On Friday night, Bleeding Cool reported that Nemesis, a comic-book written by Mark Millar with art by Steve McNiven, is headed to the big screen as 20th Century Fox optioned the property and Tony Scott set to direct.

The idea behind Nemesis is ‘What if Bruce Wayne became a bad guy?’ In the comic, the very Batman-inspired character is the country’s only super-villain who uses his training and high-tech gadgetry to systematically hunt down cops.

Millar is a prolific comic-book writer, having worked on the X-Men, Civil War, The Ultimates, and many others before focusing on his own creator-owned books like Kick-Ass and Wanted. He has been criticized for only thinking about how his comics can be turned into movies, and I can’t judge his intentions, but it seems to be working.

Tony Scott, younger brother of Ridley, has had a long and successful, albeit not always critically-acclaimed career. He has directed Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 2, True Romance, Enemy of the State and more recently worked with Denzel Washington on Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. His next film, Unstoppable hits theaters November 12th.

While Nemesis is a neat idea, a film adaptation doesn’t really sound all that interesting. The comic presents some interesting imagery, so that may be good to see on the big screen, but are a simple character study and some cool images enough to hold up an entire film? And Tony Scott directing doesn’t get me as excited as it does Millar. He can direct action, but I don’t see him bringing anything new to the movie to really make it stand out. Anyway, its still very early in development so we’ll have to wait and see.

A “Kickass” Piece of Pulp

“With no power, comes no responsibility.” Gems of dialogue like that, serving as the inner-dialogue of our hero Kick-Ass/Dave Lizewski, are what make this adventure, sci-fi, action tale such a well-rounded and enjoyable romp of pulp style writing and action. Opening in theatres this weekend, “Kick-Ass” will be’ kicking’ off the spring movie season, and has the smart dialogue and high octane action that will make it #1 at the box office.

“Kick-Ass” centers on an ordinary teenager Dave Lizewski (aptly portrayed by relative newcomer Aaron Johnson: TV’s Nearly Famous, and 2006’s The Illusionist), who after contemplating ‘why’ no one has ever tried to be a superhero, makes the life-changing decision to become one himself. Enter Kick-Ass, a hero armed with nothing more than “optimism & naivety” and a pair of ju-jitsu style batons of which he has absolutely no training. Davei/Kick-Ass isn’t alone in this swarthy and crime-ridden city. Along for the ride is Damon Macready aka Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice & Fast Times at Ridgemont High), his daughter Mindy Macready aka Hit-Girl (Chloe Moritz: Diary of A Wimpy Kid & TV’s Dirty, Sexy, Money) and Chris D’Amico aka Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse: Superbad & Year One). When one of Kick-Ass’ outings as a crime-fighter goes viral on YouTube, it draws out the daddy-daughter tandem of Big Daddy & Hit Girl along with the ire of notorious crime figure Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong: Sherlock Holmes & Sunshine) and the flashy Red Mist.

Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) & writer Mark Millar (Wanted) truly deliver with this one. The film’s ‘R’ rating gives the creators free license to showcase the true side of crime and punishment but Kick-Ass is not just guns, blood, and in your face shocking violence, it’s a ‘real’ feeling film. Kick-Ass’ initial exploits as a do-gooder are atypical from what you’d expect to see in super hero films. Even the dialogue between father/daughter Damon & Mindy is rife with comedy and family connection while simultaneously shocking the viewer at how comfortable a father can be exploring the bounds of violence with a sibling. Their relationship is firmly witnessed when Damon instructs Mindy on the finer super hero art of handling a foe with a gun. Where else but this film could the hero’s love interest Katie (a striking raven-haired beauty portrayed by Lyndsy Fonseca: Hot Tub Time Machine & TV’s The Young & The Restless) remain in high spirits about a doldrum life as she wades through another uneventful shift at the methadone clinic’s needle exchange front office?

What separates “Kick-Ass” from other comic adaptations is really its’ pulp-style writing and feel. Evidenced when Hit Girl infiltrates Frank D’Amico’s fortress, there is tension in the mind of the audience as it plays out. It could be the low toned camera movement, or maybe because the viewer realizes that this is an 11 year old girl waltzing into the middle of an ‘R’ rated ambush. No matter how you see it, the execution of the scene is flawless and some serious ass-kicking ensues all around.

Filled with smart banter, raw and ruckus street fighting and great laughs courtesy of the warped friendship that blossoms between Dave and Katie, Kick-Ass is one enjoyable ride. Grab some popcorn and settle in for a dynamite-laden rocket-ride to the other side.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Kick Ass is rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use – some involving children.

Atomic Popcorn presents: KICK-ASS a Lionsgate’s film that is going to kick your faces off! We have the pleasure of giving out passes to you fine Baltimore geeks to one of, if not the biggest, Spring event of the year in Baltimore. Kick-Ass is a movie based on the hugely popular comic series by Mark Millar by the same name. Make sure you grab these tickets and fast!!

See you there on April 7th! I will be in the front row ready to kick some ass!

Synopsis:

“How come nobody’s ever tried to be a superhero?” When Dave Lizewski – ordinary New York teenager and rabid comic-book geek dons a green-and-yellow internet-bought wetsuit to become the no-nonsense vigilante, Kick-Ass, he soon finds an answer to his own question: because it hurts. But, overcoming all the odds, the eager yet inexperienced Dave quickly becomes a phenomenon, capturing the imagination of the public. However, he’s not the only superhero out there – the fearless and highly-trained father-daughter crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy and Hit Girl have been slowly but surely taking down the criminal empire of local Mafioso, Frank D’Amico. And, as Kick-Ass gets drawn into their no-holds-barred world of bullets and bloodletting with Frank’s son, Chris, now reborn as Kick-Ass’s arch-nemesis, Red Mist – the stage is set for a final showdown between the forces of good and evil – in which the DIY hero will have to live up to his name. Or die trying…

Check out the trailer below:

KICK-ASS, directed by Matthew Vaughn, opens nationwide on Friday, April 16, 2010.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR PASS: and enter

ATOMICGDU6 for the RSVP code!

Make sure you check out our other free screenings in the Baltimore Area.

Alfonso Cuarón, director of the fantastic Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Y tu mamá también, is gearing up for his next film, Gravity, a space thriller written by his son, Jonás.

A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Angelina Jolie had passed on Wanted 2 in order to join the project. She was reportedly slated to play the sole survivor of a space mission, as well as her own daughter. Later that week, however, it looked as if she was looking at The Golden Suicides, penned by Bret Easton Ellis. In that project, she and James Franco would play the real-life couple Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake, who killed themselves after becoming paranoid regarding Scientologist persecution.

So where does that leave Gravity? Now the project has found its way to Warner Bros. as a 3D production and Robert Downey, Jr. is in negotiations to take the lead. This has also changed the plot slightly, as Downey, Jr. and a female colleague would be the only two survivors after a satellite explosion kills the rest of their team.

Now, there is still a possibility that Jolie will be the “female colleague” along with MDJ, but nothing has been confirmed. Also, although originally the studio had pulled the plug on Wanted 2, creator Mark Millar has said it will go on without Jolie.

This sounds like good news for both projects. Robert Downey, Jr. has the star-power to really give Gravity the extra push it needs to make it big. This shows that the studio has faith in the success of the film, which should prove to be an excellent thriller. Just think — Children of Men in space, in 3D.

There was an immensely positive buzz going on about Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic Kick-Ass at San Diego Comic Con this year. Some who saw footage from the film are saying it is the most phenomenal comic book movie of all time, which is high praise indeed.

I don’t quite get that from this trailer, but I see the potential. I think the film will obviously venture into gritty territory that this green-band trailer can’t explore, so I’m definitely going to withhold judgment until I can see the final product.

That said, this movie has a great young cast: Chloe Moretz (from 500 Days of Summer), Aaron Johnson from the upcoming Nowhere Boy, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse from Superbad.

Check out the trailer below, and make sure to catch the film when it’s released on April 16 of next year.

Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, based on Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s comic that is now owned by Disney, will have an ending that not only mimics the ending of its serialized comic counterpart, but also functions as an entire teaser (as in teaser trailer) for the next film in the series.

Millar told MTV:

The series ends on a teaser for the next one, and the movie ends on that teaser, too [...] we don’t want to sound too cocky, but we know this is good. It didn’t cost that much money to make. There will definitely be another one.”

Should we be as sure as Millar is of a sequel, or is this simply Frank Miller-esque optimism?

I don’t doubt that Vaughn has the ability to deliver the goods. The fact that the writer has such confidence in what he has on his hands (and judging by the overwhelmingly positive reaction from Comic-Con this year), I’m more than excited about being left wanting more.

So after a pretty solid run in the theaters, “Wanted” is coming back with a sequel. We all knew it would happen, but I, and at least a few other folks, would of thought the book would of come before the film. That seems not to be the case.

At a press junket about the DVD release Millar told Newsarama;

“It will be some of the stuff that we didn’t utilize from the first book for the movie – like chapters three and four – there will be some stuff from that, so in the loosest sense it will be based on the book, but only very little. The nice thing about owning it and creator-owned properties is that JG and I will still be producers on the thing, and will still obviously get paid for the rights.”

I think sticking to one book is a great idea as the original is the best and will remain so. The questions arise, who is coming back for the new film?

Stay tuned for more “Wanted” news.

This just in from the Wall Street Journal…Warner Bros to reboot Superman for the big screen. Look for Brian Singer to not be involved with this new take on the Man of Steel as the bad taste that was 2006′s “Superman Returns” is still lingering in the water.

Realizing that Marvel Comics has been hitting home run after home run with film adaptations of their comic book characters, DC and Warner Bros are going to get aggressive with Super Hero movies based off of the DC Comics properties. They will also follow the blueprint setup in Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk from this past summer and build upon the characters that will make up the Justice League.

There has been a rumor floating around for months that comic book scribe Mark Millar has a script and business plan ready to present to the WB and DC in hopes of making Superman the be-all-end-all movie that we were expecting in 2006.  Here is to hoping that this announcement will be made prior to the end of 2008.

“Superheroes are more global than ever in today’s commercial world, existing in 30 languages and in more than 60 countries,” says Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC Comics. The characters are “a world-wide export,” he says.

With the major box-office sucess that is “Batman Begins” and the follow-up “The Dark Knight” it was only a matter of time that WB would realize they needed to do something to jump start the failing movies based on DC Characters.

The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.

As a comic book fan and a movie junkie, I hope they can keep the tidal wave that is the recent comic book adaptation hits going and compliment the work Marvel is doing. We don’t want to have to sit through another “Batman & Robin” or “Superman 4: The Quest for Peace” any time soon.