20th Century Fox has been hit or miss with its take on the Marvel franchises it has control of. The X-Men films have ebbed and flowed in quality over the years, but thankfully we are at a high-point with the series. Deadpool has done massive numbers, although it was a fight to not only get the film greenlighted, but to make the film happen as the budget kept getting slashed. And then there is the Fantastic Four series that is, well, a thing.
But now the studio is moving into a new possible cinematic universe away from the Marvel universe with its latest project. Picking up the rights to BOOM! Studios comic property ‘Irredeemable’ the studio has tapped Adam McKay to direct a film based on the 36 issue comic book. McKay is best known for winning a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Big Short and helped co-write Marvel’s Ant-Man, one of my favorite Marvel films to date.
The script is being penned by Tommy Wirkola (Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters) and being used as a directing springboard for McKay. BOOM! Studios’ Ross Richie and Stephen Christy are set to produce the film to help keep the project on track with the BOOM! Studios vision. This new universe is a gamble with BOOM! not being a well-known comic publisher with the general public. Where this can work is in the freedom from Marvel/Disney oversight and the ability to create a new cinematic universe, instead of working in one.
Irredeemable was created by Mark Waid for BOOM! Studios in 2009 and tells the story of a hero known as The Plutonian. He becomes the world’s greatest hero, much in the vain of Superman, but things take a turn as he begins killing off people who defy him and his perceived morality. As this happens his old compatriots in the Justice League like group ‘The Paradigm” come together to take him down.
These heroes all have their own issues, but even as a group are far less powerful than The Plutonian. This forces them to turn to the worlds most famous supervillain to help them stop The Plutonian by any means necessary.
There is a lot of potential here, especially by deconstructing the Superman archetype, although DC is doing well enough with that by turning their cinematic Superman into an asshole.
BOOM! Studios currently has 7 comic properties on the table with 20th Century Fox.
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