Conan, 'The Dark Knight' DVD and James Bond in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's edition of Everyday Hero, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

Negoitating the truth: It's a pretty common tactic in Hollywood to put out a press release to "create a buzz" for a deal that's not even done -- the hope is to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. That seems to be the case with the "news" earlier this week that Brett Ratner was on board to direct a new "Conan the Barbarian" film, according to Patrick Goldstein, the Los Angeles Times columnist and author of The Big Picture blog. Goldstein talked to both producer Avi Lerner and Ratner and found out that the sword-and-sandal revival isn't as solid as suggested: "One of Hollywood's most persuasive salesman, Lerner told me this morning that Ratner was the perfect director. 'He has the passion and feeling for this project -- he even wrote a story about Conan when he was 10 years old,' Lerner explained. 'He understands the character, he analyzed the script really well. He knows how to make this a really big movie. I like his childlike enthusiasm -- he almost sees these movies as wonderful toys. What can I say, he's a nice, likable Jewish boy.' Lerner acknowledged that even though he sent out a press release announcing Ratner's involvement with the project, the deal wasn't actually done. 'We still have a few obstacles,' he said. 'Brett is only committed if we agree on a budget, on how to do the special effects and exactly where we'd shoot the film.' Lerner has a studio in Bulgaria, so he'd like to shoot most of the movie there, with some exterior work in China. But is Ratner actually committed to doing the film? In two words: Not really. When I called him today, he sounded somewhat agitated, unhappy that news of his negotiations with Lerner had surfaced, especially since he is extremely close to getting a green light from Paramount to make 'Beverly Hills Cop 4.' 'Let me make this very clear,' he told me. 'I am not doing "Conan" now. This is totally premature. For now, "Conan" is only a development deal. I have a deal at Paramount and I'm doing "Beverly Hills Cop" first, no matter what. Avi shouldn't be telling you or anyone else in the press what I'm doing.' " [The Big Picture]

"The Dark Knight" DVD: Every DVD sales record will be challenged when Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" hits store shelves on Dec. 9. UK-based writer Ben Child has posted some early video material from the extras: "We have three exclusive clips from the UK DVD of Nolan and his cast talking about Batman, the Joker and Harvey Dent, Gotham's crusading district attorney. I have to confess I was wondering whether the disc might include footage of the late Heath Ledger talking about playing the Joker, but either these interviews were conducted long after the actor's death or Nolan and his team decided it wouldn't be appropriate. If so, that's an understandable decision, but it's desperately sad we'll never get to hear Ledger talk about the development of the character. With all his weird tics and spasms, the Joker is not just one of the great screen villains: he's every amateur psychologist's dream subject." [The Guardian]...Also, in other "Dark Knight" news, the score to the film has been disqualified from Academy Award consideration apparently due to the number of composers (five) credited for the work. [Variety]

James Bond, by the book: Author and journalist Allen Barra takes a look at the Ian Fleming bookshelf and finds that the 007 we see on film these days is far more spoiled and sadistic than the James Bond inhabiting the 1960s novels: "The Bond of the books didn't have the luxury of sports cars and speedboats, toys that would have bankrupted Her Majesty's government. In 'You Only Live Twice,' he complains to the head of the Japanese Secret Service that MI6's budget of 'under ten million pounds a year doesn't go far when there is the whole world to cover.' In 'Thunderball' (1961), Bond envies his allies in the CIA for 'the excellence of their equipment,' which he is constantly forced to borrow. Those combing the books for the 'sex, sadism and snobbery' attributed to Mr. Fleming by his critics will be disappointed. Bond is far from sadistic and is, in fact, an economical and efficient killer -- it's his enemies who are sadistic. The level of violence is not only mild by today's standards but by that of other 1950s thriller writers such as Mickey Spillane. The literary Bond was hardly a snob. In Mr. Fleming's final Bond novel, 'The Man With the Golden Gun' (1965), he was still, in the author's words, 'an unrepentant Scottish peasant' who refused knighthood from the queen -- an offer that another, real-life, Scotsman, Sean Connery, could not refuse. Far from a gourmet, Bond preferred simple food such as cold roast beef and potato salad." [The Wall Street Journal]

Slaying dragons on the small screen: HBO has ordered up a pilot for a series based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling series of novels "A Song of Fire & Ice" with a team of executive producers that includes David Benioff ("Troy") and D.B. Weiss ("Halo"). Entertainment reporter James Hibberd has a very insightful take on how this show, if it moves forward, would give fantasy a rare foothold in television: "Though broadcasters have embraced sci-fi-tinged shows in recent years following the success of ABC’s 'Lost' and NBC’s 'Heroes,' and supernatural themes have been given a spin by CW’s 'Supernatural' and HBO’s own 'True Blood,' high fantasy is nearly nonexistent in primetime TV history -- and 'Thrones' is an unabashed member of the genre. The books have swords, dragons, magic, the works. 'Fantasy is the most successful genre in terms of feature films given the incredible popularity of "Lord of the Rings" and Harry Potter movies,' Benioff said. 'High fantasy has never been done on TV before and if anybody can do it, it’s HBO. They’ve taken tired genres and reinvented them -- mobsters in "The Sopranos" and westerns with "Deadwood." ' The cost of producing a fantasy series is usually a big factor that deters networks. The producers note 'Thrones' is written as a character drama and major battles often take place off stage. 'It’s not a story with a million orcs charging across the plains,' Weiss said. 'The most expensive effects are creature effects and there’s not much of that.' Martin plans seven books in the series. The producers intend for each season to span one novel. But before the series can get on the air, the producers first have to slay a more formidable threat than any dragon: pilot competitors. HBO has 10 other pilots in contention for series orders." [Live Feed blog, Hollywood Reporter]

-- Geoff Boucher

Conan art by Frank Cho and courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. Daniel Craig in "Quantum of Solace," photo by Susia Allnut\Columbia Pictures.

Barack Obama's comics collection, Will Eisner, and the Magneto film in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's handpicked headlines for the fanboy universe in our Everyday Hero report ...

The Air Force One reading list: President-elect Barack Obama is a fanboy, at least according to Jon Swaine, who reports that the next leader of the free world will apparently be lugging a box of Marvel Comics with him when he moves into the White House. Swain has a tally called "Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know," and right there at the very top of the list it says: "He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics." Wow, we need more information here. Is he a Steve Ditko fan or more of a Todd McFarlane man? Does he prefer the black suit or classic red-and blue Spidey? Does the future first lady get upset when he lingers too long on the Red Sonja issues of Conan? Can he recite the "crush your enemies" speech from the Conan movie? So much to know. The list also says he's read every "Harry Potter" novel, that he has eaten roasted grasshopper, he benches 200 pounds and that he once had a pet ape named Tata. I'm not even making this up ... [Daily Telegraph]

Will Eisner on war: Four years before his death in 2005, Will Eisner talked about his military years with Brian Jacks, who apparently had the interview in his filing cabinet until today. It went online today to mark Veterans Day and also as a nod to the upcoming Christmas Day release of "The Spirit" film. Here's a bit of Eisner's recollections: "I landed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, which was just outside of Baltimore. And the Baltimore newspaper carried 'The Spirit.' So I was something of a celebrity I suppose ... my drill sergeant was a sadistic S.O.B. [laughs]. I remember standing there in line and he came over and looked at me and stuck his nose in my face, as all drill sergeants do. And he said to me, 'S---, man, you don’t look like the character you draw' [laughs]. So he was really kind of nasty on me. Picked on me because The Spirit was a heroic character and I looked a little less than that. But when the basic training was over, the camp newspaper editor came by with his assistant and asked if I’d be willing to come on their staff and do artwork, and do cartoons and so forth. And I said yes." [Splash Page blog, MTV]

Magnetic properties: With all the attention on the Marvel Studios' slate of projects (Captain America, Thor, the Avengers and another Iron Man film) there hasn't been much talk about "X-Men Origins: Magneto," the Sony project that is still percolating out there. David Bentley has an update based on a Production Weekly update and a script he's seen: "Here is the official synopsis for the movie, as listed by subscription trade mag Production Weekly: 'The original X-Men film began with a prologue that showed the character as a child being led to a concentration camp by Nazis and that is the period in which the Magneto film will take place. This setup will allow a future villain to at least flirt with the designation of protagonist since the character will be seen almost exclusively in his formative years.' This essentially means that the young Magneto is a hero who battles the Nazis. The synopsis continues: 'The storyline will heavily involve Professor X, the wheelchair-using X-Men leader. That character was a soldier in the allied force that liberated the concentration camps. The professor meets Magneto after the war and while they bond over the realisation that they are alike in their special powers, their differences soon turn them into enemies.' The screenplay I saw didn't include Xavier (played by Patrick Stewart in the X-Men films) as a member of the Allied Forces; he was working in Israel at a hospital where he helped war survivors from both sides to recover and rehabilitate." [Geek Files blog, Coventry Telegraph]

-- Geoff Boucher

Barack Obama image drawn by Alex Ross; Magneto image courtesy of Marvel Comics.
 

Captain America, Buck Rogers and the barbaric Brett Ratner in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

Wrapped in the flag: The Captain America movie, which will be a World War II tale and lead up to the hero's appearance in the modern-day setting of the "The Avengers," will be directed by Joe Johnston, who has experience with the vintage-style screen adventures with "The Rocketeer." Johnston also directed "Jumanji," "Jurassic Park III" and the upcoming werewolf revival, "The Wolf Man," which stars Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. Borys Kit interviewed Marvel Studios executive and "Cap" producer Kevin Feige for this morning's announcement story in the trades: "Johnston first met with Marvel two years ago. When the two parties clicked, general talks turned into Captain America-specific meetings, with much of the project's current direction resulting from those early conversations. 'This is a guy who designed the vehicles for 'Star Wars,' who storyboarded the convoy action sequence for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' Feige said. "From 'Rocketeer' to 'October Sky' to 'The Wolfman,' you can look at pieces of his movies and see how they lead to this one' ... Kicking off with 'Iron Man,' Marvel Studios' slate of movies -- including 'Thor' and the 'Iron Man' sequel -- is building toward an 'Avengers' movie set for release in 2011, in which the characters from the films team for one big adventure. 'Captain America' is scheduled for release May 6, 2011." [Hollywood Reporter]

"Skim" at the top: The New York Times Book Review section on Sunday was devoted to the Children's Books Fall Special issue, which (somewhat jarringly) includes Elizabeth Spires' review of the graphic novel "Skim," which is a tale of 16-year-old girl nicknamed Skim who attends a private girls school where she is treated as an outcast. The story, written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, touches on sexual identity, suicide and a romantic yearning between a student and her teacher, all of which is handled with a painful honesty and nuance that impressed the editors of the special section. Spires writes: "'Skim' — a winner of a 2008 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award — is a convincing chronicle of a teenage outsider who has enough sense to want to stay outside. In the final section of the story, titled appropriately 'Goodbye (Hello),' Skim defies the shallow, popular clique and walks out of a school dance with Katie. She’s cast off her nickname and is 'Kim' now, a name more true to the person she is slowly becoming. And Katie is slowly beginning to heal, too. All in all, 'Skim' offers a startlingly clear and painful view into adolescence for those of us who possess it only as a distant memory. It’s a story that deepens with successive rereadings. But what will teenagers think? Maybe that they’ve found a bracingly honest story by a writer who seems to remember exactly what it was like to be 16 and in love for the first time." [New York Times]

Buck up, little buddy: Will we see Buck Rogers back in some new film or television revival? There was talk of Frank Miller directing a movie for a 2011 arrival at theater but that is more rumor than real at this point, according to "The Spirit" director himself. Either way,  Lewis Wallace has written a quick appraisal of the hero's history along with a 14-image photo gallery marking his 80th anniversary in pop culture: "Anthony 'Buck' Rogers first burst from writer Philip Nowlan's imagination in 1928, when the intrepid spaceman appeared in "Armageddon — 2419," a story published in Amazing Stories magazine. From his pulp roots, the character developed into an influential American hero on the airwaves and the silver screen. Subsequent space swashbucklers like Brick Bradford and Flash Gordon took a cue from Buck Rogers' sci-fi adventures. Buck took to the radio Nov. 7, 1932, with the first broadcast of 'The World in 2432'. The radio show launched Buck and his female co-pilot, Wilma Deering, into the nation's living rooms, introducing such sci-fi staples as spaceships and death rays." [Wired]

Brett Ratner? By Crom!: After the success of "300" it was really only a matter of time before a revival of Conan the Barbarian picked up serious steam. The name of Brett Ratner ("X-Men: The Last Stand") has been associated with the project quite a bit in recent months and recently Jay Fernandez and Borys Kit had this story in the trades on appraising his interest in the Cimmerian: "Ratner has been considering signing on to direct a 21st century update of 'Conan,' co-produced by Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate Films, even as he pushes another high-profile project -- a fourth installment of the 'Beverly Hills Cop' franchise -- toward a greenlight at Paramount, where he recently set up shop. While the 'Conan' development deal puts the brawny brigand on Ratner's docket, 'BHC IV' is still likely to go into production first. Ratner jived to the 'Conan' script by Gersh-repped Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly, who looked to Robert E. Howard's original pulp stories of the 1930s to create their take on the character. The writers are doing a quick polish to incorporate some of Ratner's ideas, with an eye toward releasing the film in 2010. ... Millennium and Lionsgate are eyeing a potential franchise and envision a very R-rated approach in the $85 million budget range. "The story opens on the battlefield where Conan is born and tells the origin story that sets the stage for what will be the first of multiple films,' Lerner said. [Hollywood Reporter]

-- Geoff Boucher

Captain America image drawn by Steve Epting and courtesy of Marvel Comics.