Five Vertigo Comic Titles DC Need To Make Into Movies

If you're not a fan of comic book flicks, it's going to be an interesting couple of years at the movies for you. Between Marvel and Disney joining forces, and DC having started their own media conglomerate (as Elisabeth told us just last week), there is no escaping the ink and panel crowd. But there's an upside if you're especially sick of superheroes, because during a conversation between MTV and the head of the newly formed DC Entertainment, Diane Nelson, she hinted that DC is planning something a little different in the world of comic book movies. Splashpage recently spoke with the woman of the hour, and she told them that not only will DC be putting some lapsed titles back into the pipeline (leaving us to speculate on whether or not Wonder Woman will get her film debut), but that the so-called 'lesser known' titles of the Vertigo universe could be getting a big-screen makeover as well.

According to Nelson, Warners will be the main arm of the film component of the new initiative, but like most business dealings in the Dream Factory, Nelson was pretty light on the details. What she did say was the following: "Vertigo is an area of great interest to me. It is even less well tapped than other parts of DC, and could potentially offer amazing stories" Now, a few of Vertigo's titles are already in movie development (like Preacher and the occasional rumblings of a Constantine aka Hellblazer sequel), but most of those projects haven't made much progress.

After the jump: the trouble with Vertigo, and some of the titles I would like to see on the big screen...

Vertigo may have plenty of titles that are ripe for a movie adaptation -- but only if you're willing to work a little outside of the mainstream. Sure, Vertigo may be a be part of the DC universe, but the Vertigo crowd is known for being a little more controversial with blasphemy, sex and violence just for starters. So if Nelson is planning on convincing WB to turn these kinds of titles into movie franchises, I hope they're going to be willing to take a risk.

So I thought I would lay out some of the titles I would like to see DC Entertainment take a chance on:

Fables
I have always loved fairy tales -- and I especially love them when they're a little bloody. So the stories of fairy tale 'rejects' living in a ghetto in New York City appeals to the little kid and the post modernist in me. Plus any story that has a murderous Goldilocks gets a gold star in my book.

Sandman
Neil Gaiman's classic comic about the family ties of the immortals has been kicking around Hollywood for long enough, and now that Nelson's in charge maybe this is one of those long-gestating projects that she's promising to kick back into production.

100 Bullets
Back in 2008, Brian Azzarello (the creator of the pulp/crime comic) announced that he was ending Bullet's run as a comic book, but hinted that a feature film was still a possibility. The story centered on a mysterious agent who would offer wronged people the chance to commit murder in vengeance with an attaché case filled with a weapon, and the titular 100 Bullets. The story evolved over the years into a larger conspiracy tale, but the initial plot is already enough to make one hell of a drama, right?

The Alcoholic
If Nelson is looking to expand the brand beyond the superhero crowd, maybe they can start with Jonathan Ames' story of a writer who loses himself to alcohol and drugs in an attempt to 'find himself'. The book is being released later this week and has been garnering positive reviews, and might be a nice antidote to the comic book movies we are used to.

The Invisibles
Now this title is a long shot if there ever was one. But, if you are going to try and make a comic book movie that's a little left of center, you could do worse than Grant Morrison's controversial series, The Invisibles. The plot centered on The Invisible College, a secret organization that used magic and mysticism, and a touch of violence to battle oppression around the world -- which might sound like pretty standard comic book fare, right? Well, not quite, because these aren't your usual heroes, since they included a transgendered shaman and a possible reincarnation of Buddha in the form of a Liverpool hooligan. The title had been picked up for a potential BBC series, but never got past development. So I say aim for the big screen instead, because I can see a director like Terry Gilliam or Richard Kelly knocking this one out of the park.

Now this is only the tip of Vertigo's iceberg, so sound off in the comments on the titles you think could make it at the box-office...