Does Marvel Studios own the rights to Marvel's horror characters like Werewolf By Night, The Living Mummy and Satana? I can just see them going ahead and adding them (and public domain charactes like Frankenstein's Monster or Dracula) to the MCU. Universal's attempt at copying the Marvel movie formula with a series of connected films starring the classic monsters, Dark Universe, has not gained much traction. What if Marvel could pull it off instead?
Marvel could. And there is a Jonah Hex omnibus coming out in a few months. Can't wait to purchase it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like Marvel doesn't want to do a movie unless it can reach at least five hundred million. If werewolf didn't accomplish the goal they might rebrand Jack Russel as a Russell terrier. With shows like Lost Girl and Supernatural doing so much in creatures they might question how much of a paying movie audience there might be.
ReplyDeleteIs there much demand for westerns on the big screen these days?
Jack Russell? How did some comics writers get away with giving their characters secret identity names like that? Mr. Miracle as Scott Free is another one. Hmm, maybe there is the start of an STF team there.
ReplyDeleteAfter the way GHOST RIDER 2 tanked at the box office? Nah! I don't see them going from superheroes to the supernatural. Not unless those you mentioned are introduced via one or more Dr. Strange sequels as antagonists. And, thus far, there's no scuttlebutt I've heard--pro or con--about any such sequel.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it looks like Jonah Hex is still time-traveling. Assuming he's hunting Russell in the modern day! Unless, of course, Spiral dragged Russell to the 19th century, so Mojo could film a steampunk horror movie on location.
P.S. @ Ford: that's why his origin was later ret-conned so that his true surname was "Russoff."
ReplyDeleteWe've had Blade movies in the past and we are getting Morbius soon. f Morbius succeeds at the box office, we just might get Werewolf by Night!
ReplyDeleteFord Prefect said...
ReplyDelete"How did some comics writers get away with giving their characters secret identity names like that? Mr. Miracle as Scott Free is another one."
Great though Kirby was, names weren't exactly his strongest point: 'Verman Vunderbar', 'Granny Goodness', even 'Darkseid'... Descriptive, rather than "natural"...
I would like to see Marvel's version of the Dark Universe. It really has potential. Especially if they tie in some of the characters that are close to the supernatural like Man-Thing, It the Colossus, or even Howard the Duck. I would even be happy with including Fin Fang Foom.
ReplyDeleteOrdinaryguy2
Vampires (at least the sexy or super-badass ones) do well on the big screen. Werewolves (quite often the vamp's adversaries), not so much. Mixed monsters, unless done as a semi-intentional comedy ala Suicide Squad, probably don't stand a chance. Although the Howling Commandos name is perfect for such a group.
ReplyDeleteHey, if you want bad-choice civilian names for superheroes, you really need to look no further than Jack of Hearts, alias Jack Hart.
ReplyDelete@Ford: Jack Russell with Scott Free and/or Jack Hart could be a start for an STF team, but are there any non-Marvel/-DC characters with the same kind of thing?
@Simreeve: I actually like "Granny Goodness" as a name for that character.
@Ross: Marvel might be better off giving those horror-style characters a "test run" of sorts on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or a film whose main hero deals with that sort of thing (Doctor Strange, or possibly Spider-Man).
PS: Brought to mind by a conversation on another site... I think it's about time for Captain America and Wonder Woman to meet their daughter, time-traveling back from the future: American Maid!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to pseudonyms so bad-they-are-good, nothing tops Charlton Comics' E-man...aka Alec Tronn.
ReplyDeleteSince Venom was such a big hit, Marvel might believe that for a big screen character to do what they want that character has to be known to the core audience first. Long term exposure can help with that.
ReplyDeleteHorror is not superheroes. Develop the character and see how its reacted to. Keep the comic book stores in business to see on developing your future audiences. If its going to be worth a potential billion dollars a movie, work with the comic companies and stores.
@Anon+1: by the early 1980's, Marvel's monsters had become more like super anti-heroes. Culminating with that pilot publication, "The Legion of Monsters!"
ReplyDeleteIronically, one of the original Jonah Hex film scripts leaned heavily into the supernatural and the opening gambit had him gunfighting a pack of outlaws who turned out to be werewolves. I think a supernatural action western would still work if someone were brave enough to make it.
ReplyDeleteIn which century is this encounter happening?
ReplyDelete@Tran Bronstein: Not even the Jonah Hex of box-office flop fame could bring that possibility back to life!
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