Benioff Talks Wolverine

[Magneto]

http://www.jewreview.net/article.php?id=1745

Quote:
David Benioff Claws at Wolverine
Source: Shmuel Reuven
The writer gives up some dirt on the X-Men Origins movie.

Wolverine is returning to the big screen in 2009. The X-Men Origins story will tell the tale of how Logan became the mutant that he is. Gavin Hood is directing and David Benioff is writing the screenplay.

While promoting his latest film, The Kite Runner, David sat down with JewReview.net to talk about how he will adapt Wolverine for this prequel story. And it really comes down to David being a lover of comics since he was a kid. “I grew up a huge fan of comics and Logan especially, so the research was the most fun research I’ve ever had to do. I started going back and re-reading all the comics, mostly which I had read before. But then I started reminding myself about the character and all the back story, which I have still. The really fun thing about working on that project is you can send an email out to the guy at Marvel, ‘Can you send me comics 200-290?’ and you get these care packages in the mail. One of the things I loved about working on that movie is knowing that it would make my 14-year-old self so happy knowing if he was looking forward, this is what - .”

He wouldn’t go into the story line, but David did say there is one particular plot he’s working on. “I think I’m not allowed to say, but it is a prequel and it’s an origin, but they don’t want me to talk about the specific comic book. The answer is ‘yes, there is’ but they told me not to say.”

David did confirm the updated list of characters who would be in Wolverine. “Yeah, Silver Fox is one of the big ones; they’ll be announcing the casting on that one in the next couple weeks. And Stryker is in it. But I signed some massive contract at Fox that I’m not allowed to say, so I better shut-up now.”

David’s new film, The Kite Runner is based on Khaled Hosseini’s best selling novel (of the same name); it opens in theaters December 14th.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is scheduled for a May 1, 2009 release.

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.jewreview.net/article.php?id=1745

Quote:
David Benioff Claws at Wolverine
Source: Shmuel Reuven
The writer gives up some dirt on the X-Men Origins movie.

Wolverine is returning to the big screen in 2009. The X-Men Origins story will tell the tale of how Logan became the mutant that he is. Gavin Hood is directing and David Benioff is writing the screenplay.

While promoting his latest film, The Kite Runner, David sat down with JewReview.net to talk about how he will adapt Wolverine for this prequel story. And it really comes down to David being a lover of comics since he was a kid. “I grew up a huge fan of comics and Logan especially, so the research was the most fun research I’ve ever had to do. I started going back and re-reading all the comics, mostly which I had read before. But then I started reminding myself about the character and all the back story, which I have still. The really fun thing about working on that project is you can send an email out to the guy at Marvel, ‘Can you send me comics 200-290?’ and you get these care packages in the mail. One of the things I loved about working on that movie is knowing that it would make my 14-year-old self so happy knowing if he was looking forward, this is what - .”

He wouldn’t go into the story line, but David did say there is one particular plot he’s working on. “I think I’m not allowed to say, but it is a prequel and it’s an origin, but they don’t want me to talk about the specific comic book. The answer is ‘yes, there is’ but they told me not to say.”

David did confirm the updated list of characters who would be in Wolverine. “Yeah, Silver Fox is one of the big ones; they’ll be announcing the casting on that one in the next couple weeks. And Stryker is in it. But I signed some massive contract at Fox that I’m not allowed to say, so I better shut-up now.”

David’s new film, The Kite Runner is based on Khaled Hosseini’s best selling novel (of the same name); it opens in theaters December 14th.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is scheduled for a May 1, 2009 release.

That would be so awesome to write a Marvel or DC movie just to get to look at all the archives.

 

[Magneto]

That would be so awesome to write a Marvel or DC movie just to get to look at all the archives.

I Agree

 

[narrows101]

Benioff is doing the interview rounds for "The Kite Runner" and "Wolverine" of course comes up:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/80-12122007-1455028.html

Benioff recently finished the script for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," set for release in 2009 and starring Hugh Jackman, who appears as the character in the three previous "X-Men" installments. Set a decade and a half before the first movie, the origin story has Wolverine seeking revenge for his girlfriend’s murder.

"I went after that job because I was a comic-book geek and Wolverine was always my favorite character," he said. "When I was growing up in the late 1970s, the comic-book heroes were the square-jawed, Superman types - all good guys with super powers.

"Then along came Wolverine, who smokes cigars and gets into fights due to his temper. He always seemed to be the roughish uncle who would tell you great stories about his adventures and give you tips on how to pick up girls."

 

[narrows101]

Here's another with info on how involved he was/is (the picture of him sort of looks like Wolverine!):

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=39932

CS: I've read a couple pages of the "Wolverine" script which has to be about a year old. Have you stayed involved with that up until they started shooting?

Benioff: I haven't been working on "Wolverine" since... I mean, it's been a while since the last draft, but they brought on other writers starting in like September or something, so I haven't seen whatever the shooting draft is, so I don't know exactly what it is. I think they're supposed to start shooting in January in Australia, but I have not been really in the loop on that one anymore.

CS: I'm a comic book fan myself, so did you spend a lot of time reading comics and trying to distill his origin, which is not exactly the easiest one to adapt. You got "Kite Runner" down to two hours but Wolverine has had so many origins over the years. There's a lot of them out there.

Benioff: Yeah, it will be interesting, because I know that changes have been made, so I don't know how they're handling... I don't know what's exactly in the present draft of the script, so I'm curious to see it when it gets made, but yes, I grew up a huge comic book fan. Where I grew up on Yorkville and 86th on the East End, there was a comic store called Action Comics on like 84th and 2nd, and I was there every week. Wolverine was always my favorite character, because at that time at least, most of the superheroes were still these square-jawed righteous do-gooders, and then along comes this cigar-chomping, hard-drinking rowdy little Canadian guy and I just loved him from the beginning. It was the one comic book adaptation that I always wanted to do, and I really went after it. I went into Marvel and just really pursued it aggressively.

[POSSIBLE SPOILER]

Spoiler

CS: I love the opening scene where he's a kid being getting picked on by the bigger kids.

Benioff: Yeah, me too. That's my scene and I don't know if it's in the present draft or not. That was mine, but I don't know if that will be in the actual movie

[SPOILER ENDS]

 

[X-Maniac]

I hate the idea of that spoiler scene in the above post. Wolverine doesn't strike me as that kind of weedy kid at all. Is his comicbook origin like that?

 

[Legion]

I hate the idea of that spoiler scene in the above post. Wolverine doesn't strike me as that kind of weedy kid at all. Is his comicbook origin like that?

I don't like this scene either but since a young logan has been cast its probably still in the script.

In the Origin story alot of people on this forum are fond of, James Howlett is a sickly boy, insecure, and can't stand up for himself until his mutant powers develop.

In the early '90's Sabretooth still believed he was Wolverine's father and there's flash backs that suggest Creed was abusive.

Wolverine also has a memory of getting beat up at Silver Fox's high school dance.

So a few of his proposed origins show him being abused or picked on as a youth.

 

[OperationStupid]

I like that scene. Kid Logan getting punked, just to beacome the ultimate badass.

Well if done right. It could be cheesey.

 

[Congo Jack]

I hate that scene, I really hope it got cut from the shooting script. But, apart from that and

Spoiler

the Sabre-clones

, the Benioff script that I read was excellent, I hope they didn't get rid of too much.

 

[Retroman]

Similar scenes have been done in other superhero (Spider-Man, Daredevil) and non superhero films (History of Violence). Kid gets picked on by bigger, older or richer kids and then one day he/she snaps and unleashes hell on the abusers.

As long as the excecution is good, it never gets old.

 

[X-Maniac]

Similar scenes have been done in other superhero (Spider-Man, Daredevil) and non superhero films (History of Violence). Kid gets picked on by bigger, older or richer kids and then one day he/she snaps and unleashes hell on the abusers.

As long as the excecution is good, it never gets old.

I think it does get old. I'd imagine young Logan to be a tough little kid, which is how he'd end up being a logger in northern Canada. I see Weapon X as enhancing his already brutish, bestial nature.

I'd like the character development in this movie to be something less cliche than weedy kid becomes hunky warrior brute. It could be the reverse - that a warrior brute has to learn sensitivity and compassion and has to accept his more human side; that he is not just an animal with primal instincts; that despite his mutancy and his adamantium enhancement, he is a person after all.

 

[the a1ant]

In the script last year, Logan as a kid sounded pretty rough. I don't think it'll come off corny. I actually think it'll be a fresh approach compared to what other comic films show in terms of the hero being picked on.

Spoiler

In the 1st four pages we meet Logan as a 12 yr old boy, undersized and feral on a rural road on his way home from school. I couldn’t help stop thinking of feral kid from the Mad Max films. But anyway 4 towering high school football players pick him on. They pick on him because Logan’s dad robbed the local truck stop last year. Logan doesn’t back down as GILMAN punches Logan in the face twice. The gash on Logan’s face heals itself in front of Gilman and Logan goes into an inhuman rage and beats the **** out of the football players. Three bone claws spring from Logan’s hand, serrated and razor sharp as he goes in to finish Gilman. This is the first time that Logan’s bone claws appear to him and he is shocked more than his attackers. The football players’ escape alive and Logan looks at his bone claws and screams out…

I hope those bits are still in the shooting script.

 

[Legion]

I'm not interested in a seeing young wolverine at all, I'd rather if the film started out with a war scene or special ops mission where Logan loses some of his best friends.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

In the script last year, Logan as a kid sounded pretty rough. I don't think it'll come off corny. I actually think it'll be a fresh approach compared to what other comic films show in terms of the hero being picked on.

Spoiler

In the 1st four pages we meet Logan as a 12 yr old boy, undersized and feral on a rural road on his way home from school. I couldn’t help stop thinking of feral kid from the Mad Max films. But anyway 4 towering high school football players pick him on. They pick on him because Logan’s dad robbed the local truck stop last year. Logan doesn’t back down as GILMAN punches Logan in the face twice. The gash on Logan’s face heals itself in front of Gilman and Logan goes into an inhuman rage and beats the **** out of the football players. Three bone claws spring from Logan’s hand, serrated and razor sharp as he goes in to finish Gilman. This is the first time that Logan’s bone claws appear to him and he is shocked more than his attackers. The football players’ escape alive and Logan looks at his bone claws and screams out…

I hope those bits are still in the shooting script.

That actually sounds like a really good opening scene, i hope they keep it in the movie.