By Jimmy Palmiotti

First thing first…I want to talk about the JONAH HEX film.  I do know something about the behind the scenes of it all because, as I mentioned before, one of the producers, Andy Lazar, is actually an old friend of mine. Because of this, I actually get information on a regular basis that is filled with facts. First thing I want to clear up is this quote from the Hollywood Reporter.

“[Megan] Fox is in final negotiations to star opposite Josh Brolin and John Malkovich in ‘Jonah Hex,’ Warner Bros.’ action Western based on the DC Comics character. She also is attached to star and develop ‘Fathom,’ Fox Atomic’s comic book-based underwater adventure.

In “Hex,” being directed by Jimmy Hayward, Fox will play Leila, a gun-wielding beauty and love interest of Hex (Brolin), a scarred bounty hunter tracking a voodoo practitioner (Malkovich) who wants to raise an army of undead to liberate the South.”

OK, first thing we all know is that the cool dudes at Aspen Comics publish FATHOM , not Fox Atomic. And yes, we do know that Fox is going to make the film. Minor thing. Second, what I do know for sure is the casting of MEGAN FOX. This is true, she will be in the Hex movie and that along with the addition of John Malkovich playing Turnbull, well, it’s a pretty awesome thing. I can’t say enough how happy I am with the choices being made on this feature. So far, from producers to actors and now director, Justin and I couldn’t be happier. I think this will be a film we get to see Megan really break out as an actress.

What isn’t true and will probably make the fans of the character lose their lunch is the “voodoo practitioner raising an army of the undead” part. Not true on any level, so stop worrying. Really… you can all relax now.

AGAIN… there is no voodoo dude raising the dead to liberate the South kind of silliness going on at all in this film. I really wanted to clear this up because I spent the last few days at MegaCon being asked a million questions about the Hex movie and throwing this out in my column is a lot easier than losing my voice.

Anyway, stay tuned for more developments on the Hex front and go out today and pick up the second part of the Sawbones storyline illustrated beautifully by David Michael Beck.

MEGACON: The whole weekend was a blast. The show itself was packed each day, a good sign, and I got to hang out and meet a lot of awesome fans, so overall, it really was a big success. What was really nice was that Dan DiDio came to the show and I got to host a few panels with him. Anyone that has never been at these panels is truly missing a really insane time. Dan not only is a hyperactive host, but also regularly jumps off the stage and gets involved with the fans. I haven’t seen that kind of energy in a long time. It was also cool that the MegaCon people asked me to host the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA panel. I have to admit I was a little nervous at first, but the packed room and fantastic actors soon melted away any fears. I am a fan of the show, both the old and the new, so I kind of geeked out a bit doing this, and in doing so took a crappy photo with some of them on my iPhone…and yes, Dirk Benedict is the guy behind my head in the picture.

I GOT A COLD: Seriously, is there anyone you know this past few weeks that hasn’t gotten one cold or another? Everyone I talk to from Spain to California is complaining about the same runny nose/chest congestion/deep cough thing. If this is the lead in to the end of the world, someone please let me know so I can take all my money and go to hedonism in Jamaica for a month. I want to go out with a bang.

PAINKILLER JANE IN GERMANY: I want to publicly thank Veronika Weiss at NBC/Universal in Deutschland for actually sending me a promo poster for the show that just started airing there last week. It is the only printed piece of art I have from the show, which has, to date, had a complete run in over a hundred markets… Pretty amazing if you think about it… Pretty sad if you think about the fact that we didn’t get a dime from any of that. Don’t worry; my lawyers are looking into it.

BACK TO BROOKLYN: Issue 4 is out this week and it features a scene that I think will leave a lasting impression on you. Its loosely based on something that happened to my mom a few years back. At the time, she was in a rehab hospital because of her walking and at the time she was 79 years old. When there, they would keep a patient in a wheelchair at all times for safety reasons and only let them walk when it was time for their therapy a few times a day. One nice sunny day, my mom who was also taking a lot of medication at the time, decided it would be a nice day to wheel herself out of the hospital and get some fresh air. Usually not a problem if you can get past the front desk and security, which was only possible when someone came for you. Well, somehow she managed to get out… go past the front of the building and on to the sidewalk. Let me take a second and set this part up. The hospital is on top of a hill that pretty much faces a 4-lane street and then the Atlantic Ocean across that street.

As you can imagine, she started giving into gravity and rolling down the hill…and fast. My mom’s life would have been cut short except for the kindness of a stranger driving by. He stopped his car, ran out and caught the speeding wheelchair before it hit the busy street and water. He then took her back to the hospital and wheeled her in and yelled at everyone. I got a phone call from the hospital that made no sense to me except for the part that “she is all right.” Well, once I got the full story, everyone got a good yell and really, at that point, my mom was safe.

Back to the comic. In issue 4 of back to Brooklyn, there is a scene with the main character, his mother in a wheelchair and a strip of highway in Brooklyn we call the Belt Parkway. It’s probably the sickest scene Garth and I came up with for the series and I wanted you all to know the inspiration so you understand the book better. That said, unlike the main character Bob, I love my mother like no other son has. Give it a shot. Attached is a special preview of issue 4 for those late to the game.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This preview is intended for mature audiences… more after the cut…

- Jimmy P

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 10:41 am and is filed under Listen to Jimmy Palmiotti, News & Views. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.