Jotham Knight’s Round Table

The need to geek-related projects sweeping through Warner Bros continues with news that a THUNDERCATS script by Paul Sopocy has been optioned, with an eye towards bringing us a live action THUNDERCATS movie!

Now that the THUNDERCATS have been put out on DVD, I’ve been able to catch up with me youth and realize that they opening sequence is one of the best things about that show. Kids really don’t pay much attention to bad dialogue do they?

Warner’s collection of animated and live action projects based on comic property is quickly assuming Kong-like proportions — with TEEN TITANS, WONDER WOMAN, THE DARK KNIGHT, a SUPERMAN sequel, JUSTICE LEAGUE, HE-MAN, SUPER MAX (a Green Arrow movie)and whatever else I’m forgetting in motion.

Read the Variety article here

Keep in mind that this is what we could get

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Pictures is bringing Terry Brooks’ “Shannara” fantasy book series to the big screen, picking up the rights to the series.

I’ve haven’t read one page of these books, but I’ve heard good things. It’s described as “The Shannara series, which blends technology and magic, is set in a world decimated by apocalyptic battles, with mankind splitting into races of trolls, gnomes, dwarves and men, with elves coming out of hiding. Politics and war are waged using magic with a backdrop of the skeletal remains of skyscrapers and subways.”

Sound like fun to me. More summer reading has been added.

Here’s a little clip of the 501st on parade.

Here is the second of our “Who Wants to be a Superhero” set. I got to talk with Matthew Atherton aka Feedback, the season one winner, and what he’s up too. Turns out that Atherton makes appearances at Con as part of his charity work for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Learning Through Listening foundations. Being a Special Education teacher by day, I was very pumped to talk with Matthew about his work.
Thanks for being a hero Feedback!

Here is an extremely kind and funny guy. After the interview cut, I asked Chris what he was working on. He’s trying to pitch a show to Scifi that would entail Major Victory hosting superhero movies. Think Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, but with superheroes. I dig the concept! There’s enough superhero and superheroish stuff films there for Major Victory for be on the air for awhile. Plus, there’s the void left by Mystery Science Theater 3000 that I think Chris could fill. He’s a funny guy whose body of work shows talent. Show him some love at MajorVictory.net or chriswatters.com/.

Here’s the interview.

The video interview I’ve been working on first is with the great David Petersen. You can look at my first Motorciy post for my entire David Petersen/Mouse Guard love where the video is also posted. But, if you’re just here for the video….here it is.

I was not alive when Star Wars: A New Hope it theaters (born in 1978), so I missed the initial shock the nation had when George Lucas and his little epic space western was an overnight success. Instead I grew up in a world were it was common knowledge that Darth Vader was Luke’s father and it was okay if twins smooched on screen (as long as they didn’t know they were brother and sister). It wasn’t until I was an adult (which is still in dispute by some) that I realized what it must have been like to be chomping at the bit for years to get to the end of a story. This generation of kids has no idea what it’s like. Harry Potter is out in books before it hit the theaters and the Lord of the Rings series have been around longer than Star Wars. I’m not sure there will ever be anything like Star Wars again. When the alien archeologists dig us up in thousands of years, they will think the Star Wars was a major religion.

Now I don’t have the over-the-top emotional reaction that some people do over Star Wars, but do have a very nostalgic feeling towards the original trilogy. They are, and always will be, some of my favorites.

Addition: AICN reporter Merrick wrote a great little piece on what Star Wars has ment to people

Addition II:
Sweet Marry, Mother of God is my wife not going to like this one! One of the things I’m very happy Star Wars gave the world is the very HOT! metal slave girl bikini. Where would my adolescent fantasy’s be without Princess Leia? Boring…that’s where! So here is the very cute Olivia Munn, from G4’s Attack of the Show, as she is currently appearing at the Star Wars Celebration in LA. Wow I need my wife to get one of these

This says a lot about where comic properties have gone, commercially, that a video clip of Frank Miller talking about his upcoming film version of The Spirit is prominently displayed on the Hollywood Reporter’s Cannes coverage page. There’s not a whole lot in the interview that die-hards don’t know — Eisner invented comics, great influence, new technology, yadda yadda — but if you feel like seeing a nattily dressed Miller saying all that stuff again, by all means go for it.

And while Miller talkes about how the technology Robert Rodriguez brought to bear on Sin City has enabled him to tackle this project, there’s no word on the actual look of the film. The Sin City-esque promo image might be representative of the final look (which would be a travesty) or it might just be a good way to tie the existing Sin City fanbase to this film.

The most pertinent info actually isn’t in the interview: the name of the actor who will play The Spirit. We know Samuel L Jackson is in Miller’s mind as the villain, but it sounds like Miller doesn’t even know who he wants to play the title hero. “I’m hoping to be very pleasantly surprised…it might be a long search, but you’ll know him as The Spirit and he will be The Spirit.”

Thanks to CHUD for the info

Nigel is another one of those Comic Con mainstays for me. I see him at every year at the two Cons I visit annually, but I’ve never really talked to him. Truth is the first time I saw him was, I think, Wizard World 1999 and they (Nigel and his pirate cohort) were giving me the hard sell. After that, I just kinda kept on walking every time I saw their table because I hate the hard sell. Nigel, if you are reading this, sorry man. This time I stopped at his table and I was blown away by his art. Just looking at his prints of logos from DC heroes makes me want to see the re-birth of the Elseworld titles and get a pirate JLA adventure. It also struck me as some great tattoo ideas! Nigel Sade has a unique style that I have never seen duplicated and would love to see his art hanging in studio somewhere. If I ever with the lottery and can afford to hire an artist to make huge mantelpieces for my Wayne Manor sized fireplace, I’m giving Nigel a call. However, since I’m the kinda guy who doesn’t with the lottery (the universe doesn’t let people who actually need the money win the lottery) I’ll settle for saving up to get a nice print and may-be a tattoo design.

Dear Readers, please take a look at Nigel Sade’s website because not only is it great art, but they guy is pretty damn funny too.

Nigel the Pirate is cool, and I was a schmuck. There, I said it.

Fun t-shirts are a staple of my life. I have to wear business casual to work every damned day of the week. So on the weekends, not only do I want to fly my freak-flag, but I want the right t-shirt to do it in. Fishynuts.com can help me with that. I met these guys at the Motor City con and they were one of the few vendors I saw having a good time. I didn’t get to pick up one of their shirts, some “has-been” porn star mugged me, but I’m looking to the future (i.e next pay check). For anyone into funny/geeky t-shirts, give Fishynuts a look. And tell them you read about it at HeroesTV.com