Hourman film coming from WB/DC

[Autbot_Benz]

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. and D.C. Films are developing an adaptation of the popular comic Hourman with Chernin Entertainment joining as producers. The adaptation is being penned by writing duo Gavin Games and Neil Widener. This will mark the first time Chernin has developed a DC property.

Originally created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily in 1940, the hero had three different versions with the first one featuring chemist Rex Tyler marking the first time we met the character. Tyler would create a new synthesis, “Miraclo”, which grants him super-strength and endurance, but only for one hour. The Rex’s son Rick Tyler, would later go on to play the hero and ultimately becoming the most popular Hourman as the years went on.

Over the past decade, D.C. has been playing with the ideas of how to proceed with an Hourman project, coming close in 2013 when they began developing a series around the Rex Tyler character for the CW. While that never moved forward, the character was featured in Legends of Tomorrow where Tyler served as the leader of the group.

It is unknown which character will play Hourman at this point.

Over the last couple of years, DC and WB have begun to ramp up there development on film projects like Hourman that aren’t as popular as Batman or Superman in the DC canon. They recently tapped Charm City Kings director Angel Manuel Soto to helm Blue Beetle.

As for Chernin, while they aren’t known for developing comic book properties they have shown the ability to successfully relaunch popular IP into box-office and critical hits which include the Planet of the Apes trilogy. The series not only went on to gross more than $1.6 billion at the worldwide box-office but earned praise for its ground-breaking effects and motion-capture performances.

It also marks a reunion between Chernin and James and Widener who sold the pitch Liberty Road to 3000 Pictures with Chernin producing years ago, marking the the first time the three worked together. James and Widener are currently working on several projects including The Hot Wheels movie for WB and a sequel to San Andreas for New Line.

They are repped by CAA, Grandview and attorney Greg Slewett.

https://deadline.com/2021/03/warner-bros-d-c-films-chernin-hourman-film-gavin-james-and-neil-widener-1234716614/

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Whatever...

[Leo656]

Hourman is very interesting, given the rather tragic slant that came into the comics over time with him becoming addicted to the Miraclo pills that gave him his powers, and the idea that he very much wants to be a hero but he can't do it without physically destroying himself. Without that, the concept is rather "eh"... like "A guy who can only be 'super' for an hour at a time" honestly sounds kind of silly on its own. Once they had him develop non-addictive Miraclo, he wasn't really very interesting anymore; he was just a guy with a rather lame gimmick/restriction on his powers.

I kinda doubt they'll actually explore the addiction angle, because it's "too dark" for a comic book movie. But if they DID... then there's actually something interesting to work with, there. Otherwise, I don't know.

I like Hourman, generally-speaking, but I think it takes a very specific set of circumstances in order to make the character "work".

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I mean, it probably won't actually happen anyway. :tlol:

[Leo656]

You are most likely correct, unfortunately.

[Andrew NDB]

I mean, it probably won't actually happen anyway. :tlol:

I was just coming here to say that.

[frank_one]

Apparently, I am the only idiot here that has never heard of Hourman.

[Autbot_Benz]

Apparently, I am the only idiot here that has never heard of Hourman.

Hourman was a member of the Justice Society of America alongside guys like Jay Garrick the OG Flash Wildcat Ted Grant Sandman Dr Fate Starman and others.

[Galactus]

Why would anyone at WB even think of this? A JSA movie I can see but a solo Hourman movie?

[Andrew NDB]

Why would anyone at WB even think of this? A JSA movie I can see but a solo Hourman movie?

Or, you know. A proper Man of Steel 2 or something.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Why would anyone at WB even think of this? A JSA movie I can see but a solo Hourman movie?

Pretty sure WB/DC has a lock on the national acid market.

[Autbot_Benz]

agreed with Andrew no Man of Steel 2 but we will go with a Character only Hardcore DC Fans and people who watch Stargirl on CW know.

[Galactus]

Or, you know. A proper Man of Steel 2 or something.

Any hopes of an actual Man of Steel 2 were dashed when the reception to the first was so mixed. It's only because their first attempt at a cinematic universe with Green Lantern was deemed a failure that they stuck with continuity and and style of MOS with further movies they certainly weren't going to throw out all their plans a second time. Still an actual sequel is out of the question.

Still Hourman? None of the JSA exclusive characters (ie: not Hawkman, Doctor Fate, The Spectre etc) could carry a solo movie but especially not him.

[Leo656]

The Spectre absolutely could carry a solo movie. Just not likely one that the "general audience" would want to see, given the general darkness of the material. It wouldn't be a super-hero movie, it would be a horror movie where the "supernatural killer" just happens to be the Good Guy, and his "victims" would be the rapists, murderers, etc. Something like The Crow except more supernatural, and instead of sticking the bad guys full of needles and knives, he'd turn them into trees and giant wax candles and sh*t like that, whatever "ironic" punishment best fit the nature of their specific crimes.

"Too much" for the general audience, though. Hard R, "disturbing imagery" and "graphic violence", yadda yadda. But a Spectre movie, done right, would be absolutely amazing. "IF."

Dr. Fate would definitely work, too. But as usual they'd be damned by being second to market, since Dr. Strange already came out and the characters are so similar in many ways. Which was no accident; Strange was a ripoff of Fate, but people wouldn't know that so they'd just make fun of it.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

The Spectre absolutely could carry a solo movie. Just not likely one that the "general audience" would want to see, given the general darkness of the material. It wouldn't be a super-hero movie, it would be a horror movie where the "supernatural killer" just happens to be the Good Guy, and his "victims" would be the rapists, murderers, etc. Something like The Crow except more supernatural, and instead of sticking the bad guys full of needles and knives, he'd turn them into trees and giant wax candles and sh*t like that, whatever "ironic" punishment best fit the nature of their specific crimes.

"Too much" for the general audience, though. Hard R, "disturbing imagery" and "graphic violence", yadda yadda. But a Spectre movie, done right, would be absolutely amazing. "IF."

A Spectre movie would be tight, yeah. I'd be down for that.

[Leo656]

One of my all-time favorite DC characters. The Angel of God's Wrath! It doesn't get much cooler than that!

[Autbot_Benz]

Speaking of Spectre he got his first Funko pop recently. They totally butchered him on CW's Crisis having Oliver Queen dressed up like a hobo. Constantine TV Show had Jim corrigan in it pre spectre which was cool.

I am surprised DC hasn't tried to do an Etrigan movie off the ground sword and sorcery king arthur stuff with demons.

I mean you could also do a crime mystery thriller with The Question

Try Jonah Hex again and actually do a badass western bounty hunter movie too.

[Leo656]

They definitely have a ton of great B-List (and even C-List) characters who would potentially have great movies about them.

But none of them would carry a movie to the billion-dollar gross WB is so very desperate to catch.

Aquaman did it. Demon or The Spectre? I doubt it.

[Autbot_Benz]

ya if it isn't batman or the League members its not movie worthy. Guess HBO Max shows will have to do.

[Leo656]

I mean, for some characters, an HBO Max series might even be BETTER.

A Spectre series that's like "Tales From The Crypt", but with Spectre as the show's "Cryptkeeper" not just "commentating" on the events but punishing the evildoers at the end of each episode in all kinds of twisted and morbid ways? Sign me the f*ck up for THAT, pal. That might even be BETTER than a movie.

[Andrew NDB]

A Spectre movie would be tight, yeah. I'd be down for that.

One of my all-time favorite DC characters. The Angel of God's Wrath! It doesn't get much cooler than that!

No chance. It couldn't play in China at all.

[Leo656]

Which kind of ties into my point about how even if a potential movie with him or another character might be awesome, unless they can make a billion dollars they're not likely to pursue it. Not on a "grand stage", anyway.

Such is the 21st Century Movie Business.

[Andrew NDB]

It's like on the one hand, "We need a big return on our 200 million dollar budgeted comic book movie! We HAVE to rely on China!" That makes sense. On the other hand, though, it's like, well, why does your comic book movie need to be budgeted 200 million dollars? Give it to a talented director with a vision. Anyone worth their salt with their back to the wall could be an amazing Spectre movie for 30 million, even 20.

[Leo656]

For as much as those MCU movies made everybody happy and gave everyone a lot of fun romps to enjoy... they KINDA at the same time ruined everything for everyone, with their success setting the bar IMPOSSIBLY high for the entire business, a bar that now given the current global situation is even less possible than ever for anyone to consistently reach. That wasn't on purpose, I'm sure, but it is indeed a root cause with some deep repercussions for everyone else.

So many studios bet their figurative houses on projects that were supposed to come out over the next few years and make Big Money; now most of those projects are delayed, or not happening, and the ones getting released aren't in any position to make huge money regardless. WW84 probably lost a metric f*ckton for WB after advertising, because when they made it, they thought it was the ONE surefire billion-seller they had in the tank... and then Covid ruined that for everyone. "The Batman" ALSO can't make a billion dollars on a streaming platform, and that was ANOTHER "magic bullet" for WB that is now essentially neutralized by the pandemic and the resultant fallout. This is all very bad for WB, and worse still for everyone else.

Those projections for the next five years don't mean sh*t, now. Which means companies are going to avoid taking on any "risky" projects for at least the foreseeable future, until things stabilize.

Nobody could have predicted it, but... yeah, that was quite a stack of dominoes to fall like that.

[Galactus]

While none of the 'proper' JSA members are popular enough on their own the carry a movie giving it some thought some of them at least have interesting enough premises to make an interesting movie or TV series.

As I mentioned Hawkman, Spectre and Doctor Fate are all conceptually interesting enough for a movie. Their various appeals are pretty obvious to anyone who knows the characters.

You could have Rocky as a superhero movie about Wildcat, throw in Black Canary...or even reverse it and make a Black Canary movie with Wildcat as a supporting player.

Golden Age Sandman would work if it was like a noir tale like Vertigo series.

Star Spangled Kid or 'Skyman' or 'Starman' could be DC's Captain America: The First Avenger mixed with Shazam.

Hourman though...? I still got nothing.