The Future of Comics and Film

Even the casual cinema goer these days has to be familiar with one of the many worlds of comic book literature. This year brings us silver screen adaptations of comic mainstays Batman, Iron Man and the Hulk. Even further delving into geek lore are movies based on iconic creator Will Eisner's The Spirit and modern legend Mark Millar's Wanted, neither of which has yet appeared in any other medium save the printed page. While Hollywood's latest addiction to the superhero genre is at a creative and box office high, it's small screen counterpart may soon be hitting a renaissance as well. NBC has its original superhero show Heroes starting its third season this September and the CW's teen Superman juggernaut Smallville entering an unexpected eighth season come fall. This month ABC Family entered the fold with its latest offering, a series adaptation of cult-followed The Middle Man.

With more than 15 major studio films and series currently in development based on this genre, my good friend Jess and I sat down to discuss what potential a five untapped favorites might hold. We've taken a crack at casting and all that as well. Let us know what you think below!

1. Y the Last Man (DC Comics/Vertigo)

Created by Brian K. Vaughn the series follows the journey of Yorrick Brown and his monkey companion Ampersand, the lone survivors of a mysterious plague that's killed every mammal on the planet with a Y chromosome. Joining him are secret agent 355 and geneticist Dr. Allison Mann. Along the way they come into conflict with everything from Israeli radical soldiers to the uber-feminist Daughters of the Amazon.

I think the series has serious longterm potential on cable television. A script was turned in by Batman Begins and Blade Trinity scribe David S. Goyer for a feature film that has yet to be green lit. As long as the series is set up with a finite point in mind, this could be on par with Battlestar Galactica. Hey, isn't Ron Moore available soon? In the lead roles, Jess suggests Gregory Smith (Everwood), who's everyman quality could ground the character well. Gabrielle Union (Bring It On, Nightstalker) might be swayed by the emotional range offered by 355, particularly after the let down of her arc on Ugly Betty. If Moore can convince BSG alumna Grace Park to join the team as Dr. Mann, we're in it for the long ride.

2. The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)

My Chemical Romance front-man Gerard Way penned this six-issue limited series debuting in 2007. The story follows a disbanded group of superheroes who reunite after the untimely death of their father figure in an attempt to carryout his ambitions that they save the world from a mysterious and unknown threat. Team members include a human with the body of a gorilla who lives on the moon, a time traveling ten year old, and a powerless girl. The dysfunctional team fights internally and externally while attempting to carry out their quest to save the planet.

So who wants to be the guy in the gorilla suit? Oh, what's that? It's 2K8; we'll just use CGI. The creative team behind this project may want to meet with the SFX team behind the Hellboy movies, who've done some amazing work bringing fantastical creatures to screen. This property, much like Zack Snyder's upcoming The Watchmen, takes a somewhat existential look at what life is like for a superhero when you really grow up and move on from the glory years. In observing Gabriel Ba's use of color, Jess notes that this may be an excellent opportunity for Tim Burton's return to the comic world. She also thinks Christopher Lee, a Burton regular, could tackle the role of Monocle, the aforementioned father of the group. I'm inclined to agree.

3. Catwoman (DC Comics)

You know her name. The female villainess turned unlikely hero from the Batman universe has appeared in every incarnation of her male counterpart on TV. She first appeared in cineplexes in 1966, and then again in the sequel to Burton's 1989 blockbuster adaptation, Batman Returns, before a bastardized spin-off featuring a new, unconnected, un-cannon Catwoman in a self-titled film starring Halle Berry. Anyway, Catwoman, a.k.a. Selina Kyle, in current comic continuity, is the guardian of Gotham's East End, home of hookers, homeless, and the helpless. Along with private investigator Slam Bradley, local clinic Dr. Leslie Mann, Selina's best friend Holly, and Holly's pink-maned girlfriend Karon.

This is a vanity pick for me; I'm a huge fan of the character. Again, I think this character can be redeemed on television, preferably pay service like HBO or Showtime, who won't shy away from a little scandal. For crying out loud, the lead character wears skin-tight leather and cracks a whip. Comic nerd Rosario Dawson we agree has what it takes to balance the duality of the character. In what some might call stunt casting, pop star P!NK for Karon. This could be a comeback vehicle for the recently floundering Brittany Murphy as Holly. Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans might welcome Alexis Denisof back in the role of Slam.

4. Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures (Marvel)

Okay, so we're technically cheating by including this one, but the comic adaptation of the first novel has exposed the character to new fans across the world. Laurell K. Hamilton's ever evolving heroine Anita Blake has appeared in 16 prose novels as well. In Guilty Pleasures, named for a vampire strip club frequented by mortal women, we meet Anita in St. Louis, where she works as an animator, a sort of private detective/zombie creator, who solves crimes sometimes in conjunction with local authorities. The U.S. government has just legalized vampirism and the world is struggling to come to terms with what that means. Are you a widow if your spouse is a vampire? Can the undead marry the living? A rash of crimes breaks out in the vampire district, someone's killing off the local undead, which is just as illegal as killing a mortal, and the head vampire, through his minion Jean-Claude, wants Anita's help in finding who's behind it all.

This has potential either way, film or TV series. The universe that Hamilton's created is so epic in scale that no longer can it be contained on the typed page. Sex and the City heartthrob Jason Lewis showed some dramatic chops on Brothers and Sisters and could bring Anita's sometimes lover Jean-Claude to life. As for the all important miss Blake, we can't have her coming off too valley girl in a post-Buffy world. Though, Joss Whedon alum Morena Baccarin (Firefly, Serenity) has the right mix of sexy and spunk to make it work.

5. 100 Bullets (DC Comics/Vertigo)

Well known comics scribe Brian Azzarello created this series, which is set for a 100 issue run. The main plot line is morally ambiguous, delving into noir and pulp traditions to ask the question of whether or not you'd take the chance to get away with revenge. Agent Graves, leader of the group the Minute Men, will approach someone who's been wronged with a suitcase containing a gun, 100 bullets, and proof that one person is responsible for the inciting incident. There is no reward or punishment for what choice you make when he offers you the case. Many of those given the choice are individuals who have been wronged by the Trust, a shadowy organization formed in colonial times by members of the European Aristocracy.

In the leading role of Agent Graves, though age altered for our purposes of conjecture, Jess and I agree on either Clive Owen or Gerard Butler. Someone who blends in with a crowd and stands out at the same time. Victor Garber would be welcome back to the espionage game as Trust leader Augustus Medici. In the role of femme fetale Megan Deitrich, stereotypically equal parts beautiful and deadly, Jess suggests Diane Kruger, who's real life German accent adds a staunch amount of cred.

Feel free to toss out your suggestions and comments below!