How to make Hawkman?

Green Lantern failed because of a so-so script, it didn't focus more on the Lantern Corps, & it didn't have enough action, & the main culprit in my opinion, Sinestro wasn't the main villian he should've been not because it was Earth based.
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But will a Hawkman movie fail if they leave out the Thanagarians?
 
honestly I don't think so. not saying it should be left out, but I think a 40's period piece about an archaeologist discovering his past life as a warrior worshiped as a god would be awesome. then after the initial origin, have him discover the alien nature of his past.
 
honestly I don't think so. not saying it should be left out, but I think a 40's period piece about an archaeologist discovering his past life as a warrior worshiped as a god would be awesome. then after the initial origin, have him discover the alien nature of his past.
Yeah. First film should reveal the reincarnation cycle and the egyptian roots, and only that.
It's something quite mind-bending for the character and the audience, and will be enough for a film plot. If the alien connection comes at the same time, it kinda seems to take weight from the archeological aspect of Hawkman. And Carter Hall being a egyptian prince in his first life, and the curse he shares with Hawkwoman, and the ancient egyptian warrior armour, and all that stuff - that's some heavy story material for one film.

Everything about Thanagar/space/Katar Hol, will be better off saved for a possible sequel. Otherwise it would be too messy to handle.

But I see that the first film could atleast give hints about the Atlantis disaster, as legend says the survivors came to Egypt and were like gods compared to the natives, with all the wisdom and high tech stuff they brought with them. More advanced than we're even now in modern world, thousands of years later. Compare with Asgaard in Thor, which mixed crazy science with ancient/medieval outfits and environments.
But as an archeologist and a man of facts, he would laugh at anything Atlantean. Yet the bird armour seem to be evidence of otherwise. And not to forget the dark sorcery that lies behind him being reborn over and over.
Not something a man of science could easily accept because everything people know about history and the birth of civilization are wrong, and the same goes for all natural laws since they speak against magic.

The Hawkman movie should leave the Atlantean connection open. Not be diving in that certain plot, buth it should not dismiss it either. The events in the film should not turn down the Atlantis myth as a stupid legend, but it should not reveal it to be something true either. Just leave it open. Every question should not be answered.
Not until the second film, atleast. Then, BOM, we get another mind-bending plot about otherworldly cops. And it will be a totally crazy sequel in every way, standing out in the crowd and seem to be the farest we can possible go with a superhero blockbuster in terms of story and visuals.
 
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I love the idea of a Thanagar-less, Egyptian-mythology-based reincarnation Hawkman film.

I wouldn't be adverse to seeing Thanagar in a sequel, but I agree - keep it simpler.

To be honest, the origin story is becoming quite tedious in comic book films (I still love them, but the fatigue of the story arc is starting to set in). The reincarnation angle will really change that all up.

I love the idea of taking Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain as a bit of inspiration - the intertwined fates of Carter Hall/Khufu and Chay-Ara/Shiera Sanders in several incarnations, all intertwined Inception-style in one action-packed film.

I would set the film up with four 'layers' (a la Inception).

- 1940s Carter, archeologist, studying Ancient Egypt - but I would probably get this moving along to Europe and have some of WWII as the backdrop
- Ancient Egypt (what he is 'learning' about himself is retold)
- Hannibal Hawkes, American west
- 2060s version of Carter (futuristic, but not ridiculously so)

What is great is that the curse creates a great sense of momentum between the threads, and typical origins aren't needed - the only origin that is really playing out is the 1940s version, and there's the great relief of having this interspersed with some excellent action from the other incarnations. This could be quite poetically done and the love story between Hawkman and Hawkgirl could be very poignant.

I actually think this could work quite well without a central big-bad villain...just the curse as the antagonist, as well as smaller antagonists which could pop up in some of the four layers (e.g. German fighter planes in 1940s). I would have every thread but the 1940s end tragically in the film. The 'triumph' would come from Hawkman winning a battle against an onslaught of Nazi planes and saving Shiera, but it would be tinged with the sad knowledge that their fate still awaits them.

Escaping fate is enough drive without the need of an arch-enemy. That can be left for the sequel. Keeping the 1940s thread open would help create great continuity to the second film, but then it could delve into other threads such as Thanagar.
 
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You might be right, but DC and WB are supposedly working on a script for this. It might never get off the ground (especially with the backlash GL has received) but they did make that big announcement that they were going to be bringing more of their characters to the big screen. I agree that introducing him in a Justice League movie first might be the best route to go, but you never know what could happen.

Given this is Warner Bros, they'll either not make it, or spend 350-400 million dollars making and marketing it, hire Sean William Scott or Ashton Kutcher as Carter Hall, and start talking about the third movie before the first one even hits the box office, get underwhelming box office results, and then eat crow for a summer and kill off the franchise.
 
I love the idea of a Thanagar-less, Egyptian-mythology-based reincarnation Hawkman film.

I wouldn't be adverse to seeing Thanagar in a sequel, but I agree - keep it simpler.

To be honest, the origin story is becoming quite tedious in comic book films (I still love them, but the fatigue of the story arc is starting to set in). The reincarnation angle will really change that all up.

I love the idea of taking Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain as a bit of inspiration - the intertwined fates of Carter Hall/Khufu and Chay-Ara/Shiera Sanders in several incarnations, all intertwined Inception-style in one action-packed film.

I would set the film up with four 'layers' (a la Inception).

- 1940s Carter, archeologist, studying Ancient Egypt - but I would probably get this moving along to Europe and have some of WWII as the backdrop
- Ancient Egypt (what he is 'learning' about himself is retold)
- Hannibal Hawkes, American west
- 2060s version of Carter (futuristic, but not ridiculously so)

What is great is that the curse creates a great sense of momentum between the threads, and typical origins aren't needed - the only origin that is really playing out is the 1940s version, and there's the great relief of having this interspersed with some excellent action from the other incarnations. This could be quite poetically done and the love story between Hawkman and Hawkgirl could be very poignant.

I actually think this could work quite well without a central big-bad villain...just the curse as the antagonist, as well as smaller antagonists which could pop up in some of the four layers (e.g. German fighter planes in 1940s). I would have every thread but the 1940s end tragically in the film. The 'triumph' would come from Hawkman winning a battle against an onslaught of Nazi planes and saving Shiera, but it would be tinged with the sad knowledge that their fate still awaits them.

Escaping fate is enough drive without the need of an arch-enemy. That can be left for the sequel. Keeping the 1940s thread open would help create great continuity to the second film, but then it could delve into other threads such as Thanagar.

Way complicated for an already iffy project where the character wears a birdlike mask. On the contrary, Hawkman needs to be made as simple as possible for everyone to follow. Start slow, don't try to preach on the audiences over the comicky stuff like what GL did with the bla bla emerald willpower force. Fateful romance between a doofus mercenary and an unassuming geeklady (ok, it's like the Mummy but hey that formula works until the 3rd one) is fine. Just make the geeklady initially evil then it gets interesting to see her growing attached to the doofus Carter Hall.
 
Way complicated for an already iffy project where the character wears a birdlike mask. On the contrary, Hawkman needs to be made as simple as possible for everyone to follow. Start slow, don't try to preach on the audiences over the comicky stuff like what GL did with the bla bla emerald willpower force. Fateful romance between a doofus mercenary and an unassuming geeklady (ok, it's like the Mummy but hey that formula works until the 3rd one) is fine. Just make the geeklady initially evil then it gets interesting to see her growing attached to the doofus Carter Hall.

I see your point, I do. We have so many comic book films which are overstuffed with too many characters and elements. But then there are the ambitious few like Batman Begins, which has several villains and a few subplots. And it works.

I think what you're saying is more likely to happen, but I would really prefer something a bit more ambitious. I would be happy with just three layers, with perhaps the Old West one removed, but I think three lives sequenced together could be brilliant. Imagine the editing; seeing the spooky parallels and differences between each thread.

All of the 'comicky stuff' I would actually strip down to a bare minimum - just the initial curse, the Egyptian mythology, and that's pretty much it. I wouldn't even want a villain in the first film. Really it would be The Fountain done with action. I think Inception can prove that a complex block buster is not only achievable, it's damn refreshing.

I really like Hawkman and I think there is a unique opportunity to cut out the typical origin/villain storyline that, yes, is simple and accessible, but so incredibly boring.

Of course it would need a pretty visionary director. My choice would be Alfonso Cuaron.

If WB plays it safe all the time, we are going to have a bunch of GL-style flops or no non-Supes/Bats films at all. They need to get a little gutsy, and I think Hawkman presents the best opportunity to do so out of the 'main stable' of DC characters. I also think Hourman could be a nice genre-bending comic book movie, but that's another post...

At this point, the comic formula seems tired. The real success stories have been the films which break (at least some) convention.
 
****, Aquaman deserves one first. What they've done to overhaul his whole character since the 70s proves it.
 
I don't know much about Hawkman but I do like the idea of Carter Hall as an archaeologist discovering his identity as Hawkman then finding himself caught up in a war that comes to Earth, so that we see a lot of Thanagarians (and their enemies) fighting here and needing Carter's help.
 
I really think Thanagar is a must for a first film. I almost think it would work better to have archaeologist Carter Hall having visions or lost time, and then discover he was an alien cop in "another life" and utilize those themes, and THEN discover his Egyptian connection and the nature of his reincarnation in a sequel. Reverse the whole ancient civilization/alien angle a bit from film to film.
 
The Guard: The alien angle is a bigger plot device than reincarnation and old Egypt. One just can't begin with the biggest "sense of wonder" and then go with less surprise.

kewlmatto: Cuaron is a great suggestion for director. What about Walter Hill (the most violent director in Hollywood before Tarantino), or a wild card like Dario Argento?
 
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I dunno, I tend to find the idea that we are reincarnated and that we could have had multiple lives a lot bigger than the idea that there are other species out there.
 
I dunno, I tend to find the idea that we are reincarnated and that we could have had multiple lives a lot bigger than the idea that there are other species out there.
But Carter Hall being Katar Hol doesn't take away the reincarnation cycle. It's another thing on top of him being an Egyptian prince.

 
As much as I like superhero movies, I have to say I don't feel too much excitement over the prospect of a Hawkman film. I feel like Wonder Woman should take precedence as a mythology-based DC hero in a big budget movie. In an era when every superhero has been adapted to the screen, she's long overdue, and unlike Hawkman, there's an argument to be made that she's more than a B-level superhero.
 
David Lynch to direct. If we want that mysterious blanket over the film, he's the right one.
Don't rule the guy out, he's done sfi fi before (Dune). But's hope the special effects will be better this time. His latest try was even bad in terms of visual achievement back then.

Or Werner Herzog. In a recent interview he opens up for making a superhero film, but only if the script is good enough.
Yes, it's true. Herzog can imagine himself doing something in this genre. Unlike David Cronenberg, who ruled out the idea. Because there's little creative freedom on this big studio productions. It was so even 30-35 years ago. That's why Cronenberg turned down the offer to direct a Star wars sequel in the original trilogy.
 
hawkman-is-here.jpg

I have some ideas for a Hawkman movie. These are all just random and jumbled ideas but I will try to clear them up in a single post.
I would make Hawkman and Hawkwoman like the Doctor Whos of DC comics movie. I would make their reincarnation part of their alien culture. The Thanagarians developed the power to keep themselves alive through reincarnation. I would make Hawkman and Hawkwoman aliens, not humans, but when the movie starts they don't know they are aliens. I would make it that the atmosphere on Earth, or maybe being away from Nth Metal technology or Thanagar for so long has made the forget their past lives and who they really are. I would also make Hath-Set Thanagarian too. He is a traitor who kills them, life after life, and because he is Thanagarian he is reborn too.
hawkgirl.jpg

The movie would 1st start with a flashback all the way to Ancient Egypt when Katar Hal and Sha Ara (spelling?) Hal 1st arrived on Earth. By the end of the Flashback they are hailed as gods and are ruling, but Hath-Set kills them both out of jealousy and anger. Then we go all the way forward to present day Earth where Carter Hall is an archaeologist. Him and Shaira Saunders don't know each other, they think, but something draws them together and opens up Carter's mind to his past lives. By the end of the 2nd act maybe he is Hawkman and she is Hawkwoman. But he is still trying to convince her of their past lives and their alien roots. They are being chased by Hath Set who plans to kill them again. Maybe in a cool visual effect Carter, or Shaira, touches some Nth Metal Thanagarian tech and we see a quick flash of several lives they have lived. As Egyptian rulers, as cowboys in the old west, as WWII era vigilante heroes, as alien cops, etc. By the end of the movie Hath Set appears dead, killed by the two. And while Hawkgirl, Shaira, still doesn't remember she trusts Carter and agrees to partner with him to figure this all out. But it is revealed that Hath Set transfers his soul into the bodies of his many decendants, so like Carter and Shiara, he can come back as anyone at any time.
Hath-Set.jpg

The movie, like Doctor Who, would have a set up where if the actor or actress wanted to leave they could just replace them with another actor and claim that Hawkman or Hawkwoman was reborn again. And like Doctor Who he/she would look different but could have all the memories and act somewhat similar to the past incarnations.
This might mean that instead of being reborn into a baby like they usually do maybe he/she is reborn as a fully grown adult, just some place else. So, for example, Hawkman is killed in Egypt fighting Hath Set, he dies and suddenly wakes up in Kansas maybe. He is a fully grown man (like Doctor Who the age can change slightly).

Carter's character: Carter Hall is a refined man, an archaeologist who has a grim side. A sadness he can't fully explain. He also has a temper, but only when the person deserves it and never against an innocent person. He seems like he is trying to restrain himself a lot. When he fully becomes Hawkman he seems like a barbarian warrior and a civilized scientist at the same time. He is always ready to explode with rage at his enemies. Because of all his past lives Carter, once he remembers, sees why he is sad. He is constantly saying goodbye to all his loved ones. Countless mothers and fathers, friends, siblings, girlfriends and wifes, sons and daughters. He lives on but they do not, they only get a taste of life.
Hawkman the character and the movie as a whole would be all about life, the shortness of it, taking it for granted, slowing down appreciating life, etc.
But it would also be about love, a love story. Like Raimi's Spider-Man, it would be all about the two and their relationship. Katar and Shai Ara/Carter and Shaira (spelling?). They always end up together, fall in love, sometimes get married and even have children, but they always end up together (and then Hath Set finds them and kills them) but they always find each other consciously or subconsciously.
82661-184884-hawkgirl.jpg


I'll add more or pretty this up later on.
 
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Also Carter Hall is an archaeologist who works at a museum because the past means a great deal to him. He is trying to preserve the past, memories, people's lives.

Shiara Saunders could even die at some point, second of first film, and come back as her niece Kendra Saunders. Might be a good way to set up early the idea that they can return from the dead but as different people.
 
This is my idea how to make it work. Perhaps you don't agree with this being appealing to the general movie-goer.

The story should focus on archaeologist Carter Hall, who do some diggings in Egypt and during that finds a strange bird-like armour hidden in a secret chamber below the ground.
He soon understand that it gives powers to those who wear it.
Later on he stumbles across ancient wall drawings of a young man who lookes very much like himself, and learns to know it was a prince.

Hall begins to think about destiny, about what he could be meant to do etc

This is how the film should be like. A nice little adventure flick, just not as light as Indiana Jones can be from time to time. It will help the film if the story takes itself a little more serious, and not just throw jokes around. When Hawkman appears on the screen, it should be cool, not make you laugh.
The sequel matter depends on the success, so it has to be REALLY good and well-done.

The after credits sequence could be a alien space rocket coming to earth....or some other thing giving hints about Thanagar.
The prince Khufu should not only be the first Hawkman, he should actually be from another planet. That is story material for the second film.
I like your idea better. This is cool stuff. In general terms, I mean. I don't know if it would work,Idon't know if it could pull enough watchers, but I definitively agree about the old adventures kind of feelinglike indiana Jones.the Archeologist stuff is one of the only aspects of Hawkman that i dig a lot.
 
How about Jared Padalecki as Hawkman ? He has the physical build for it .
 
I suggested Gerard Butler for Hawkman, since Dr. Carter Hall is an older, gruff dude.


I don't think Hawkman is solo film material at this point, but he'd be a great addition to the Justice League franchise.
 
My idea of making them Doctor Who type regenerating aliens is an attempt to try and simplify them for the movies. They are humans who use alien technology and find out they are reincarnated over and over and they are cursed. So I tried to simplify it. They are aliens, their people reincarnate themselves. They use Nth metal. They are born again and again, and always killed by their former friend Hath-Set, who instead of being born again and again instead simply takes over the bodies of his ancestors.
The main theme of the movie will be love and life, just as Spider-Man was about power and responsibility.
So in my idea:
Movie starts. Its Ancient Egypt. We see a space ship land, and three people get out, they float through the air. We see them greeted as gods. Soon they are rulers. And soon we see two of them, Kufu and Shay-Ara, murdered by the third, Hath-Set. Suddenly, and violently, a man wakes up from this nightmare. His name is Carter Hall. He is an archeologist who works closely with the Museum of History in St. Rochs, Louisiana. He is an action adventure looking guy but also smart and sophisticated. He hasn't been sleeping well, and has been lapsing into daydreams a lot lately. Ever since him and his team brought in some ancient alien looking artifacts in fact. Because of their rare and strange quality another specialist was brought in, her name is Shiara Saunders. When she arrives Carter suddenly feels immediate connection to her for some reason.
This part I don't know the details of. But it leads to Carter and Shiara as Hawkman and Hawkwoman, although Carter is the only one who remembers their pasts.
The main villain is this man who claims to be Hath-Set, but he is actually the body of a man named Rodderick. A decendant of Hath Set. He is a rich powerful influential man who has henchmen.
The side characters would include many of the characters from Johns run on Hawkman. The owner and curator of the museum Oliver Evans, and his son Danny. And a fellow archaeologist and specialist Jayita. The bad guy would be Roderic/Hath-Set, and maybe Shadow Theif (but that might be too many bad guys).
The story would take place in Louisiana.
It would end with Carter as Hawkman with all his memories and Shaiera not remembering but trusting Carter. They would find out they are aliens from Thanagar.
hawkman-is-here.jpg

I have some ideas for a Hawkman movie. These are all just random and jumbled ideas but I will try to clear them up in a single post.
I would make Hawkman and Hawkwoman like the Doctor Whos of DC comics movie. I would make their reincarnation part of their alien culture. The Thanagarians developed the power to keep themselves alive through reincarnation. I would make Hawkman and Hawkwoman aliens, not humans, but when the movie starts they don't know they are aliens. I would make it that the atmosphere on Earth, or maybe being away from Nth Metal technology or Thanagar for so long has made the forget their past lives and who they really are. I would also make Hath-Set Thanagarian too. He is a traitor who kills them, life after life, and because he is Thanagarian he is reborn too.
hawkgirl.jpg

The movie would 1st start with a flashback all the way to Ancient Egypt when Katar Hal and Sha Ara (spelling?) Hal 1st arrived on Earth. By the end of the Flashback they are hailed as gods and are ruling, but Hath-Set kills them both out of jealousy and anger. Then we go all the way forward to present day Earth where Carter Hall is an archaeologist. Him and Shaira Saunders don't know each other, they think, but something draws them together and opens up Carter's mind to his past lives. By the end of the 2nd act maybe he is Hawkman and she is Hawkwoman. But he is still trying to convince her of their past lives and their alien roots. They are being chased by Hath Set who plans to kill them again. Maybe in a cool visual effect Carter, or Shaira, touches some Nth Metal Thanagarian tech and we see a quick flash of several lives they have lived. As Egyptian rulers, as cowboys in the old west, as WWII era vigilante heroes, as alien cops, etc. By the end of the movie Hath Set appears dead, killed by the two. And while Hawkgirl, Shaira, still doesn't remember she trusts Carter and agrees to partner with him to figure this all out. But it is revealed that Hath Set transfers his soul into the bodies of his many decendants, so like Carter and Shiara, he can come back as anyone at any time.
Hath-Set.jpg

The movie, like Doctor Who, would have a set up where if the actor or actress wanted to leave they could just replace them with another actor and claim that Hawkman or Hawkwoman was reborn again. And like Doctor Who he/she would look different but could have all the memories and act somewhat similar to the past incarnations.
This might mean that instead of being reborn into a baby like they usually do maybe he/she is reborn as a fully grown adult, just some place else. So, for example, Hawkman is killed in Egypt fighting Hath Set, he dies and suddenly wakes up in Kansas maybe. He is a fully grown man (like Doctor Who the age can change slightly).

Carter's character: Carter Hall is a refined man, an archaeologist who has a grim side. A sadness he can't fully explain. He also has a temper, but only when the person deserves it and never against an innocent person. He seems like he is trying to restrain himself a lot. When he fully becomes Hawkman he seems like a barbarian warrior and a civilized scientist at the same time. He is always ready to explode with rage at his enemies. Because of all his past lives Carter, once he remembers, sees why he is sad. He is constantly saying goodbye to all his loved ones. Countless mothers and fathers, friends, siblings, girlfriends and wifes, sons and daughters. He lives on but they do not, they only get a taste of life.
Hawkman the character and the movie as a whole would be all about life, the shortness of it, taking it for granted, slowing down appreciating life, etc.
But it would also be about love, a love story. Like Raimi's Spider-Man, it would be all about the two and their relationship. Katar and Shai Ara/Carter and Shaira (spelling?). They always end up together, fall in love, sometimes get married and even have children, but they always end up together (and then Hath Set finds them and kills them) but they always find each other consciously or subconsciously.
82661-184884-hawkgirl.jpg


I'll add more or pretty this up later on.
 
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I suggested Gerard Butler for Hawkman, since Dr. Carter Hall is an older, gruff dude.


I don't think Hawkman is solo film material at this point, but he'd be a great addition to the Justice League franchise.
Joel Edgerton would be a great hawkman:yay:
wish-you-were-here.jpg

Joel-Edgerton-Wish-You-Were-Here-600x490.jpg
 
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Back in the days, John Carpenter would have been the perfect man to helm this bad-ass superhero.
Now, I'm not sure. Cameron refuses, so that leaves us with Ridley Scott and Peter Jackson. Face it, a project of this size requires a big director. Hawkman will be bigger than Wonder Woman in terms of scale.
 
I feel like this is a movie Zack Snyder would excel at.
 
^Hot women, dudes with no shirts on, and high octane action. Sounds about right.
 

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