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Thursday, June 1, 2000
MARVEL'S MOVIES
In addition to X-Men and Spider-Man, Marvel has several movies that could reach theaters in the new few years.
Marvel's Avi Arad returned recently from the Cannes Film Festival, where Marvel announced a Ghost Rider movie and a 15-property alliance with Artisan Entertainment.
"It's a good time for us, obviously," Arad said.
Marvel is projecting a budget of $75 million for Ghost Rider, which is being made with Crystal Sky Entertainment, which produced Baby Geniuses. David Goyer is scripting.
"Johnny Depp is very interested in this movie, but I can't make it official yet," Arad said. "We also have a very good director, but I can't put it on the map yet."
Arad said that New Line Cinema, which produced Blade, might be involved with the distribution of Ghost Rider.
Characters involved in the Artisan deal include Captain America, Thor, Morbius, Deadpool, Black Panther, Iron Fist and Ant-Man.
Not all of the characters were listed. "We want to keep things flexible," Arad said. "As we start to work on the projects, we might fall in love with something else."
A look at the status of Marvel's other films:
The Hulk at Universal: Michael Tolkin has been brought in to rewrite the previous draft. "We'll go to directors probably in about a month," Arad said, noting the movie is being targeted for summer 2002.
Fantastic Four at Fox: "Things are moving very fast on this," Arad said. "It will probably be in the year 2001." Raja Gosnell, whose credits include Never Been Kissed and new release Big Momma's House, will direct from a script by Sam Hamm and Mike France.
Prime at Universal: Doug Chamberlain and Chris Webb are writing the story of the kid inside a super-hero. "They're just about to start scripting," Arad said, encouraged by a "terrific treatment."
Blade 2 at New Line: "We'll start production late this year or early next year," said Arad, adding that the earliest this film could reach theaters would be fall 2001. Arad said that Kris Kristofferson, who played Whistler, will return along with Wesley Snipes.
Daredevil at New Regency: This film is just being set up, and Arad said that Fox might be involved in the distribution.
Silver Surfer at Fox: Andrew Kevin Walker is writing the script for this film.
Iron Man: Arad said a deal is close to bringing Iron Man to New Line.
Damage Control: The first draft of this movie, at Village Roadshow and Warner Bros. has been turned in. "It's an all-out comedy," Arad said.
For more on Marvel's movies, go to Rob Allstetter's Show Biz column at www.marvel.com/news.
X-MEN MOVIE UPDATE
The third trailer for the X-Men movie will be available on the movie's official web site on Thursday.
The trailer should be available to download from www.x-men-the-movie.com at 11 p.m. (ET).
In other X-Men movie news:
"The only character we really flipped from the comic book drastically is Toad," DeSanto said. "That's because Toad in the comic book, I always found to be a doormat. He's this nebbish, Peter Lorre-looking non-threat.
"We wanted to make Toad threatening. We wanted to make Toad really formidable and powerful. And, really, have Ray bring what he does best to that role. He's such a great martial artist and gymnast and acrobat. The great thing about Ray is that his style of martial arts fighting is that it's all in his legs, and that's where all of Toad's power is."
BUSIEK ON AVENGERS
Writer Kurt Busiek told The Continuum that he has no plans to leave Marvel's Avengers after the announcement by artist George Perez that Avengers #34 will be his last issue.
"This is all very new news, and we're still taking it in," Busiek said. "I'll be on the book for the near future at least, since I've got open storylines to complete, and what happens beyond that will be affected by a number of factors, including who George's successor might be."
Busiek was asked whom the new artist of Avengers might be.
"Tom (Brevoort, Avengers editor) and I are talking about some pretty invigorating possibilities, both in terms of a new artist and new ideas for the series, but we're not ready to announce anything yet," Busiek said.
FANTAGRAPHICS FOR SEPTEMBER
Following are Fantagraphics Books' solicitations from September, with information provided by the company.
BLAB! VOL. 11
By various artists, edited by Monte Beauchamp.
The anthology of cutting-edge comics and illustration art is back. Sporting all-new front and back covers by painter Mark Ryden, whose work has graced the covers of everything from Juxtapoz magazine to Screaming Trees albums. Vol. 11 features 10 extra pages of color than previous volumes, and welcomes 10 new artists to the Blab! family. It also features the return of BLAB!'s most popular favorites, including Richard Sala, Peter Kuper, Lloyd Dangle, Drew Friedman, Spain Rodriguez, Doug Allen, David Goldin, Christian Northeast, Gary Baseman and Jonathan Rosen. In addition to Ryden, newcomers include American Illustration award-winner Greg Clarke, Juxtpoz artists Rob and Christian Clayton, Steven Guarnaccia and Lou Brooks.
112 pages, $19.95
COMICS JOURNAL #227
Jar of Fools and Berlin creator Jason Lutes discusses storytelling and the business of alternative comics in his first full-length interview with the Journal. Also, the team behind DC/Vertigo's 100 Bullets - writer Brian Azzarello, artist Eduardo Risso, editor Axel Alonso and cover artist Dave Johnson - reveal how their book grew from a crime-comic proposal into one of the mainstream's bona-fide hits in a quadruple-interview feature. Flip covers by Jason Lutes and Dave Johnson. Plus latest news, reviews and opinions.
112 pages, black and white, $5.95.
R. CRUMB SKETCHBOOK VOL. 8 "Early 1971 to Mid 1972" SOFTCOVER
By R. Crumb
R. Crumb is undoubtedly the foremost cartoonist of the latter 20th Century, and his sketchbooks - in which he has written and drawn continually from the early '60s to present - might rank as his finest achievement. Fantagraphics presents these sketchbooks, in facsimile form, as a comprehensive series of volumes that will eventually run well over 4,000 pages. Volume 8, covering 1971 through 1972, is the latest and it represents one of the more inquisitive and soul-searching periods in the artist's life. These sketchbooks represent, in essence, something never before achieved in the field of art and literature: a single, unified, organic, (and ongoing) life's work.
160 pages, black and white, $19.95.
DAVID BORING
By Daniel Clowes.
Now collected all in one place from the pages of Eightball - the comic series that clinched Daniel Clowes' title of "The greatest underground cartoonist in America after R.Crumb" (Newsweek) Follow David Boring through this psychological and sexual thriller as he searches to piece together everything in his life: the death of his friend Whitey; the mysterious circumstances of his girlfriend's disappearance; his search for the perfect woman; and a comic book called "The Yellow Streak." Filled with the constant anxiety of the ending of the world and a noir-ish style, this is perhaps Clowes' greatest story yet.
132 pages, hardcover, $24.95.
LUBA #5
By Gilbert Hernandez.
Gilbert Hernandez's hammer-totin' Senora from Love and Rockets returns with more family adventures. Luba hopes her daughter Socorro can bring some respectability to the family when she (Socorro) is certified a genius; Boots investigates the past and present relationships of Gato and Pipo; Luba's other daughter Doralis uncovers the mystery of Fortunato!; and, in a long-awaited story, Socorro and Joselito steal a car to follow their mother into the night and end up meeting a strange manâ¤|
24 pages, black and white, $3.50.
BRIEFLY
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