John August, the announced ScreenWriter for the in-development Captain Marvel (DC) Movie, says today that the film is no longer a go. He was surprisingly detailed on the whole process in his blog, from the film’s inception at New Line where he wrote a light hearted script mixing comedy and action, to the Writers’ Strike and its move to Warner Bros:
The new executive at Warners said he agreed with the New Line notes, and told the producers I should go ahead with my rewrite. We weren’t on the official production schedule, but there were discussions about budgets and timelines. We were definitely Pete Segal’s next movie, and many of the stories coming out of the press junkets for Get Smart were about Shazam.
When we turned the new draft in to the studio, we got a reaction that made me wonder if anyone at Warners had actually read previous drafts or the associated notes. The studio felt the movie played too young. They wanted edgier. They wanted Billy to be older. They wanted Black Adam to appear much earlier.
(I pointed out that Black Adam appears on page one, but never got a response.)
He goes on to speculate as to why the Studio had such a big change of heart, and how he delivered what they asked with the third draft, including more one-on-one Captain Marvel vs. Black Adam, and even a reveal of Nanda Parbat as a location in the film. He took a trip overseas, got back, and the project was killed.
The movie may see life again, but August is confident that the current incarnation, with any version of his script, is deader than Mary Marvel’s innocence. But hey, at a time when DC desperately needs to breathe life into more movie franchises than just those that have a flying rodent-themed character, it probably isn’t in their best interest for the first one to bear the name of their chief competitor…
January 7th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Classic studio executive behavior. There’s no way to guarantee a movie will be a hit (or rather, that it won’t flop and get you fired for daring to approve it), so they start demanding random elements be changed because some movie with a similar aspect did well or bombed horribly and that may have been the key factor.
I’m almost certain this is what happened with CATWOMAN.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:47 am
damn..this is a shame and I hope someone changes their minds and gets us some Billy vs Theo cinematic action! =(
January 8th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Give it to Zach Snyder…!!!
January 8th, 2009 at 9:52 am
My young teenage son has just discovered Captain (Shazam) Marvel, and really loves the character. I got him the complete run of Power of Shazam from the 1990s for Christmas, and he’s loving it. I’m really disappointed that Hollywood is doing its typical thing with this movie. It sounded like it was going to be done “right.” We’re both disappointed by this latest news.
The hyper-success of Dark Knight — as good a film as it was — is going to ruin DC projects for the foreseeable future, I’m afraid. They think Dark Knight + Success = All Superhero Movies Should Be Dark. They SHOULD realize Dark Knight + Appropriate Treatment = Success, therefore Any Superhero + Appropriate Treatment Should = Success.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Shame. I’m certain that, like Lucas said, this property will be revitalized again within the next couple of years. Funny, but for some reason I thought JMS was going to be writing this.
January 8th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Hmm… I think a Shazam movie is going to be a tricky one. Do you go for the more lighthearted angle, which I think might work best for Captain Marvel, or do you take it more seriously and a bit darker, as DC has tried to do at times? I mean, Black Adam’s just not gonna work in more lighthearted film… At least I don’t think so.
I’m not really fan of the Captain Marvel character, although I did enjoy Kingdom Come quite a lot. He just seems too much like a Superman knock-off (even though he seems to kick Supes’ ass every time they’ve ever squared off, which I don’t really understand).
If they’re ever going to make the film, it should be lighter, more family-oriented fare. And they should definitely cast Patrick Warburton as Cap. He’s got the build, the squinty-eyed look, and he’s a funny guy.
January 8th, 2009 at 10:42 am
It’s the same thing that happened with comics and DC from 1986 onward. Audiences responded well to DKR and Watchmen stories and characterizations, but the guys in charge and most of the writers only saw the violence and grit as the rationale for what sold.
The more things change…
January 8th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Can I just say how much this news sucks? I honestly think that the success in 2008 of HANCOCK proved that the superhero genre can take a comedic tone and work. I think that movie had its flaws, but it worked on a lot of levels, especially in the first half.
SHAZAM! could be a great success if the heads of Warner Bros. would realize that it wasn’t simply the “Dark” that put asses in the seats last summer but also the “Knight.”
January 8th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
This the the BEST THING to happen to Shazam
January 8th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
I think if they want to make it a lighter themed story they should do a Saturday morning cartoon that skews a bit younger like Spectacular Spider-Man. Then guage the popularity and move from there.
January 8th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
The Shazam! Movie is not grounded. Check out http://www.marvelfamily.com
Walt
January 8th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Oh please,captain marvel would already be an issue because that name is not even allowed since Marvel the company own’s the naming rights.
2nd, the general audience does not want an even cheesier version of superman. Everybody know’s that the Shazzam character is a 50′s style throwback and no matter what you do,you can never make it resonate with today’s people.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Such a shame. DC has really screwed this character up. First they sue Fawcett to the point where the character disappears. They then buy the rights to him, but too late to actually use his name on the cover. They blow it again when Captain Marvel gets lost in the shuffle after the Legend mini-series. Sorta get it right in the 90s with Ordway’s series (but gets canceled due to low sales). And now the character isn’t even the same since the Trials of Shazam mini-series (which was a really good read, but still sucks that Captain Marvel gets replaced by Capt. Marvel Jr.). They only good thing now is the Mike Kunkel children’s series “Billy Batson and the Magic os Shazam”, but that only comes out at most evern 2-3 months. Give this book to Geoff Johns. Maybe he can save it. I read and article that Alex Ross had a revamp idea which looked promising, but of course, DC BLOWS IT but going in a different direction. It seems that unless a character had be created under the DC banner, and not bought from a different company, they DC puts the time and energy into making it a success. Captain Marvel and Plastic Man are the two that come to mind. Great characters that have just been abused throughout the years. As for the movie…Darker? Why would you make Captain Marvel darker? He is not Batman, never been anything like Batman. Like I said before, such a shame.
January 8th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
So, after more than 20 years of a single comic company being incapable of selling Captain Marvel to a built in audience, a movie studio doesn’t think that they can sell it to an audience that’s unfamiliar with the character?
I’m shocked. Shocked to hear that.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
@ titandeoro: I mostly agree with you, although Kingdom Come is something of a classic story. Then again, it’s not known outside of comic fan circles, so you might be right about that. I think Capt. Marvel’s schizo nature at DC (Sometimes it’s more lighthearted fun, other times they try to take the character and shis supporting cast dark — all that Black Adam & Mary Marvel stuff of late) that no one can really agree on who or what the character should be.
@ spitar1: I like your idea! That could make for a good cartoon series, and a good way to introduce the Shazam mythos to a new audience.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:55 am
Warner’s incompetence knows no bounds
January 9th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Nah, Jeremy… It’s entirely likely that WB’s uncertain that the movie will find an audience. Mike and Titandeoro both make good points here. DC’s been unable to find much success with with Captain Marvel & Co. since reviving the character in the 70s. I think more people remember him from the 70′s kiddie show than anything else. No guarantee they’ll find an audience with a big budget movie. Especially if it turns out cheesy, which it could.
Maybe it’ll happen one day (hopefully before Warburton gets too old), but I’d prefer WB get Green Lantern or Wonder Woman made. Not to mention a successful reboot of Superman. Of course, not every comic book NEEDS to be made into a movie anyhow. The ones they do make, I hope they’re good ones. Let WB take its time and develop a handful of strong movies, rather than a whole bunch of crappy ones.