Book to Movie: The Lies of Locke Lamora

Book to Movie:

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

(4,24 Stars of 5 with 31,201 Ratings - Goodreads.com)

Summary:
Elite con artists "Gentlemen Bastards" rob the rich of Camorr city, based on late medieval Venice. Two stories interweave. In the present, the Gentlemen fight a mysterious Grey King taking over the criminal underworld. Alternate chapters describe history and mythology of Camorr, the Gentlemen Bastards, and especially the protagonist Locke Lamora.(Source: Wiki)

Born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora dodges both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains, neither blind nor a priest. A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected family of orphans “Gentlemen Bastards.”

Locke grows to lead, delightedly pulling off one outrageous trick after another, infamous as the Thorn of Camorr — no wealthy noble is safe from his sting. But the Gray King is slowly killing Capa Barsavi’s most trusted men and using Locke as a pawn in his plot to take control of Camorr’s underworld. With a bloody coup under way threatening to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the magically protected Gray King at his own brutal game — or die trying (Source: Goodreads)

WILL IT BE A GOOD MOVIE?

by Milena Aijala (a.k.a. qwertyprophecy)

The ingredients are there:

Oceans 13 Jr. meets Pirates of the Carribean

- an engaging plot, full of twists and turns

- interesting characters

- a fantasy world with a mythical history

All the movie needs is a creative, fearless cook, or in other words, a capable director. This is a rather broad statement, I know, every movie needs a good director. The one needed for Locke Lamora, has to be incredibly visual. The world of Camorr - based on Renaissance Venice - is stunningly wonderful and rich.

The challenge would be to reduce the dense plot to movie-length without losing the charm and wit of the book.

FILM ADAPTATION:

Warner Brothers bought the film rights soon after the book's release. The brothers Kevin and Dan Hageman (both having written the upcoming Lego and the sequel Hotel Transylvania 2) were to write the screenplay. Michael De Luca (Moneyball, The Social Network) and Julie Yorn (Red Riding Hood, We bought a Zoo) are set to produce. Both don't have much experience with fantasy works, which could prove difficult. 

Despite additional television rumors, as of 2013, no casting or other announcements have been released. (Source: Wiki)

Film or TV?

Definitely the first! I suggest a movie adaptation, because the single thread of storytelling revolving around Locke Lamora probably couldn't sustain multiple episodes. But with 6 (SIX!) planned sequels (plus two upcoming novellas) "The Lies of Locke Lamora" could prove to be the opening to a stellar franchise. 

Casting Possibilities:

Max Irons - Locke Lamora

He proved to be a big hit with the girls in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight and The Host, which could attract more viewers. Irons has the right mix of cunning and charm to portrait the leader of the "Gentleman Bastards".

Jack Reynor - Jean Tannen

The muscle to Locke's Brain, Jean is intimidating and strong. The upcoming star had a few indie hits and now moved on to star in the 4th Transformer movie.

Jeremy Irons - The Grey King

He is the main adversary; the brains behind the dangerous plots Locke finds himself tangled in. Fuelled my motives he is initially unwilling to reveal, the Grey King is ruthless but aristocratic in his mannerisms. (Source: camorr.com) Incidentally he is the father of actor Max Irons, which adds a great dynamic to the movies. Jeremy has a great, commanding presence with the right gravitas to the play the Grey King. 

Christian Bale - The Falconer

Perhaps the most formidable adversary in LoLL. The Falconer is a bondsmage from Karthain with otherworldly magical power, able to inflict extraordinary pain with just a few words and gestures. He is an arrogant, forbidding individual who takes obvious pleasure in the torture of others and works for the Grey King. He also has a bird companion, Vestral, whose violent nature and venom-filled claws augment the Falconer’s formidable presence. (Source: camorr.com) Bale has strong ties with Warner Bros (The Dark Knight Trilogy, etc) and is a great property to attract viewers. Bale has the right ambiguity and "evil-ness" to play this great role.

Francis Lawrence - Director

Lawrence proved over and over, that he is a great storyteller with a keen eye for heavy visuals with his movies Constantine or I am Legend. This was the reason he was chosen to adapt the second and third book in the Hunger Games Saga, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 

Silver Surfer - Script Review

Post based on the script 'Silver Surfer' by John Turman.

The Verdict:

On-the-nose writing and a far too alien superhero weigh this script down, although it has many good ideas.

What's it about?

Silver Surfer comes to Earth as the herald for the planet-eating alien Galactus. But with human contact, the Silver Surfer learns about compassion, friendship and love, all the while a philandering, alien-sceptic SETI worker and a blind woman have to find a way to stop Galactus.

Observations:

1. The Writing is so 'in your face' sometimes, like this (p. 39):

She looks transcendent in her compassion. Ray's in love, he just doesn't know it yet.

This is the end of the interrogation scene between Ray and Alicia, but instead of showing his beginng love to us, the script just says Ray's in love, which is kind of lazy.

2. The Structure of the movie was really off: The Set-Up and whole first act took ages, it is only on p. 66 that both protagonists define their goal of the movie:

RAY

And save the world?

ALICIA

Why not? Someone's got to.

3.  Two unbalanced main characters: The logline says it all. Silver Surfer comes to Earth and goes on a sight-seeing tour, he is stunned by the human's capability to love and feel and frightened that so many of them choose to be evil. On the other hand are Ray and Alicia, who desperately try to save Silver Surfer from the army (which he can do own his own, by the way) and finally stopping Galactus from eating Earth. But they didn't need the help of the Silver Surfer to stop doom. Ray figured out Galactus' interest in music, it was nothing Silver Surfer learned on Earth, or something Ray from Silver Surfer.
Unfortunately this plays out like an alien invasion script with a silver guy surfing through it.
I understand the problem, Silver Surfer, or Norrin-Rad, is too alien for the typical superhero movie. His backstory doesn't play on Earth, so it is really hard to find a concept that makes him relatable. Regrettably, this script makes him far too removed from the protagonists.

The Project: 
A long list of people where attached to the adaptation of Silver Surfer over the years. Starting with Bernd Eichinger and George Lucas, then Quentin Tarantino. Many screenwriters like Richard Jefferies, Rudy Gaines, John Rice, Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, Sleepy Hollow), Don Payne (Thor, Fantastic Four 2), J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) tried their hands at the script over the last two decades, but after the box office failure of Fantastic Four 2 it doesn't seem too likely, that there will ever be a Silver Surfer movie on the silver screen.


As always, I would like to hear your opinions on the topic: Would you like to see a Silver Surfer Sequel? Or rather a reboot/re-imagening? Did you read Turman's script? What is your impression of the writing?
Comment section works without registration, just choose Anonymous and write on!

- Tristan

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Fahrenheit 451 (Remake) - Script Review

The Verdict: One of the best-written scripts I read, it offers a special-effects heavy update to the timeless classic, while being less subtle than Truffaut's film version.

What’s it about?
In an oppressive future, a fireman whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task. (Source: IMDb)

Plot Summary [SPOILERS]:

The first scene introduces us to the Fire Brigade: lead by Montag and Captain Beatty they search a house and soon find books, which is a major crime in this future. Relentlessly they burn the books and the house and arrest the family. 

We follow Montag on his way back home, when he meets Clarisse, the nine-year old neighbors’ girl, they talk and befriend each other. Back at home, Montag finds his wife, Millie passed out from an overdose of levelers. Medics come and resuscitate her, although the next morning she doesn’t remember a thing and doesn’t even want to talk about her apparent suicide attempt. Millie only wants to watch her interactive soap opera.

Back at the station, Captain Beatty tells Montag that soon he will be Captain of the Fire Brigade, before they leave for another emergency. They arrive at an old Victorian house and find thousand of books stashed away in the walls. The owner of the books, an old woman, chooses to die with her books and sets them on fire herself. Montag is shocked by the death of the woman: he can’t understand why would someone choose to die for something illegal? In the aftermath of her death, Montag finds two books and takes them. On his way back home he gets paranoid and gets into trouble with the police, but Clarisse helps him out. He confides in her about the books and gives her one of the books. At home he starts reading, but the next morning his wife finds the book and gets really furious at Montag. As he can’t convince her to keep quiet about it and help him, Montag takes the book back to the Fire Brigade and burn it. But too late! Montag has entered a new world and doesn’t want to leave. He starts stealing books on every deployment and stashes them at home.

One night Montag wakes up and sees Clarisse’s house being burned down. Someone found the book he gave to her. Now, Clarisse and her parents are on the run and of course Montag feels guilty for this. He seeks out Clarisse’s uncle, Faber, who was known for being a rebel a long time ago. With Montag being a Fire Officer, he doesn’t want to talk with Montag, but he forces Faber to take the books he salvaged and stashed away. A fragile bond forms between those two men. Montag has changed, his love for books, changed his way of looking at his job. At the next deployment the crew arrives at Montag’s home: Millie turned him in and now Captain Beatty forces Montag to burn down his own home. Beatty also knows about Faber and in an act of sheer hate, Montag kills Captain Beatty with his flamethrower. 

He can warn Faber to flee before the police arrive and the two men, now most wanted criminals, meet at an old abandoned warehouse. Soon the police have them surrounded and a heavy siege starts, Montag can flee, but Faber dies in the hail of bullets. The police is so desperate to find Montag as fast as possible, because the whole world is watching them via live TV, that they stage his death and kill some random homeless man.

Montag is free! He follows the river, just as Faber told him, and finds a group of people living in the mountains, outcasts just like him. There he find Clarisse and her parents among those people, who memorize books to save them from being destroyed. 

While they travel further away from the city, the city gets nuked and totally destroyed.

Observations:

The Dilemma: What I really liked about the script was the chouice presented to Montag. His future at the Fire Brigade looks really bright, he has a nice home, but still something keeps nagging at him. The decision to take that book and read for the first time, has so much weight, it such a profound moment with consequences Montag couldn't have imagined. But it is his decision to take that book! The characters grows immensely in this moment, because he isn't thrown into the world of the second act, but decides to take that step himself.

The Project:

In 1966 Truffaut filmed a adaptation of the Ray Bradbury novel of the same name.

The plans for a remake started in 1997 with Mel Gibson wanting to produce, star and/or direct the new adaptation/remake. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were rumored to play the lead role. In 2001 Frank Darabont revived the project (this his script!) with Tom Hanks in the lead role. In 2008 Hanks left the project and since then nothing new happened. If this will ever get made depends on finding a star for the lead role of Guy Montag. (Source: Wikipedia)

So, as always I encourage you to comment on my post, just choose 'Post as Anonymous', if you don't want to register first. Looking forward to your critism...

Have a nice day,

Tristan

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Halo - Script Review

This post is based on the script by Alex Garland, February 2005

The Verdict: 

The movie can't deny it's video-game origin, especially the main protagonist never comes alive. But it is filled with endless action and suspense to make up for this.

What's it about?

After a fierce space-battle, the Master Chief crash-lands on the ring-world of Halo and while he struggles to stay alive, he slowly reveals the true nature of the mysterious object.

Plot Summary:

The 'Pillars of Autumn', jumps through space to escape the ships of the Covenants. By accident it comes out near Halo, a huge ring-world with it's own atmosphere and gravity. The lone ship stands no chance against the opponent fleet and Captain Keyes orders the Master Chief, a genetically altered super-soldier to take the ships AI down to Halo and protect it. He crashes on the surface, as does the 'Pillars of Autumn'. The Master Chief encounters a few other survivors and together they build a base camp.

The survivors find out, that Captain Keyes was taken hostage and the team decides to rescue him. They go aboard the Covenant-ship, that is docked along the ring-world. They manage to get out of the ship alive with the Captain and it is revealed, that Halo was constructed by the "Forerunner", an ancient alien race, and that it can be used as a weapon. To find out more about Halo, the Master Chief heads towards the subterranean Map Room, while Captain Keyes goes to the crashsite of the 'Pillars of Autumn'. After some heavy fighting at a beach, the Master Chief reaches the Map Room, where the ship's AI is seemingly destroyed trying to connect to the Map Room's computer. Now the Master Chief doesn't know where to go, when suddenly he is attacked by Flood Infections, which can infect all the human soldiers and turn them into infected zombies.

The Master Chief is running out of ammo and it looks really grim, when suddenly Guilty Spark appears. It is a floating robotic device shooting down the whole army and asking the Master Chief to follow him to the Command Center of Halo. More than gladly he follows.

After battling the next Flood Army, the Master Chief reaches the inner sanctum of the Command Center and is asked to start the Sterilization Sequence to stop the Flood Infection. Fittingly in this moment the ship's AI re-awakens and stops the activation, as this would have killed every human in the galaxy. The Master Chief shoots and Guilty Spark and flees.

The only way to stop the Flood Infection from spreading throughout the universe, is to destroy Halo, by over-charging the energy core of the 'Pillars of Autumn'. He fights his way through the crashed ship and encounters in best final boss style the infected Captain Keyes. After killing him, the Master Chief activates the over-charging sequence and can flee from Halo on the last ship left. From afar he watches the ring-world explode and with it the menace of the Flood Infections.

Observations:

Computer Game Structure: 

I wrote a post about the Quest Structure of 'Clash of the Titans', and most of it applies here, too. There is no overall story goal, there are small level-like mini-goals and neither the protagonist nor the viewers know where the story wants to go. It makes such a epic movie feel small. Master Chief, the leader of the Spartans, has to go from the Covenant-ship to the Map Room to the Command Center to the crashed space-ship. These are not the steps of the Hero's Journey, these are recreations of the game's different stages. As such it is never-ending action from the first page to the last. But the set-pieces are amazing and the shoot-outs thrilling...

Non-Human Players: 

The Master Chief is a genetically altered super soldier, he doesn't speak much throughout the movie, nor shows any deep feelings. We see his face only once in a dream sequence and for the rest of the film he wears his suit and helmet. His companion, the ship's AI, is even less alive. She talks in his head and gives directions. There is not a single scene describing the motivation for the Covenant wanting to kill every human; Guilty Spark is a robot and as such also very much away from being a identifiable character. The last antagonist, the Flood Infections, are just a zombifying flesh-eating alien virus, so not much persona there. As you see, the whole movie is void of human characters, of emotions, of motivations or anything resembling it. Most probably it is a faithful recreation of the game, but I doubt it would work in a movie.

The Project:

The 'Halo' Series, produced by Bungie and Microsoft, sold over 40 million copies, worth 2 billion dollar worth of revenue, since 2001. Four years later the movie adaptation started with Alex Garland writing this draft of the Halo script. 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios partnered to produce the film. Peter Jackson was set to produce with Guillermo del Toro first, then Neill Bloomkamp directing. 2006 D.B. Weiss and Josh Olson revised the script, but the project fell apart soon after that. The rights to make the reverted back to Microsoft, who promises to make the movie sometime in the future.

As always: the comment section below works without registration, just choose "Comment as Anonymous" - I am looking forward to your comments. And if you like my blog be sure to become my follower - Thanks

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'Killing on Carnival Row' - Script Review

Summary: 
A gaze into highly innovative world, propelled forward by a well-known detective story.

What's it about:
In an alternative world, where fairies live in ghettos oppressed by humans, a police detective has to find a serial killer, when his faerie girlfriend is the latest victim in this killing spree.

Plot Summary:
On the first page the first faerie dies and while her corpse floats down the river, we are introduced to Inspector Rycroft Philostrate. In a very noir Voice-Over he gives the viewer/reader an overview over The Burgue. He tells us about the faerie opression and the high tension between everybody living in the city. We get to know the Mayor and his wife, who fights very openly for more faerie rights. On page 6 Philostrate takes on this case and interviews the only eyewitness: a selkie - a half-human / half-seal creature. Afterwards he pays a visit to his secret faerie girlfriend, who has to work at a faerie brothel. By page 16 we already have two dead faeries and a Haruspex is called to the crime scene. These can not only see the future, but also the past and help the efforts of the police force. Philostrate goes to the Museum of Natural History to get the help of the faerie expert, Professor Alcandre.
Now all the players are in the game and the plot starts turning...

On page 30 the new victim of the serial killer, called Unseelie Jack, is revealed to be Philostrate's secret girlfriend. Not able to cope, he walks into a bar and gets wasted. Still high, Philostrate rescues a young faerie, Vignette, from an attack by Unseelie Jack. Meanwhile the Haruspex finds evidence, that points to Philostrate as Unseelie Jack. Vignette, cared for by the inspector, has to flee with him, when the police approaches. Together they hide in the underground of the faerie district, but Philostrate wants to catch the killer of his girlfriend. The fourth victim is found at the Museum of Natural History. When Philostrate goes to the crime scene, he is spotted by tzhe police and has to flee, only to be saved by Vignette. On page 71 they kiss the first time, but Philostrate backs off, the memory of his dead girlfriend still haunts him.
We are coming closer and closer to the end...

On page 78 a whole ballroom of important politicians is killed by an attack of the faeries. But it is revealed, that the Mayor is responsible for this horrible attack. He uses this event as justification to round up every non-human and put them in prison. On page 89 it is revealed that the Haruspex is Unseelie Jack, but before Philostrate can kill her, she escapes with Vignette. He follows them and we find out, that the Haruspex is a creation by Professor Alcandre: he was payed by the mayor to terrorize the faerie disctrict. Vignette kills the professor, but the Haruspex can escape. The two follow her to the prison and Philostrate kills the Haruspex in an aerial fight. The Mayor is shot by the Police Chef and everything returns to normal. After these horrible events the faeries get suffrage and equal rights in the Burgue. Philostrate and Vignette fly away on a Zeppelin to see the world, and he is finally strong enough to admit loving a faerie in public.

The Project

The script was written in 2005 by Travis Beachem and sold to New Line just a few month later. It attracted the talents of Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth & Hellboy) and Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Wolverine, The Prestige), but got stuck in development hell.
It is Beachem's first sold script and hailed as one of the best spec scripts floating around Hollywood. Beachem went on to do assignment work (The last draft of Clash of the Titans).

As always: the comment section below works without registration, just choose "Comment as Anonymous" - I am looking forward to your comments.
And if you like my blog be sure to become my follower - Thanks

- Tristan

'Sub-Mariner' Script Review

Based on the script by David Self (Jan 2004)


Summary:

A visually-stunning Superhero movie, that delivers a great deal of action, but fails to connect on an emotional level. The unsurprising story is filled with cookie-cutter characters and flat dialogue.

What's it about?

The rebellious orphan Narmor struggles to proctect the City of Atlantis from the evil duke Kraang, who captured a submarine and plans to take over the throne of Atlantis, after he finds out that he turns into the a superhuman/amphibian-hybrid when he dives deep enough

Plot Summary:

In the first scene Japanese fishermen find a baby in one of their nets and decide to leave at the doorsteps of the american base. The baby grows up, not loved by his surrogate father and failing in every aspect of life. In an rebellious act, Namor leaves the base aboard an airplane headed to save a sunken submarine. Leader of the rescue team is Jane, a strong-headed, but sensible woman. The fall in love, of course. 

On the first deep-sea deployment, Jane's equipment goes haywire and Namor goes after her to save her. When his suit implodes and Namor is exposed to the sea, he transforms into superhuman/fish. But before he can save Jane, both are captured by Duke Kraang and brought to Atlantis . The superpowered Namor can escape with Jane, but back on the ship nobody believes their story. The generals, who have seen what Namor turned into, want to dissect him, so Namor has to escapes again, this time going back to Atlantis. There he is enslaved, but nonetheless gets the chance to save the Emperor of Atlantis, Thakkoris. 

We find out that Kraang plans a war on humankind and wants to betray the Emperor. He secretly built a massive army in a huge vulcanic underground city and starts and attack on the City of Atlantis. Kraang is supported by the sonar of the submarine he captured, which proves to be deadly for all kind of fish and amphibians. All the while Namor discovers that he is the grandson of Thakkoris and now that Atlantis is his real home, he fights Kraang and saves the city.

The Project:

Marvel's Namor is one of the first superheroes, debuting in 1939. In 2006 Universal Pictures signed Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines director Jonathan Mostow to rewrite and direct Marvel Studios' Sub-Mariner (Superherohype.com). In 2008 Jason Statham was in talks to take the role of Namor (Beyondhollywood.com). In 2011 he makes a little cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger, but yet has to star in his own movie.

Remarks:

- The Love Story: Jane and Nix confess their affection for one another very early in the script - and it never plays any role at all! He does nothing to get back to her and seems to have forgotten her completely by the time he turns out to be the heir of Atlantis.Both lovers come from different worlds and can never be together, but that doesn't mean, that there can't be any lovestory. The recent Thor mastered the star-crossed lovers approach and it gave the whole movie more gravitas.

- The Visuals: the rich and amazing environment in this script are truly fantastic. The deep undersea world depicted in this script would have had a huge appeal to any movie lover. But the movie would have a huge price tag. For example, in the big finale an army of Shark Legions fight against Squid Riders, all the while huge maelstroms on the water surface suck down the human armada - only 200+ mil could bring this world to the silver screen.

Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! - Movie Category:Comic Super Hero

(1) a power the hero is imbued with - Nix transforms into Namor underwater: Check!

(2) a "Nemesis", an equally powerful bad guy - Kraang: Check!

(3) a "curse" or Achilles heel - out of water Nix is normal human: Check!

(4) The mascot or sidekick - No!

As always: the comment section below works without registration, just choose "Comment as Anonymous" - I am looking forward to your comments.
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'Wonder Woman' - Script Review

Based on the script by Laeta Kalogridis (August 2004)

Summary:

The script tries it's hardest, but ultimately fails. The final goal is only revealed after 85 pages of the script and before that the script wanders through the story without any aim.

What's it about?

The demi-godess Diana has to stop her vicious father Ares from obtaining an ancient artifact, that could plunge the whole world into an eternal war.

Plot Summary:

In an aerial dogfight american jet-pilot Steven Trevor opens a portal to the mythical island of the Amazons. He is found by Diana, who then has to fight the 4 champions of the island, in order to save Steven from execution. Together they return to our world, because Diana is really curious about the other side. In our world Diana slowly starts to gain superpowers and has to use them to save Steven from being kidnapped by Ares. From now on Diana wears a nomal dress and after a futile bar brawl, Diana explains that Ares needs Steven to open the portal for him, in order to steal the artifact hidden on Diana's island. So instead of hiding Steven, he and Diana decide to go into the base of Ares, where the antagonist - unsuprisingly - overwhelms Diana and kidnaps Steven. So, after Steven opened the portal for him, Ares attacks the island. It is a fight high-tech armory and tanks against spears and bows, but in the end the Amazons win (yeah, really!) and Ares is confined for all eternity. Diana and Steven finally kiss. The End.

The Project:

First Joel Silver wanted to adapt the DC Comic in 2001. Four years later, Joss Whedon was brought in to write and direct the feature film, but left the project again in 2007. In 2010 Warner Bros. stated that the film is still underway, with a release slated for 2013. David S. Goyer is rumored to write and direct the new film.

Remarks:

As I said in the opening paragraph, the script seems to be without any specific goal. That the threat of Ares is revealed two-thirds through the film makes everything seem without purpose. So the script concentrates on making jokes about Wonder Woman running around in her iconic costume. After meeting Steven the demi-godess Diana is turned into a little schoolgirl making big eyes at Steven and getting fits of jealousy whenever another girl is around. I don't think that making you central character act so stupid is very wise - and to be honst, I find this kind of sexist. Diana is a strong and independent woman - she is the daughter of a god! - but totally loses herself over a man? The love story should be handled differently.

Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! - Movie Category: ?

To, be honest, I am really not sure. The script turns Steven Trevor into the main protagonist and Wonder Woman is only the superpowered love-interest. Hm, perhaps you can help me out?

As always: the comment section below works without registration, just choose "Comment as Anonymous" - I am looking forward to your comments.
And if you like my blog be sure to become my follower - Thanks!

- Tristan 

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'Green Lantern' - Script Review

Based on the script by Robert Smigel (June 2006)



Summary:

It's a comedy! - and it's funny, witty! The script doesn't take it or the comics too serious and just plays with the idea of normal dude getting superpowers. But like most comedies it fails to connect emotionally, mostly because of the slacker protagonist.

What's it about:

A slacker gets the power of the Green Ring and uses this to get the women and impress the crowds. But in the end, he has to rise up and defend Earth, just not against the enemy you expected.

Plot Summary:

When Abin Sur crashes on Earth, his Green Lantern Ring chooses Jud Plato to be the worthy successor. Jud, early 30s, is working a crappy job and living in a crappy apartment with his cat. After the realisation of his enormous powers, Jud tries the whole 'Superhero'-thing, with the help of his comic-adept sidekick Seth, but mostly tries to find ways to impress Corinne (like pushing a window washer just to save him subsquently). The Green Lantern Corps finds Jud's attidue lacking and takes him in for training. Kilowog trains the young human to be a real Green Lantern, while the Tsch-Tchkii (an alien ant race) make progress on Earth. But the real villain is revealed to be Sinestro, another Green Lantern, who wants to subdue Earth to his perfect world order. Finally, with the help of the Green Lantern Corps, Jud can defeat Sinestro and stop the Tsch-Tchkii threat.

Project:

"Back in 2006, Warner Bros was considering casting Jack Black as the lead in a “Green Lantern” film, which was planned as a comedy written by Robert Smigel ('SNL'). The idea was eventually scrapped and Ryan Reynolds was brought on for a more serious take. The comedic version would have had Black playing a slovenly, big box furniture store employee named Jud Plato, instead of test pilot Hal Jordan." (Source: mypdfscripts.com) According to Jack Black, the box office failure of Catwoman lead to the cancellation of this project (Source: snakerati.com).

Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! - Movie Category: Comic Superhero

(1) a power the hero is imbued with - Green Ring: Check!

(2) a "Nemesis", an equally powerful bad guy - Sinestro: Check!

(3) a "curse" or Achilles heel - Jud's own laziness and ignorance: Check!

(4) The mascot or sidekick -  the Comic worshipper Seth. Check!

As always: the comment section below works without registration, just choose "Comment as Anonymous" - I am looking forward to your comments.
And if you like my blog be sure to become my follower - Thanks!

- Tristan 

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'Dr. Strange' - Script Review

Based on the script by Alex Cox (1990)

Summary:

The script from 1990 is sometimes camp, mostly fun and a refreshingly different take on the superhero genre. But to be really sucessful the plot of the script is too uneven and the characters too flat. 

What's it about?

Enigmatic Dr. Strange, his old mentor Kardell and his sidekicks Wong & Tanya have three days to find out where the Demon-Overlord Dormammu, with the help of his henchman Mordo, will open the gate to the Dark Dimension and take over the world.

Plot Summary:
The film's plot starts by Mordo paying a visit to the old man Kardell. Mordo says that his boss, Dormammu wants to take over the world and the only thing standing in his way are he, Kardell, and Dr. Strange. After this nice banter, Mordo goes on and tries to kill Kardell, but he can escape.

Through a ritual, Kardell and his former pupil Dr. Strange find out, that they have only three days left until the gate will be opened. To gather more information Dr. Strange goes on a astral journey, leaving his body vulnerable behind. His astral body spies on Mordo, but is discovered and involved in a heavy fight over the roofs of the city. Tanya sees this fight and pays a visit to Dr. Strange the next morning. She tells him about her prophetic dreams, which involves Kardell being killed. Instantly Dr. Strange tries to save his old mentor, but fails. To escape Mordo and his henchman Dr. Strange and Tanya go on the run, followed by the enemy. Dr. Strange can fight them of, but Tanya can't take it anymore and wants out. She stays at a motel, while Dr. Strange takes an astral journey to find out more about Mordo's goals. This is exactly what Mordo waited for and he kidnaps Tanya and Dr. Strange's body, which he beats up pretty bad.
The three days are over now and the portal starts to open over the Easter Islands. In a final move to stop the upcoming apocalypse, Dr. Strange summons every former master, including Merlin and Kardell. Together they can stop Dormammu from coming into our world, but he pulls Tanya down with him. Dr. Strange rushes into the closing portal to save her. Inside the Dark Dimension, an indescribable place without space and time. There, Dr. Strange has to fight Mordo to the death for the pleasure of Dormammu. Dr. Strange wins and takes Tanya out of the Dark Dimension. But she is so changed by this experience, that she ascends to a higher step of evolution, but promises to see him "very soon". 

Observations:

- The Logline and script name could evoke the expactation that this script is about Dr. Strange, but Alex Cox chose a different route. Dr. Strange has gained his powers long before the script starts and he doesn't evolve throughout the movie: Dr. Strange is not the main protagonist! Tanya, who discovers her powers and learns to live with them in this film, is the main protagonist. The problem is, she plays not a big role in the script, which makes the dynamics unbalanced.
- The script is the closest I have ever read to comic pulp. People in capes shooting 'energy blasts' from their hands, astral journeys and demons from the Dark Dimension? To be honest this would be a refreshing and interesting take on the superhero genre, after all the self-consious, afflicted and serious superheroes of the last decade. Additionally, the movie has heavy reference to the green movement of 1990s. Don't expect to see that in a new version!
- The project was shelved and revived numerous times. Dozen of production companies and writes took turns on the Marvel property. Dimension, Miramax and Paramount Pictures all held the rights to make a script at one time or another. People associated with the project were: Wes Craven, David S. Goyer and Guillermo del Toro, just to name a few. Now Marvel owns the property and hired 'Conan the Barbarian' scribes Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer to pen the newest take on Dr. Strange.

Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! - Movie Category: Superhero

(1) a power the hero is imbued with - Omni-potent cosmic powers? Check!

(2) a "Nemesis", an equally powerful bad guy -Evil Demon Overlord from the Dark Dimension? Check!

(3) a "curse" or Achilles heel - Elegantly solved by the use of astral journey, which leave the body of Dr. Strange vulnerable: Check!

(4) The mascot or sidekick -Wong is the comedic sidekick, although he "takes a vacation" in the middle of the script and is replaced with Tanya. Check!


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- Tristan

ZergNet

'Black Widow' - Script Review

Based on the script by David Hayter (2004) 

Summary:
Uninspiring and bland describe the Black Widow Script best. It is a by-the-numbers superhero story without deviating from the formula.

What's it about:
An orphan girl becomes unwillingly part of a sovjet military program and gains special powers. She can flee, but has to return to Russia to take out her former captors. 

Plot:

After losing her parents to a fire, Natasha is cared for by Ivan. He is an soldier at at the Red Room, a secret military project of the Sovjet Union, run by Sergei. On page 14 she is forced to undergo a procedure called "Ligature Tensility Augmentation", making her faster and stronger than a normal person. When the Sovjet Union crumbles down and the program has to be ended, Sergei goes rogue and kills everyone, who is not on his side, including Ivan. Natasha can flee to New York, but still russian spies follow her every steo, trying to kill her. After 5 years of hiding in New York she finds out, that there is a $10,000,000 bounty on her head and she decides to return to Russia to take out Sergei. After a lot hof hassle, she arrives at the Red Room, finding out Ivan has survived only to be killed 7 pages later. Inside the facility she discovers a group if young girls all trained to be 'Little Widows', Natasha frees them and together they destroy the whole complex. Safely back in New York the CIA ask Natasha to work for them. 

The Project:

In 2004 Hayter wrote 'Black Widow', but Marvel shelved it after many action-movies with female leads started and bombed ('Tomb Raider 2', 'Aeon Flux', 'Ultraviolet').

Recently talks started to revive the project, apparently due to Scarlett Johannson's appearance as Black Widow in 'Iron Man 2' and the upcoming 'The Avengers'.

Stealing from other superheroes?

While reading the script I was surprised by the amount of things adapted from other, better known Superheroes:
-Natasha is an orphan: I know it is a staple of the comic book hero. But could we at least try something new?
- The secret military project: Just like ProjectX turning Logan into Wolverine, an evil military project transforms an unwilling Natasha into the Black Widow.
- Belt with exploding disk: The Black Widow suit sports a belt equipped with exploding golden disks, which feels totally out of this world. Batman had a similar belt with such gimmicks (before 'Batman Begins')
- Shooting filaments from her wrists: Another feature of her suit is the capability to shoot filament from her writst, yeah, exactly like Spiderman. Just like the spider she uses it to swing down buildings or fighting enemies.

- This is more than a simple homage anymore, this lazy and blatant uncreative script writing!
 

Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! - Movie Category: Superhero
(1) a power the hero is imbued with - Check!
(2) a "Nemesis", an equally powerful bad guy - hm, Sergei is not as strong her, making the match-up not as tense.
(3) a "curse" or Achilles heel -she lost her parents and her is now is hunted by ruthless killers, unable to live a normal live.
(4) The mascot or sidekick - Nada! Nothing! So the script uses Voice Over the whole movie to relay Natashas feelings and give explanation to the viewer. Not so elegant.

As always: the comment section below works without registration, just choose "Comment as Anonymous" - I am looking forward to your discussion.
And if you like my blog be sure to become my follower - Thanks!

- Tristan