We’re all used to your generic “superheroes save the world followed by an inevitable sequel”-type film, but don’t you sometimes wish that Hollywood was a bit more willing to take risks? Instead of the usual squeaky clean, selfless hero, don’t you wish there were more films about protagonists who were less outwardly heroic?
As such, here are five decidedly offbeat comic book series that would make great movies if studio execs decide to start green-lighting more than just the next X-Men/Batman/Spider-Man/Superman sequel.
5. Spawn
Spawn was previously adapted into a rushed out, watered down pile of PG-13 crud back in 1997. Since then, several attempts have been made for a reboot to be made, with Jamie Foxx recently expressing interest in the role.
Launched by Todd Macfarlane in 1992 after his enormously successful run on The Amazing Spider-Man, Spawn was one of the first titles published by Image Comics and helped them go on to become one of the most prominent comic book publishers in the world. Spawn would become one of the best-selling comic book series of the 1990s and the fact that the series has now been running continuously for over twenty years is a testament to its popularity. Macfarlane now enjoys huge success as the owner of Macfarlane Toys and Macfarlane Entertainment.
The series centers around Al Simmons, a former CIA assassin who was betrayed and killed by his boss, Jason Wynn, before being resurrected as a demonic Hellspawn, destined to either bring about the destruction of mankind or be its saviour. Throughout the series, various imaginative and unique characters have been introduced, such as a sinister clown – a demon called The Violator in human form – Malbolgia, ruler of the Eight Cirlce of Hell, the Cyborg assassin Overtkill, and the Neil Gaiman-created Angela, who now exists in the Marvel Universe.
One of the most popular, well known and original comic book franchises around today, Spawn is well overdue a second chance in Hollywood. Let’s just hope that they get it right this time.
4. The Darkness
After the huge success of Spawn, another highly successful Image Comics series was The Darkness, before the series was moved to Top Cow Productions.
Jackie Estacado is a young enforcer for the mob, who, on his 21st birthday, inherits a supernatural power in existence before the universe, known only as The Darkness. He uses this slight advantage to rise through the ranks and become the head of his crime family, and even briefly becomes the ruler of a small South American country.
Created by Marc Silvestri, David Wohl and Garth Ennis (more on him later), the series has been adapted into two video games, but the closest that it ever came to hitting the big screen was a failed attempt by the Pang Brothers. It’s time we had a film about someone who uses their powers for personal gain, rather than for good.
And speaking of bad “superheroes”…
3. Nemesis
The original tagline for Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Nemesis was “What if Batman was the Joker?”. The series essentially follows a protagonist with a similar backstory to Batman, and, indeed, who in fact is similar to Batman in almost every way. Apart from the minor fact that he’s, well, completely evil.
Millar is known for how he puts superheros into a non-conventional setting, such as Marvel Civil War introducing the Superhero Registration Act, Marvel 1985 introducing superheros into the real world, Wanted showing what would happen if the supervillains of the world rose up to eradicate all the heroes Superior being about a disabled twelve-year-old boy being granted superpowers, and Kick-Ass exploring real life superheroes.
Now Kick-Ass 2 has underperformed at the box office and the sequel to Wanted is firmly lodged in development hell, Nemesis looks like it will be the next Mark Millar series to be adapted. Originally set to be directed by Tony Scott until his tragic death, the film will now be helmed by The A-Team and The Grey director Joe Carnaham. And, if the other adaptations of Millar’s work are anything to go by, we could have something truly spectacular on our hands.
2. The Boys
Garth Ennis’s The Boys, possibly the most adult comic book series in history, was originally published by Wildstorm before moving to Dynamite Entertainment. Wildstorm, being an imprint of DC, was unhappy with the anti-superhero tone of a series in which a C.I.A team is created in order to keep the superheroes of the world in check. I guess you would need that in a world where all the superheroes are violent, sex-crazed lunatics.
So adult it surpasses even Ennis’s earlier work, The Boys – along with Nemesis – seems find a mass audience: with superheroes being all the rage right now, are cinema-goers really ready for something 100% anti-superhero? Well, all we can say is, why not find out?
In order for The Boys to truly work as a film, it would need to be rated NC-17 to go to the deep, dark and nasty places that the comic inhabits. Kick-Ass and Watchmen have proven that adult comic book films can work, so maybe one day you’ll get to see Billy Butcher decapitating a superhero with a crowbar at your local theater (if it’s a theater that shows NC-17 rated films, of course).
1. Scalped
Before his work on Punisher MAX and Wolverine bought him into the mainstream, Jason Aaron was best known for Scalped, his creator-owned series about the struggles faced by Native Americans as they struggle to balance to problems of modern life while preserving their traditional way of life; effectively, a Western from the “otherwise”.
Dealing with real-life social issues like poverty, crime and drug addiction, if it is made into a film, Scalped will probably fall into ever-growing “It’s based on a comic book but you didn’t know that” sub-genre, along with A History of Violence and Road To Perdition. With such memorable characters as blood-thirsty brawler Dashiell Bad Horse and vengeful FBI goon Baylis Earl Nitz, it would certainly be a welcome addition to the catalogue.
Which other non traditional series would you like to see adapted into films?