Multiverse Goes Hollywood: Pitch Session
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 7:23 pm
Okay nerds, let’s say you’ve been given a shot at pitching a comic book movie to a major studio. But it has to be one for a comic book that hasn’t been done before. What’s the book? Whose your dream cast? What’s the basic plot and tone you’re looking at?
Here’s mine:
The Metal Men, with Stephen Fry as Doctor Magnus, Hugh Laurie as Mercury (“The only metal that’s liquid at room temperature!”), Adrianne Palicki as Platinum (“You keep forgetting about cesium.”), Ving Rhames as Iron, Nicholas Brendan as Tin, Patton Oswald as Lead, and David Boreanaz as Gold. (Joss Whedon to direct.)
Set in the1950’s or 1960’s, for that swinging Goldfinger vibe on the surface but with some dramatic Mad Men subtext. All the actors above have a proven track record of being able to do comedy, drama, and blending the two.
I’m generally not fond of superhero movies that are “origin stories,” since I think that it’s kind of silly to retell the story of the radioactive spider that bites the baby alien after his pod crash lands in a Gotham City alleyway. I mean, most of these stores have so seeped into popular culture that retelling them is just a waste of time... But, in the case of the Metal Men, I think they are unknown to most of the public. So it would work as the basic skeleton to build the plot around.
In 1950-Something, the opening credit sequence shows us the Justice Society of America battling the Nazis during WWII, then the rise of McCarthyism, the JSA disband, and we see the darkness of the Iron Curtain descending on Europe. The Berlin Wall, parades in Red Square that feature Soviet super-humans and ICBMs. Korean War footage with Chinese supers routing American G.I.’s. Sort of like in Watchmen... Which brings us to the start of our story.
Dr. Magnus gives his speech about his responsometer, bridges that build themselves because we ask them too, and so forth. But then he gets roped into building his Metal Men for the military.
A corrupt member of Magnus’s science team, T.O. Morrow, steals an unfinished
responsometer and sells it to the Soviets, offering to build a super-robot for them. The Red Tornado! Dun-dun-dummm!
Glorious finale fight scene ensues.
Here’s mine:
The Metal Men, with Stephen Fry as Doctor Magnus, Hugh Laurie as Mercury (“The only metal that’s liquid at room temperature!”), Adrianne Palicki as Platinum (“You keep forgetting about cesium.”), Ving Rhames as Iron, Nicholas Brendan as Tin, Patton Oswald as Lead, and David Boreanaz as Gold. (Joss Whedon to direct.)
Set in the1950’s or 1960’s, for that swinging Goldfinger vibe on the surface but with some dramatic Mad Men subtext. All the actors above have a proven track record of being able to do comedy, drama, and blending the two.
I’m generally not fond of superhero movies that are “origin stories,” since I think that it’s kind of silly to retell the story of the radioactive spider that bites the baby alien after his pod crash lands in a Gotham City alleyway. I mean, most of these stores have so seeped into popular culture that retelling them is just a waste of time... But, in the case of the Metal Men, I think they are unknown to most of the public. So it would work as the basic skeleton to build the plot around.
In 1950-Something, the opening credit sequence shows us the Justice Society of America battling the Nazis during WWII, then the rise of McCarthyism, the JSA disband, and we see the darkness of the Iron Curtain descending on Europe. The Berlin Wall, parades in Red Square that feature Soviet super-humans and ICBMs. Korean War footage with Chinese supers routing American G.I.’s. Sort of like in Watchmen... Which brings us to the start of our story.
Dr. Magnus gives his speech about his responsometer, bridges that build themselves because we ask them too, and so forth. But then he gets roped into building his Metal Men for the military.
A corrupt member of Magnus’s science team, T.O. Morrow, steals an unfinished
responsometer and sells it to the Soviets, offering to build a super-robot for them. The Red Tornado! Dun-dun-dummm!
Glorious finale fight scene ensues.