Comic Book Films & TV

[Your Mom]

Did Alan Moore hate the V for Vendetta movie like he seems to hate all the other ones? I just watched it again recently and I really like it. I mean I agree that League and Watchmen suck but this one is good

He never watched it, but has apparently read the script.

His main complaint about V For Vendetta is that they took a story about the relationship between anarchy and fascism, and turned it into a parable for Bush-era surveillance in which the words "fascism" and "anarchy" never appear. He basically said that they should have had the balls to tell the story they wanted to, set in America, rather than co-opting V For Vendetta to sugarcoat it.

As far as I know, Alan Moore refuses to watch the movies based on his books. He talks shit about them every chance he gets, but he won't watch the bloody things to form an actual opinion.

It's not about him having to watch the movies to "form an actual opinion". His opinion is that he didn't want movies made of his work. His problem is with the fact that they were made, not anything to do with the quality, or lack thereof. He doesn't need to have watched the films to reach that conclusion.

His criticism of V makes sense. Because I mean it was a good story and a good movie, but it wasnt exactly his story

[Skummy]

I never understood that, really.

If he didn't want other people to do things with his works, why did he ever sell the rights? Or is it just a case of him walking away from projects after they're done and the publishers owning the rights?

Either way, he's a great example for today's artists in all media to make sure that they are in control of their properties.

In the majority of cases, he didn't sell the rights, because he barely owned them; it's more to do with the vast majority of mainstream comic book publisher contracts being geared towards the publisher retaining copyright, not the creator.

He did sell the rights to League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, though. And look how that turned out.

[Benjamin]

Probably why it's the only one he likes.

[LL!]

I'm gonna murder TheKazarian for talking shit about John C. Reilly.

[Skummy]

Probably why it's the only one he likes.

To cut a long, long story short - he doesn't.

[Jimmy]

He was being sarcastic.

I loved that film when I was 10, though. And I've never watched it since.

[=BK=]

So I watched Dark Knight Rises. Really wasn't feeling Bane. The character just didn't seem like Bane. Should have used Deathstroke instead if they wanted that character. I feel like they only used Bane to make it similar to Knightfall.

[GoGo Yubari]

Deathstroke wouldn't have been a better fit at all.

[livid]

Meh. Even with how it ended, Bane was the best part of TDKR by far.

[=BK=]

Assassin that can plot big things and completely physically outclasses Batman sounds more like Deathstroke than Bane.

The only things that made me connect this Bane to other Banes is the back breaking of Batman and being raised in a prison(But turns out it wasn't him that was raised there so that doesn't count anyway.). His accent had him from a different place and there was no mention of the steroids/Venom he's supposed to use. And the only thing similar about the costume was that he wore a mask.

[GoGo Yubari]

Assassin that can plot big things and completely physically outclasses Batman sounds more like Deathstroke than Bane.

If it were Deathstroke that would immediately give the entire plot away. The point of it being Bane is misdirection.

EDIT: Actually, no. The sentence you wrote sounds exactly like Bane, except for the "assassin" part, and that's the misdirection.

[=BK=]

I don't quite get how Deathstroke replacing Bane would give away

Talia al Ghul being behind everything.

I don't see Bane outclassing Batman in anything but brute strength. Deathstroke on the other hand...

[=BK=]

On an unrelated note. Any casting thoughts for Wonder Woman? Only person I can really think of is Lucy Lawless.

[GoGo Yubari]

Kirkland, have you read Knightfall? The entire thing Bane is famous for is that no other Batman villain has ever defeated Batman as decisively and infamously as he did, and he did it through a combination of having a plan to wear Batman down and the strength to completely and totally overcome him when it came time to strike. DKR's plot structure is heavily referential to that basic concept, and the fact that in Knightfall it's Bane and only Bane, which is important because going in Dark Knight Rises wants you to believe that Bane is the main villain of the movie.

Deathstroke, conversely, isn't even really a Batman villain. He's fought Batman, but as a main villain he's associated with Teen Titans first and foremost. Moreover, when you think Deathstroke you immediately go to "he's an assassin/mercenary," which immediately leads to "okay, who's he working for?" In Batman lore, Bane is most famous for what he did on his own.

Franchise movies are growing incredibly concerned, possibly even over-concerned, with being able to misdirect audience expectations, particularly when it comes to villains lately. That's why Bane is the villain and not Deathstroke.

[I Don't Mind]

On an unrelated note. Any casting thoughts for Wonder Woman? Only person I can really think of is Lucy Lawless.

True story, this is a topic me and all my coworkers have every few weeks for the last few months.

My best friend who knows nothing about comics wants to see an an untraditional approach. Rather than go for the classic Amazon build, he wants to see a young, slim, Joan of Arc like actress, like Jennifer Lawrence. He credits her role in The Hunger Games for convincing an audience she can be tough, rugged and kick butt. Get someone who can act and have her play a badass.

I say cast someone who is a badass and write around her acting ability. Gina Carano isn't an amazing actress but she does have Haywire and Fast and Furious 6 under her belt. To me, she looks like Wonder Woman. She is a bona fide Amazon warrior. She has potential to grow as an actress, but I'm not paying to see Diana touch my heart strings, I'm paying to see her ricochet bullets and break necks.

Rule-outs - As much sense as it'd make to cast someone known for whooping ass like Uma Thurman, Lucy Lawless or Sandra Bullock, the consensus is that the window has closed and they're all too old now.

[TKz]

On an unrelated note. Any casting thoughts for Wonder Woman? Only person I can really think of is Lucy Lawless.

Lucy Lawless 10 years ago maybe. And even then I wouldn't really put her on the level of actress that you'd require to hold a major film franchise.

Jennifer Lawrence doesn't fit Wonder Woman at all to me. I love her to bits but I just don't see it. Plus she's already got herself 2 major franchises (one of which is a Marvel Comics one), I can't see her being part of another one. I don't mind the idea of Gina Carano all that much, as an action star I've enjoyed her work (Even Haywire. Which sucked), though I'm not sure how she'd hold up on the acting end. And I think the last 6-7 years have proven that you need a strong character and actor behind that character to really make it a success.

I'd quite like to see someone like Natalie Dormer in the role, weirdly. That might just be me wanting more Natalie Dormer in general, though. Lena Headey would've been a good shout, but she's a bit old now.

[livid]

Glenn Close has joined Guardians of the Galaxy.

The casting for this film continues to get weirder and weirder.

[TKz]

And yet no Richard Rider.

[livid]

Yet. There's still a lot of Marvel stuff to come so you might just have to be patient.

[TKz]

Yeah, I know. It just sucks to see the Nova Corps are going to be in the film and my absolute favorite hero and member of them isn't going to be. It's a real cocktease is what it is. It's also kind of bizarre they're still casting seeing as they start filming soon, I think.