Producer Talks ‘Lobo,’ ‘Jonah Hex,’ ‘Swamp Thing’ and More

Akiva Goldsman, the screenwriter/producer who has brought us such gems as Batman & Robin, Lost in Space, The Da Vinci Code, Hancock and I am Legend, recently spoke to the L.A. Times and dropped a few tidbits of info on the many comic book films he currently has in the pipeline as a producer.

So, if you want some updates on DC Comic films Lobo, Swamp Thing, Jonah Hex and more, keep on reading as I cut down the lengthy interview into some easy-to-absorb snippets for you to feast on.

Check it out:

Starting with Lobo, which is being directed by Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes):

“There’s something hyperbolic and authentic about a Guy Ritchie movie. His best movie are deeply, deeply  stylized yet they are all grounded; there’s a grit of stylization, which sounds like an oxymoron but it makes perfect sense when you’ve seen his films…We’ve never seen Guy’s sensibility married to a project with such a large special effects budget.

We’ve got the character design pretty much done…and the test will get us moving forward to the next step.”

According to Goldsman, a test scene for Lobo will be shot in November and after that we can expect to hear some casting news. Check out our own Lobo casting post for some choice nominees to play the character.

Next let’s get word on the upcoming adaptation of Jonah Hex, a comic book western starring Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, Will Arnett and John Malkovich. Said Goldsman:

“He’s a character that has been described as having one foot on Earth and one foot beyond the grave, that he speaks to the dead . . . at the same time he is very much [like Sergio Leone's] ‘The Man With No Name.’ “

A lot of people around the blogosphere seem to still be on the fence when it comes to Jonah Hex – although our own Vic Holtreman seemed to like what he saw of the film at this summer’s San Diego Comic Con. A lot of guys have gone ga-ga about the prospect of seeing Megan Fox do a spicy love scene (Hex is going to be R-rated) but then again, that prospect never panned out into profit for Jennifer’s Body.

My only concern is that Jonah Hex is being directed by Jimmy Hayward, whose biggest achievements up until now have been in the Pixar animation department, or helming Horton Hears a Who! – Will he do well with a live-action western? We shall see…

Finally, on the subject of a new Swamp Thing film (one more closely based on Alan “Watchmen” Moore’s run of the character):

“We want a film with real Southern, dark horror overtones, a little bit like a classic Universal horror film,”

Guillermo del Toro has said that Swamp Thing is one of the last “holy grails” of comic book lore that could be turned into a movie. Those of us who remember Wes Craven’s 1982 film adaptation of the character (the even worse 1989 sequel or early 90s TV series) are still reeling from just how bad a Swamp Thing adaptation can turn out when placed in the wrong hands. Too early to say for sure, but I surely can ask: do you consider Akiva Goldsman to be “the right hands” for the character?

You can check out the extensive interview and history of Akiva Goldsman in the comic book movie business by going HERE. He talks about such things as The Losers, Fringe and more.

In the meantime – what do you think of a guy like Goldsman being handed the keys to so many comic book movies (you really do have to read the interview to know just how involved in the genre he is). Is he a fanboy’s crusader? Or are you one of those people still sending him death threats because of Batman & Robin?

Source: Hero Complex (L.A. Times)

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