The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

It’s a bird! it’s a plane!

The public has expressed a desire to see more of their favorite comic-book heroes transformed into action-packed motion picture stars, so it is no surprise that Marvel and DC Comics have a multitude of movies in production for years to come.

Superheroes have always fascinated the public, providing an escape from harsh reality while still managing to create realistic characters that the audiences can empathize with. In fact, this is how superheroes have become intertwined with American culture.

It seems that as far back as one can recollect, superheroes have always been in the public eye, whether it be in comic books, TV series, or movies.

With many past successes, as well as recent box office hits, the popularity of these movies has grown at an alarming rate. This has inevitably left Marvel and DC Comics wide-eyed. Past success stories like Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies, and the Batman franchise, have awakened the public to realize that they yearn for more.

The floodgates opened in 2000 – since then, numerous X-MEN movies, two Spiderman films, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, and updated versions of the Superman and Batman flicks, among others, have been produced.

These new films, which are truer to the comic books than their previous movies, caused such a positive buzz that sequels are now in production. In addition, more obscure superheroes starred in their own films yet are now slated to have movies based on them.

The Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer, which maintains its original cast, is scheduled for a June 15, 2007 release date.

Another sequel, Spiderman 3, which will introduce That 70’s Show’s Topher Grace as “Venom,” is set to be in theatres by May 4, 2007. Newcomer, Ghost Rider, which stars Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes will debut in February next year.

It is no coincidence that these movies will be coming out at around the same time, since both Spiderman 3 and Ghost Rider are in accordance with Columbia Pictures.

Additionally, the fresh face of 2008 will be Robert Downey Jr., who will play “Tony Stark” in Iron Man, which is being released May 2, in accordance with New Line Cinema.

The year also provides us with a Batman Begins (2005) sequel, entitled The Dark Knight, which will once again star Christian Bale as Batman, and introduce Heath Ledger as “The Joker”.

The Incredible Hulk, a sequel to 2003’s The Hulk, will be smashing into theatres in 2008 as well, along with a newly developed Wonder Woman film.

Nevertheless, it appears that Marvel and DC Comics are not yet satisfied with their lineup for the next two years.

After the aforementioned movies are seen in theatres across America, Marvel and DC Comics still have more to offer the public, in case they hadn’t had enough already.

Upcoming projects include Punisher 2 and a Captain America film. Also, characters such as Wolverine and Magneto from the X-MEN trilogy gained such popularity, that they have solo films in the works.

DC Comics is also toying with an idea for making a film for The Flash, the super-fast character that uses his speed to fight crime.

They have announced that the lead role could possibly be awarded to Ryan Reynolds, who has appeared in such films as Blade: Trinity (2004), and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002).

Another unfinished idea that the company has experimented with is coming out with a Green Lantern movie.

Nothing is confirmed, but in the ideal situation the cast would consist of well-known Hollywood actors to boost the films chances of success. It is rumored, however, that Tom Cruise will play the role of Green Lantern.

People worldwide enjoy seeing these comic book characters come to on the big screen. With tons of superhero films planned for the coming years, the comic-book-to-movie trend shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

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