Cinematical Seven: Superhero Teams in Search of a Movie
Filed under: Action, Cinematical Seven, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Lists
"It was only when we got together that the problems really started. I sometimes think without the Minutemen we might have given up and called it quits pretty soon. The costumed adventurer might have become quietly and simply extinct. And the world might not be in the mess it's in today." -- Under the Hood.
In honor of the Minutemen and the Crimebusters, I present you with seven superhero teams in search of a movie. Forget thoughts of "too obscure," "too impossible" or "too expensive" -- there are no limits and no end to the studio's hunger for superheroes. After all, studios are buying up Valiant comics now; Youngblood is coming ... and any one of these teams is a far, far better option than that.
The Justice League of America
The first pick has to be the most obvious. While the film exists in a hazy status of pre-production, the idea seems downright impossible, largely because of a guy named Christopher Nolan, and a Batman that doesn't mesh well with the fantastic elements of the JLA. Despite that many fans have clamored to keep the team in the realm of animation, all this Avengers talk will force the hand of Warner Bros. They'll find a way, with or without Batman.
Alpha Flight
One of the only Canadian superhero teams, and one of the many superhero teams to enjoy the membership of Wolverine, Alpha Flight is just waiting to be picked up and meshed into Fox's X-Men universe. I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk of doing just that, particularly since the series has a pretty strong fanbase, and a nice dose of diversity: The series features two Native Americans, and the first openly gay superhero.
In honor of the Minutemen and the Crimebusters, I present you with seven superhero teams in search of a movie. Forget thoughts of "too obscure," "too impossible" or "too expensive" -- there are no limits and no end to the studio's hunger for superheroes. After all, studios are buying up Valiant comics now; Youngblood is coming ... and any one of these teams is a far, far better option than that.
The Justice League of America
The first pick has to be the most obvious. While the film exists in a hazy status of pre-production, the idea seems downright impossible, largely because of a guy named Christopher Nolan, and a Batman that doesn't mesh well with the fantastic elements of the JLA. Despite that many fans have clamored to keep the team in the realm of animation, all this Avengers talk will force the hand of Warner Bros. They'll find a way, with or without Batman.
Alpha Flight
One of the only Canadian superhero teams, and one of the many superhero teams to enjoy the membership of Wolverine, Alpha Flight is just waiting to be picked up and meshed into Fox's X-Men universe. I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk of doing just that, particularly since the series has a pretty strong fanbase, and a nice dose of diversity: The series features two Native Americans, and the first openly gay superhero.
Birds of Prey
With everyone turning such longing glances to Gotham City and Metropolis, I'd like to think that it's only a matter of time before Birds of Prey get their own film. Then again, it's an all girl team (shock! horror! ugh!), and we know how studios feel about the marketability of a solo superheroine, let alone a whole pack of them. But we can dream ... and even stick them in Nolan's Gotham for kicks.
Doom Patrol
This is another team to languish in pre-production (Warner Bros announced plans to make a film in 2006). It's a problematic one, since it was inspired by the Fantastic Four, and its creator always maintained Stan Lee had ripped X-Men off it. However, the similarities could be neatly sidestepped if a writer tackled Grant Morrison or Rachel Pollack's run. Pollack's run in particular would be a brilliant way for the studio to follow up Watchmen, since it tackles all kinds of dark and sexual themes.
The Outsiders
Joss Whedon's assertion that DC characters are "too godlike" has a lot of weight to it -- so why not introduce audiences to the DC outcasts? A black ops version of the Justice League, every storyline seemed to involve vast amounts of horror, personal tragedy, betrayals, and defeat. You could even loosely tie it to Nolan's Batman, and have a bunch of Eastern Europeans inspired by events in faraway Gotham.
X-Force
With everyone wanting to go dark and gritty with their superheroes, and no X-Men allowed to roam solo, it seems only a matter of time before Fox does some X-Force recruiting. The latest incarnation is a black ops version of the X-Men that is authorized to use any means necessary, including lethal force, to deal with threats to mutants. Naturally, it's led by Wolverine. While it lends itself to a lot of brainless hacking and slashing, the concept of an assassin team that exists purely to keep the name of the X-men shiny and clean could have a lot of depth to it.
Thunderbolts
Supervillain stories are destined to become the next trend -- and the Thunderbolts would make a hell of a franchise, especially alongside the Avengers. Audiences would expect just another superhero team, only to find our own trust in capes and latex exploited. Subsequent movies could be about redemption, rebirth, and the nature of heroism ... something the post Dark Knight and Watchmen world should really be craving.
Green Lantern Corps
I think a police force of Green Lanterns is like eating a giant sized bag of M&Ms -- it's just too much, and it probably shouldn't be done. But if they did the Hal Jordan led chapter, there would be something terribly appealing about seeing him destroy the team he helped create. Of course, we still don't have a single Green Lantern, so this is a pipe dream.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-05-2009 @ 10:47PM
Batzarro said...
I sigh. Justice League is officially buried. I know. I was one of the guys who WANTED it. And I think it's stupid for Nolan and Co. to keep it from me. And it'll never come, don't think Warner will try. Oh, well.
I guess Teen Titans would be good, even though Warner would probably never be able to do it in that great tradition of not being able to do anything . Generation X too(well, they had...a thing. A straight to TV thing.)
Reply
3-05-2009 @ 10:54PM
JamesRyanHamm said...
No love for Excalibur?
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3-05-2009 @ 11:36PM
Joseph J. Finn said...
It's time for a Damage Control movie; we need a fun superhero-world comedy and this would perfectly fit the bill. Plus hey, giant robots tearing apart New York, trying to get Dr. Doom to pay his bill and so on. It's golden!
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3-06-2009 @ 2:51AM
CGJung said...
Oh, to dream of an Alpha Flight movie... Hopefully such a movie would star Nathan Fillion as Northstar and Adam Beach as Shaman.
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3-06-2009 @ 6:04AM
Renton said...
I know it's not a superhero team comic or anything, but I'd REALLY like to hear about a Transmetropolitan movie in the works. With Tim Roth as Spider, if possible.
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3-06-2009 @ 8:28AM
BloodwerK said...
The New Mutants, not X-Force. For a time The New Mutants was a better book than the X-Men...
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3-06-2009 @ 8:32AM
j said...
I won't rest until there is a flaming carrot movie. :)
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3-06-2009 @ 9:06AM
badgerspit said...
Awesome! Maybe they can get Terry Gilliam or Richard kelly to direct?
(I thought I was the only Flaming Carrot fan left...glad to know I'm not!)
3-06-2009 @ 9:40AM
melvin sinclair said...
I think that several of the movies can and should be done/need to continue to be done in a cartoon format to make costs easier and to lay the ground work for next features. Chapter discussions and plot line progress ground work needs to be layered out for these dynamic multi layered characters so we don't get another xmen 3, fantastic 4, daredevil, hulk,etc. Demand for some of these has yet to come out of the books and though the following is there, sales/revs/box office determine what is going to get made. Batman had the progression of not only the comic book but several iterations of tv shows as well as movies.
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3-06-2009 @ 9:43AM
mcafee_matthew said...
I would like to see a Wildcats movie - Jim Lee is the man and the Wildcats team has all kinds of goodness from Aliens to Special Ops missions, Spies, Cyoorgs...would be expensive but definitely very visual and could work really well in the eyes of a guy like Zack Snyder
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3-06-2009 @ 10:00AM
Hughman Bein said...
I like X-Force, but that title has everything to do with M day and I guess they could come up with another reason to go the brutal route, but I honestly don't think people would respond to a movie after what Fox has already built (shabby construction alas). I agree New Mutants is the way to go. I second Excalibur-- good brit stuff. When does Runaways come out? I think a Legionairres movie would be cool. Alpha Flight would be a great indy venture. C'mon Canada!
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3-09-2009 @ 1:56PM
pAT said...
Maybe I'm the only one here (or anywhere) that thinks that a Justice Society of America movie would be a cool idea. Think about it. Golden age heroes like Sandman, The Spectre, Starman, the original Flash.
While Marvel is giving us glossy, MODERN renditions of their A-list heroes, D.C. has a prime opportunity to do a period hero piece. This is something that D.C. is uniquely positioned to do, given its characters' histories. Plus, you don't have the over-hyped expectations of fanboys the way you do with properties like Superman and Batman, both of which I'm tired of by now.
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3-21-2009 @ 1:26AM
Gregory M. Smith said...
My choices:
X-Force, but with Cable leading it. If you've read the comic, while members Cannonball, Sunspot and Moonstar respect Wolverine, they don't exactly want to follow him. Besides, Wolverine has been a loner more than a teacher (even Jubilee basically tagged along and learned by example). The movie with X-Force would have a much more diverse cast than the overrated "Generation X" that Fox did a few years ago. Cannonball, Warpath, Sunspot, Rictor, Moonstar, Meltdown (aka Boom Boom) and Jesse Bedlam would strike a chord with Generation X and Y and older movie-goers could find solace with Wolverine, Cable and Domino. And Feral alone should get anyone's dander up.
Next is "New Warriors." Another young team for the "Twilight" set, this team is unique in that it is led by Dwayne Taylor, who dons flexible Kevlar-coated armor as Night Thrasher to lead the team of young superheroes. He has no superhuman abilities but has proven to be the team's best factor (and, unlike the others, willingly to kill if necessary to save lives, as he proved by going toe-to-toe with the Punisher twice and killing his own maniacal powermad housekeeper, not to mention saving the world from the Dire Wraith Volxx). Add in Rage, Speedball, Justice, Namorita, Firestar, Tempest, Nova, Helix, Silhouette, Timeslip, Wondra and Turbo and you cross many ethnicities, something most of the other superhero teams fail miserably at. For the older set, there are Taylor's mentors Sprocket and Andrew Chord. The team has interacted several times with X-Force, making for an interesting cross-over for sequels. For villains, X-Force could take on Emma Frost and her New Hellions, The Folding Circle, Psionex and the Soldiers of Misfortune.
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3-21-2009 @ 1:37AM
Gregory M. Smith said...
For those who want to see a Green Lantern movie, I support you. But, the only way I think this would work is if it follows the events of "Emerald Dawn" where the second Green Lantern -- Hal Jordan -- goes mad. The original Green Lantern could team up with Jon Stewart (the black one), Kyle Green and Guy Gardner (either the Lantern Gardner, the Warrior Gardner with Sinestro's ring or the Warrior with newfound powers Gardner). As the comic depicted, all of them had their hands full with Jordan, who decimated the Corps and wiped out dozens, if not hundreds, of his fellow Green Lanterns.
Also, it might be nice to visit DC Comics' Milestone Line, with its ethic-oriented lineups such as Icon and Rocket; Static Shock; Hardware, and Blood Syndicate. Blood Syndicate would stand the best chance of becoming a movie because its members were street gangbangers. Not to glorify violence, but they're the least likely to join the spandex set of superheroes (in fact, their clothes don't even resemble standard superhero fare, but street gear).
Finally, whenever Wesley Snipes gets out of prison, he should look into bringing the Black Panther, the Mighty Ace and Luke Cage to the screen. Storm can't hold the fort as the only black hero (not counting Blade who exists in a totally different universe in the movies). Making white characters like Nick Fury and the Kingpin black on-screen won't cut it. Panther, Ace and Cage (and Night Thrasher when solo) are strong symbols that could easily counter the gang mentality dragging down young African-Americans.
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