Ueli Stack: Real-Life Cliffhanger
Ueli Steck is a real-life cliffhanger. He also sets world records for speed climbing. Don’t watch this video if you’re afraid of heights.
[Via Neatorama]
Batman: Year One – Feature Length Animation
One of my all-time favorite graphic novels is Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. I was pleased to read in The Hollywood Reporter today that a feature length animated adaptation is in the works with Bruce Timm on board to executive produce. Timm indicates that the production will closely follow the graphic novels story and look when he says:
“The source material is surprisingly cinematic; it’s a pretty straight forward literal retelling… Mazzucchelli’s artwork is beautifully composed and we were able to refer to the comic for about 80 percent of the camera setups.”
Ben McKenzie will provide the voice for Batman/Bruce Wayne and Bryan “Breaking Bad” Cranston will do the same for Liet. James Gordon. You can read more about the production here and here.
Bring Back Black Cross
The drawing above is of a character created by Chris Warner called Black Cross. He made his first appearance [Black Cross, not Chris Warner] in Dark Horse Presents #1. DHP #1 was an anthology and the first comic published by the folks who would go on to give us Frank Miller’s Sin City, Eric Powell’s The Goon, Hellboy by Mike Mignola, and on and on and on.
Black Cross was popular enough to spin off into a mini-series, a couple of stand alone short comic stories and a one-shot. At one point, Black Cross was close to becoming a big screen feature with Howie Long in the title role. At about the same time another Black Cross mini-series was in the works called “My War.” Neither it or the movie ever happened.
I always hold out hope that one day Chris Warner will bring back Black Cross.
Thomas Jane Joins Stallone in “Headshot”
JoBlo broke the news today that Thomas Jane is set to join Sylvester Stallone in “Headshot.” Walter Hill is set to direct the adaptation of the crime comic published as “Bullet to the Head.” Stallone plays a hitman and Jane a NYC detective who are brought together after a series of murders. According to Jane…
- He’s a hitman, I’m a cop, and we’re just opposite in every ******* way, and we need each other to get this job done. And of course I’m like, ‘As soon as this job’s over, I’m going to take you to jail, you know, you’re a killer.’
Lee Marvin, Mel Gibson & Jason Statham
Variety reported today that…
- Jason Statham is in negotiations to star in the thriller “Parker” with Taylor Hackford directing… based on the book series by Donald Westlake [aka RIchard Stark], [and] revolves around a thief who, though at times is forced to be a killer, still lives by a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it. His word is his bond, and if he is crossed he will strike back relentlessly.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Richard Stark’s Parker novels as well as the graphic adaptations by Darwyn Cooke. I also enjoyed Lee [“Point Blank”] Marvin and Mel [“Payback”] Gibson in movies based on the Parker character. I have little doubt that Taylor Hackford directing Jason Statham will be welcome additions to the Parker legacy.
Matthew Warlick Takes on Rocky
Matthew Warlick provided the sketch above of Rocky Balboa as a bonus for purchasing his sketchbook. Matthew is no stranger to the SZ. Here he provided us with a video of when he inked a very cool Jack Carter sketch. Thanks to Matthew for sharing his talent! – Craig
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” – The Trailer is Here!
Earlier today we got a chance to see some concept art from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. If you liked what you saw then you’ll want to check out the new trailer below.
Return to Ape Greatness?
The original “Planet of the Apes” is still one of my all-time favorite movies. Unfortunately, as with most movie series, the sequels got progressively worse. And let’s not even talk about the Tim Burton remake.
So, with that said, I have no idea how good the new “Apes” movie, “Rise of the Apes” will be. I do like the concept art that I’ve seen, so maybe there is hope for a return to greatness.
Vintage Mike Zeck Thor
That my friends, is a beautiful Mike Zeck piece that he did for the December 1977 issue [#140] of The Rocket’s Blast Comic Collector. Mike was a regular contributor to the RBCC back in the day and a major reason to pick up the fanzine.
Riddick vs The Rock
A lot of folks are looking forward to “Fast Five” because they’re fans of the “Fast and the Furious” movies and/or they’re Vin Diesel fans. My guess is even more people are going to want to check out the movie to see what happens when Vin Diesel squares off against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The MTV Movie Blog has some new photos from the movie including a larger version of the one above.
Stake Land
Drive-ins may have gone the way of VHS tape, but drive-in movies keep getting made. I’d love to see “Stake Land” as part of a horror triple feature at a local drive-in. Guess I’ll just have to wait for Netflix.
The great news is you don’t have to wait if you want to see a drive-in screen-sized version of the poster thanks to the fine folks at IMPAwards.com.
Wham-O Daredevils
This 1966 commercial for the Wham-O Wheelie Bar really brings back a lot of memories. I would have been 7 or 8 years old depending on when the commercial first appeared. I had a sting ray bike. I rode/loved that bike like a singing cowboy loved his horse. I never had a Wham-O Wheelie Bar though.
Besides the nostalgia factor of the commercial, I also found it interesting that kids riding the bikes in the commercial were riding with no helmets, barefoot, and down the middle of the street. They were also standing on the seat and doing tricks [things that we all did or at least tried back in the day] but that would never pass the safety standards of today.
[Via Neatorama]
Ron Salas Takes on Barney Ross
Sly Stallone as Barney Ross from The Expendables by Ron Salas. Obviously I’m a huge fan of Ron’s art. Of course when he does pieces like his take on Sly from “The Expendables” who wouldn’t be? You can check out more of Ron’s art here.
Warrior
If you’re a MMA fan, then you might want to check out this trailer for the movie “Warrior.” It looks like it’ll be a fun couple of hours.
Stuntman Mike is at the Show
Most of you probably recognize Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike from Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. The artwork is part of Spoke Art‘s Quentin vs. Coens art show which will run from April 7th through April 9th at the Bold Hype Gallery, 547 W 27th St, 5th floor, NY, NY. You can read more about the show and see more art over at /Film.
