Advertisement

Leterrier looks at comic book franchises

“Hulk” director picks the next big thing(s) from TinTin to Y The Last Man

Share via
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
French-born director Louis Leterrier, whose update of "The Incredible Hulk" opens June 13, didn't grow up reading comics -- but once he started, he was hooked.


So he's already braced himself for the worst: The director is hunkered down for the night in Austin, Texas where he'll screen "Hulk" - a bigger, faster, stronger "Hulk" remake than Ang Lee's 2003 version -- for the Ain't It Cool News team and their family and friends. He's already had some experience with dealing with rabid fans after directing "The Transporter" movies. "Either I'll survive the screening and become a god, or they'll kill me," he says.


We get the director's top seven comic books he'd like to see imagined on the big screen.


Marvel's "The Avengers"



"Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, all those guys -- this is a favorite." And not be confused with the 1998 spy film of the same name. SPOILER ALERT: "A movie is going to happen. There's a final scene at the end of 'Hulk' where Tony Stark (the alter ego of Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr.) approaches the General about forming a partnership. I've always thought it would be cool to cross-pollinate superhero characters like this.")

Marvel announced last month that the first "Avengers" movie, "The First Avenger: Captain America" is slated for release in 2011.

"The Adventures of TinTin" by Georges Remi

"Of course, because I'm French, I can't wait to see Stephen Spielberg's take on 'The Adventures of TinTin.' They were actually looking for a third director (for the planned trilogy), and I thought 'Pick me! Pick me! I'm French!' But no. It didn't happen."

Spielberg and Peter Jackson will commence production on the movies based on Remi's Belgian reporter in September. Spielberg will direct the first film, Jackson the second, and the pair will co-direct the third. Thomas Sangster ("Love Actually") will play the title character.

"The Runaways" by Brian K. Vaughn




"'Runaways' is a fairly new franchise about this group of young superheroes who find out their parents are super-villains. They team up to trying to make up for all the things their parents have done. It's sort of a comic for younger audiences, but it's quite good."

Marvel Studios announced in May that it was developing the series into a movie. Vaughn, who is also a writer and co-producer of TV's "Lost," will write the screenplay.

"Marvel 1602" by Neil Gaiman

"This one poses the question: What if superheroes had existed in Elizabethan times? It's all early Marvel heroes like Captain America, X-Men and the Fantastic Four, but they're in the Dark Ages being hunted by the Inquisition. Spiderman's counterpart, Peter Parquagh, works for a spymaster and keeps almost getting bitten by weird spiders. It's a good clash."

"The Boys" by Garth Ennis





"This series is a criticism of superheroes and 'The Boys' are sort of like the cleanup crew for them. But they're not normal superheroes. In their world, which is really similar to our own, superheroes are more like people with super powers. Most of them don't abide by the moral codes that Superman or Spiderman do, so 'The Boys' are sort of like their watchmen. The problem is it's very brutal and would probably be very hard to put on screen."

Columbia Pictures acquired the rights to the comic in February and is developing a feature with producer Neal H. Moritz ("I Am Legend").

"Y: The Last Man" by Brian K. Vaughn

"Also by Brian K. Vaughn. I really wanted to adapt this one myself! It starts like every boy's fantasy: a world where only women are left and you're the last guy standing. Of course, it becomes a nightmare though. A very interesting take on the apocalypse."

"Disturbia" director DJ Caruso is set to direct the upcoming film with Shia LeBeouf in talks to star as Y.

"Fables" by Bill Willingham

"What happens after 'Happily Ever After?' Nothing good. In this world, Snow White has left Prince Charming, who turned out to be a drunk and a womanizer, and all these fairy tale characters have been shipped off to a place called Fabletown where Snow's little sister Rose Red may have been killed. The 'Fables' stories are like mini thrillers where everyone is either on the run or really immoral."

A series based on the comics was developed by NBC in 2005 but never took off.

Advertisement