So last year, I decided to pick up the first few issues of a series called 'Kick-Ass'. It was an interesting idea, but it had the same problem most Mark Millar comics have, which is to say that it relied on over-the-top, shock and awe style narrative as substitute for, you know, actual story telling. I quickly stopped reading.
Well, I guess the powers that be and I don't see eye to eye on this one, because apparently 7 issues of young people getting beaten within an inch of their lives has 'blockbuster' written all over it. I'll assume many of you have already seen this:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi525600025/
There's a chance this movie could end up being good, since it appears that Mark Millar didn't write the screenplay. But there's been a lot of talk among comic fans about how the print arm of the DC and Marvel entertainment empires is simply R&D for other mass market material. With 'Kick-Ass', we have a film that was probably developed at the same time as the comic, rather than having a comic inspire the film. Are we glimpsing the future of the industry here? Or is this just an example of people who think they have a clever idea trying to make as much money as possible? How the hell did this happen?
1 comment:
It should be stated that this isn't without precedence, as 2001: A Space Odyssey was being written as a screenplay and a novel by Arthur C. Clarke concurrently an early example of a story being developed for two mediums at the same time.
Director Vaughan (previously adapted Gaiman/Vess' Stardust to the screen) obviously has an interest in comic book properties and with the success of Wanted (and I believe and existing friendship with Miller) thus Kick-Ass-to-cinemas was born.
The one thing that should be truly admired about it is that it was developed outside the studio system and then sold to distributors which not many big-budget film are willing to do these days.
Apparently the whole process has sparked Miller's interest in making films himself, which is all kinds of scary.
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