Project History
Throughout the 90s , Plans for a Daredevil film are in various stages of development , but the right script and director have yet to materialize.
After being passed on for Spiderman, Columbia Pictures approaches Seven director David Fincher for Daredevil.
The director finds the gritty and grounded nature of Matt Murdock much more intresting and intriguing than Peter Parker.
Envisioning the film as a 1970s style , gritty crime drama , Fincher gladly agrees to director , and hires Seven screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker to Pen the script.
Filming begins in New York in 1998 , for a 1999 release date .
Screenplay
With Walker taking the screenwriting duties, the previous scripts are tossed out .
Baron Strucker and Hydra are abandoned in favor of Bullseye as an assasin turned Serial killer who seemgingly knows Daredevil's true identity,
and is targeting Murdock's clients , co workers and friends .
All the while , Daredevil is taking the fall for Bullseyes crimes, putting Murdock in the position of being both the target of a Serial killer by day,
And on the run from the NYPD by night.
Daredevil's familiar supporting cast are present including Foggy Nelson , Ben Urich, Stick, and Karen Page , his on again , off again love interest.
Characters like Kingpin , The Owl, and Electra are absent in addition to characters such as Black Widow.
Walker and Fincher want to ground the film very much in reality , to the extent that the origin of Murdock's powers are not explored .
Instead, Fincher wants to put us into the action and into the dark forbodding world that Daredevil operates in , as opposed to bogging down the film in an origin story.
The film is set in the late 1970s , with Fincher wanting to evoke the spirit of films like The French Connection , with New York City suffering from decay, corruption, and a high crime rate.
At the same time , the film takes inspiration from the real life hunt for nortiourous killers of the decade such as The Zodiac and The Son Of Sam, which placed communities in a state of terror and fear.
At one point in the film, Daredevil is chased by a vigilante mob in the streets of Soho , after the famous city wide power outage occurs, and Bullseye takes his next victim.
The script features brutal fight scenes with Daredevil having only slightly enhanced physical abilities .
Casting
The Cast
Daredevil / Matt Murdock : Brad Pitt
For the role of Daredevil, Fincher has only one actor in mind , Brad Pitt.
While Pitt skeptical about the role , wanting to avoid a Batman And Robin style embarressment, the script and approach to the lesser known hero intrigues him and he agrees to the part.
Bullseye : Sean Penn
For the role of Bullseye , Fincher considers his fight club actors Edward Norton and Jared Leto .
However , at the top of his list in Sean Penn of The Game .
Penn is approached for the role and agrees to take the part .
Karen Page : Deborah Kara Unger
Fincher originally approaches his Seven costar Gwyneth Paltrow , but she declines the role .
Deborah Kara Unger of Seven ultimately takes the part .
Stick : Pete Postlethwaite
Having worked with Postlethwaite for Alien 3, Fincher feels he has the right amount of grativas and mystery to play Murdock's mentor
Foggy Nelson : Philip Seymour Hoffman The Boogie Nights and The Talent Mr. Ripley actor is fincher's only choice to play the role of Murdock's friend .
Ben Urich : Mark Ruffalo
Character actor Mark Ruffalo is cast as a younger version of the character, modeled off of Woodward and Bernstein in All The President's Men, who believes that Daredevil is being framed for the killings.
THE X MEN ( 1993)
Director : Kathryn Bigelow
Producers : James Cameron and Gale Ann Hurd
Script : James Cameron
Music : Brad Fidel
Project History
In the early 90s , James Cameron and Gale Ann Hurd are actively developing an X Men screenplay to bring to the big screen , which will coincide with the premiere of an Animated Series .
The plan is for Cameron's wife , Kathryn Bigelow , to direct the film .
By 1991 , Cameron has finished his final draft of the script .
Stan Lee gives his approval and the film moves forward with Bigelow at the helm and a Summer 1993 release date in mind.
Script
The screenplay focuses on a young Mutant thief named Gambit ,who joins the X Men while on the run from The Brotherhood , whom he used to belong to .
As Gambit and Rogue become star crossed lovers , Gambit finds himself torn between two potential father figures: Charles Xavier and Magneto .
The story would also center on Mystique, who , in this version would not only be a mother figure to Gambit, but would also turn out to be Rogue's biological parent,
further complicating Gambits loyalties.
The screenplay would feature other classic X Men characters such as Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine , with Cameron choosing to focus on a smaller roster of characters for the first film.
Professor X in the final script is something of a stern father and a akin to a general commanding his troops the X Men .
His character is much more a stoic disciplinarian to the wayward Gambit than a kindly father figure.
Cyclops is portrayed as the leader of the team , in a role akin to Hicks in Cameron's Aliens film .
Storm is his second in command and the voice of reason in the team.
Wolverine is portrayed as the loner and outsider , and forms a big brother type relationship with the 19 year old Gambit .
Jean Grey is portrayed as a mother figure , while Rogue is portrayed as something of a wild child , who quickly falls under Gambits charm.
Meanwhile Magneto serves as the other extreme of a Father Figure who believes in fierce loyalty , and his Brotherhood is like the Mafia.
There is no leaving the Brotherhood , and betrayal is met with a severe punishment.
While the script establishes a world of Mutant discrimination , the film focuses most on it's mutant protagonists and antagonists .
Casting
Wolverine : Gary Sinise
For the role of Wolverine, Bigelow originally considers Bob Hoskins and Patrick Swayze .
Ultimately, she casts actor and director Gary Sinise to play the world weary and cynical Logan.
Storm : Angela Bassett
After heavy lobbying and interest in the part , Boyz N The Hood actress Angela Bassett is cast as Storm, though Whitney Houston is approached and considered for the part
Cyclops : Michael Biehn
Cameron and Hurd encourage Bigelow to cast Terminator , Aliens, and the Abyss actor Michael Biehn in the role of Cyclops.
Jean Grey : Julianne Moore
Though previous Cameron actresses Linda Hamilton and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are considered for the role of Jean Grey,
Character actress Julianne Moore is cast in the part due to her ability to exude warm and vulnerability.
Gambit : Stephen Dorff
While several young and up and coming actors are considered for the role of Gambit, It's 19 year old Stephen Dorff, who gets the lead role after an impressive audition.
Rogue : Mädchen Amick
The Role of Rogue goes to Twin Peaks actress Madchen Amick after a chemistry read with Stephen Dorff .
Bigelow feels that the young actress can pull off the bad girl with a heart of gold archetype with ease
Xavier : Ed Harris
While names like Ben Kingsley and Patrick Stewart are tossed around and considered , Cameron and Hurd have a very different type of archetype for Xavier in mind.
They approach Ed Harris to play the sterner, Military General -like role of Professor X .
They feel Harris has the right authority and presence to keep the X Members in line, while at the same time , could portray a father figure to Gambit
Magneto : Lance Henriksen
For the role of Magneto , the Producers once again think outside the box and cast frequent Cameron actor Lance Henriksen in the role of the classic X Men villain.
Mystique : Jamie Lee Curtis
While actresses Sharon Stone ,Rebecca De Mornay, and even Sigourney Weaver are all approached for the part , It's Jamie Lee Curtis who ultimately agrees.
She finds the character interesting and wants to tackle playing an ambiguous character.
DAZZLER : THE MOVIE ( 1986)
Director : Adrian Lynne
Screenplay : Jim Shooter , Frank Springer, and Vince Colletta
Project History
In the early 80s , Jim Shooter develops a script based on the Marvel character Dazzler .
Though the project is originally intended to be an animated film, it soon evolves into a feature film extravaganza.
The plan is for the film to be directed by John Dereck , with actress Bo Dereck set to star.
However , by the mid 80s the Dereck walk away from the project and Daryl Hannah is attached to the Project.
With John Dereck no longer involved in the project Columbia Studios turns to Flashdance director Adrian Lynne to bring the project to the big screen.
High profile songwriters are brought in compose a total of six new songs written specifically for the film , with pop singer Kim Carnes brought in to provide the musical voice for Dazzler.
The Script
The final screenplay involves the rise , fall, then triumph of a singer Allison Blaire , who goes from nightclub singer to global superstar, to Oscar Winner, to parriah.
Allison lives in a world where Mutants are discriminated against , and has kept her Mutant status a secret as she's risen to the top .
All the while her people have suffered and she's distanced herself from her mutant friends, in a trade off for fame and fortune .
As she falls in love with Hollywood superstar Roman Nekoboh , her mutant status comes to life , and the press, her fans, and politicans turn on her .
In particular she faces two foes who feel she's corrupting America's youth.
The fundamentalist reverend Stryker encourages protests and record and magazine burnings which bare Dazzler's name.
Meanwhile , the ambitious Senator Kelly uses Blaire as the face of the mutant subversives .
Dazzler's record label eventually drops her, Her Academy Award is rescinded , and in essence, she's been cancelled .
As she reaches her lowest point , she rediscovers her purpose and finally embraces her mutant identity and soon becomes a defender of the Mutant cause , and vows to continue performing, and fighting for what's just .
The film ends with her playing to a sold out Arena , now becoming even more powerful than ever as an advocate for the oppressed and as she belts out her final number she creates a light show using her Mutant powers for the first time in front of a global audience .
Project History
A Shang Chi television series then film, has been in development since the early 90s, with Martial Arts actor Brandon Lee even approached to star at one point.
By the mid 90s, the project is still languishing in development .
New Line Cinema still sees potential in a Shang Chi film given the successes of their TMNT films , and the popular Mortal Kombat , Street Fighter, and Double Dragon ,games.
With no actor or director in place, New Line Cinema, approaches Rising Sun director Philip Kaufman to helm the project.
With plans to shoot the project on a relatively lower budget and to film exclusively overseas to save money.
Script
The film would follow Shang Chi's journey from being an assasian to a hero .
In order to make peace with Interpol , he agrees to work with MI6 agent Wu to rescue Billionare Tony Stark from the clutches of the 12 rings .
The pair will work with a black ops team to retreive Stark and take out the 12 rings leader , The Mandarin.
Shang Chi is specifically chosen to the opt due to his prior friendship with the Mandarin and his indepth knowledge of the organization.
The film is basically a man on a mission slash OO7 style globe trotting adventure , filled with double agents, espionage, kung fu, and beautiful locals throughout Asia.
With New Line already holding the rights to Iron Man, the film would serve as an introduction and semi origin to the Stark character as he's held captive in Vietnam.
Thus, the film would open the door to a Spin off Iron Man film after establishing the character in Shang Chi.
Casting
Shang Chi : Jason Scott Lee
For the role of Shang Chi , Jackie Chan and Jet Li are both considered , but ultimately, it's actor Jason Scott Lee, who portrayed the legendary Bruce Lee, who gets the role.
The actor has the right amount of charm and swagger to play a swauve Spy and rogue.
Leiko Wu : Tia Carrere
Though Joy Luck Club actresses Lauren Tom and Ming Na Wen are considered for the role, Tia Carrere hot off of films like Wayne's World and True Lies , is chosen for the role of the tough,
no nonsense MI6 agent and love interest.
Her Bond girl like quality makes her a perfect fit for the role.
The Mandarin : John Lone
For the role of the Mandarin, Producers wanted to go with an established actor who could conceivably be Shang Chi's darker half .
Ultimately , despite stiff competition, The Last Emperor actor John Lone is cast as The Mandarin.
Tony Stark : Timothy Dalton
For the role of Tony Stark, former OO7 Timothy Dalton is producers only choice .
While a household name, the actor was not so big that huge salary issues would arise , and producers felt he could carry a series of films on his own should Shang Chi become a successful launching point.
Ho Yinsen : James Hong
James Hong is one of the last actors to be cast for the film and is the only actor considered .
Project History
After the success of his Daredevil adaptation , Fincher is once again offered the Spiderman directing position.
This time , Columbia Studios tempts Fincher by promising him creative freedom and leeway to tell the story he wants to tell .
Fincher agrees to helm the project , with the expectation, that he would put his own spin on the Spiderman character .
Instead of adapting a teen coming of age film , instead it would be more of a crime drama akin to Day Of The Jackal and the original Dirty Harry film .
Screenplay
Fincher wants to adapt the Death Of Gwen Stacy storyline for the comics , in addition to the hunt for the identity of the Goblin.
As with his Daredevil film , Fincher wants to forgo the typical Spiderman origin , and instead jump straight into the story with an adult Peter Parker working as a Reporter at the Daily Bugle by day , and by night he's the masked vigilante The Spiderman .
Taking vast deviations from the comics , Peter is more akin to the Ben Urich character in Daredevil, than the photographer under the thumb of Jameson.
Jameson , in this version is not the blowhard comical figure of other adaptations, but is instead a serious newsman who drives Peter hard to have facts instead of theories in the Goblin bombings
In this version , Parker has been on the Goblin beat for a few years, attempting to discover the identity of the masked figure ,whose bombs have targeted not only underworld figures, but the wealthy and elite of the city.
The Goblin has been someone Spiderman has never encountered , though he's thwarted his several attacks .
As the trail grows cold , Parker begins to work with Police Captain Stacy to find the connection between the victims , and to hunt down ,and discover the identity, of The Goblin.
All the while, Peter begins to fall for Captain Stacy's daughter , a student studying criminology at Columbia University .
Mirroring Fincher films like seven, Goblin soon begins a correspondence with The Spiderman , and begins a game of cat and mouse .
However, as the game continues, Peter begins to realize the Goblin knows his true identity and is in a game of chicken with the wall crawler.
Eventually, Goblin kills Captain Stacy in an explosion at the police station just as he's onto the Goblin's identity.
Then, as in the comics, he kidnaps Gwen and kills her as Spiderman watches helplessly , unable to save her
The Last third of the film is Spiderman on the edge , seeking revenge against the Goblin , with a brutal final confrontation in a wherehouse , which Spiderman unleashes all his strength against the serial bomber.
As in the comics , the Goblin's true identity is revealed , but he's killed by one of his own bombs .
In the end , Peter mourns Gwen and George Stacy , and he begins wearing a black costume to signify his new, much darker alter ego .
Aunt May is absent from the film , but is alluded to as living in queens .
While there is dialog alluding to Uncle Ben's death at the hands of a burglar , The Script goes to great lengths to avoid touching on the Spiderman origin
Like his Daredevil film, The Spiderman is set in the 1970s New York , and the film features a 1970s soundtrack .
THE HULK (2005)
Director : Christopher Nolan
Producer : Charles Roven
Screenplay : David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan
Music : Hans Zimmer
Project History
Having scored attention and praise from Memento , Universal expresses interest in director Christopher Nolan to helm their Live action Incredible Hulk film.
The film would not only be ambitious in terms of FX, but the studio hoped that a Hulk film would spawn a series going forward.
The Young filmmaker , who was already being wooed by Warner Brothers to direct a Batman film , was intrigued by the prospect of tackling the Hulk Myths.
Nolan also wanted to push the limit of visual effects and tell an psychological and emotionally compelling film about the psyche of Bruce Banner .
In the end , Nolan agrees to take on the project and writer / director David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan pen the screenplay.
Script
The screenplay for the Hulk film follows the characters origins fairly closely, while at the same time, delves into the psychology of Bruce Banner, and the inner turmoil
which acts as a catalyst to the emergence of the Hulk.
Like the television series , the film would be very much grounded in reality and feature a somber tone .
Unlike the tv series however, the film would feature classic supporting characters such as The Ross's , Rick Jones, and Glen Talbot.
The approach towards Hulk would be a realistic take on how the US military would respond to the creation of the Hulk.
Government Cover ups, divided generals , a desire to use the Hulk as a weapon of war all play out throughout Goyer and Nolan's script.
At the center of the story , however , is the tortured trek of Bruce Banner as he's constantly invading the military , and looking over his shoulder.
All the while, like Richard Kimbell in The Fugitive , he helps those in need along the way.
As per the comics, Betty is his star crossed lover torn between her father and the man she loves .
Rick Jones , who bares the guilt of the Hulk's creation , is the creature's only friend , and becomes a kid brother of sorts to Bruce.
Thunderbolt Ross , in the script is a conflicted character as opposed to a one note bad guy , while the ambitious Talbot see's endless possibilities with the Hulk.
CAPTAIN AMERICA ( 2004)
Director : Paul Greengrass
Project History
In the aftermath of September the 11th 2001, Hollywood wants to due its part to support the war on terror , and many projects in development are changed or adapted to the post 9/11 reality.
One of the projects which gains steam and momentum is the gestating Captain America film .
Paramount, feeling the moment is perfect for a hero who reflects values of Freedom and Justice want the project to have the feeling of a Jason Bourne and Saving Private Ryan , film in terms of its action and realism.
It would be clear that the new film would not be a simple superhero romp with characters in spandex costumes.
This film would be a grounded war and espionage film with a hero represents Freedom against terrorism.
With The Bourne Identity in mind, Paramount executives approach Paul Greengrass to direct with The Mummy Director Stephen Somers as a second choice.
Greengrass agrees to take on the project with the goal of a 2004 release.
Screenplay
The film follows the origins of Steve Rogers aka Captain America, but instead shifting the setting to modern day as opposed to the 1940s.
In this version, the 9/11 terror attacks inspire Steve to enlist in the military despite his ailments .
Once Rogers Becomes Captain America , he is dispatched to join a team made up military and intelligence operatives to take out the terrorist organization Hydra .
In this iteration, Hydra has it's tentacles in a variety of terrorist groups, and autocracies around the world.
The group funds and finances terror, in a means similar to Quantum in the James Bond films .
The ultimate goal is to disable the organizations operations and to capture or kill it's figure head, The Red Skull.
The script features characters such as Falcon, the Black Widow, and Bucky Barnes as members of the elite team , while Peggy Carter is re-imagined as a modern day MI5 agent and Steve's love interest.
The film would leave the door open to future sequels with Captain America taking out Strucker and using Zemo as a potential asset to find the Red Skull.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR ( 2004 )
Director : JJ Abrams
Screenplay : Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams
Project History
A Fantastic Four film has been in various stages in development since the 90s, with Chris Columbus being attached at one point or another.
By the early 00s , Fox studios begins taking pitches from different writer directors on how to approach a Fantastic Four film.
JJ Abrams and Joss Whedon approach Fox with their sleek , Retro , Twilight Zone -esque take on the Fantastic Four with the team pitted against time and multiverse travel Kang The Conqueror,
Who would turn out to be Reed and Sue's descendant from the distant future.
In order to beat their multiverse foe , They would have to unite with the teams greatest rival, Doctor Doom.
While the Abrams and Whedon script featured much of their quick wit and tradmark rapid fire dialog , the story would deal with destiny, fate, and how the ends could be rationalized to justify the means .
On top of the larger thought provoking themes, Abrams and Whedon pitched over the top action sequences, and mind bending universe and time hopping scenarios.
Fox was ecstatic with their proposal and greenlight Abrams to direct with Whedon 's script.
The Cast
Mr. Fantastic / Reed Richards : Matthew Fox
Kang The Conqueror / Nathanial Richards : Zachary Quinto
DOCTOR STRANGE ( 2000)
Director : Tim Burton
Producer : Jon Peters
Screenplay : Daniel Waters and Andrew Kevin Walker
Project History
As Superman Lives has ground to a halt , Tim Burton finds himself intrigued by a Doctor Strange project , which has been in development hell since the early 90s.
With New Line Cinema unable to push the project forward , Burton's interest in the project increases .
Burton feels the Stephen Strange character is right up his ally in a way that Superman simply isn't.
Burton salivates at the potential imagery and storytelling that a Doctor Strange story could hold.
Unlike Batman and Superman Lives, it wouldn't have to be a Superhero film , but could instead be a bizarre and fantasy filled story without the expectations that come with Batman and Superman.
With Jon Peters on board as a producer and a screenplay by Daniel Waters, Doctor Strange soon begins to pick up steam with eye towards Halloween 2000, as a release date.
Script
The Doctor Strange script would focus on the origins of the character and his battle against the sorceress Morgan Le Fey and her quest to resurrect the creature Dormammu, her ancient lover, into our world .
As Strange begins to explore this world of Wizards , Witches, and Warlocks, he's a fish out of water who must be brought up to speed in enough time to defeat the lethal couple.
Christine Palmer would feature heavily as Stephen's love interest and The Ancient one , would be combined with the Wong character as a mentor and constant companion.
The screenplay would be characteristic of Burtons black humor , emotionally depth characterizations, and stunning visuals.
However, unlike Batman and Sleepy Hollow, Burton wanted to operate on a much more colorful palette with reds , blue's and greens in contrast to the Blacks, Grey's , and White's of The Batman films.
Burton wanted the make a sharp distinction between the dark and grey world of his Batman films, and the colorful spectrum that characterizes the Worlds and realms that Stephen Strange must inhabit.
IRON MAN (2003)
Director : Martin Campbell
Producer : Tom Cruise
Project History
With Tom Cruise having passed on playing Iron Man , the actor instead decides to take the producers chair , and will put together the talent to create a good Iron Man film.
While several directors including Tony Scott are under consideration , Cruise is convinced to go with Bond and Zorro director Martin Campbell to bring the Iron Man Project to the big screen,
on time, and under budget.
Tony Stark and his world of gadgets, women, luxury, and villains seems right up Campbell's ally in terms of subject matter.
With Campbell on board , his Zorro screenwriters Terry Russio and Ted Elliot are brought on to re-write the already existing Miller and Gough draft .
Screenplay
Characters such as MODAK and The Mandarin are jettisoned in the new screenplay, with the production opting to open the film with a fully formed Iron Man in a rescue sequence akin to James Bond.
The Bond girl equivalent is S.H.E.I.L.D. Agent Bethany Cabe , and the big bad of the film is Titanium Man, though unlike the comics, The character's true identity is Howard Stark, an idea from earlier scripts.
Howard Stark is presumed dead , only to turn out to be a traitor working with The Russian Federation in an act of revenge against S.H.E.I.L.D. , blaming them for his wife's death.
Justin Hammer would be a secondary antagonist attempting a hostile take over of Stark Industries , and the potential mastermind behind Titanium Man.
Jim Rhodes would feature as Tony's best friend , and Nick Fury would be the M of sorts to Tony's Bond , with the two having a father and son like dynamic of their own.
In the end father and son would face off in an aerial battle in the nation's capital with Iron Man being victorious, and his father taken into custody .
The film is clearly set up for sequels with characters like Mandarin and Whiplash being saved for future installments.
THOR : GOD OF THUNDER ( 2004)
Director : Stephen Somers
Project History
With the Hulk film in development , Universal Plans to bring another Marvel comics character to the Big screen: Thor : God of Thunder.
After the success of the Mummy franchise, Universal see's a great opportunity to create a larger than life franchise complete with mythic gods and monsters.
Mummy director Stephen Somers is chosen to helm the new project .
Universal executives like Somers blend of horror, humor, and adventure, and feel he is the perfect fit for Thor.
Somers , on the other hand, is intrigued by the character and feels he can create a throwback to the sand and sandals pictures such as Clash Of The Titans, and Gladiator.
The script would follow the comics origins closely with the prideful and arrogant hero learning humility and having to face his siblings Loki and Hella as they attempt
to take over the world .
At Thor's side would be doctor Jane Foster , who helps the God navigate the world of humans
Universal has alot riding on the film and no expense is spared to bring the action adventure, epic to the big screen.
With the character being largely unknown to the general audience , there's no gurantee the film will be a success.
Never the less, Universal puts it's faith in Somers to produce them a new blockbuster franchise.
The film would shoot exclusively in New Zealand in 2003 for a Summer 2004 release date .
Project History
Though a Black Panther film was briefly in development ,with Wesley Snipes attached , by the early 2000s, the project had stalled .
In 2001, the project begins to pick up steam with producers deciding to use Black Panther as platform to launch not only the hero, but characters such as Namor, the film's villain,
and Storm, who would be the hero's love interest and would spin off into an X Men feature film.
Producers hire Bond director Lee Tamahori to bring the larger than life worlds of Wakanda and Atlantis to life .
Script
The screenplay would focus on King T'Challa's reign over Wakanda as he faces an external threat from Namor and his forces .
To counter act his longtime foe , The Black Panther must form an alliance in with another tribe , led by the mutant Storm .
In the beginning , there's is a marriage of convenience , with the two strongly disagreeing in how to govern Wakanda and defeat Namor.
Along the way, however, the sparks fly between the two , and a true romance forms , with the brash and cocky Namor, also, becoming enamored with Storm.
It's a dynamic triangle which plays out on land and sea and between three nations , with different factions each playing for control over the future of Wakanda.
MUTANTS ( 2005)
Director : Sam Mendes
Screenplay : Joss Whedon
Project History
A decade after James Cameron's first attempt at an X Men film, the property , surprisingly, lay dormant.
Despite the popularity of the 90s cartoon , and X Men film had yet to take flight by the end of the milliniuum .
However, with Fantastic Four and Black Panther projects gaining steam , Fox began to re-examine plans for a rebooted X Men film.
With James Cameron's blessing , Producers began to take new pitches for an X Men film which would be a fresh take on the material.
A screenplay by Joss Whedon was met with excitement by Fox executives and a variety of directors were approached to helm, Mutants.
The final two directors were Danny Boyle and Sam Mendes.
In the end, producers felt the American Beauty director Mendes would offer the most unique perspective of Mutant and Human relations,
in addition to the struggle inside the mutant civil rights movement.
Project History
With David Fincher's first Spider-Man film being a controversial, yet wild success , plans for a sequel were Fast tracked with David Fincher once again returning to direct.
This time, the studio would give him even more free reign that with the first film .
His darker , more adult take on the Spiderman character allowed the filmmaker opportunites to explore more adult themes and not be limited to appealing to children and families.
If anything, the first film had a huge appeal to teens and genxers , and that second film promised to delve even more into the psyche of Peter and his Opponent.
Script
For Spider Games, Fincher planned to adapt Kraven's last Hunt , with Kraven , in this case, being a hunter/ serial killer taking down the most powerful of prey: Humans.
The story would be set in 1980, with depressed and angry Peter still mourning Gwen's death , haunted by dreams of her.
He drinks , and pops painkillers in order to maintain his double life.
He has a series of meaningless one night stands, in hopes of getting her off of his mind
As Spiderman's, he's stopped pulling punches with criminals and unleashes all of his fury on even the mildest of super foes.
His dark side is further indulged by Burglar and thief The Black Cat .
Fincher plays up the inherently daring and complicated dynamics of their relationship .
At the same time, Peter's vices blind him and his senses to the emerging threat of Kraven whose stalking him and testing his limits.
Eventually , as in the comics, Kraven gets the drop on Spider-man, beating him to a pulp, and burying him.
Peter's near death experience forces him to re-examine his life and to finally allow Gwen to rest in peace.
Unlike the comics however, Peter confronts Kraven in a brutal second round , which results in Kraven's utter defeat at Spiderman's hands.
Instead of killing Kraven he hands him over to the authorities, in much to Kraven's humiliation.
At the end of the film , Peter abandons his all black and returns to his Red and Black suit .
He and The Black Cat decide to end their affair, and Peter looks forward to the rest of the 80s, on New Years Eve 1981.
The Cast
Spider-Man / Peter Parker : Edward Norton
Kraven : Javier Bardem
Black Cat / Felicia Hardy : Angelina Jolie
Gwen Stacy in dreams and flashbacks : Gwyneth Paltrow
Project History
Throughout the 90s , Plans for a Daredevil film are in various stages of development , but the right script and director have yet to materialize.
After being passed on for Spiderman, Columbia Pictures approaches Seven director David Fincher for Daredevil.
The director finds the gritty and grounded nature of Matt Murdock much more intresting and intriguing than Peter Parker.
Envisioning the film as a 1970s style , gritty crime drama , Fincher gladly agrees to director , and hires Seven screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker to Pen the script.
Filming begins in New York in 1998 , for a 1999 release date .
Screenplay
With Walker taking the screenwriting duties, the previous scripts are tossed out .
Baron Strucker and Hydra are abandoned in favor of Bullseye as an assasin turned Serial killer who seemgingly knows Daredevil's true identity,
and is targeting Murdock's clients , co workers and friends .
All the while , Daredevil is taking the fall for Bullseyes crimes, putting Murdock in the position of being both the target of a Serial killer by day,
And on the run from the NYPD by night.
Daredevil's familiar supporting cast are present including Foggy Nelson , Ben Urich, Stick, and Karen Page , his on again , off again love interest.
Characters like Kingpin , The Owl, and Electra are absent in addition to characters such as Black Widow.
Walker and Fincher want to ground the film very much in reality , to the extent that the origin of Murdock's powers are not explored .
Instead, Fincher wants to put us into the action and into the dark forbodding world that Daredevil operates in , as opposed to bogging down the film in an origin story.
The film is set in the late 1970s , with Fincher wanting to evoke the spirit of films like The French Connection , with New York City suffering from decay, corruption, and a high crime rate.
At the same time , the film takes inspiration from the real life hunt for nortiourous killers of the decade such as The Zodiac and The Son Of Sam, which placed communities in a state of terror and fear.
At one point in the film, Daredevil is chased by a vigilante mob in the streets of Soho , after the famous city wide power outage occurs, and Bullseye takes his next victim.
The script features brutal fight scenes with Daredevil having only slightly enhanced physical abilities .
For the role of Daredevil, Fincher has only one actor in mind , Brad Pitt.
While Pitt skeptical about the role , wanting to avoid a Batman And Robin style embarressment, the script and approach to the lesser known hero intrigues him and he agrees to the part.
For the role of Bullseye , Fincher considers his fight club actors Edward Norton and Jared Leto .
However , at the top of his list in Sean Penn of The Game .
Penn is approached for the role and agrees to take the part .
Fincher originally approaches his Seven costar Gwyneth Paltrow , but she declines the role .
Deborah Kara Unger of Seven ultimately takes the part .
View attachment 81692
Stick : Pete Postlethwaite
Having worked with Postlethwaite for Alien 3, Fincher feels he has the right amount of grativas and mystery to play Murdock's mentor
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Foggy Nelson : Philip Seymour Hoffman The Boogie Nights and The Talent Mr. Ripley actor is fincher's only choice to play the role of Murdock's friend .
View attachment 81703 Ben Urich : Mark Ruffalo
Character actor Mark Ruffalo is cast as a younger version of the character, modeled off of Woodward and Bernstein in All The President's Men, who believes that Daredevil is being framed for the killings.
Project History
With David Fincher opting not to return for a Daredevil sequel , Darren Aronofsky is hired to take on the directing duties.
Brad Pitt and much of the supporting cast of the original film agrees to return for the highly anticipated sequel.
Aronofsky wants to keep the original films 1970s, setting , and uses the Dirty Harry film Magnum Force (1973) as a model.
Script
Having explored Murdock's ethics and struggles against a killer like Bullseye, Aronofsky wants to pit Daredevil against a vigilante without the Moral code or constraints
that keep Matt from going over the Line.
The Punisher , is very much modeled off of the Police Gang in Magnum Force .
With New York Crime at an all time high in the 1970s , The Punisher character would emerge as the ultimate cure to crime.
Daredevil would find himself in conflict with a man whom, in many ways he disagrees with, and in many ways he empathizes with.
Complicating Murdock's life is the return of the one who got away , Elektra , who is seeking vengeance against the mysterious Kingpin.
Kingpin , as it would turn out , is also a target of The Punisher, and may be the man who murdered Jack Murdock in the 60s.
Murdock then , finds himself in conflict between the woman he still loves, his much darker half , a Criminal whose fingers are in every pocket in the five boroughs,
And a cynical public, and press ,who supports the new breed of vigilantes.
Project History
With Columbia , Paramount, New Line , and 20th Fox Studios, all developing their Marvel themed films , to much success, Disney Studio wanted to get in on the action.
Having produced The Incredibles, Disney felt that they could take The Antman and The Wasp, and could create a live action , family friendly , Superhero comedy.
Disney wanted the film to have the same humor and appeal of films like Freaky Friday, while containing the same thrills and action packed sequences of other Marvel Based films.
To pull off this task, Disney turned to Incredibles director Brad Bird to bring the lesser known heroes to the big screen.
Script
Like the Incredibles the film would maintain the same Camelot era 1960s , retro setting .
The film would involve the social awkward, but brilliant Hank Pym developing a suit which could shrink him to subatomic levels.
With the aide of his college friend David Cannon, and Cannon's Girlfriend Janet Van Dien, the three of them would create suits which could go well beyond just shrinking.
It isn't long before Cannon discovers the possibility of time travel through subatomic travel .
Pym and Dien are frightened by the inherent danger of such a proposition , feeling that the suits should only be used for a limited purpose.
However , Cannon see's greater possibilities .
With the technology he and Pym have developed , they can change the course of not only their own destinies, but history itself.
As Cannon begins to see himself as a God, Janet begins to pull away from him and closer to Hank.
Cannon has always had something of a jealousy towards Hank, and with this disagreement potentially interfering with his larger plans, David , now Whirlwind , defies Hank,
and uses his suit to travel to parts unknown in Time.
Soon Hank and Janet begin to realize that the 1964 they live in has drastically changed , with an aged David Cannon now a billionaire and with Howard Hughes type wealth
and extensive political and military connections.
When Antman and Wasp confront the aged Cannon about interfering with time Cannon's muscle attack the two of them , with both heroes barely escaping Cannon's high-tech mansion.
In escaping they shrink and emerge in a dystopian 1990s, in which Cannon has become a Tyrant.
Horrified, Hank and Janet no that they must stop their former friend in the past to prevent this horrific future.
It's clear that when Cannon traveled to the 1940s , he built his fortune, potentially with technology from decades and centuries later .
With the odds stacked against them , Hank and Janet know they must travel back to the 1940s , ala Back To The Future 2, and stop Whirlwind before he can gain power and prestige .
However, the pair is uncertain as to whether or not they can reset the time line to before Whirlwind changed it.
Project History
With many of Marvel's more popular library of characters taken , Ridley Scott set his eye on the Inhumans, which he envisioned as an sweeping , intergalactic,
Shakespearian type epic filled with shifting allegiances and power struggles.
Like his film Gladiator, Ridley would treat the property as if it were an adaptation of a Shakespeare play or a historical epic.
Scott wanted the world of the Inhumans to feel as real and as tangible as his film Bladerunner.
His goal would be to basically hire a mostly British cast to portray the monarchy in crisis .
The shoot would be a long one , requiring multiple takes and meticulous recreations using the original comics as a model.
BLADE : VAMPIRE HUNTER ( 2001)
Director : Guillermo Del Toro
Project History
With Tim Burton already developing a Doctor Strange Film, New Line Cinema wants to make it's mark in delving into the supernatural elemnets of Marvel's library of characters.
Blade the Vampire Slayer , seems the most logical follow up to Dr. Strange .
However, New Line runs into a rights issue as the project begins to take shape.
New Line would like to utilize the Morbius character in the new film, but Morbius, is part of the Spiderman rights , owned exclusively by Columbia Pictures.
After heavy negotiations, the two studios agree to share the Morbius character and develop the Blade film together.
With David Fincher having zero interest in using the character in his grounded , period piece, Spiderman films, using Morbius as a conflicted antagonist, is no issue.
Guillermo Del Toro signs onto direct the film with a Halloween 2001 release date set .
Script
With a rough outline of Blade taking on Deacon Frost , and forming an uneasy alliance then friendship with Morbius , the story goes through several outlines before a final script
is settled on.
In the end , Blade finds himself torn between his black and white code , and the shades of grey that Morbius represents , in terms of hunting vampires.
Blade must also contend with two competing father figures in Whistler and Frost , two men with a long history , and bad blood between them.
Taking a page from Spiderman , the film is a period piece set in the mid 1980s Los Angeles .
Project History
With the Black Panther film becoming a box office success, and the Namor character getting alot of buzz and attention, plans were quickly underway to develop a film focused soly on the anti hero.
Though a Submariner film had been in development since the 1990s, The Black Panther film served as an effective launching point for one of Marvel's oldest characters.
Several directors like Thor's Stephen Somers , were considered for the project .
However it was McG, who had departed the stalled Superman reboot, he gained the most traction at Fox studios.
Fox wanted the film to be a slick and polished action film that would appeal to younger audiences .
Execs and producers felt that McG was the right choice given his experience with Blockbusters such as the Charlie's Angels film.
For the directors part, he felt taking on Namor would be an exciting challenge , and presented him more of an opportunity to tell the story he wanted to tell.
Superman came with alot of expectations , where as Namor was a clean slate .
The film would be shot at Fox's Sydney studios in Australia in addition to locales in Hawaii .
Script
Picking up from a few years after the events of Black Panther, Namor finds his kingdom in crisis as long time Nemesis Krang plots to take the thrown of Atlantis ,
And Princess Fen as his Bride .
Caught in the crossfire is Industrialist Phoebe Marrs , who saves Namor after a brutal attack by Krang's forces.
She nurtures the wounded King back to health , in an act that makes Namor question his black and white views about humanity.
As he recovers in the human world , he begins to fall in love with Marrs , and for the first time,
experiences what the other half of his heritage is like .
Meanwhile, as Krang Moves to take control of Atlantis, he sends his Second in command, Attuma, to the surface to finish the job and take out Namor.
By the end of the film Namor would begin the process of reconcile both sides of his heritage, and would emerge a much wiser leader who thinks with his cunning over his ego.
The film would feature characters such as Leonard McKenzie and would set the stage for introducing Phoebe evil twin Brother as an antagonist for a sequel.
Project History
With Blade already in production, Ghost Rider had potential to be an out and out horror film that could appeal to more adult audiences.
With Les Wiseman already expressing interest in directing, the budget would be lower than Doctor Strange , with plans to shoot the film in Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico.
Script
Taking a page from the David Fincher Spiderman films ,The makers of Ghost Rider decide to make the film a 1970s period piece.
The plan is to capture the feel and spirit of 1970s horror films .
The producers saw the film as The Omen meets Easy Rider .
The film would feature music from bands and artists like The Allman Brothers, The Eagles, and Jackson Browne .
The script would follow Ghost Rider's comics origin fairly closely and would feature Lilith as an antagonist so powerful ,that even Mephisto himself , could no longer control.
The hold that Mephisto has over Blaze is so compromised by Lilith , that Mephisto makes must make a deal with Ghost Rider ,in order to save himself .
While Ghost Rider would as soon see the demon parish for all he's done, Lilith's goals are to dire for the Spirit of Vengance to ignore.
Thus the film would see Ghost Rider and Mephisto enter an uneasy alliance to defeat the ever growing power of Lilith.
Script
For Fincher's third , and final film in his Trilogy, Fincher wanted to harken back to crime thrillers of the 1970s such as Assault On Precinct 13 , Dog Day Afternoon , and The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3.
The film would take place in 1983 , and would feature of variation of the Sinister Six , in a botched heist, which results in the hostage taking of innocent civilians .
The tension would build with Spider-man and the police at loggerheads with regards to handling the crisis.
As the standoff continues, the news media begins to get involved by surrounding the high rise where the hostages are being kept.
Among the hostages is small time model and actress Mary Jane Watson , whose being used by the Six to communicate demands to law enforcement.
Eventually , under his Daily Bugle guise , Peter is allowed into the high rise by the Six in order to interview them and give their reasons for the heist.
In Fincher's iteration, the criminals would all be new to Spider-man as opposed to being long time foes he'd dealt with
As Peter gets access to the Six , he quickly finds a group ranging from brilliant, to psychotic, to unstable.
Chameleon is the mastermind of few words , but clear influence over the group.
Vulture is an old ex con doing the heist so he can pay for his son's medical surgery.
Doc Ock is the clinical sociopath who would just as soon as have dinner with Peter as to kill him.
Electro views himself as a god and gets a sadistic thrill out of frightening the hostages.
Shocker has a hair trigger temper and he and Electro are always on the verge of a fight.
While Mysterio loves the theatrics and media attention of the standoff
It's during this tense situation Peter and MJ meet , and get to know each other .
The two exchange stories about their lives and realize they have alot in common.
Peter wants to get her out of this situation in one piece , and while he think he can take down two of them at once,
taking on all six , when he doesn't know their limitations is a risk to himself and the hostages.
Like a thriller, the tension builds as the hours go on longer and authorities on the outside debate how to move forward.
Eventually Peter is forced to act quickly as he feels the Six are getting more and more impatient and unstable.
Eventually, the SWAT team moves in to take down the Six and rescue the hostages, but the whole situation goes sideways.
Peter now has no choice but to join the combat through the fire fight , smoke bombs, and chaos .
He battles the Six , no longer caring about revealing his powers and identity.
Film would end with the hostages freed and MJ realizing that Peter is Spiderman.
However, she agrees not to reveal his identity .
This time, Peter gets his happy ending as MJ nurses the wounded Peter Parker in her apartment,
And for the first time , in a long time, Peter isn't in any rush to leave .
YEAR ONE : THE AMAZING HOMECOMING (1998)
Director : Kevin Williamson
Script : Joss Whedon, JJ Abrams, and Kevin Williamson
Story
Peter's first year as Spiderman has been a rough one.
He's Spent the school year trying to balance his Homework, while being the friendly neighborhood Spiderman,
Yet, as usual, his personal life is in chaos
While his rival Flash Thompson continues dating The Girl of his dreams, Liz Allen
Peter has been keeping his secret from his two best friends, over achiever Ned, and Nair do well Bad Boy, Harry .
Meanwhile ,Peter's is blind to his classmate, and Oscorp intern ,Gwen who may hold the answers to the experiment which transformed him into Spiderman.
All the while ,Peter Must contend with two Supervillains : One whose stealing Oscorp Tech and selling it , and the other who blames the Osborn family for his failed experiment and the death of his wife.
All will come to a head at the homecoming dance , where Flash Thompson wants to settle his rivalry with Peter Once and for all,
While Peter has promised, that Spiderman will attend the Midtown High dance of the year.
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