Sandman getting Supernatural treatment. Plus: Locke & Key on Fox network. Walking Dead season 2 buzz. Sarsgaard on Green Lantern. Pelted by gamma rays, it's your Comics2Film 10.9.2!
Actor Peter Sarsgaard is getting a big head. We mean that literally as he dons prosthetic makeup to play the cranially mutated Hector Hammond in the new Green Lantern movie. Sarsgaard spoke to MTV Splash Page about the makeup process for the film and said his head size grows throughout.
"The names for [the head pieces] were all very Jay-Z," stated Sarsgaard. "They were like 2.5, 3.0... all that sort of thing. I do have a piece of one."
The actor also joked that the tedious makeup process that he and Mark Strong (who plays Sinestro in the film) underwent. "He's just starting and I said 'you're going to find yourself missing that smell. That sticky... feeling. That cold brush going up [against your face] in the morning.'"
The movie hits theaters next June. Click through for more of Sarsgaard's comments.
Rumors broke yesterday that Walking Dead had been given the high sign for a second season with work resuming on new episodes starting in February. The root of the rumor was a report from Fangoria.com which cited "a crew source on the show's home turf in Atlanta."
However the story caused representatives for AMC TV to issue denials across all sites reporting the rumor. The network has not yet green lit additional episodes. We'd expect that to happen once they get a read on audience reaction to the series when it debuts over Halloween weekend.
AMC is already running a promotion allowing a fan to win a walk-on part in one of the new episodes, however that contest has a conciliation prize at the ready if the second season doesn't go.
So far buzz and anticipation is high, probably higher than any new series that AMC has ever debuted, drawing from the fervor of the comic's ready-made audience and the hugely positive reaction to the footage and images that have been released.
Thanks to DaForce1 for the submission.
Another horror TV series that seems to have building buzz is the show based on Joe Hill's comics series Locke & Key.
Back in February word broke that the writer/producer team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (behind Star Trek and Fringe) had begun developing the property, based on the IDW Comics.
Last week word was Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks TV were also attached to develop the story of a family encountering supernatural secrets in their New England home.
Now, The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Fox TV has made a series commitment to the project. Kurtzman and Orci will serve as executive producers along with Heather Kadin, Josh Friedman (Sarah Connor), Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and Ted Adams.
If you haven't read the comic, go do so immediately. It's a good book and the story arcs have been dutifully collected into volumes which read as well-structured graphic novels. The series is currently on its fourth arc.
And while we're on the theme of great horror comics being adapted for TV, the big news today is that Neil Gaiman's groundbreaking Sandman comics series is being developed as a TV series according to the Live Feed blog at THR.
Like Watchmen, Sandman is one of those comics that fans have been protective of when the question of a Hollywood adaptation comes up. There have been several terrible attempts to convert it into a movie by tinsel-town suits who simply did not get it. Fans and Gaiman alike have expressed they'd rather see no Sandman adaptation than a bad one.
But things have changed in the 15 or so years since the comics (which helped launch DC's Vertigo brand) initially saw print. More and more Hollywood has learned how to adapt comics and the importance of being respectful to the source material. Most recently, Warner Bros and DC Comics formed DC Entertainment, a production shingle designed to making sure these kinds of adaptations are done well.
Live Feed is reporting that DC Entertainment is talking with various writer-producers about getting the ball rolling on a TV series depicting Gaiman's rich, dark fantasy series about the King of Dreams and his elemental siblings. Topping that list is Supernatural show-runner Eric Kripke. That's a show that has a following for offering complex characters that have spun out of a very basic concept.
According to the report, Kripke is keen to try his hand at the show, but also wary of stepping on the toes of fans and Gaiman.
While we await official confirmation of the story, we'd suggest the obvious: let's have Gaiman be involved with it.
What do you think, Maniacs? Is the time right for SANDMAN to be done right? Post your comments below...
Rob M. Worley is the writer and creator of the all-new, all-cat kids comic book series Scratch9 which arrives in comic shops on September 9th! Come see him on 9/9 at Comic City in Novi, MI where he's signing pre-release copies of the first issue of the new book!
Gaiman doesnt' need to be involved as long as they follow Sandman and don't change anything. I would be curious which network will get it. HBO is the only one I think that has the resources to pull it off.
Unless Walking Dead tanks big time in the 2nd week there will be a 2nd season.
I am SO down with Eric Kripke doing a Sandman show! O.O That would be super ultra bad ass! I know he would have very heavy respect for the Sandman material. I bet he would also have Gaiman on board for giving advice for the screenplays. This has WIN written all over it! :D
Sandman, unless it's given a big budget, will be a crappy Canadian-style sci-fi with WTF storylines like Forever Knight, Highlander and Andromeda all were at times throughout their run...
jfdavis, The Highlander sequels had WTF moments throughout their run. Not the TV series. That was pretty straight forward except the last season where the guy playing Duncan didn't want to be in 90% of the episodes.
I'm still confused as to why there were Highlander sequels and TV shows in the first place. I could have sworn that he WAS The One at the end of the first movie.
I guess that was an unfair example but I thought the Raven spin-off was even more straightforward...The final season was simply to find a female Immortal to spin the show off. As far as Adrian Paul not appearing in the show, I give Murder She Wrote as a basis for the move though that guy with the umbrella was cool... ;-)
If Sandman doesn't get watered down, this will be an awesome show!!!!!
jfdavis - You DID watch Supernatural right? O.o Kripke did an awesome job of making TV magic with that one. It had a great budget and for a long time it was one of the best things on TV.
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If Gaiman's not involved, I would avoid this like the plague. His involvement seems like a no-brainer really.
After seeing the trailer for Walking Dead, I'm convinced. It'll be on my DVR as soon as I can schedule it. Although the trailer didn't seem to make it the ensemble piece the early stills hinted at. Maybe I'm wrong ... or I was.
Can't wait for GL.