Hollywood has a tendency to act like Lenny in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. It takes something that people love and squeeze it until they kill it. If something works for the masses, they repeat it and repeat it until every last dollar is wrung out of it.
It can be a concept, a genre, or even a style of cinema. Peter & Bobby Farrelly's There's Something About Mary has inspired hundreds of knock-offs. How many less talented directors have ripped off Quentin Tarantino's style? How many times do we see The Matrix's choreography repeated on the screen. If there is a hit soccer movie, you will see four or five out in the next few years until no one wants to see another soccer movie. They have taken the mistaken premise from Titanic of taking a monumental event, something so rich with drama that it has a thousand interesting stories, and covering them up with a cheesy fictitious romance. Love stories surrounding the crash of the Hindenburg and 1906 San Francisco earthquake are due out next year some time.
Anyone who pays attention to the industry knows that an avalanche of comic book movies will be hitting the public over the next four years. There are several reasons for this phenomenon. DC and Marvel comic books have both signed deals with the major studio over the last few years. As Hollywood has run out of ideas, comic books are a natural source to dip into because they are so rich in narrative. These stories are not just for children anymore. Some of the most daring and groundbreaking story lines are have been written by these modern artists. There is a built in fan base, who have bought these graphic novels for years and will gladly plunk down their hard earned cash to watch their heroes on the screen. The other major benefit of these adventures is that most of these movies can have ready available sequels on hand if they are successful.
True lovers of cinema should be excited about this development for the visual feast that audiences should enjoy. Tim Burton's Batman or the Hughes Brothers' From Hell are the perfect example. Say what you will about the central stories; the imagery and worlds created are breathtaking. They are vivid and graphic in their view of the world. Some of the most talented directors and writers are beating down the door to do these projects. Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy) has penned a draft of Green Arrow. Darren Aronofsky (p, Requiem for a Dream) wants to direct Batman: Year One. M. Night Shaymalan (The Sixth Sense) has expressed interest in developing some of the comic books that he loves for the silver screen. The best of the bunch might be Ang Lee's The Incredible Hulk, starring Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly.
In my interaction with studio executives, I have counted 67 comic book movies in various stages of development. A majority will end up in developmental hell with Sergeant Rock and any project that Nic Cage has been involved with. For every good project I have heard about, there are whispers that certain projects are death warmed over. If it gets off the ground, Sandra Bullock as Wonder Woman is almost laughable. While Ashley Judd in a tight leather outfit sounds delightful, readers have panned Catwoman as one of the worst screenplays out there. Maybe it's me, but Sam Raimi's upcoming Spiderman looks dreadful and corny. A few bad efforts and Tinsel town could spike the well. Lenny could yet accidentally kill that rabbit.
