The Age Of Comic Movies

It would've been inconceivable even ten years ago that there'd be as many big budget comic book movies in various stages of production as there are right now. Here are the ones I'm most looking forward to, although I'm sure I'll be disappointed in many cases.

# 6 - Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem (December 25, 2007) - Strictly speaking, not a comic-based movie, but there certainly has been plenty of material done on both franchises in comic form. I was in the minority who enjoyed the first AVP (as did Vicki, surprisingly), and I look forward to seeing what they come up with this time (we learned recently that at least one Predalien will appear!) Some of the quotes from the creative staff, including the notion of trying to return to what made each of the first solo movies so memorable, fills me with anticipation. Of course, it could just as easily be crap!

# 5 - The Incredible Hulk (June 13, 2008) - I was really expecting to enjoy Ang Lee's previous Hulk film, because I think ol' Greenskin is a natural for an action blockbuster, and Lee did such a good job on The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Of course, that pairing turned out terribly, and our first inkling of that was the talk of "Hulk dogs" that appeared long before production was finished. I'm encouraged that the upcoming version isn't building on the previous one, and having Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt and Tim Roth as the principles doesn't hurt, either. Hopefully this time we'll get a good, healthy mixture of human pathos and... well, Hulk smashing stuff! And no Hulk dogs or gamma-radiated Nick Nolte!

# 4 - Iron Man (May 2, 2008) - The trailers have looked good; Jon Favreau is directing with at least some intriguing lip service to the fans, and Robert Downey, Jr is a very good actor (just check out Wonder Boys for an example)! I love that they're including the original, clunky grey armour, which is something only a small percentage of the audience will appreciate for its significance. Casting Terrance Howard as Jim Rhodes is brilliant, especially if this first offering leads to a franchise... I can totally see Howard suiting up as War Machine or even subbing for Stark himself. He's got just the right combination of edginess and intelligence to pull it off, which is also a good description of Downey, Jr.

# 3 - Justice League of America (2009 or 2010?) - OK, yeah, this is probably going to suck, but I'll continue to hold out hope for the movie that could be right up until it happens... or it becomes clear that this isn't it! Why is there so much potential? Well, it didn't take the editors in the Golden Age of comics long to figure out that, if one superhero in a story is good, a bunch of them is even better! Thus was born the Justice Society of America in 1940, the predecessors to this very team. Details about the script have already started leaking out, with the biggest points involving a climactic fight between the Big Three (Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman) as well as the death of at least one of the members (mirroring events from the comic world, perhaps). I'd have a true geekasm if this JLA movie turns out great.

# 2 - The Dark Knight (July 18, 2008) - This sequel to Batman Begins, possibly the best superhero movie of all time, has every reason to be outstanding: same director, same writer, same Batman, same excellent supporting cast... and then add Heath Ledger, bidding to make us forget all about Jack Nicholson's turn as the Joker from 1989. Without a good chunk of the plot being set aside for that amazing origin story, I'm very jazzed to see what screenwriter Nolan came up with for director Nolan to shoot! It's hard to believe that this isn't the most exciting upcoming comic-based movie for me, but I had to leave that spot for...

# 1 - Watchmen (March 6, 2009) - The greatest comic book series of all time can't possibly become the benchmark superhero film, can it? It'd certainly be quite the trick if director Zack Snyder pulled that off, but I'd settle for it just achieving "very good" status. After all, the mere prospect of seeing Rorschach, Dr Manhattan and Silk Spectre on screen would make up the difference for this fan! And I won't even be that upset if this movie is adored by comic fans and ignored by everyone else... it's not like they need to make enough money to warrant a sequel, after all!

Among the others in this category are X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hellboy 2, The Man of Steel, Wanted, and The Spirit (directed by Frank Miller). Looking slightly further out, you get Captain America, Wonder Woman, Teen Titans, something strange involving Green Arrow, Thor, Spider-Man 4, and The Sub-Mariner, among others. Whew!

[Update: In the short period of time since I originally posted this - a day or so - two more movies have been mentioned as getting directors: The Flash, and Green Lantern!]