Yep, that's right. I'm going to haul that hoary headline joke out every day this week! Until you beg for mercy! My dark cruelty knows no bounds.
I have to say, after a weekend of writing and writing and writing about Star Trek, I'm just about geek-drained for the time being. But before I take a long, rejuvenating nerd nap, let's clear some Geek News off the decks:
To no one's surprise, Fox has already announced that Deadpool, Marvel's "Merc with a Mouth," will be the third mutant to get the full X-Men Origins film treatment. First up, of course, was Wolverine a few weeks ago. And the Magneto Origins film has been spinning in pre-production (to be helmed by Dark Knight co-writer and The Unborn writer-director David S. Goyer). Though Deadpool could pull ahead of Magneto on the way to the theaters if the studio feels there's more fanboy cash to be drained from an action-romp about a smart-aleck mercenary than a somber vengeance film hinging on events at, um...Auschwitz.
Ryan Reynolds will return as Deadpool, reprising his role from Wolverine, but as fans of the character know, this raises a lot of geeky questions. Reynolds was great in Wolverine--for all of the 10 or so minutes he was on screen. [SPOILER TIME!] Of course, his character shows up later in the film as Deadpool, played by a different actor (Scott Adkins) and with his trademark motor-mouth sewn shut.
Those who didn't flee immediately from the theater when Wolverine was over were treated to one of two "Easter egg" post-credit bits. Half the prints of the film showed Hugh Jackman's Logan in a Japanese bar, hinting at a second Wolverine film that might explore the comic-book character's time spent serving as a modern-day samurai for the Yakuza. The other half showed Deadpool's hand groping for his decapitated noggin, the lips making a "shhhhh" sound at the remaining audience. (Not only was the Deadpool ending a pretty strong hint that a spin-off was a possibility, but also a nod to the comic-book character's tendency to "break the fourth wall," talking to the readers--or audience--and often acknowledging that he knows he's in a comic book.)
So the question is, would a Deadpool spin-off film take place before the final events of Wolverine or after? Before seems more likely, but if it were after, then would we see Reynolds' handsome mug restored to it's boyish good looks and his mouth open to spout off sarcastic asides? (In the comic books, Deadpool has an aggressive cancer that is only held in check by his mutant healing factor. Still, it covers his body and face with tumorous boils. Though his mouth is free and running.)
By the way, Deadpool is touted as one of Marvel's most popular characters, but while I've been a longtime Marvel Zombie, I'd never read a comic with the character until recently. (Deadpool was introduced in the '90s when I at least tried to move away from reading superhero comics.) Still, fan favorite or not, it's safe to say he's not well known with the general non-comic-book-reading public, but then neither was Wolverine a decade ago, before the X-Men films.
None of this spin-off business was just thought up on the spot last week--Reynolds was hired for such a small role in Wolverine specifically because the X-Men producers wanted him on tap for a possible spin-off. (Though the Easter egg ending was shot just a month or so ago.) However, it's not great news for talented young Taylor Kitsch, the Friday Night Lights actor who played Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, in Wolverine. It would seem a Gambit Origins movie is now a ways off.
Join me over the jump for news about Keanu's latest sci-fi project!
In other Geek News, Keanu Reeves is set to star in a modern retelling of Robert Lewis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, titled Jekyll. (Though both are at Universal, this project is not to be confused with Guillermo del Toro's planned adaptation of the same book, which would probably remain set in Victorian England, and, with Del Toro's many other projects brewing--including the two Hobbit films--may not get made for five to 10 years.)
We can argue all day about the merits or shortcomings of one Mr. Neo. I personally think Reeves can be used very effectively by skilled directors, and even when he's just Keanu-ing stoically along, he has an odd, likable, charm. The reason he keeps showing up in stuff like the miserable The Day The Earth Stood Still remake is that there's something very compelling about the actor, even when he's not acting all that well. (Though we all remember with dread the last time Reeves played a Victorian gentleman in a classic horror film... Coppola's Dracula.)
Along those lines, I think Keanu might make a passable Dr. Jekyll. But what about Mr. Hyde? Lately, Jekyll's unleashed alter-id has been done up as a super-muscular Hulk-type creature in films like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Van Helsing, but would the makers of this new version play Hyde more naturalistic and human-sized? And if so, does that mean we finally get to see Reeves cut loose and chew up some scenery as an over-the-top villain?
There are actually more than two Easter Egg endings. The version we saw had Stryker walking down a long lonely road (thanks to Silverfox's gift of persuasion), and finally being picked up by an Army unit. Lame compared to the Logan in a bar/Deadpool finds his head endings. Rumor has it there are five actual endings, but I haven't been able to confirm the other two anywhere.
Posted by: JT | May 13, 2009 at 08:10 AM
Yes, JT -- the Stryker-on-the-road ending is in ALL the prints -- it comes right after the end of the film proper. The Logan-Bar or Deadpool's-Head endings come at the VERY end of the credits. So every version has the Stryker PLUS either the Logan or Deadpool. I hadn't heard anything about any other endings -- let us know if you do!
Posted by: Locke Peterseim | May 13, 2009 at 11:31 AM