I was literally about to hit the hay when I spotted an Expendables Facebook page (with a nod to MovieWeb) put up these three rather astonishing comic promotional images for the new movie. They show Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Scott Adkins, in comic form and I absolutely love them! I have no idea if these are official or not (I’m pretty sure they are not – let me know if I’m wrong) but thanks to however made them for doing something a little different and putting a smile on my face! If of course they are legit, kudos to Lionsgate for doing something a bit different with your marketing plans.

The Expendables 2 stars Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Liam Hemsworth and is directed by Simon West. It’ll be with us here in the UK 17th August.

The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal… Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time – six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way….

Click the images to enlarge and click here to view the first trailer for the movie.

Here’s the first image from the new Judge Dredd movie, titled simply Dredd, and our first look at the Karl Urban chin.

Taken from a rehersal and found on 2000ADonline by our friends at Bleeding Cool the size of Urban’s helmet is the subject of much discussion on the various forums and comment boards across the internet but to my mind (and bearing in mind this is still subject to change) this image looks pretty great and is perfect to get the Dredd hype train moving.

Here’s your pic.

Here’s the whole Dreddful history.

Well folks we have finally been treated to some new news on the upcoming Judge Dredd film.  In an attempt to bring back the bad ass Judge from the dead, the powers that be have decided to shorten the name from Judge Dredd to the more powerful sounding DREDD

This sci-fi action flick stars Karl Urban in the title role, Olivia Thirlby as Cassandra and Pete Travis in the director’s chair.

IM GLOBAL, one of the producers of the film, has provided a synopsis for the adaptation of the famous British comic series:

We here at HeyUGuys are big fans of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, so when we were given the chance to use the costume actually worn by Aaron Johnson in the film we decided we had to make something special.

A few weeks ago we took to the streets of London, with our Editor Dave Sztypuljak gamely adorned in the Kick-Ass suit to make the video you can see below.

To help us in our endeavour we enlisted the help of the very best real life superheroes we could find, they are: S.O.S., Kid X, the grey masked telepath (from the future) Suplex and Dr. Amazing and General Bovine from our favourite Superhero rock band, Justice Force 5.

Big thanks to Bleeding Cool and Ben Mortimer who overcame his enormous hangover to produce the video expertly.

You can buy the Kick-Ass Blu-ray and DVD here (something we strongly urge you to do), or if you’re feeling lucky you can try and win a copy of the film on Blu-ray in our competition here.

You can find out out all about S.O.S. alter ego Steve Sale’s epic documentary Superhero Me, which looks at the phenomenon of real life superheroes at his Superhero Me website, and you can watch the film online here. To listen to more from the outstanding Justice Force 5 click here to be whisked away to their site.

To celebrate the release of Kick-Ass, out to own on Blu-ray & DVD from September 6^th, we have teamed up with Universal to offer you the chance to win a copy of Matthew Vaughn’s amazing film on Blu-ray.

The film was a hit with HeyUGuys, you can read our review here, and we have ten copies of the movie on Blu-ray to give away. You can find out more at www.kickass-themovie.co.uk

With fantastic action scenes, great humour and style, Kick-Ass is pure entertainment. When Dave Lizewski, an ordinary teenager, sets about trying to become the no-power vigilante Kick-Ass, he soon discovers he’s not alone. But he’s out of his depth – a fearless and highly trained father-daughter crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy and Hit Girl, have declared war on New-York mafioso, Frank D’Amico.

As Kick-Ass and his new found friend, Red Mist, get drawn into their no-holds-barred world of bullets and blood, the stage is set for a final showdown – in which the DIY hero will have to live up to his name…or die trying.

All you need to do is answer the following question using the form below.

Which actress plays Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close Monday the 6th of September at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

OUT TO OWN ON BLU-RAY & DVD FROM SEPTEMBER 6^TH

© 2009 KA Films LP. All Rights Reserved. Artwork and Packaging Design

© 2010 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Today we learnt that the rumoured film adaptation of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Nemesis is to be directed by Tony Scott. The news was first leaked out by Bleeding Cool and then confirmed by Deadline.

Following the success of the film version of Millar’s Kick-Ass, a film of Nemesis seemed inevitable but things appear to be moving pretty fast with Tony Scott already on board to direct and Scott Free producing.

Update: Mark Millar has commented on the news on the Millarworld forums and confirmed that he has already spoken to Tony Scott about casting and budget and that the budget is “way more than Wanted and Kick-Ass put together”. That’s over $100 million. Regarding the casting and Scott’s choice Millar said, “The actor he’s shooting for as the lead character is going to blow your socks off.”

Now I know a lot of people are fans of Tony Scott but I’m not one of them. He’s made a lot of popular films that I consider to be pretty terrible, although this probably isn’t the best time for me to go off on a rant about that…

Is he a good choice for Nemesis though? He may just be. Nemesis has so far been a flashy comic with not much substance or emotional resonance. That might sound a bit harsh but Nemesis isn’t entirely failing because of this. It is still quite fun and the exploitative nature of the comic has been enough to suck me in past issue one.

Mark Millar teased Nemesis with the tagline “What if Batman was the Joker?”. He also described the comic using the tagline “What if Batman was a total c**t?” which highlights Mark Millar’s particular knack for grabbing headlines. The idea is simply what if a character like The Joker had all the money and resources at Batman’s disposal but still had the same sick and twisted world view.

Nemesis is now two issues in and, as I said above, I’ve not been that impressed by it. The artwork by Steve McNiven is fantastic though (check out the below image from Marvel.com for an example of the quality of work here) but the writing seems weak by comparison.

Here’s a brief run down of the plot that Millar shared with CBR before the release of the comic:

Nemesis is the world’s smartest man, and the bad news for us is that he’s the world’s only super-villain. That means he’s got freeze guns and jump-jets and all these James Bond gadgets and he’s using them against us. To entertain himself, he picks a different cop every year and makes his life a misery. The book opens with him fucking over Japan’s top cop, and then our story, the mini-series, takes place as he shifts his attention to Washington and his first American attacks.

So what do you think of the news that Tony Scott is on board to direct Nemesis? (feel free to also leave hate filled comments about how I’m wrong about Tony Scott and how Top Gun is brilliant)

With the DVD of Kick-Ass hitting the streets across the pond tomorrow The New York Post have given us a peek inside the extra features with a look at the crimson caped crusader – Red Mist.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse did a great job in the film as the wayward rich kid who takes up the fight alongside Aaron Johnson’s Kick-Ass and the fact that this film didn’t do the business it should have in the States is kind of a sore point, so I’m hoping that our American cousins give this film a chance on DVD.

With news of a sequel leaking out I think it’s time to reignite the homemade superhero flame and enjoy Kick-Ass all over again.

Here’s the featurette, go crazy.

Needing little in the way of an introduction, and with an all-star cast including Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage (Gone In 60 Seconds, Face/Off), Mark Strong (Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Role Models), KICK-ASS is a relentlessly funny, jaw dropping action film, available to own on Blu-ray and DVD on 6 September.

Packed full of awesome action showdowns, KICK-ASS is undoubtedly one of the smartest and most anarchic comic book adaptations ever and to celebrate the release we’re giving away a copy of KICK-ASS: CREATING THE COMIC, MAKING THE MOVIE with three runner-ups winning a copy of Mark Miller’s KICK-ASS THE GRAPHIC NOVEL.

With Mark Millar as your guide, KICK-ASS: CREATING THE COMIC, MAKING THE MOVIE gives you the full inside story of how this super-hero phenomenon went from his little lined pad to a huge Hollywood movie in record time, featuring Millar’s early comic book scripts, eye-popping Romita art, including new pages drawn especially for the movie, exclusive contributions from cast and crew and hundreds of movie photos, sketches, storyboards and pieces of production art!

KICK-ASS: CREATING THE COMIC, MAKING THE MOVIE is available to buy on Titan’s shiny new website – www.titanbooks.com – pay them a visit for up-to-the-minute news on much-loved fan-boy and fan-girl brands like Kick-Ass. The new site also features exclusive interviews with Titan’s authors and artists, guest blogs, sample chapters, exclusive sneak previews, fantastic competitions, video clips of games and films, quizzes and behind-the-scenes news from the Titan staff!

To be in with a chance of winning simply answer the following question using the form below…

What is then name of crime Mafioso ring-leader in KICK-ASS…?

1. Talk To Frank
2. Frank D’Amico
3. Frank Butcher

Competition NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• This competition is open worldwide – you can enter from any country
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close Monday 9th of August at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Film(c) 2009 KA Films LP. All Rights Reserved.

Packaging Design (c) 2010 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Eric Powell’s comic The Goon has a wonderfully bold style, and when Jamie posted the first test footage from the project a few days ago we had our first chance to see what Blue Sky had in store for Powell’s creation.

After storming Comic Con last night Powell, voice actor Paul Giamatti and producer David Fincher gave the crowds a look at the full test footage for The Goon and thanks to MTV we’ve got this below for you to enjoy.

There’s a Sam and Max/Grim Fandango feeling to this one, and one of the quotes from Powell (from a report by FirstShowing) made me smile,

There’s not a Hollywood moment in it, this is 100% Goon from the comics

Here’s the footage, look for this one to whip up a storm when more news comes in.

The Matt Reeves directed Let Me In currently has critics and audiences divided.

Being an American remake of the hugely successful Let The Right One In, Matt Reeves is going to have a hard time convincing audiences another take on John Ajvide Lindqvist is needed.

Slash Film have reported that, in a way to whet audiences appetite’s, Dark Horse Comics have felt compelled to release a prequel comic-book entitled Let Me In: Crosswords.

Written by Marc Andreyko and illustrated by Patric Reynolds, I’m intrigued to see the finished project, especially after seeing the images of Reynolds’ vision. The question is though – how much of the mystery will be explained and will knowing more about the film’s characters have a negative impact for the film?

Check below for the images:

Reported by Jamie Neish

The name of Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker successor was confirmed last week, with the news that British actor Andrew Garfield would be donning the red and blue spandex. We’ve heard many names mentioned since the as yet Untitled Spider-Man Reboot was announced several months ago, some well known, others not so much. That such a relatively unknown actor has been cast is not a great surprise, and that fact that he is British doesn’t really matter one way or the other, particularly as he was born in LA. What came as a surprise to some people, however, was the follow-up story that he would only be earning $500,000 for the gig.

A small amount for a lead actor in Hollywood terms generally, but when you consider that the previous Spider-man movies have all made around half a billion dollars each, it seems like a ridiculously low sum. Is this an outrage? Are Sony guilty of cynical greed? Or is it a fair figure for an unknown actor, in his first major movie production, who cannot offer any drawing power at the box office?

Clearly, there is a massive financial factor involved not just in this casting, but in the idea behind the reboot itself. Sam Raimi’s Spider-man series was hugely successful, but success can often come at a price. Whilst the first movie made $400m domestically, that amount decreased with each subsequent movie. Conversely, the money required to keep the franchise’s stars coming back was increasing each time. As the storylines had to become more elaborate to keep interest up, and outdo the last entry, production budgets will have inevitably increased too. Marketing costs probably also escalated. Sony were still making a profit, and a big one on the face of it. However, this profit was decreasing exponentially, and with Spiderman 4 on the horizon, and the expected payround discussions looming, you can begin to see why Sony decided to get out before the margin all but disappeared.

By starting from scratch, they can ensure a minimal production cost, with low salaries and a smaller scale production. They can also, and this is where the cynicism raises its head, trade off of the popularity and success of Raimi’s series to make a comparable gross profit to the preceding three films. A $400m gross looks infinitely better against production costs of $40m than it does against around $140m. Cynical, maybe, but is this too harsh a view to take of their actions?

The truth is, Maguire didn’t earn THAT much more for his first outing as the web slinging hero. Maguire wasn’t as well known as he is now, but was definitely more recognisable than Garfield to a mainstream audiences, having appeared in films such as Wonderboys and The Cider House Rules. If the studio had really wanted to be greedy, they would have cast a more well known, young actor for around the same amount, who they know would draw in fans based on their established celebrity. It may be that Sony’s decision is partly financially motivated, but if you look closer, you can see some promising signs.

Garfield hasn’t made many Hollywood movies before, having appeared in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus last year, and Fincher’s forthcoming The Social Network. He is an actor rather than a male model, however, and a respected one at that. By casting a young British actor with credits in TV and theatre, they are attempting to get someone who can well handle the drama and emotional turmoil that is inherent in the Peter Parker character, rather than just a pretty face that will look good on the poster.

They have already shown by their choice of director that they are looking to craft a serious, warm and engaging story. Marc Webb has only made one movie so far, but last year’s 500 Days of Summer was very well received, and was one of the best romantic dramas of recent years. He showed a sure hand, with some great unique ideas.

It is a bit of a gamble maybe, to take on such an inexperienced feature director, and his lack of credits will certainly mean that he was a cheaper option than someone who is more established. The important thing for me, though, is that Webb’s appointment holds the promise of something special. I am an advocate of bold rather than safe, solid choices when it comes to filmmakers, and if it pays off we could, potentially, have the most well rounded comic book adaptation, with a thrilling action movie anchored by compelling personal drama. The only potential sticking point with me is the choice of writer. James Venderbilt was responsible for Fincher’s decent Zodiac, but also wrote the brainless Welcome to the Jungle and The Losers.

I was originally against the idea of the Spider-man reboot, because i thought it was being done purely for the wrong reasons. The more i think about it, though, the more excited i am by the chance that we could get something unique, something great, rather than the overblown Spider-man 4 we could well have had, if Raimi had continued to direct, and the studio had continued to interfere due to their financial concerns. We will see with the choices of actors for the rest of the characters whether acting ability remains a central casting decision. If it does, then i think Sony should be given a pass. As always, we’ll keep you updated with the news as we get it.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

We are big fans of Kick-Ass here at HeyUGuys and in particular Chloe Moretz’s fantastic performance as Hit Girl. You can read my review of the film here and a round up of our extensive coverage here.

Thanks to MTV we now have the details on the US DVD and Blu-Ray release and a wonderful behind the scenes clip. The US DVD and Blu-Ray will be released on the 3rd of August, with the UK version undoubtedly following much later.

There are a decent amount of extras on both the Blu-Ray and DVD, including a commentary by Matthew Vaughn and the cast and crew. You can watch a taster from the extras in a clip below that shows some behind the scenes footage focusing on Chloe Moretz. The clip ends with Moretz showing off a particular skill she acquired for the film and even though we see her do it in Kick-Ass, seeing her do it here so casually still left me speechless.

Check out the clip and below that the full details on the DVD and Blu-Ray.

KICK-ASS

Street Date: 8/3/10
Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray Disc, DVD & Digital Copy) SRP: $39.99
DVD SRP: $29.95

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
I can’t read your mind. But I can kick your ass. This summer, prepare for a wild action film unlike any you’ve ever seen as Lionsgate releases Kick-Ass to Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack (three discs – including Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy). The film will also be available on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Co-written and directed by Matthew Vaughn (upcoming X-Men: First Class), the ass-kicking adventure about unlikely real-life crime fighters stars Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) and Mark Strong (Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes), along with the dynamic father-daughter duo played by Chloë Grace Moretz (upcoming Let Me In), and Nicolas Cage (National Treasure series). Based on the comic written by Mark Millar and John S. Romita JR, “Hit Girl,”, “Big Daddy” and the do-it-yourself superheroes make their way to your home with super DVD special features, including audio commentary, art archives and the featurette “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass.” The Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack kicks even harder with the same DVD special features plus a documentary length “making-of,” and a feature-length Ass-Kicking Bonus View mode. In addition, the Metamenu Remote powered by BD Touch, another Blu-ray exclusive, will allow for iPhone OS and Android users to personalize their experience with this state-of-the-art free app. Once connected through BD-Live, viewers can select menus using intuitive gestures, find scenes by dialogue, discover details about the actors, and more. With headphones, they can select to listen in alternate language tracks, or enjoy other synchronized content including portions of the Ass-Kicking Bonus View (which users can take “to go” on their mobile device). The high-octane phenomenon invades shelves and homes on August 3rd for the suggested retail price of $39.99 for the Blu-ray Combo Pack and $29.95 on DVD.

Dave Lizewski (Johnson) is an ordinary teenager who goes unnoticed in high school until he takes a chance to “do something” and dons a mask and becomes “Kick-Ass” to fight real-life crime. Bruised and beaten and without any real super powers, he is saved by a father-daughter duo (Cage as “Big Daddy”, Moretz as “Hit-Girl”) who know all the right moves and have a vendetta against a vicious crime-lord, D’Amico (Strong). After a fiery internet storm of publicity for Kick-Ass, D’Amico wants to meet the masked man, and his son (Mintz-Plasse) dons a costume of his own and becomes “Red Mist” to befriend him and get in his father’s good graces. The story comes to a head when D’Amico succeeds in luring the crime-fighters to his home and ass-kicking destruction ensues.

BLU-RAY DISC SPECIAL FEATURES*
DISC ONE
• Ass-Kicking Bonus View Mode (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive) – Synchronous with the feature film, this innovative multi-media presentation incorporates video and audio commentary, behind-the-scenes clips and illustrative graphics with Co-Writer/Producer/Director Matthew Vaughn, plus cast and crew providing an all-access perspective on Kick-Ass
• “A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass “ documentary (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive)
• “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass” featurette
• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• “The Art of Kick-Ass” gallery
• Marketing Archive
• BD Touch and Metamenu Remote
• Lionsgate Live™ enabled, featuring extra content for Internet-connected players
• Enhanced for D-Box™ Motion Control Systems
*Subject to change

DISC TWO
• Standard Definition DVD Copy of the feature film

DISC THREE
• Standard Definition Digital Copy of the feature film

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*
• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass” featurette
• “The Art of Kick-Ass” gallery
• Marketing Archive
*Subject to change

CAST
Aaron Johnson Nowhere Boy, Chat Room, Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging
Christopher Mintz-Plasse How To Train Your Dragon, Year One, Role Models, Superbad
Mark Strong upcoming Green Lantern, Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, Syriana
Chloë Grace Moretz upcoming Let Me In, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, (500) Days of Summer, Bolt
and Nicolas Cage upcoming The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, National Treasure series, Bangkok Dangerous, Leaving Las Vegas, The Rock
Clark Duke Hot Tub Time Machine, Sex Drive, TV’s “Greek,” Superbad

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2009
Title Copyright: © 2009 KA Films LP. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use – some involving children
Genre: Action / Comedy
Closed Captioned: Blu-ray Combo Pack – English SDH, DVD – English
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Blu-Ray Format: 1080P High Definition 16×9 Widescreen (2.40:1)
DVD Format: 16×9 Widescreen (2.40:1)
Feature Running Time: 118 minutes
Blu-ray Audio Status: 7.1 DTS-HD and French 5.1 Dolby Digital
DVD Audio Status: 5.1 EX Dolby Digital

Warren Ellis is an incredibly prolific comic writer who accounts for a large percentage of my standing order each week. He has been responsible for comics such as Transmetropolitan, Doktor Sleepless, Planetary, the free online comic Freakangels and he has also written high profile comics for Marvel and DC including JLA and The X-Men.

Ellis also wrote the comic Red which is currently being adapted as a feature film starring Bruce Willis.

Captured Ghost is a new feature length documentary that takes a look at Warren Ellis’ varied career and the unique character that is Warren Ellis.

The film is out in 2011 and you can watch the trailer embedded below.

There was already a rumour doing the rounds, but Deadline Hollywood confirmed yesterday that Joss Whedon is the man in the frame to direct Marvel’s much lamented and highly anticipated Avengers film. A surprise choice to be sure, but a very good one as far as i’m concerned. You see, i was in the process of writing an article about the lack of bold choices of directors for recent comic book adaptations when i heard the news, and Joss Whedon’s appointment, above all else, can be considered bold.

I think it’s important to start out by saying that i’m not one of Whedon’s loyal fans. I loved Buffy and Angel, but was distinctly underwhelmed by Firefly when i saw it. I didn’t much like the characters, and thought the storylines were a little dull. I didn’t really get the whole Doctor Horrible thing either, and only watched the first two episodes of Dollhouse. So why do i think Whedon is such a great choice? He has after all only directed one film so far, right?

I went into Serenity not expecting a great deal, as i said, i don’t really like the characters, and i wasn’t expecting a great story. What i got was a film that, though it will never make my top ten films, i considered in many ways to be the perfect movie. I still wasn’t a huge fan of the characters, and i didn’t think the actors were all up to feature film standard. But in terms of storyline, plot, structure and pace, Serenity is the most well constructed, tightest action movie you’re likely to find.

Every element, incident, joke and character moment is revisited and paid off by the end, and the banter and action carry the plot through at breakneck pace with not a wasted second. That Serenity didn’t do better business at the box office is a travesty, because it means millions of people missed out on seeing one of the most well conceived sci-fi films of all time.

If Whedon can bring the same brilliance to the Avengers movie, with the rich characters and talented actors involved, it could really be something special. He has worked on Marvel comics in the past, and the ensemble casts in both Buffy and Angel were really his own Avengers, his own X-Men, with each individual character bringing something different though equally effective to the table. He is also apparently taking a pass at the screenplay, which is more good news. He has an ear for great dialogue, and a great ability to draw a plot together by utilising all the different strands, which should make for a great, multi-layered piece.

Whedon is definitely a risk though. He lacks feature experience, and his TV work can be looked at as an even mixture of success and failure. He has never really had to deal with big actors, and therefore big egos before. His departure from the Wonder Woman project, and the subsequent collapse of the proposed movie is also potentially a bad portent. But a risky appointment, to me, is better than the safe option. A risky appointment brings the hope of a genuine classic, whilst the safe option is highly likely to lead to mediocrity. This is why i am worried about some upcoming comic book adaptations.

The Green Lantern movie is currently in production. Ryan Reynolds is, i feel, great casting. His cameo as Deadpool in last year’s Wolverine movie was the best thing about it, and he is looking to be on the verge of superstardom. My reservations about the end quality of the movie rest with the appointment of director Martin Campbell. Don’t get me wrong, Campbell is a very solid director. He was responsible for GoldenEye, my favourite Bond film, and Casino Royale, seemingly everybody else’s favourite.

Look beyond Bond, however, and there isn’t a lot to suggest he is capable of putting out a spectacular Green Lantern film. Remember, Green Lantern’s power is extraterrestrial in origin, and many of his stories take place away from Earth, with a wide variety of unusual characters. Campbell’s style is very gritty, very much grounded in reality. To be able to do justice to such an outlandish character, you need some real flair, and a big imagination. I’m just not sure if it is the right kind of movie for a director like Campbell.

I fear more for the Captain America movie. It has become obvious that Marvel are attempting to put this one together on the cheap. The list of actors being considered for the lead was alarmingly poor, but thankfully common sense won out, and i think Marvel can consider themselves lucky to have procured the considerable talent of Chris Evans, particularly given the limited salary that has been reported.

The choice of director however is even more alarming. The appointment of Joe Johnston is particularly uninspiring to me. His CV reads as the very definition of ‘bland’, and the problem is that in the wrong hands, Captain America himself can be a very bland character. He has the same ‘all American hero’ persona as Superman, but with a much more mundane origin. A director with far more flare and panache is required to bring this story alive, and considering the calibre of recent Johnston films like The Wolfman and Hidalgo, this could end in disaster.

Strange really, because i think the company has been pretty brave with their other pre-Avengers project. Kenneth Branagh hasn’t had a whole lot of experience with action, or done a great deal of feature directing in general in recent years. So his appointment as director of Thor was as much as a surprise as Whedon’s, if not more so. With a relatively unknown lead in Chris Hemsworth, it’ll be interesting to see how the movie looks to be shaping up when we start getting set photos.

Comic books have a rich history, the characters a huge, continually developed back story. It should be easy to put together a fantastic story for any one of them, and a lot of the burden for this will be carried by the screenwriters. If they pick out the right story elements, and construct an interesting plot, it will just be down to the directors to bring them to the screen in a compelling way. Both The Green Lantern and Captain America have the potential to be great, i just hope the writers and the directors make the most of that potential, and bring us the movies that these storied characters deserve.

Tomorrow i’ll take a look at recent past comic book adaptations, how some bold choices have resulted in great movies that comic book fans can be proud of, and some of the blander choices have produced comic book movies better left forgotten.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

When I heard that Jonathan Ross was writing a comic I was sceptical. I’ve never been a fan of Ross (although I did like The Incredibly Strange Film Show) and even though he has impressive credentials as a comic book fan (his documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko, made that clear) that does not mean he would automatically make a good comic writer.

It was therefore with trepidation that I picked up and read his comic, Turf, last week. I am happy to report though that I was pleasantly surprised. Ross has come up with the goods, Turf is a really enjoyable and well written comic.

Aided by excellent artwork from Tommy Lee Edwards, the fist issue of Turf has an engrossing story, interesting characters and an intriguing premise.

In case you haven’t picked it up, here is the description of Turf from the publishers, Image Comics:

Set in Prohibition-era New York, TURF offers a twist on the hard boiled crime thriller, adds vampires and aliens to the traditional mix of booze, broads and bullets as it chronicles the eruption of a vengeful gang war between booze-smuggling mobsters and the blood thirsty Dragonmir Family. As an ancient prophecy unfolds amidst the maelstrom of violence, the entire city is engulfed by the brutal conflict and the only glimmer of hope is an unlikely alliance between tough guy Eddie Falco and a stranger from another world.

In a recent interview with the Guardian Ross stated that the director of Kick Ass (which was co-written by Ross’ wife Jane Goldman), Matthew Vaughn, may be in line to make a film version of Turf. The Guardian reported it as follows,

There will be five further issues, a hardback collection and – if all goes to plan – a Turf movie made by Matthew Vaughn

With Vaughn’s Kick Ass most likely bound for worldwide box office success this month, and with the help of Ross, Vaughn would probably not find it hard to raise the budget needed to bring Turf to the big screen.

Addmittedly my opinion is based solely on the first issue but I think Turf could make for a really interesting film as the first issue definitely has real potential.

Let us know in the comments what you think of the comic, if you’ve read it, and also of the news that Vaughn may be in line to make a film version?

Today’s the day! Kick-Ass is finally released across the UK and we wanted to get you in the mood by rounding up all of our coverage in one place.

We’ve been anticipating this film for a long time at HeyUGuys, and since we were lucky enough to see the film a few months ago we’ve covered Kick-Ass more than any other film.

Reviews, Premiere, Interviews

• Here’s the HeyUGuys review of Kick-Ass
• We were on the red carpet at the European Premiere of Kick-Ass and spoke to the cast, crew and writers, you can see our footage here
• And here’s our red carpet photos from the Premiere
• Here’s our Mouth Off podcast Kick-Ass special
• We spoke exclusively to Kick-Ass screenwriter Jane Goldman
• I reviewed the excellent Kick-Ass graphic novel here
• And it’s companion piece Kick-Ass, Creating the Comic – Making the Movie
• Here’s our good friend Tom at FilmXtra reviewing the movie
• Tom was also at the Kick-Ass Premiere
• As was Mika, whose music features in the film – we spoke to him here
• And… a sequel?

Trailers, TV Spots

• The teaser Trailer
• A lovely, subtle Trailer
• And another one
• The Trailer and Poster which was our first glimpse of Big Daddy
• This is the Red Band Trailer which everyone raved about
• The second International Trailer
• Red Band Trailer 2
• The Final Trailer for Kick-Ass
• Two TV Spots
• A nice Behind the Scenes featurette

Posters

One of the first posters we saw.

• The glorious SXSW Retro styled posters – Hit Girl / Red Mist / Kick-As
• International Posters
• A nice Kick-Ass focused poster
• Mark Strong’s own poster
• The sweet character banners
• Some stills from the film

This is perhaps the last piece of my Kick-Ass puzzle, after reviews, previews, premieres and interviews this week HeyUGuys finally got a chance to pour over the source material for Matthew Vaughn’s incendiary film which opens in the UK today.

Written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr. Kick-Ass finds these two masters at the top of their game, and they have created something which every fan of the movie needs to read. It has within its two hundred pages a story of such violent velocity, with a narrative which diverges from the movie in a few crucial ways and is a reminder that even the superhero genre can undergo a reinvention every once in a while.

I’m a relatively new comic book fan, and my pre-Watchmen experience revolved around the Beano and Roy of the Rovers and the odd copy of 2000 AD slapping the front door mat on a Saturday morning, and though I’m fairly well versed in Moore’s work  I can’t claim any special knowledge for the tradition of Marvel and DC, merely watching as a number of high profile movies come and go endlessly.

Kick-Ass is different though, and reading the comics alongside the thorough Creating the Comic/Making the Movie tie-in provides a fascinating look at how Millar and Romita Jr. came to realise their story.

You’ll know the story and you may have already seen the film, but there is a joy in going back to the source and Kick-Ass the comic book is as funny, violent and subversive as its movie adaptation, with a harsher edge to some of the relationships and exists perfectly in its own right.

What was most interesting to me was the changes evident between the two, and I wont spoil it for you but there’s a difference in one couple’s fate which pinpoints the difference between the vision of Millar and Vaughn.

I dashed through the book in about a day, it’s a kinetic and brutal tale, told brilliantly by masters of the form, and if you’re a fan of comic books, or Kick-Ass as a movie, I can’t recommend this enough. Blood and guts fly with abandon, the characters are engaging and witty, and the superhero genre gets itself a fair kick in the ass. Like the movie, this is essential.

Kick-Ass is available from Titan Books.

**Please note that although I do discuss the plot of Kick-Ass in this review I have avoided giving away any spoilers for major plot points or anything that was not featured in the trailers**

Kick-Ass, like many classic superhero stories, is about an ordinary guy who becomes something more, something extraordinary. The difference is that Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) doesn’t have Batman’s money, he’s not bitten by a radioactive spider and he’s not exposed to cosmic rays, he’s just an ordinary teenager who is a little deluded. This lack of an extraordinary ability or easy availability to a large quantity of expensive gadgets doesn’t stop him from fantasizing; like Dave says “At some point in our lives, we all wanted to be a superhero”.

Dave decides to try and make this dream a reality, ordering a wet suit off the internet, customising it and begins training in the art of being a superhero. You know, learning to jump between buildings and striking cool poses, stuff like that. As Dave says though, any serial killer will tell you – there’s a point where fantasizing just isn’t enough. His first foray into costumed vigilantism isn’t particularly successful, he’s stabbed, hit by car and ends up in hospital. Following a series of operations Dave is returned to good health but is unable to feel pain after his nerve endings are severed. Although this isn’t quite a superpower and it doesn’t add to his fighting abilities, it does mean he has a better chance at being the last man standing in a fight.

Although swearing he won’t go back on the streets, the desire to assume his alter ego is too great and he goes out looking for wrongs to right. Whilst trying to rescue a cat he accidentally knocks down a guy who is running away from a group of thugs. Despite not being particularly successful in beating them up and chasing them away, he doesn’t give up and it doesn’t matter how many times they hit him he won’t go down. A group of people gather to watch from inside a diner, one kid recording the fight on his phone, everyone else just watching in disbelief. When the fight is over and the thugs have finally given up and run away the kid rushes over to ask the masked vigilante his name; Kick-Ass! Dave replies. The video is uploaded to YouTube and Kick-Ass becomes an overnight sensation. Dave also sets up a Kick-Ass Myspace page where he ends up with thousands of ‘friends’. Dave is a pretty geeky guy though, with just a couple of close friends, and in his regular life he experience nothing like the adoration he gets as Kick-Ass. The three friends mostly hang out together, making inappropriate jokes, reading comics and generally repelling attractive girls. As Dave spends more and more time as Kick Ass though his real life gradually changes and there are even romantic possibilities for Dave, a guy we are introduced to really early on masturbating in his bedroom, a lot.

As the story progresses the supporting cast becomes more key as the film is more about a collection of great characters, rather than just a film about Dave/Kick-Ass. Dave Lizewski does provide the centre for the audience though as he is probably the character that is relatable in a group that is mostly very strange and pretty demented. Other characters include Nicholas Cage as Damon/Big Daddy, Chloe Moretz as his daughter/side kick Mindy/Hit Girl, Mark Strong as crime boss Frank D’Amico and his son Chris played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Part of the way through the film Chris also adopts an alter ego becoming Red Mist. Dave and Chris are similar in many ways but where Dave has his close friends and a relatively simple ‘real life’, Chris is the son of a large crime lord and therefore has everything money can buy but due to his privileged lifestyle he is also a lonely figure. The dynamic between the two and Chris’ eventual character arc didn’t really work for me actually as Chris’ motivations seemed a little muddled but I think this might be less of an issue on subsequent viewings.

Although did like the characters of Dave and Chris and the other school kids are engaging, this film for me was about two characters who, unsurprisingly to anyone else who has read the comic, totally steal the film. Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Just writing those five words makes me want to watch the film again right now. I tend to try and avoid film criticism that lapses into simple fanboyism but it is so hard to write about Kick-Ass, and in particular Big Daddy and Hit Girl, without slipping into fanboy hyperbolism. If I saw this film when I was 15 (thanks to a generous ruling from the BBFC, the film is released in the UK as a 15) it could well have been my favourite film. There are large sequences of insanely violent action, there are endless comic book references, from the obvious down to details such as a background shot of a cinema playing The Spirit 3, there is a protagonist who is around the age of 15, a little girl who swears like a sailor and slices off limbs, a plethora of amusing pop culture references and a visual style that is ridiculous and excessive in an unbelievably fun way. Don’t misunderstand me though, this is not a film just for teenagers, I am around double that age and I still had an absolute blast watching Kick-Ass.

Nicholas Cage as Big Daddy had me in stitches and with this and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans I have slightly fallen in love with Nicholas Cage this year. Cage plays the father part with a strange but appropriate sincerity and when he is Big Daddy he channels Adam West with really funny results. And so to Hit Girl, Daily Mail baiting, foul mouthed, John Woo loving, weapons expert, tiny killer psychopath Hit Girl. Every moment Hit Girl is on screen is a joy and Vaughn clearly understands the point of Hit Girl in the original comics. Hit Girl is there for extreme action and shock value but every now and again, especially towards the end, she is there for emotional engagement. The sentimentality in a few scenes could jar and come across as clumsy but Moretz’s performance is pitch perfect and she mixes so well the elements of her character, she is both a monstrous mass murderer and a sweet little girl. Chloe Moretz is only 13 (12 when she made the film) but she is already clearly a talented actress, her performance is very impressive for someone so young and despite the pulpy subject matter she delivers a genuinely engaging and layered performance, both extravagant and nuanced. It is hard not to just gush about Moretz’s performance but it is seriously that good. Although the idea of seeing a Let The Right One In Hollywood remake holds little appeal to me, hearing that Moretz is going to play the role of Abby (Eli in the original) is enough to spark my interest. Hopefully she can build on such a memorable performance and not pull a Culkin.

Also surprisingly good in Kick-Ass is Mark Strong. I say surprisingly because although I know he has his fans I have yet to see him anything where he has impressed me; I was particularly underwhelmed by his performance in Sherlock Holmes. In Kick-Ass Strong plays Chris’ father and crime boss Frank and he is pretty funny in the role and plays the exaggerated cartoon crime boss bad guy with great panache. I’m now really looking forward to seeing what Strong can do with the character of Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern film.

Kick-Ass is also a great film to look at, not something I was necessarily expecting, with super-saturated colours and flashy but not ridiculous camera flourishes. The editing is also pretty tight throughout ramping up the pace in all the right places but still giving space to dialogue heavy scenes and emotional moments without rushing past them to get to the action. One criticism I do have though is that there is a sag in the pace part way through the film and the film could have been much tighter if the editing had been a bit more ruthless. Also there were moments where the action sequences felt a little like self-contained set-pieces and not significantly intergrated into the rest of the film. That said these two points are minor criticisms and overall the pacing and editing is pretty tight.

This film is mostly action and comedy and it delivers so well in both areas. The action and comedy are both vulgar but this vulgarity never seems forced. The film is just so much fun it’s hard not to just get swept up in it. At the press screening I attended there was even applause at some of the more outrageous moments and there was raucous laughter throughout. Not just relying solely on the shock factor that much of the film has, Kick-Ass has characters you actually grow to care about and it also benefits from an engaging story.

Kick-Ass is so audacious in every way possible and a film that after seeing I immediately wanted to both see it again and tell people to go and see it.

Kick-Ass opens in the UK on 26th March and embedded below is the Red Band Trailer which focuses on the foul mouthed, scene stealing Hit Girl.

Dan Dare is a British institution, one of our few iconic comic book creations and though his fame has not spread far beyond these shores in the 60 odd years since its inception, it looks as though the Pilot of the Future is now heading to the big screen courtesy of Warner Bros.

The news from Pajiba, via /Film, is that man of the momentum Sam Worthington has signed on to portray the man himself, which is good news for the (supposed) franchise WB have in mind, as the lack of cultural permeation for Dare means that this film will need a big star to draw in the audiences.

One of my 5 UK comic book movies I want to see, Dan Dare has followed his transatlantic comic strip heroes and undergone a number of revisions over the years, and it is likely to be the Garth Ennis/Virgin iteration is the most likely to find its way to the silver screen, and this will be a far cry from the original Dare, who was definitely a product of his post war, ‘jolly good show’ time.

While often referred to as a British Buck Rogers, the Dare of Ennis is a darker affair, and growing up with this character and his nemesis, the enormo-foreheaded Mekon, I am really looking forward to this one.

OK, this sounds crazy on the first read, but here goes. IESB.net are reporting some unconfirmed rumours, a step above wild rumour, regarding the Superman situation. We heard about Goyer writing the script a few days ago, now it seems that as well as taking co-writing credits on the script, one Jonah Nolan may have been elected by Warner Bros. to make his directorial debut on The Man Of Steel.

They go on to say that once Superman and Batman 3 have been completed, along with The Green Lantern etc…, big brother Christopher Nolan himself will helm the much delayed Justice League movie. You can find their story here.

So what’s the likelihood? Jonah Nolan has experience working alongside brother Christopher, and i did state last week that it would be hard to find a director happy for Nolan to be looking over his shoulder. Jonah would clearly be happy with that. But entrusting such a huge reboot to a first time director? Risky, and a bold move if it pans out. As for Christopher directing a Justice League movie, i personally don’t think he’d go for it. Maybe Jonah, if he made a success of The Man Of Steel. Certainly one of the more interesting rumours of the week. we’ll have to wait and see if anything comes of it.