'Hulk' Series is Still on the Table According to Del Toro

Joseph McCabe at Fear Net got a few but informative words from director Guillermo Del Toro in regards to the Hulk series he and Battlestar Galactica producer David Eick are working on for ABC.

It was learned late last year that the two had pitched an idea to bring a new Hulk series to television. Del Toro said that he and Eick have completed a rewrite on the outline that they submitted to ABC a month ago.

Del Toro says that this is not going to be a standard Hulk program: “Actually, one of the points of this project early on with Marvel, was ‘We're going to do this thing different, and here's how. Are you interested?’ And they were.”

In this age of spectacular special-effects, I have a difficult time picturing a new Hulk series because it would seem too cost-prohibitive for television. That said, I have a feeling that Del Toro and Eick have something an inventive idea to make this project work.

Now let’s get a Runaways series off the ground!

'100 Bullets' Heads to the Small Screen

Deadline is reporting that popular Vertigo comic series 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (the team currently behind Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance) is coming to Showtime courtesy of prolific comic-to-screen adapter David Goyer (writer - Batman Begins, Blade Trilogy). The critically acclaimed hard crime/noir series ran 100 issues from 1999 to 2009.

Max Beckman is a manager at Pulp Fiction in Long Beach, CA and CheapGraphicNovels.com. You can follow him on Twitter @CheapGNsdotcom and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pulpfictioncomics. Pulp Fiction can be found on the web at www.pulpfictiononline.com and at 1742 Clark Ave. Long Beach, CA 90815.

Television Review: 'Smallville' Finale

This is the story of an amazing boy, who grew up in the fields of Kansas, in a little town called Smallville.

These words open the final episode Smallville, the ten-year old voyage of Clark Kent from awkward teenager to the Man of Steel. Final episodes of long-running programs often have an impossible task: resolve the series and tie up any loose ends that will satisfy the rabid fans who have followed from the outset. With series such as The Fugitive, Lost and Smallville, expectations are set from the first episode as to where the story will finally end.

Was it a satisfactory ending? Yes. And then some.

More than any episode previously, this one has Clark struggling with what he is going to become and what he must do to take the next step. Does he go it alone and leave his past behind, or does he embrace his upbringing and use what he has learned over the years to become a better hero? This is Clark’s final quest.

'Smallville' Concludes its 10 Season Run Tonight

Where will you be when Clark Kent becomes Superman?

That’s the million dollar question. Tonight the CW will air the final episode of it’s long-running series Smallville, which may or may not feature Clark Kent finally donning the most recognizable costume in comic book history. In a few short hours, the episode will air and the questions surrounding the series’ closure will turn to inevitable debate. For ten years this series has built to a number of possible conclusions that might not lead up to the expectations of fans of the series.

Personally, I’d like to see Clark don the costume and simply fly away to his destiny. If I had my druthers, I think a more powerful ending would be to center the second half of episode around the world’s response to the first sighting of Superman. The final scene would be the interview between Lois and Superman, where he discusses why he is here—that is, to protect the world for what threatens it and to inspire others to join the fight for truth, justice and the American way (that last part might need to be elaborated on out of fear of jingoism).

I’m not film writer though. I’m sure I’ll be satisfied with how the writers and producers have chosen to close out the story of Clark Kent’s ascension to Superman. I would guess they’ve suffered through many sleepless nights because there’s an army of fans who have high expectations for this episode.  I’d say, don’t get your hopes up too high or else you might be disappointed with what might be an otherwise satisfactory resolution.

Goodbye Smallville.

The two-hour Smallville series finale airs tonight on the CW at 8 p.m.

Fox Closes Door on 'Locke & Key'

The Hollywood Reporter broke news this morning that Fox has passed on the pilot for Locke & Key, the television adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s hit comic book series.

While I wasn’t sure how this book would translate to a series on network television, I got the feeling that the show was in good hands since Hill would also responsible for some of the eventual scripting. The pilot was directed by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) and written by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) with Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Star Trek). The pilot featured Nick Stahl (Duncan Locke), Jesse McCartney (Tyler), Miranda Otto (Nina), Sarah Bolger (Kinsey), Skylar Gaertner (Bode), and Mark Pellegrino (Rendell).

Locke & Key is the story of the Locke family, which is torn apart after the devastating murder of the family’s patriarch Rendell. Nina moves her children to Lovecraft, Massachusetts, to live with their uncle Duncan in Keyhouse—the mysterious childhood home of Rendell Locke. Before you know it, things grow darker as the mysteries of Keyhouse are learned and the live of the Locke family grow more and more complex.

Well, start crossing your fingers that Locke & Key gets picked up elsewhere because the pilot has a strong pedigree guiding it.

Wonder Woman Has Her Steve Trevor

Back in the 80’s when Wonder Woman got her post-Crisis reboot, Steve Trevor was in his 40’s while Diana was young and virile. Their relationship has long since disappeared from the pages of Wonder Woman, but the two will always remain linked in the memories of mainstream audiences.

It looks like David E. Kelley has decided to skew young (and sexy) with Steve Trevor, who is not a colonel in this version—instead he works for the Justice Department and is an Army veteran. Comic Book Movie is reporting that Justin Bruening (Knight Rider) will be Diana’s main squeeze in the new series. Breuning joins Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman, Elizabeth Hurley, Cary Elwes, Tracie Thoms and Pedro Pascal on the NBC series.

Showtime to Bring 'Chew' to Television

Since late last year, we’ve been hearing rumors about Chew possibly being adapted for television. Deadline is reporting today that Showtime has purchased the script for the adaptation of John Layman and Rob Guillory’s Eisner-award winning comic book series.

In Image's Chew, Detective Tony Chu is a cibopath who is able to detect psychic readings from anything he eats.  If he bites an apple, he can see the orchard from where it was picked, taste the pesticide used to keep worms away from its core, and a number of other disturbing images from the life of said apple.  In a world ravaged by bird flu, Chu follows cases involving the sale and transport of illegal chicken, a black market delicacy in this world.  And if this sounds preposterous, it only becomes more so as the story unfolds.  And it works, and works, and keeps working.

The book is being produced by Circle of Confusion, who is also responsible for adapting AMC’s mega-hit The Walking Dead as well as FX’s upcoming Powers series. It looks as though guys at Circle of Confusion know their stuff. Rather than look for properties that are simply commercially popular, they seem to be acquiring the rights to some of the most critically beloved books of the last decade.

It will be interesting to see how closely Showtime’s series will stay to the comic book, which is almost a third of the way through the planned sixty-issue run. The Walking Dead stayed reasonably close to the source material, focusing more on the book’s plight and tone than slavishly recreating the stories. Chew is telling a more specific and finite story, however, so I would expect less divergences from the plot.

Johns Confirms 'Sandman' is a Go

Rest assured, Sandman is coming.

The web was abuzz with disappointment when news began to break that the Sandman television series might never manifest. Who but Geoff Johns himself, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer, informed the universe via Twitter (really, is there any faster way these days?) that the project is still on.  Additionally, Johns confirmed that series creator Neil Gaiman would also be involved with breathing life into the series.

“Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke was looking to be the man to bring a Sandman series to the small screen, but he informed The Hollywood Reporter yesterday that the project would not be happening this season.

FX Greenlights Pilot for 'Powers' Series

Brian Michael Bendis has been dropping hints here and there over the last few months, but he made the official announcement over the weekend (via his popular Twitter feed) that FX had greenlit a pilot for Powers.

The Eisner-Award winning comic book series created by Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming is finally set to hit the small screen—can they really be called that anymore?

Powers is the story of two detectives in a world inhabited by costumed heroes, who investigate homicides related to victims with super powers. This is not, however, set in the world of Marvel or DC—Bendis and Oeming have established their own universe so that they may tinker with familiar archetypes who would otherwise be untouchable in those universes. Think Law & Order meets the Super Friends.

Powers is a perfect property for television because it lends itself to that format, with its long-form mysteries and character-driven storylines.

No word yet on when Powers will eventually air. Stay tuned.

Kelley's 'Wonder Woman' Script Reviewed by Bleeding Cool

Bleeding Cool has gotten their bloody hands on what they claim to be David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman script. As you may recall, NBC purchased the pilot for the 2011/2012 season after Kelley was initially unable to sell the pilot to the major networks.

From the sounds of things, there are elements that ring true to the comic books, but enough to make fans scratch their heads in befuddlement. Of course it’s not fair to judge a script by its spoilers, so click here to read for yourself (for the most part, it is spoiler free).

The villain in the series is Veronica Cale, a character introduced during Greg Rucka’s 2003 run on Wonder Woman. In the comics Cale is unimpressed with Diana’s mission of do-gooding and quest for peace as these are easily achievable goals someone of Wonder Woman’s background. As previously reported, the lasso and the bracelets are also a part of the story, which should make fans happy.

There is no doubt in my mind that Wonder Woman cannot be adapted in a television series without a fair amount of retooling. That is fine. From what Bleeding Cool has offered up, I’m not certain that the material is being handled with care.

NBC Buys Kelley's Wonder Woman Pilot

It was announced this weekend that NBC has picked up the pilot for David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman script.  

Deadline broke the story—and my heart—when they described Wonder Woman as “a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.”

The only words from that description that match my own are probably “woman” and “extraordinary.” And maybe “the.” As much as I say it is unfair to judge something before we’ve seen it, things like this are the exception. I call it the “Jack Black Rule of Comic Book Adaptations” (made famous by the shocking choice by Warner Bros. to briefly cast Black as Hal Jordan in a Green Lantern movie).

I think screenwriters sometimes use the word vigilante as a synonym for gritty. The short description sounds like it has nothing to do with the character Wonder Woman that I know. I am the last person to expect a literal translation from comics to film, but I do expect the essence of the character to be there.

I believe bringing Wonder Woman to film or television would be no easy task for even the most talented of writers, but these guys shouldn’t do so at the expense of the character. If you’re going to rejigger that with which we are familiar to a point that it becomes pretty unrecognizable, then create a wholly original character like the Cape or the cheerleader from Heroes.

I really hope I’m wrong and that Kelley has developed something special for the Amazonian Princess. For now I’ll keep my arms crossed, my brow furrowed, and my expectations right where they belong. High.

Wonder Woman is Still Waiting for Her Close-Up

David E. Kelly can add his name into the famous pool of filmmakers who threw their golden tiara into ring only to walk away with a pitch that we can only begin to imagine.

The super producer, most famously known for quirky television series centering on lawyers, took a stab at a Wonder Woman TV script but failed to pique the interest of any of the major networks. There have been grumblings that ABC wouldn’t touch the property because its parent company is Disney—the company that acquired Marvel Comics in 2009—and Wonder Woman belongs to DC Comics.

Rumors indicate that the lasso and invisible jet were there so there were some key elements to the character’s mythos to keep fans happy, but there hasn’t been much else said about Kelly’s approach to the character. About a month after the announcement that he would be trying his hand at bringing the character back to the small screen, where she continues to memorably live in the memories of fans who watched Lynda Carter portrayal of the Amazon Queen in the late 70’s, Kelly informed fans that a new Wonder Woman series was not a sure thing.

Perhaps it isn’t Princess Diana’s time to shine just yet. Personally, I would prefer to see the character on the big screen throttling the hell out of expensive-looking mythological characters and such. Will Wonder Woman eventually get her shot at a big screen adaptation? For now we can only wonder.

Best of 2010. A BIG Year for the Announcement of Film and Television Projects

Clockwise from left: Hulk, Alias, Raven and Wonder Woman television projects
were only a few of those announced in 2010.

There has been a lot of big comic book news in 2010: another year of sagging sales, the leap by all the major publishers into digital comic books, and the price point changes to $2.99 (for some Marvel books and at a cost of two pages for DC titles).

However, the biggest news has continued through the course of the year: the increase in the production of comic book properties for film and television. Just consider the slate of films that are scheduled for release over the next two years:



Thor kicks off the 2011 comic book summer movie
season and paves the way for an even more
explosive 2012!



2011: The Green Hornet, Priest, Thor, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Cowboys and Aliens.

2012: Dredd, Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance, The Wolverine, The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, Men in Black 3, and untitled Spider-Man and Superman films.

In the pipeline: films based on Deadpool, the Crow, the Flash, Runaways, and Ant-Man (don’t laugh), plus a sequel to Green Lantern, and a third Iron Man.

These are the biggest properties in comic books—some of them are hitting the screen for the first time for a few reasons. The special effects have enabled filmmakers to fully-realize the fantastic adventures derived from the source material. More significantly, there’s money to be had with these properties. When handled properly the financial rewards have been there over the past decade: Spider-Man (Domestic: $403,706,375/Foreign: $418,002,176), The Dark Knight (Domestic: $533,345,358/Foreign: $468,576,467), Iron Man (Domestic: $318,412,101/ Foreign: $266,762,121), and Iron Man 2 (Domestic: $312,128,345/Foreign: $309,623,643).

This year Marvel Entertainment began looking beyond movies. By appointing Jeph Loeb to its head of television, the company is aiming to make a splash with episodic series as well. In October it was announced that a new Hulk series is being developed for ABC; nothing has been solidified but Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth) and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) have had discussions to produce the series. AKA Jessica Jones, based on the Brian Michael Bendis comic book Alias, has been greenlit and will be executive-produced and written by Melissa Rosenberg (the Twilight films). A Cloak and Dagger series is also in the very early stages for ABC Family. 

Television audiences may be ready for Powers,
Bendis' post modern look at superheroes.

Of course The Walking Dead was a mini-phenomenon for AMC when it premiered in October and the ratings remained strong over the course of its brief six episodes; a second season premieres in October of 2011. Bendis has announced that his popular series Powers is also beginning to come together with plans to air on FX; former Walking Dead writer Charles H. "Chic" Eglee is negotiating to be a writer and executive producer on the new series.

The CW will bring a Raven series to the small screen under the guidance of producer Diego Gutierrez (V and Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Raven is a longtime member of the Teen Titans and one of the more tragic heroines of the 80’s.

It was also announced that David E. Kelly would be working to bring a Wonder Woman series to television. Admittedly the writer is not sure if he is right for the project, but he is continuing his attempt to develop the idea into something feasible. A rumor also circulated in mid November that Warner Bros. might be interested in bringing a Batman series to television once Christopher Nolan finishes his Dark Knight trilogy in 2012.

Both Marvel Entertainment and DC Entertainment seem eager to mine their vast library of properties for the proper medium. I would expect that we’ll be seeing less original series with a superhero bent such as Heroes, No Ordinary Family, and The Cape; in their place will be adaptations and reinterpretations of actual comic book properties. This is a good thing unless you love Hydrox cookies, Shasta soda, Granny Goose chips, or any other pale imitations.

In 2011 it will be interesting to see how many of the rumored projects, and the ones in the earliest of stages, actually turn into ongoing television series. Right now it’s looking like were a year or so away from some programming with some seriously cool potential.

How many of these projects will come to fruition? Stay tuned.

'Walking Dead' Writer Negotiates for New 'Powers' Series

Powers is edging closer to coming to FX.

The Eisner-Award winning comic book series created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming will get the small screen treatment (it deserves). The fact that this is by the network that brought us Nip/Tuck and The Shield should bring consolation that the series would maintain its edge.

Powers is the story of two detectives in a world inhabited by costumed heroes, who investigate homicides related to victims with super powers. This is not, however, set in the world of Marvel or DC—Bendis and Oeming have established their own universe so that they may tinker with familiar archetypes who would otherwise be untouchable in those universes. Think Law & Order meets the Super Friends.

According to Vulture, former Walking Dead writer Charles H. "Chic" Eglee is currently negotiating to be a writer and executive producer on the new series. Bendis excitedly confirmed the rumor via Twitter yesterday, so the ball appears to certainly be rolling on the series.

Eglee has worked as a show runner on Dexter and an executive producer on The Shield; his writing credits include Murder One, Dark Angel, and NYPD Blue. Powers is right up the scribe’s alley.

This is exciting news for comic book fans as we begin to see more new properties picked up for television—Hulk, Wonder Woman, Cloak and Dagger, Raven and Batman are a small handful of characters with television projects in development at different studios.

So You Won't Watch a Series with the Word 'Raven' in the Title, eh?

I think television is the perfect place for smaller, lesser known comic book properties. Warner Bros. struck out with their last semi-obscure property, Birds of Prey—but I think part of that was how close it tried to stay in the realm of Batman without having Batman.

Last week the Variety reported that the CW would be bringing a Raven series to the small screen  just in time to fill some red boots as they fly away after ten seasons. Diego Gutierrez (V and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will produce and write the new series based on one of the more tragic heroines of the 80’s.

Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez as one of the founders of the new Teen Titans back in 1980. Raven is an empath who is forced to maintain control over her emotions in order to keep her demonic side at bay. Her father is an interdimensional demon name Trigon who impregnated her human mother and just started the ball rolling on bad parenting.

Trigon has haunted his daughter for years and is sure to be a constant in Raven’s life during the course of the series. He’s big, red, has horns and four eyes (no, not glasses) and he is as evil as they come. While I wouldn’t expect an exact adaptation of Trigon on television, I’ll cross my fingers that he won’t be an over the top veteran actor who sports a red tie and smokes a cigar—if the phrase “What, no hug for daddy?” followed by a sinister laugh makes it into the show, I’m out.

It will be interesting to see what is kept and what remains with this adaptation of Raven. She has the ability to teleport and heal people (but she feels the pain that she drains from them). I always thought she was a bit on the humorless side though, so I can’t imagine too literal a translation for her character either.

A Raven series is only in the earliest of developmental stages now, so it remains to be seen if this will make it to 2011 Fall season in time to ensure that the CW is not without a DC property in its lineup.

Del Toro and Eick Ready to Bring Hulk to Television

Marvel Television is on the precipice of placing their recently announced Hulk television series in the most able of hands: Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth) and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica).

Talk about a pairing certain to make fanboys comfortable that, not only is the series going to be handled respectfully, but with a fresh approach that these two filmmakers bring to their projects. The deal is not yet finalized, but it is sounding like we are awfully close to an official announcement.

Deadline broke the story last night and the story is already spreading like wildfire. The series would not premiere until after The Avengers has bowed into theaters (in the summer of 2012). The Hulk character is expected to be a combination of prosthetics, CGI and puppetry, with a character design that will pay homage to several variations of the character (including the original 1978 series).

More to come!

Batman May Be Heading to Television

This sounds far off and only in the think-tank stages, but it is exciting nonetheless and should keep comic book fans endlessly curious.

According to Comic Book Movie, an insider at Warner Bros. indicates that the WB is interested in bringing Batman to the small screen once the Christopher Nolan Bat-films are completed; The Dark Knight Rises will be released in the summer of 2012.

The WB is also interested in maintaining a similar world to the one Nolan has established in his Batman trilogy. The series would be developed to garner an audience made up of young adult audiences.  The source also claims that the actor being sought after to don the cape and cowl would be a Karl Urban-type.

Batman, in a Nolan-style universe, sounds tailor-made for television. If the series was taken directly from the comic books it could easily devolve into a silly villain of the week format. Batman has an enormous rogue’s gallery, many that could be reinterpreted for a more real world setting. This also allows for the WB to produce a show that is reliant on special effects to keep its audiences interested.

The biggest problem this show could face is its existence in the shadow of Nolan’s films. Based on the timeline indicated by the source, we might be looking at a Fall 2012 series or a midseason replacement in 2013.

After recent news about a new Hulk series by Marvel Television, this also begs the question: are popular comic book properties going to be a trend in television?

'Smallville' Preview: Granny Goodness, The Female Furies and Teri Hatcher

Smallville fans should be a little giddy this week. We get the introduction of Apokolips villainess Granny Goodness  and her Female Furies in Friday's episode titled "Abandoned" (preview above). The episode also features Teri Hatcher (of Lois and Clark fame) as Lois's dead mother, speaking to her daughter from beyond the grave via video tape (she clearly passed on over ten years ago). See the extended preview below.

The "Abandoned" episode of Smallville airs Friday at 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central on the CW.

Brian Michael Bendis Meets to Bring 'Powers' to FX

Brian Michael Bendis tweeted today about a meeting with FX for a Powers television series:

“on the plane home from LA. powers tv meeting all morning. it inches closer still. prez of fx says: i can smell it and i can feel it.”

Powers, created by Bendis and Artist Michael Avon Oeming, is a popular Icon series (which originated at Image) that has been running (almost) consistently since 2000. Powers is a sort of Law and Order set in the world of super heroes; the universe created in the book belongs to Bendis and Oeming so there are no familiar caped characters, just familiar archetypes.

Powers follows Detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim as they investigate the murders of “capes” (superpowered characters). Television is the perfect medium for Powers, which would lose the character development and unfolding mysteries that an ongoing show can allow.

I’m crossing my fingers that a Powers television series comes to fruition!

Watch 'The Walking Dead' Premiere for Free (Legally)

If you missed the first episode of The Walking Dead, fear not, AMC is now streaming the premiere in its entirety for free. You may not be so lucky with upcoming episodes, but watch and see why over 5 million viewers tuned in last Sunday.