just one film and I feel like it would make more sense to build the tension between them more instead of having them reappear as polar opposites already. Michael Fassbender, aka Magneto, himself has agreed with this sentiment in several recent interviews.



7. More Walking, Less Talking





One of my favorite things about The Walking Dead comic book is the intense detail paid to character development, and I feel that this is something they have been able to echo on the AMC television series. The component in which they are lagging behind is balancing this development with balls out zombie action. Robert Kirkman's comic constantly reminds us that no one is really safe in a world where the dead walk, and while the tv counterpart has taken some steps in this direction I would like to see them amp it up when they return. There needs to be more of a sense of threat and urgency from the undead. I feel of late that there is way too much comfort on the table. Time for some real shake ups!



6. Hey Chronicle! Don't pull a Cloverfield





Chronicle may not be based on a comic book but damn if it doesn't push all the right buttons in this comic fan. Teens mysteriously gain super powers and then deal with the consequences. When I say don't pull a Cloverfield I am worried that, like many "found footage" films, the best of the film is in the trailers and "leaked" footage. Right now all the promo for this film has me locked in, as did Cloverfield, so I am wishing that it will deliver unlike Cloverfield. This unique take on the superhero concept has a whole lot of potential and I am hoping it will be actualized in the end.



5. You're Super, thanks for asking.





The Man of Steel is not coming out this year but it is a work in progress that will be completed in 2012. I am possibly one of the biggest Superman fans out there. I learned to read from the old school Silver Age comics and came of age watching the original films. To me Superman is a fantastic character that does not need to be made darker, to be made relevant. He represents some core concepts of the comic book hero and conveys innocence as strength. The last attempt to bring him to the big screen lost sight of this and I feel got bogged down in too many other elements. My desire here is to see the creators remember the core qualities that make him super and that they are not afraid to let him shine. He can move a planet with his hands if needed, don't forget that.



4. The Powers that (will hopefully) Be





It has been a few years since it was announced that Brian Michael Bendis' superhero detective book Powers would be adapted to the small screen as a series on FX, and it would seem that 2012 will be the year this production reaches a critical juncture. We have learned recently that scripts have been rejected and the series is no closer now to production than it was a year ago. It has also been revealed that if the series does not move forward soon there will be further complications as the entire cast and crew's deals expire in March, which would not necessarily spell doom but could throw a huge wrench in the works. This comic is P-E-R-F-E-C-T for the television medium and it is my wish to see all of the current hurdles overcome in 2012, so that we can see the investigation of Retro Girl's death begin!



3. Great Responsibility...





2012 will see the re-launch of the Spider-Man film franchise and while I am happy to see some new energy injected into the property after a lackluster third outing, I definitely question the need to once again retell Spider-Man's origins. He was bitten by a spider, he climbs walls, he faces tragedy that makes him a hero… we get it. So after taking a few deep breaths, especially after seeing some of the pictures from the set, I am ready to say that I am willing to give this production a shot with a caveat of course. That is, I sincerely hope that there will be something fresh brought to the origin; something that makes retelling his beginnings worth it to us as a movie going audience. Will the introduction of the lizard as his first villain do that? We'll see!



2. Wonder if it's possible?





In 2011 we once again saw hope that a Wonder Woman project of some kind would see the light of day and then we quickly learned that it, like others, was summarily squashed. When you look at the details that emerged surrounding David E. Kelley's take on the Amazon princess, it is easy to see why this mess was shelved after the production of a pilot. It doesn't mean that Wonder Woman should be abandoned. I really wonder (no pun intended this time!) why it is so difficult to tell this story of a powerful woman who is essentially a fish out of water in another medium besides the comic book. There has already been a live action series that stayed pretty close to the books and was a pretty good success. There is no reason that a production that gets back to her roots would not succeed. The missing element is confidence in her appeal to a wider market and I think that this is the year someone could step forward and take a risk on Diana. I'd trade most of the wishes I have already included here to see this happen!



And lastly…



1. Don't F@#$ up the Avengers!





Let me first state that I am going to be the first person in line for the midnight show the night the Avengers opens. I am completely on board with the tact that Marvel Studios took on the road to this film. They started out saying they wanted to build a rich mythology building a shared universe where it would seem natural for all of these heroes to gather. To give each of the main characters in the Avengers line up their own screen time before we get to this film in order to develop their identities and personalities. I think that this is brilliant in concept… in concept. When it came to the execution it became obvious that they were going to end up with a series of hits and misses. I think that this was mostly due to the fact that they announced the release date for the Avengers and built the release of the earlier films around that time table. I do think that some of the films came off as particularly rushed, ie. Captain America and to some extent Thor, as a result. If you look at it, there have now been five films building to the Avengers. Each one introducing a new element or character to the Marvel playing field, each building the anticipation for the team up. You have to stop and ask at some point, is this fair to creators of the Avengers film? They are going to have to exceed the hype or the film will be labeled a failure. It is a mighty high pedestal upon which they are perched and it is truly my greatest hope that they will be able to meet, exceed, and blow away all expectations. I simply wish for this film, success. I want Marvel to see this film do so well that inspires them to broaden their scope even more and give chances to more of their properties that would make brilliant films. I know I am killing this word with overusage right now, but really, the success of the Avengers will be the key to what is to come for the comic book movie, in my opinion. And not just for Marvel, because if the Avengers does succeed can a Justice League film be that far behind. I certainly hope so!!!

I will admit that so far I have been quite impressed with what I have seen from the Avengers production. I leave you today with the trailer…





Breathtaking… if it ends up working, things will change. Or at least that is my wish! What's yours?

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