Reel Media

It seems that the movie and television industries has shit on its brain lately. They seem more interested in delivering crappy sequels to cult classics, shit remakes of classic movies and unimaginative shows than original and thought provoking media. Beverly Hills Cop 4? A Robocop remake? A FUCKING MOVIE BASED ON THE GUITAR HERO GAME??? A SHOW PREMISED ON A GUY’S HUGE PRICK?????? WTF?? MATE!!! Surely the industries can serve us media junkies better. To end this preoccupation with shit ideas, the industries should examine comic book series for getting their creative juices flowing again. I am not talking about X-Men and other steroid abusing super freaks in latex, but the dark, macabre and thought provoking adult comic series published by companies such as Vertigo, Icon and Dark Horse. Series such as Preacher, Y: The Last Man, DMZ, 100 Bullets, Scalped, Fell, The Exterminators and The Walking Dead.

If I were given a budget, director, crew and all the other tools needed to create a movie or serialized series, I would bring The Walking Dead to the small or big screen.

Robert Kirkman’s, The Walking Dead, is about a group of survivors trying to forge some kind of normal life in the midst of a worldwide zombie holocaust. The group experience threats and attacks from both the dead and the remainder of the living. Last summer, I had the pleasure of reading 47 issues (issue 47 was the most current at the time) and became enamored with the series. Character development is central to the series’ success. While the whole zombie holocaust aspect of the series is unoriginal, Kirkman does an excellent job at humanizing getting readers to empathize with the characters. I’d have George Romero (like, duh!) to direct and sell the show to Showtime or FX for airing (HBO blows).

To be fair, the movie and television industries have made or in the process of making television and movie adaptations of mature comic series. Sin City and its pending sequels, The Spirit, 30 Days of Night, The Global Frequency, The Watchmen and Constantine (Hellblazer) to name a few. I also read that Showtime expressed interest in creating a show based on Vertigo’s The Exterminators series. HBO pussied out big time by dropping the serialized version of Preacher because the new chief thought it was too controversial…………… Isn’t that why people pay that extra $10-$15 bucks for HBO? To see controversial subject matter that networks will never touch? They would’ve have probably ruined the genius of the series and censored the hell out of it anyways. Hopefully, Showtime will green light it.