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Friday, July 7, 2000

PRODUCER TALKS X-MEN MOVIE

Lauren Shuler Donner, producer of the X-Men movie, talked about sequels, possible future characters and why the X-Men wear black costumes during an online chat on Thursday.

Here's a rundown of her comments:

  • On screenings so far: "There have only been a few screenings and they were really well received. But we just literally finished the picture last weekend, and they didn't start printing until Sunday. So we didn't have a chance to really screen it because we didn't want to miss any effects."

  • On possible sequels: "In all honesty, yes, our plan was always to make this a franchise, which is why some characters were included and some are to be introduced in the sequels. But, of course, economics dictate that the first movie must do well to spend money on another."

  • What's appealing about X-Men? "That it deals with prejudice. And being treated as an outsider or being hated and feared because you are the minority. I'm very thematically oriented. Also, I'm very draw to the characters, in particular Wolverine, because I think he's a tragic hero."

  • Was casting difficult? "Yes, very difficult. Even more so because rather than just getting the best actor for the role, we had a certain image that the fans are expecting to look and act like the characters."

  • Is X-Men an action movie? "No, I wouldn't call it an action movie. I would call it a movie with some action. And our efforts are more subtle, because every character, as you know, has a power. So the effects are constant throughout, from beginning to end. But we think they're pretty incredible."

  • Why break from the traditional costumes? "First of all, the costumes themselves have evolved and changed color through the years. We felt if we went with any of the colors, say the yellow and blue, that it would not be realistic that they would be walking around in the world wearing yellow and blue spandex fighting. We chose black because it would cloak and hide them in the darkness. But they have their colors stitched on the black."

  • What happened to Gambit? "Next movie, he'll be in the next movie. Write 20th Century Fox and express your desire for a sequel."

  • Why is David Hayter credited as the sole screenwriter? "Because that's what the writer's guild determination became and they decide. And because Bryan (Singer, director) chose a certain story that did not include all the screenplays that were previously written."

  • Would someone unfamiliar with the comic understand the plot of the movie? "Yes, we made sure that even if you are not an X-Men fan or even knowledgeable about the X-Men, that you could understand the film and relate to the characters in the story."

  • On the hardest effects: "There were so many hard ones â¤| Mystique's morphing was a difficult one."

  • Does she believe in mutants? "I do actually. Because I believe two-fold. I believe when Einstein says we're only using 10 percent of our brain. If we did use another 10 or 20 percent, we would have telepathic powers or ESP. And I believe the human race is evolving. I know, for example, less people are getting wisdom teeth, because we no longer need to chew what we did as a caveman. So I do believe."

  • On working with director Bryan Singer: "It was terrific. He did a great job."

  • On Patrick Stewart (Professor Xavier) and Ian McKellen (Magneto): "Oh, they were pros. They were examples to the rest of our cast. They set a high standard because they are so talented and so experienced."

  • On Ray Park (Toad): "Oh, he's great, a really nice man. And physically very capable. He did his own stunts."

  • Who lives in the X-Mansion? "Xavier, Jean Grey, Cyclops and Storm. And lots of other, younger X-Men. The young Iceman, the young Kitty Pryde, young Pyro and others."

  • Was she aware of X-Men before working on the movie? "No, I was not. It was brought to my attention. So I first read biographies of all the characters. Then I read 100 comics! And saw all the Saturday morning cartoons."

  • Can a 7-year-old see X-Men? "Yes, it's PG-13. But bearing in mind that these characters - Wolverine does slash with his claws. There is violence in it, but it's not bloody violence, so it should be OK."

  • Why didn't Halle Berry bleach her hair instead of wearing a wig as Storm? "Would you bleach your hair white? Also her hair was short. Although some versions of Storm's hair were short, we wanted the Storm with the long hair, so even if she bleached it, it wouldn't have worked. We never even asked her. I don't want her to seem uncooperative. She was great."

  • Will there be a director's cut of X-Men? "Probably not. Because we shot it with a PG-13 rating in mind. So we shot it right to the edge. We didn't go overboard and then pull it back; it would have been too diluted them."

  • Will there be a director's commentary on the DVD? "Yes, there will be."

  • What makes a good producer? "A good sense of story. Knowing what's best for the movie. And a sense of humor."

  • Will she be producing any other comics-based movies? "Yes, we're going to make a movie out of John Constantine Hellblazer. It's a DC comic book. But he's not really a super-hero. And we'd also like to make a movie out of Speed Racer."

    X-MEN MOVIE ROUNDUP

    The X-Men movie premiere will be next Wednesday on Ellis Island in New York City.

    Scheduled to appear from the movie are director Bryan Singer and stars Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Anna Paquin, Ray Park, Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Tyler Mane.

    Other celebrities at the premiere will include Keith Richards and Heidi Klum. After the screening, there will be fireworks.

    In other X-Men movie news:

  • TV Guide will be publishing six different X-Men covers, featuring heroic characters Professor Xavier, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine and Rogue.

  • E! News Daily provided more behind-the-scenes footage of X-Men on Thursday. E! Reporter Jules Asner said she had seen the film on Wednesday. "It was very good," Asner said. "I was very excited and it was really worth it." Asner said she would be in New York next week to report on the film.

    MCFARLANE LOSES SUIT

    A jury has awarded more than $24 million to Tony Twist, a former hockey player who claimed his name was stolen for use in the Spawn comic book series.

    According to Reuters and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Twist, a former St. Louis Blues player, sued Todd McFarlane, creator of the Spawn' comic book and HBO cartoon series, on the grounds that the mobster character Antonio Twistelli was named after him without his consent.

    The St. Louis Circuit Court jury Wednesday agreed with Twist and awarded him $24.5 million. A marketing consultant who testified during the trial had suggested that Twist could be entitled to as much as 20 percent of all Spawn revenues of about $120 million.

    McFarlane's lawyer, Edwin Akers, said he was shocked by the size of the award and would ask St. Louis Circuit Judge Robert H. Dierker Jr., who presided over the trial, to change it.

    McFarlane said he would appeal. Otherwise, he said, the award could put him out of business.

    McFarlane had testified the Twist name came from an old-time mob figure's nickname; but in a letter once sent to a fan he had said the character was named after a player for the Quebec Nordiques, Twist's former team.

    Co-defendant HBO settled with Twist during the trial for an undisclosed sum.

    DARK HORSE FOR OCTOBER

    Following are Dark Horse's solicitations for October, with information coming from the company.

    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: GILES

    By Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegowski and Eric Powell, cover by Powell.

    For four years, Giles has acted as Buffy's Watcher. In this special tale, readers will follow him on a rare solo adventure. The death of his former mentor draws Giles back to England, where he discovers that the Watcher's Council is guarding a terrible secret, one which may bring about the resurrection of the dark Elder Gods. And even though the Council does not want his help, Giles may be the only person with the knowledge to stop the coming of this supernatural terror.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 4.

    DIGIMON #9

    By Dark Horse and Daniel Hdr, cover by Nigel Dobbyn.

    Adrift on an icy ocean, Tai and his digital monster companion Agumon crash into a mysterious snow-covered land. Just when they start to think they're alone on the island, they run into an angry Frigimon. Will Tai and Agumon be able to defeat Frigimon and his deadly sub zero ice punch? Will they ever be reunited with their friends?

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 4.

    OH MY GODDESS!: PART IX #4

    By Kosuke Fujishima, translated by Studio Proteus.

    "Queen Sayoko," part two of five. Keiichi and the goddesses brave campus queen Sayoko's newly conjured castle to find out who's behind her acquired powers and the hijacking of Nekomi Tech! Sayoko's castle is full of more traps than a fur hunter's cabin: goddess Skuld takes on the bomb-crazy maniacs of the Nekomi Chemistry Department; goddess Urd fights the brawny boys of the Arcade Gamers' Club; and the deceptively sweet ladies of the Nekomi Tech Tea Club have a special surprise for Keiichi and goddess Belldandy. The race to reach Sayoko's inner sanctum and rescue the campus is on.

    40 pages black and white, $3.50, ships on Oct. 4.

    THE RING OF THE NIBELUNG: THE VALKYRIE #3

    By P. Craig Russell, cover by Russell.

    Brunhilde, daughter to Voton and leader of the fearsome Valkyries, lives only to serve her father. But when she is ordered to destroy Sigmund and Sieglindé, she balks, believing Voton has ordered her to do it against his will. But when her father's wrath is turned on her, she discovers that it is unwise to question a god in anything.

    32 pages, $2.95, ships on Oct. 4.

    STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL #2

    By Ron Marz, Jan Duursema and Rick Magyar.

    The criminal organization Black Sun is feared across the galaxy. There is very little that their power and corruption do not influence. But now the tables are turned as the scheming Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, has sent his merciless enforcer, Darth Maul, to make sure that Black Sun stays out of his affairs. Gaining entrance to Black Sun, Maul works his way to the inner sanctum of the organization -- and that's when the destruction begins.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 4.

    ANGEL #12

    By Christopher Golden, Ton Sniegoski, Christian Zanier and Andy Owens, cover by Mike Mignola.

    What could be a less likely spot for evil than an amusement park? When Cordelia has a vision of a kidnapped little girl, Angel finds out that even this seemingly innocent spot can hide a lurking terror. "Vermin" is the first of a two-part story that kicks off the six Autumnal tales in the pages of Angel and Buffy.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 11.

    BATTLE GODS: WARRIORS OF THE CHAAK #7

    By Francisco Ruiz Velasco.

    It seems like the moment of truth is near in the battle between the two powerful fighters, Chilbacan and Takan. Both men are tapped into the power of the sleeping, ancient Mayan gods, and the arena literally shakes from their conflict. Earth has never witnessed a battle like this before! So, could there be a worse time for rogue archaeologist Derek to reunite the severed head of the Mayan warrior Pajaro-Jaguar with its petrified body and awaken the sleeping gods?

    32 pages, $2.99, ship on Oct. 11.

    GREEN LANTERN VS. ALIENS #2

    By Ron Marz, Rick Leonard and Mike Perkins, cover by Dwayne Turner.

    Kyle Rayner, inheritor of the Green Lantern legacy, is called to action by a group of former Green Lantern Corps members to rescue a star freighter that has crashed on an Alien-plagued world -- the same world visited by GL Hal Jordan a decade earlier. This could prove to be Kyle's greatest challenge to date: not just in defeating this near-unstoppable menace, but in forcing Kyle to face his own fears and weaknesses. Is a good man with one power ring enough to destroy a planet-wide infestation of Aliens? And if so, can he live with himself afterwards? Co-published with DC Comics.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 11.

    SHADOW LADY SPECIAL

    By Masakazu Katsura, translated by Studio Protues.

    Shawdow Lady concludes with a stand-alone, super-sized finale. In this tale, readers are treated to an "alternate" take on the Shadow Lady story, featuring the main characters as younger, cooler, cuter versions of themselves. This full-length story (with no ads) features 18-year-old Aimi Komori, who is smitten with a new transfer student, Bright Honda. Bright is so obsessed with crime and criminals that his classmates think he's crazy. Aimi receives a special treasure: a magic eye-shadow kit. One brush transforms her from shy schoolgirl to sizzling Shadow Lady, ready to help Bright Honda in his war on the town's crime wave. But when the haughty Bright turns down her help, he unleashes the scorn of a Shadow Lady spurned...but she still wants him to fall for her! Will he love Aimi ...or her shadowy, sexy alter ego?

    48 pages, black and white, $3.99, ships on Oct. 11.

    SPACE CIRCUS #4

    By Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones.

    It was -- past-tense -- the greatest show in the galaxy ... but now the Doodah Brothers' Astral Travelling Entertainment and Fun Brigade is in the clutches of Captain Quark and the Space Pirates of Salgari. Young Earthling Todd Cooper is the only thing that just might be able to stop them from plundering the galaxy.

    32 pages, $2.95, ships on Oct. 11.

    XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS - SLAVE TRADE PAPERBACK

    By John Wagner, Joyce Chin, Mike Deodaro Jr., Clint Hilinski, Fabiano Neves and Walden Wong.

    In the aftermath of dying and being resurrected, Xena travels to Egypt for some much needed R&R. But a run-in with slave traders and the rescue of a young girl in chains leaves little room for rest as Xena discovers the girl is Egyptian royalty and the center of a plot involving none other than Cleopatra - and Set, the Egyptian god of evil. Xena must stop the blood sacrifice that will bring the fearsome Set into this world, but she'll have to cut her way through the Egyptian priesthood and the Roman Army to get the job done.

    80 pages, $9.95, ships on Oct. 11.

    DIGIMON #10

    By Dark Horse and Andy Kuhn, cover by Nigel Dobbyn.

    In "A Clue From the Digi-Past," Mimi can't seem to stay out of trouble. First, she is pursued by Sukamon and Chuumon, two Digimon who have fallen in love with her. She's then attacked by Centarumon, a Black Gear-possessed Digimon. But Centarumon may be able to help Mimi and her friends discover why they're on File Island, and he may be the only one who can save them when the evil (?) Leomon attacks.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 18.

    GUNSMITH CATS: MISTER V #1

    By Kenichi Sonoda, translated by Studio Proteus.

    The final year of the regular Gunsmith Cats series begins with a bang, with a specially low-priced 48-page issue. The Cats' informant Becky gets word that a new Italian Mafia syndicate is moving into Chicago in full force, pushing a new drug called Kerasine Two. These new thugs are taking out police sharpshooters and tearing through competing Mafia groups like they were made of wet paper. But Rally knows who's behind it all: her arch-enemy Goldie, back to make good on her promise to make Rally her personal slave! It all pays off in Mister. V, where old friends and enemies return, and secrets are revealed -- including the truth behind the disappearance of Rally's father.

    48 pages, black and white, $3.50, ships on Oct. 18.

    MADMAN COMICS: THE G-MEN FROM HELL #3

    By Mike Allred.

    Agents Mattress and Crept have joined forces with Triple-Eye agent, Chow Skip Wang, and are now deep in the bowels of the monstrous Monstadt building, struggling to save Frank Einstein, otherwise known as Madman. In this issue, the Agents reveal more of their past to Wang, and readers get to see them on very first mission as ... The G-Men From Hell. This issue's back cover pinup art is by Peter Kuper.

    24 pages, $2.95, ships on Oct. 18.

    BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #50

    By Hiroaki Samura, translated by Studio Proteus.

    "The Gathering." part eight of 15. Ittö-ryü swordsmen, masters of dirty fighting, have strung Manji up in a tree with barbed spikes. Handa and Uruma are more than ready to find out just how immortal Manji is -- by chopping him into little pieces! With his body pierced by Uruma's spikes, and two trained assassins ready to use every trick in the book to kill him, matters couldn't get much worse. All the samurai has to save him is his ingenuity and the supernatural bloodworms that keep him alive. But this time, will he have a body left for the worms to knit back together...?

    32 pages, black and white, $2.99, ships on Oct. 25.

    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #26

    By Chris Boal, Cliff Richards and Joe Pimentel, cover by John Totleben.

    In part one of the two-part "The Heart of the Slayer," Buffy is being stalked by a creature intent on killing her so that it can bring about the end of the world. So what else is new? The only person who can save her is a Slayer who should have died a long time ago. Confused? Well, so are Buffy and the gang.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 24.

    GHOST - BATGIRL #3

    By Mike Kennedy and Ryan Benjamin, cover by Benjamin.

    Ghost has two unnerving encounters. The first is with Carver -- one of Two-Face's murdered henchmen who has been resurrected by the crime lord Greymater -- who provides Ghost with a frightening glimpse at what it's like to really be dead. The second is with Batgirl, whose life prior to donning the cape may have been even bleaker and more disturbing than Ghost's own. Meanwhile, having located her missing friend, the wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon must wrestle with the consequences of returning the girl to her parents. But has exposure to Greymater's Resurrection Engine left the girl more undead than alive? All this and a battle with Towering Chris, too. Co-published with DC Comics.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 25.

    GRENDEL: DEVIL'S LEGACY #8

    By Matt Wagner and The Pander Brothers.

    Believing she has defeated her nemesis, Tujiro XIV, Christine Spar returns home to New York, but the police are there waiting for her! She has her first face-to-face meeting with Grendel's greatest foe, Argent the Wolf, and emerges the victor -- but for how long? Meanwhile, Brian Li Sung has his own run-in with the law. Dark Horse proudly continues to re-present the long out-of-print Grendel: Devil's Legacy, with new painted covers by Matt Wagner and new colors by Jeromy Cox.

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 25.

    LONE WOLF AND CUB VOL. 3 TRADE PAPERBACK

    By Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, cover by Frank Miller.

    Join renegade samurai Itto Ogami and his infant son, Daigoro, in five more adventures on the dark road to Hell. What do three mysterious Shogunate assassins, a street entertainer, and the crests of the dead have in common? "The Baby Cart Wolf" continues his dealing of death for gold and encounters one ronin who is bent on putting a stop to his journey. Will he succeed?

    304 pages, black and white, $9.95, whips on Oct. 24.

    OH MY GODDESS!: NINJA MASTER TPB

    By Kosuke Fujishima, translated by Dan Lewis and Toren Smith, cover by Fujishima.

    What's faster than a speeding bullet and leaps tall buildings in a single bound? In Japan, it's ninja, of course. And now the demon Mara, in her ceaseless campaign against the earthbound goddesses Urd, Skuld, and Belldandy, has summoned up Ninja Master Kodama, mistress of confusion, to sow ill will among the sisters. It's easy enough to set the troublesome Urd and Skuld at each other's throats, but can she use her more "charming" powers to split up Belldandy and her very much non-godlike boyfriend Keiichi?

    152 pages, black and white, $13.95, ships on Oct. 25.

    STAR WARS #23

    By Pat Mills, Ramon F. Bachs and Raul Fernandez, cover by Andrew Robinson.

    "Infinity's End," part one of four. The planet Ova and all its inhabitants have mysteriously disappeared. Now it's up to Jedi Quinlan Vos to discover why. His investigation takes him on an undercover journey to the planet of Dathomir where he must take on the role of a slave and bend to the will of the various warring clans of witches who rule the planet. Will Quin be able to find the answer to Ova's disappearance before he falls prey to the dark side?

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 25.

    USAGI YOJIMBO #42

    By Stan Sakai.

    Usagi and his friends, Gen and Sanshobo, continue their journey to Atsuta Shrine to deliver Grasscutter, the sword of the gods, when they are ambushed by the Neko Ninja clan. During the battle, the Komori bat ninja clan swoops in and steals the blade. Usagi and Chizu, the leader of the Neko, must now form an uneasy alliance to retrieve the sword, as an assassin stalks Chizu.

    24 pages, black and white, $2.95.

    XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS #14

    By Ian Edginton and Mike Dedato Jr., cover by Terry Dodson.

    What starts out as a money making enterprise, hatched by master thief Autolycus, ends in disaster when Xena discovers her pal has been using a spell to enchant sculptures of Xena and Gabrielle, bringing them to life and then renting them out to lonely gentlemen. And just when it looks as though it can't get any worse -- it does: the spell is stolen and is used to make a huge army of golem-like monsters. Will Xena be able to stop the madness before it's too late?

    32 pages, $2.99, ships on Oct. 25.

    FIRST LOOK -- BATMAN: EGO

    Batman: Ego ships on Aug. 30 from DC Comics. The issue was written by and has art by Darwyn Cooke.

    Here's how DC Comics describes the book:

    "When a petty theft caused the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne, the scars on the lone witness -- young Bruce Wayne -- went deeper than any physical wound ever could. Haunted by the moment when he watched, powerless, as those he loved most met their deaths, young Bruce would be changed forever as he grew to adulthood and became the Dark Knight known as the Batman. In August, a bold and stylish Prestige Format one-shot -- Batman: Ego -- offers a glimpse of the psychological conflicts that drove Batman early in his career. Written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, who has spent years working with Bruce Timm on storyboards for the Batman animated series, Batman: Ego finds Bruce Wayne tortured by the idea that he's slowly growing numb to the violence that plagues Gotham City. Feeling the weight of his commitment to his city, the Dark Knight fears that he's reached the end of his rope. Bruce Wayne discovers the greatest battles take place within."

    Batman: Ego will be 64 pages and will cost $6.95.

    GIVE'EM A CLICK



    BRIEFLY

  • Coming Monday: X-Men news, solicitations and much more!!!
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