Elektra Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Now that our Superhero Tournament is nearing the home stretch, I've been looking at some of the 'losers' and thinking about all the costumed heroes that have fallen by the wayside over the years. But then I remembered that reboot fever is alive and well in Hollywood, and the latest victim is Todd McFarlane, who's apparently working on a new Spawn script according to various reports. (But isn't he always working on a new Spawn script?)

Considering how beloved Spawn is in the world of comic books, it really is a shame that he wound up with such a crappy movie -- and if the Rotten Tomatoes rating is any indication, time has not improved this flick in the eyes of fans. Luckily for us then that McFarlane will be starting from scratch, and by the sounds of things, thankfully, there will be far fewer fart jokes. McFarlane told Coming Soon's sources, "The story has been in my head for 7 or 8 years. The movie idea is neither a recap or continuation. It is a standalone story that will be R-rated. Creepy and scary."

McFarlane has only just started writing, so it could be some time before we see a finished product -- but, when we do, it's going to be a brand new Spawn. McFarlane told CS, "the tone of this 'Spawn' movie will be for a more older audience. Like the film 'Departed.'" Okay, that might be a bit of a strange comparison, but then again, I'm all for taking superheroes a little more seriously.

After the jump: the five 'masked avengers' I think deserved better on the big screen...

Fox has not had a good year -- and as with most drama-filled issues, they really have only themselves to blame. Variety points out that they were the only studio this summer that didn't have a $100 million domestic earner. What they did have was a lot of widely-derided flops like The Happening, Space Chimps, and Meet Dave. They also had films that might have done well, had they chosen to actually sell them, like The X-Files: I Want to Believe. They were also dealt a bit of bad luck when it came to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was supposed to come out this summer, making it the greatest superhero year ever, but was delayed due to Hugh Jackman's commitment to Australia. (A film which the studio is really hoping bails them out come fall, along with Marley and Me.)

Faced with so much failure and drama, what is a studio to do? Well, turn to superheroes, of course! As you read this, they're holding strategy meetings to dust off or create some new franchises off their comic book properties. They're looking at more X-Men spinoffs, including a young X-Men project that might just be X-Men First Class. They're also looking at giving Deadpool his own movie -- which seems a no-brainer when you have Ryan Reynolds playing him in Wolverine. Why, they're even looking at reviving Daredevil. (Frank Miller and Jason Statham, call on line two.) It's enough to wind up any Marvel fan.

Continued after the jump...

This is all casual talk, occurring over beers at the Hard Rock Hotel (oh, to have been at the bar next to them), but it's a fun bit of rumors and dream casting nonetheless.

Geoff Boucher of the LA Times' Hero Complex blog chatted up Jason Statham and Frank Miller on, of all things, Daredevil. The three started talking about a potential reboot of the character, with Statham taking on the role of Matt Murdock. The hard-hitting Brit is excited at the very prospect. "Absolutely, just give me the chance, I would love to be Daredevil." (The emphasis is all Boucher.) In fact, when Boucher suggested he'd make a better Bullseye, Statham looked as though he'd hit him with his pint glass. "Forget Bullseye, I want to be Daredevil!"

Miller thinks he should be Daredevil too -- and apparently got quite quite a twinkle in his eye at the very thought of another movie. That's not surprising, since the character made his career, and I could see him ushering a Daredevil reboot into gear sooner than penning a sequel to 300. (At least, that's what I hope and dream would happen.)

So, what do you guys think? Would Statham be a good fit for the Man Without Fear? As I could watch Statham in just about anything, I'm too biased to judge. (He's got the right jawline for the mask!) I also haven't read as much Daredevil as I should; I have the misfortune of always encountering him as a secondary or background character, so I don't have a very good feel for him. But I like the idea, if only so I could get the Elektra reboot of my dreams.

Last summer, I attended a thesis presentation by one of my classmates. It was on the portrayal of women and minorities in comic books. I wasn't the only girl there, but I was the first one to arrive. As we waited for kick off and were casually discussing the topic, one of the other students piped up, "Hey, let's ask her -- you're a girl who reads comics, what do YOU think of Frank Miller? Is he a misogynist or what?"

Yikes. And I've since learned that no man or woman ever expects you to say "No" to that question. If you say "No, I really don't," jaws will drop and everyone will say "But what about that Vicki Vale thing?" Damning, to be sure -- but 95% of comic book writers and illustrators do the exact same thing. But, to make a long story short, I always point to Elektra, and we all begrudgingly agree to disagree.

Well, over at the official website for The Spirit, Miller has posted a new production blog. While he never specifically addresses the charges against him (and may not even be thinking of them as he posted this), Miller nevertheless has written a spirited defense. "I love writing tough, powerful women." And he has set out to do just that with one chick specifically -- Ellen Dolan, love interest of the title character. The character has proved to be a challenge, a weak stereotype of the age in which she was created. Miller calls her "a lousy character" and complains, "[The Spirit] even tossed her over his knee and spanked her. And she took it. Ellen Dolan made Donna Reed look like Angelina Jolie."

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• Dreamwatch Magazine talked to Elektra director Rob Bowman who says that an R-rated Director's Cut will be coming out in November. Other tidbits include the film budget, which he reports was $43 million, making the worldwide box office total of $56 million look a lot better. This also doesn't include DVD and VHS sales. Bowman also thinks there's still a plan to make a third movie in the Daredevil/Electra series.
  
• SuperHeroHype has a Ghost Rider set report which includes pictures.
  
• They also have five new international posters for the Fantastic Four movie.
  
• Check out these pictures from the second unit Superman Returns film shoot at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
• The full international trailer for Fantastic Four is now up at the Apple Quicktime site.
• Now Playing Magazine talked to John Carter of Mars screenwriter Ehren Kruger: "I'm in the writing process for John Carter of Mars, working with the director - Sky Captain's Kerry Conran," says Kruger of the Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation. "He's in, too, with his visual design team — the effects, and the sort of outlandish worlds that need to be created for that. He has to design all that. So we're pretty (well) along with the script."
• GotFuturama.com reports that David X. Cohen said that they had talks with the top guys at FOX who were extremely impressed with the sales of the Futurama DVDs. The idea was proposed to make a series of direct to DVD Futurama movies.
  

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