Joust Another Comic Book
Film Exec. No. 1: Hey, you know what would make a good film? Asteroids. You could have a guy in a spaceship, and he blows up asteroids, and ... it writes itself.At least, I assume that's how the conversation happened when they decided to turn classic arcade-game Joust into a movie. I'm going to pick out a few choice bits from the article announcing it, as it seems as if it was written by a bunch of fake movie execs:
Film Exec. No. 2: Rights are taken. How about Joust?
Film Exec. No. 1: Joust ... that's the one with a guy on an ostrich who jousts, right?
Film Exec. No. 2: Yup.
Film Exec. No. 1: Sold!
"Joust is an arcade game that's as old as Pac-Man and has global awareness," said Cerenzie. "We took one element of the game and the brand itself and built a whole new world around it for the film."That's like me taking one element of my air conditioner and writing a movie called "Ice World."
Cerenzie calls the new script by Marc Gottlieb "Gladiator meets Mad Max." The film is set 25 years in the future and includes a Las Vegas suspended in mid-air.In 25 years, Las Vegas WILL be suspended in mid-air. So it's speculative fiction then?
"We've updated the game into a commercial, tent pole movie," said Cerenzie. "Marc has done an amazing job in creating a tantalizing and filmic world based on the original game."Oh, cool. Nothing gets my joy juices flowing more than the words "commercial" and "tent-pole movie."
"This film is the type of action-packed story that appeals to all four quadrants of the movie-going public and we are excited to be in the Midway Games business once again," said Peters.I'm really at a loss as to what the four quadrants are ... or how a movie based on a video game from the 1980s is going to appeal to everybody in the entire world.
"You need these kids to come in on Friday with a film's opening today because they're texting their friends right after the movie and you no longer have until Sunday," said Cerenzie.All this sentence needed was the phrases "viral video" and "social networking," and I would have thrown out my computer.
In any case, Pulp Secret, you might be wondering how this connects to comic books. Here's how:
The plan is to launch the new Joust franchise with a graphic novel, which is being penned by Steven Elliot Altman of DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, and will be based on Gottlieb's screenplay. The film has been given the fast track by CP Productions and should be wrapped by June 2008. Several A-list directors are already interested in helming this sci-fi/action project.So ... the way they're going to appeal to all four quadrants is by starting out with a graphic novel. Interesting.
Actually, all snark aside, it is interesting that we're at a place where releasing a graphic novel lends some sort of legitimacy to a project like this. That's all the non-snark I've got, though.
Always leave them on a joke, Zalben. Always leave them on a joke.
