5 Comic Adaptations That Martin Scorsese Needs To Know About (Awaiting Clarification from Writer-C)

One particular conversation that has dominated the nerd blogosphere revolves around director Martin Scorsese disliking Marvel movies {He doesn’t consider them “cinema“} and how the industry is responding to his commentary. Comics have fought for decades to be considered a legitimate form of artistic expression so it’s only natural that the movies would have similar troubles from their high brow peers. There are a few different approaches I had in my head before I put pen to paper {or hands to laptop or whatever}. Before I could approach the issue, I had to ask myself what bothered me the most {or at all} about what he actually said. And the answer is in Scorsese’s assertion that Hollywood is somehow under threat of being “invaded” by Marvel movies. “In many places in this country and around the world, franchise films are now your primary choice if you want to see something on the big screen.” –Quote from where? Initial interview? His Op-Ed? Drop me a link please and thank you.-Carrie Scorsese goes on to make his case that somehow, franchise movies being so popular make for less incentive for studios to greenlight smaller level films and independent projects. The internet reacted, the talk shows buzzed and Scorsese even went on to clarify his words in an Op-Ed with the New York Times.Look even Disney CEO Bob Iger is due to meet up with him in person about his criticism of Marvel films. Let me first clarify that if I don’t think this is fair to lay solely at Marvel’s doorstep. Franchise films existed long before superhero movies came along. Also, this is sort of misleading. Just because franchise films are making the most money and, sure, taking up the most advertising dollars….they’re not really taking up all the oxygen in the room the way Scorsese would have you believe. Hundreds of movies get made in any given year. Of those hundreds, Marvel put out exactly three: Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame and Spider Man: Far From Home. Last year, they put out two. That’s hardly an invasion. In a way, I found it reminiscent of when hip hop heads swear the new generation of rappers are tanking the industry and that “real music” is dead when the truth is there’s plenty of life outside of the Top 40 mainstream. There are plenty of stories in the pipeline ready to be told. With that in mind, instead of making this a takedown article, I decided to offer up some non-Marvel, non-Superhero offerings that are being adapted for the silver screen.

Huck

So, Mark Millar’s publishing company entered into an exclusive deal with Netflix to have some of his comic properties developed into series and films. One of the projects announced so far is the story of a well meaning small town man with special abilities that pledges to do a good deed for someone every day in exchange for the discretion of his fellow townsfolks. Eventually, a newcomers reveals his secret to the media which inadvertently sends Huck on a journey to find out where he comes from. So far, it looks like Hidden Figures director Ted Melfi is currently working on a script for the project.

100 Bullets

Based on Brian Azzarello’s classic pulp tale, an enigmatic man named Agent Graves basically seeks out {seemingly} random people with vital information on the people who wronged them and a gun with untraceable bullets…and watches mayhem ensue. If that isn’t tailor made for a movie, I don’t know what is. At this point, Tom Hardy is reported to be producing and possibly starring in the film.

Bitter Root

When a story is good enough to grab Ryan Coogler’s attention, it deserves mention. He and Zinzi Evans are set to produce David Walker and Sanford Greene’s story about the Sangeryes, family that has hunted and killed monsters since the Harlem Renaissance. Fractured and dwindling, the clan must squash varying beefs to come together and defeat an evil force that feeds on prejudice. Walker and Greene will be working on the project as executive producers.

Descender

Imagine a story so good, the movie rights were being secured before the first issue even dropped. Such is the case with Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s epic sci-fi tale of a robot created in the likeness of a little boy who wakes up to find his family dead and a spotty memory of events before hand. Since it turns out TIM might just hold the key to humanity’s survival, he’s forced to go on the run, evading bounty hunters and rival governments who would love to get their hands on his secret. So far, no actors have been casted and no release date has been announced.

Lumberjanes

Five friends to go summer camp and end up solving the paranormal mysteries that seem to gravitate towards the camp. Babysitters Club meets Supernatural…how much more of a pitch could you possibly need to greenlight a Noelle Stephenson project? If you’ve seen her work on the Netflix series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, you know it’s hard to deny the level of character development involved in her works. So, it’s no shock that 20th Century Fox optioned Lumberjanes for an animated film with Emily Carmichael set to direct. Looks like the film is a no-go now as of now in 2019? You want to reflect that in this entry?-Carrie Was there an outro you wanted to add? Any lasting thoughts? A note to any recent developments regarding Scorsese and the impact of his comments?-Carrie