I know quite a few people are getting weary of seeing superheroes being brought onto the big screen with so many that have been happening lately, but something tells me the superhero trend is not going to go away anytime soon, especially since DC Comics is apparently trying to set up their answer to the popularity of The Avengers with The Justice League. Marvel also has announced they have projects lined up for several years until 2021. If the trend is going to continue then both Marvel and DC Comics need to look hard at their respective rosters and start bringing some more A-list and even some B and C-list characters to the table who may not initially be as popular, but if done right could easily be smash hits at the box office as well as expand each of their universes. I've compiled a list of both Marvel and DC characters I'm sure could do well at the box office:
Marvel
1. Black Panther - Hailing from the fictional country of Wakanda, a man named T'Challa tries to rule his country while keeping it safe from outside danger. In the comics T'Challa/Black Panther frequently teams up with the Avengers on different missions. Black Panther is a cool character because all he cares about is his country and its people and keeping them safe. He constantly puts the needs of them ahead of himself. He is at first wary of the motives of the Avengers as well as the Fantastic Four, but eventually counts them among his close allies and friends. As of now there is a couple unnamed projects Marvel has slated for Phase 2 that will lead up to The Avengers: Age of Ultron, so we could see Black Panther before then. If Black Panther happens, I would like to see one of the following actors in the role: Idris Elba, Ving Rhames, Wesley Snipes, or Michael Dorn.
2. Iron Fist - Most notably known for teaming up with Luke Cage as Heroes for Hire, Daniel Rand is a man who is the son of a wealthy businessman that discovers an ancient mystical city called K'un L'un. Daniel's father and mother died when he was young trying to find the city, and so he is taken cared for by the ruler of K'un L'un, Yu-Ti. Yu-Ti charges master Lei Kung to teach the young Daniel Rand the martial arts. Once Rand reaches the appropriate age, he undergoes a challenge to fight and defeat a dragon who guards its heart that has been separated from its body. After defeating the dragon Rand places his hands on the heart and inherits the power of the Iron Fist. Iron Fist would definitely be different for Marvel's film franchises. So far Marvel hasn't done anything close to a straight-up martial arts movie that I am aware of, so I think it would be good for Marvel to try something different. I would like to see Scott Adkins, Mark Dacascos, or Ray Park as Iron Fist.
3. Ghost Rider reboot - Yeah, I know, after the travesties that were Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance not many people are looking for another film in the franchise. Still, I firmly believe that it deserves a proper reboot. This time around it needs to be a hard-R horror flick and not a cheesy PG13 that tries to be scary. The story of Ghost Rider is some pretty freaky stuff. I mean, the guy sells his soul to the devil and is tasked with battling rogue demons for crying out loud. The Ghost Rider hiimself takes on a ghostly image of a flaming skeleton who rides a motorcycle. The first Ghost Rider film had quite a bit of the darkness something like this needed, but it lacked in a good script and sometimes had wooden acting. I'm not even going to get into how bad the second film sucked. Whoever plays Ghost Rider needs to be a tormented soul who is trying to overcome his dark nature. Nicholas Cage couldn't do that very well. He almost seemed bored with the two films.
4. Daredevil reboot - Again I can hear people groaning at the thought of another crappy reboot of a failed attempt at bringing a popular character to the big screen, but just like Ghost Rider I think Daredevil deserves a reboot. There's one thing that I've heard people argue that I agree with: I don't think it was Ben Affleck's fault on the stupidity of the film. I don't know if the project was rushed or what the heck happened, but I think with careful planning (and a heck of a lot better script) a reboot could be just what the franchise needs to be revitalized. The property of Daredevil has just recently transferred back to Marvel, and Marvel's had arguably a lot more success with their characters than Fox or Sony has. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any plans in the works by Marvel to reboot the franchise.
5. Deadpool - Deadpool is one of those characters that comic book fans have been waiting for a long time to see. Everyone I know was excited to see the character show up on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but were disappointed when Deadpool was completely changed during the third act of the film. Ryan Reynolds, who played Deadpool in X-Men Origins, has constantly expressed interest in an updated standalone film for the character, but Fox doesn't seem interested in making a hard-R rated comic book film. If they are worried that a rated-R film would not be received very well, they need to look at the success of the Punisher and Blade franchises. Both of those franchises were rated R and were received pretty well overall. Out of all the adaptations I would like to see, Deadpool is very near the top of that list.
6. Moon Knight - This is another project that would be completely different from the current things Marvel is working on. Marc Spector, a.k.a. Moon Knight, is a former C.I.A. agent who turns to mercenary work after being fed up with the agency after several incidents involving close friends and relatives. During his years as a mercenary he is attacked and left for dead, but miraculously is revived. He believes his resurrection is in part due to the Egyptian god of the moon Khonshu's intervention. As a result he vows to fight crime as a servant of the moon god. Over time he becomes mentally unhinged and develops multiple personalities. If the film adaptation is to be done right, Moon Knight would have to be rated R as well since the material is extremely dark and violent.
7. She-Hulk - She-Hulk (Jen Walters) is the cousin of the original Hulk, Bruce Banner. She receives her powers from Bruce after undergoing a blood transfusion from being shot by the thugs of a crime boss. The difference between Jen and her cousin is that she is able to keep her natural intellect when in the Hulk form, and she becomes stronger in her Hulk form whenever she exercises instead of gaining strength the angrier she gets. Like her cousin, She-Hulk has been a part of The Avengers off and on for various reasons. I would love to see Angie Harmon in the role of Jen Walters/She-Hulk. I like her as a tough cop on Rizzoli & Isles, I think she could do well in the part.
DC Comics
1. Wonder Woman - This project has seen several incarnations try to come to life over the years, but nothing good has efficiently succeeded. Still, I think it's worth it to try do it again, especially if DC wants to do a Justice League film within the near future. For a film adaptation of Wonder Woman I would choose: Lynn Collins, Jaimie Alexander, Morena Baccarin, or maybe even Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
2. The Flash - Flash received a tv series back in the 1990's, but the famous wisecracking speedster deserves a modern film debut, especially if DC wants him for the Justice League. There have been talks that a Flash movie was in the works, and it looks like it will come out in 2016 - right before the planned Justice League film.
3. Batman Beyond - I realize there is already going to be a new Batman for the Man of Steel sequel (Ben Affleck will step into the role) and for The Justice League, but once The Justice League is finished I think DC should look forward to having Bruce Wayne pass the Batman mantle to a younger protege. For Batman Beyond I would still have Ben Affleck (if he does well as Bruce Wayne/Batman...and that is a BIG "if") portray Bruce Wayne as he takes in a younger protege named Terry McGinnis and trains him to be Batman. For Terry McGinnis I would get: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lucas Till, or Shawn Ashmore.
In a head-to-head competion between Marvel and DC, I would predict Marvel to come out on top, as their characters tend to be more popular and most of the time seem to be easier to bring to life on film. Not to mention the fact that DC Comics seems to not plan out their films very well, they only go where the money is. Their only recent successes to date that I can think of was the Man of Steel reboot (despite not being that great story-wise) and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
What do you think about these potential ideas for future projects? Any I haven't thought of that you would like to see on the big screen? Or who would you get to portray each of these characters, for that matter?
Update: Looks like Wonder Woman is going to happen on the big screen as the character has been confirmed to join Batman and Superman in the Man of Steel sequel, along with Cyborg (as Victor Stone, his alter ego before he became Cyborg). Flash is getting his own TV show as a spinoff of Arrow. There are rumors floating around that Black Panther is happening in Phase 3 (or possibly Phase 4) of Marvel's movie universe, but nothing is confirmed just yet.
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