Tag Archives: james wan

Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi’s The Good Asian is being adapted into a series

The Good Asian is a praised, and award-winning, comic series by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi and it’s being turned into a series. James Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett are producing for Atomic Monster. Will Rowbotham and Luke Maxwell are producing for 3 Arts.

The Good Asian stars detective Edison Hark—a haunted Chinese-American detective—on the trail of a killer in 1936 San Francisco’s Chinatown. The series explores Chinese American identity, US immigration policy and the brutal contradictions inherent in being the first Chinese American cop when the target of his policing is inevitably his own community. It’s also a beautifully drawn piece of historical fiction and an exciting mystery.

The Good Asian was released in 2021 by Image Comics and ran for 10 issues wrapping up April 2022. You can listen to Pichetshote and Tefengki talk about the series on Graphic Policy Radio!

The Good Asian #1

Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel’s Nocterra is in the works at Netflix

Nocterra

Netflix is adding another comic title to its catalogue. The streaming platform is teaming with writer Roberto Patino to develop a series based on the comic series Nocterra. Nocterra was created by Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel and published by Image Comics. It’s part of a multi-year deal between Patino and Netflix.

Patino is currently working on HBO Max’s adaptation of the DC Comics/Vertigo series DMZ.

Nocterra takes place in a world where darkness has enveloped the world. Val Riggs moves people and goods across the darkness in her truck dodging the creatures called shades corrupted by the darkness.

Patino will pen the script, serve as showrunner and exec produce alongside James Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett.

Netflix has focused on building its comic adaptation base after its deal with marvel ended. The platform purchased Mark Millar’s Millarworld and has adapted other comics such as Umbrella Academy from Dark Horse, the manga Cowboy Bebop, and the film Extraction based on the comic Ciudad.

Aquaman Gets a New Look for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Coming to theaters in December 2022, Aquaman, played by Jason Mamoa, will be sporting a new look for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Though we know the character for his gold and emerald, the film will have the character sporting a darker look that evokes the “stealth suit” the character has sported in the past.

Director James Wan in his Instagram post said:

@prideofgypsies in the classic #Aquaman suit AND a sneak peek at his other outfit — the stealth suit. Atlantean tech based on cephalopod’s camouflaging ability. David Leslie Johnson and I were inspired by the 80’s “blue suit”.

Check out the new updated “classic” look as well as the darker suit below.

Ava DuVernay’s New Gods and Games Wan’s The Trench Not Moving Forward

DC Logo

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that Warner Bros. has shelved two of its upcoming, and high-profile, films based on DC properties. Ava DuVernay‘s New Gods and James Wan‘s The Trench are not going forward at this time.

In a statment, Warner Bros. and DC said:

As part of our DC slate, some legacy development titles including New Gods and The Trench will not be moving forward. We thank our partners Ava DuVernay, Tom King, James Wan and Peter Safran for their time and collaboration during this process and look forward to our continued partnership with them on other DC stories. The projects will remain in their skillful hands if they were to move forward in the future.

New Gods was a take on the classic Jack Kirby characters with DuVernay directing and working with comic writer Tom King. The film has been in development since 2018. DuVernay is working on the television series Naomi based on the DC character which will air on The CW.

The Trench was a spin-off from the blockbuster Aquaman. The horror-tinged film featured Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald on the script with Wan developing as producer with Peter Safran. Wan is still working on Aquaman 2 which will begin shooting later this year.

While these two projects have been shelved for now, they may happen down the road. It is believed the issue is there was no “natural” place to release the films in the current upcoming plans.

DC is currently focused on a multi-platform approach with films like The Suicide Squad and The Batman bleeding over into television with the HBO Max series Peacemaker and a show focused on the Gotham police department.

DC is still focused on creating a film universe with The Flash, tackling the DC multiverse, being key to what comes next. Upcoming films include Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and projects featuring Blue Beetle, Batgirl, Supergirl, Static Shock, and Green Lantern Corps. There’s also the third Wonder Woman film, newly announced Zatanna, and Superman film produced by J.J. Abrams and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

James Wan’s Atomic Monster Boards Hivemind’s Gideon Falls

Gideon Falls

Hivemind has announced that it is joining forces with James Wan and his Atomic Monster production company for Gideon Falls – Hivemind’s upcoming television adaptation of the best-selling Image Comics series from acclaimed creators Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino.

Fresh off of Gideon Falls‘ high-profile win for “Best New Series” at the 2019 Eisner Awards, Wan will executive produce the hour-long horror drama alongside Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear, Hivemind’s Jason BrownSean DanielKathy Lingg and Dinesh Shamdasani, and original series creators Lemire and Sorrentino. Rob Hackett will oversee for Atomic Monster.

An atmospheric thriller colliding rural mystery and urban horror, the series follows an ensemble cast of seemingly random strangers — a washed-up Catholic priest, an uncompromising female sheriff, and a young recluse obsessed with unraveling a conspiracy buried in his city’s trash — as they become drawn into a mystery connected to a long-forgotten local legend.

Swamp Thing Executive Producer James Wan Doesn’t Know or Understand Why It Was Cancelled

After airing just one episode, Swamp Thing on DC Universe was cancelled. That’s despite positive reviews of the show.

We have our theory as to part of the reason, but the series executive producer, and Aquaman director, James Wan seems to not know why either.

In a post on Instagram, Wan says he doesn’t “really know or understand” why it was cancelled. You can read that many ways, he doesn’t really know or he knows and just doesn’t understand the reasoning.

The series was to run 13 episodes but that was cut short to 10. Rumors have swirled as to why including creative differences, budget issues, too expensive, the future of DC Universe as a whole, to simple not liking it. This is one whose real reason may never be known.

Around the Tubes

The Magic Order #1

The weekend is almost here and we’re busy getting the second episode of Graphic Policy Weekly (or new weekly news show) ready! While we prepare for that, here’s some comic news from around the web in our morning roundup.

WLS-TV ABC Chicago – More than $10M in comics hit Chicago auction block – That’s some vintage comics.

IGN – Netflix’s The Magic Order: James Wan to Be Producer of Mark Millar Series – This could be pretty cool.

CBR – CW Announces Deathstroke Animated Series – Yes please!

Newsarama – The Tick Canceled – It wasn’t good people!

Aquaman Gets a Spin-Off with The Trench

The Trench

With a billion dollars and counting at the box office, a sequel for Aquaman is a lock. A spin-off starring Mera wouldn’t be a surprise, but a film about the Trench!?

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald have been tapped to pen a horror-tinged script around the Trench.

A horror film with that setting isn’t too surprising and would match the tone for that sequence of the film which at times was some of the most tense and interesting of the movie and had Aquaman and Mera being assaulted by a swarm of the creatures and surrounded as they attempted to get to their location.

James Wan, who directed Aquaman, and Peter Safran will produce the project which so far is being called The Trench.

The Trench and its creatures are fairly recent additions to Aquaman having been introduced in 2011 when DC relaunched their entire line called the New 52. They are part of the various undersea kingdoms and were part of Atlantis but evolved differently after it sank.

Movie Review: Aquaman

Aquaman is a complicated movie. Literally. Its overly complex plot weighs down what otherwise might be an incredibly charming and action-packed film. Like its namesake, it’s also a weird hybrid — not of human and Atlantean, but of what is going to appeal to audiences on both sides of the Pacific. That means spectacular action sequences made for the lowest common denominator between the American heartland and the Chinese mainland. It’s destined to make half a billion dollars — and deservedly so — but more cynical and choosy audiences should maybe gravitate to other films in the crowded holiday-season-cinemascape that includes both Spider-Man and BumblebeeDespite all of that, this is easily the second best film of the DC Extended Universe. That’s not necessarily a compliment.

The film is charming, and we should pause for one moment to sit with that. An Aquaman movie is actually kind of cool. Yes– Aquaman. The charm here lies with stars Jason Momoa and Amber Heard. Momoa is having a lot of fun here, and embraces the film’s camp and hokeyness. He also sells it, helping most audience members swim along with the current. It also doesn’t hurt that in parts of the film he has his shirt off. In an opening scene (shown in the trailers) when he enters a submarine and asks, dripping with ocean water, “Permission to come aboard?” there was an audible gasp and a “Oh, Lordy, yes. Anytime!” in response from the seat behind me. The equal-opportunity-cheesecake here is pretty fun, but does beg a question. . . why does Momoa need to have a shirt on in any of the scenes? (Inquiring minds want to know.)

Heard is the salt and spice to Momoa’s sweetness. Unfortunately relegated to a lot of exposition, having to teach Arthur Curry (and us the audience) about things like Atlantean politics and the overly labyrinthine plot, she has to do more work than anyone else in the cast, but she does it well. And, she does it all while in the most ridiculous outfit and fake-looking wig possible, which is also impressive. Also unfortunately, she and Momoa get set up in the trope of the bickering-will-they-or-won’t-they couple. The romantic payoff in Act III is telegraphed way off, and is also strangely unearned. Despite being weighed down with all of this, Heard actually does a really great job. But so much of her potential is wasted.

But then there’s the villains. Patrick Wilson is serviceable as the angry King Orm / Ocean Master, but there’s not much more to him than he really, really wants that Atlantean throne. It’s Shakespearean, but sorta dumbed down to a lowest common denominator of the big superhero blockbuster.

And then you have Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), whom you could literally erase from the movie and solve a third of its problems. It’s not that the character is bad — he’s actually really cool looking fully decked out with that crazy helmet and shooting lasers from his eyes. It’s just that in a film this complicated, we didn’t need a second villain, and all he does is pad an already overstuffed film.

And can we talk for a second about the scene where he’s building his helmet and Depeche Mode’s “It’s No Good” is playing? What is he, me freshman year crying about my girlfriend breaking up with me? The song, even this new remix, is twenty years out of the zeitgeist and sticks out even worse than if Pitbull sampled Toto’s Africa and put it in the movie to signify they were in the Sahara desert. Oh wait. . .

It’s these kind of schlocky choices that make this movie more the equivalent of cotton candy than anything more substantive. But, that’s also what makes it a sort of great popcorn movie.

Most of the other DCEU movies sort of falter in their third acts with a big brawl against the big bad. In this one, we get our final showdown, but it takes place against the backdrop of an epic underwater battle that takes advantage of the sci-fi epic setting where you can do anything underwater. This is Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Avatar, complete with sea monsters, battle seahorses, and giant underwater ships firing lasers. It’s a little bit silly, but it’s a lot of fun.

It’s that sense of fun that is this movie’s saving grace. Yes, it’s overstuffed, overwrought, and overlong. But it’s essentially director James Wan doing what he has done previously in directing Fast and Furious, Saw, or The Conjuring movies. Ridiculous, over-the-top action somehow works as long as you don’t take it too seriously and let your stars chew up all the scenery they can. But this time– it’s under the sea!

Just like previous films this year like The Meg or Skyscraper, there are very clearly some things here designed for the Asian movie-going audience. Luckily, many of those things are the same things demanded by middlebrow American audiences as they shovel popcorn down their gullets by the buttery fistfuls. Hence, lowest common denominator.

That still makes it one of the best films of the DCEU. While it doesn’t hold a candle to Wonder Woman, at least it feels like these characters are able to have some fun and not be so dark and brooding all the time. Let’s hope they continue that sense of fun into next year’s Shazaam! and our DC characters get some of the movies they deserve.

3 out of 5 stars

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