Cool News
GI JOE: RESOLUTE’s Warren Ellis Scripting New Knight-Centric King Arthur Movie For The 300 Producers!!
I am – Hercules!!
The brilliant funnybook writer and novelist Warren Ellis (“The Authority,” “Global Frequency,” “Planetary,” “Astonishing X-Men,” “Ignition City,” “Mek,” “Red,” “Reload,” “Iron Man: Extremis,” “newuniversal,” “Ultimate Fantastic Four,” “Ultimate Galactus,” “Ocean,” “Orbiter,” “Jack Cross,” “Ministry of Space,” “Fell,” “Gravel,” “Dark Blue,” “Scars,” “Wolfskin,” “Blackgas,” “FreakAngels,” “No Hero”), is writing a movie for the guys behind “300.”
From warrenellis.com:
I was actually cleared to talk about this at San Diego, but all the press I did there was Japanese-oriented for the Marvel Anime deal… so I’m going to mention it here, to say I did, and to maybe make up for that by giving the comics news sites something to post post-SDCC.
I’m writing a film treatment for Hollywood Gang, who co-produced Frank Miller’s 300. Hollywood Gang have previously optioned my graphic novel (with Chris Sprouse) OCEAN.
On my desk, the treatment is called Untitled Arthurian Project.
On their desk, the project is called EXCALIBUR.
I’m working directly with Gianni Nunnari, Oliver Kramer and Craig Flores (whom I was delighted to bump into on the Warner’s lot the other day) and having a great time.
So… yeah. Movie stuff. Other things to talk about soon. I’ve been sitting on that one for months.
Ellis tells AICN exclusively:
'Untitled Arthurian Project,' as I call it (just so I can't feel John Boorman's EXCALIBUR looming down at me from my DVD shelf), differs from the prior 751 King Arthur movies in many ways, but perhaps most obviously in that it is very specifically about the gathering of the Knights.
Ellis, who scripted the recent super-violent “GI Joe: Resolute” cartoon movie, also revealed to AICN a few more details about those Marvel cartoon series he's working on for Japanese TV:
WOLVERINE and IRON MAN are 13 episodes each. I'm not actually scripting, but providing detailed storylines for each episode, which will then be handed to a Japanese scripter at Madhouse. IRON MAN leads into WOLVERINE.
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Readers Talkback
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Hell yeah.
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Hey, (shrugs) taking the silver is nice too.
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Resolute started out cool, but man it blew by the midway point.
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Like fuck she did.
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And Resolute did not suck!
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Pushing evil down!! Ellis can do no wrong by me - I find GI JOE Resolute to be one of the year's best films. <p>If you ever get the chance, look up the aforementioned TV show; it's kind of Power Rangers mixed with the King Arthur legend. Whatever Ellis is working on, he needs to drop that, and make a "Resolute"-version of that!
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Based off the original series...continuing from it, even.
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Copy and paste that herc. It may be Ellis' most important work and you always forget to mention it.
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I'm glad Arthur gave the crown back to Zorro at the end of that one.
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"The greatest movie ever made" "I couldn't tell what was real and what was animated" "Revolutionary" "This generations Star Wars" "Like dreaming with your eyes open" "Photo realistic CGI mind blowing" The second coming of Christ" "Eyeball fucking mayhem"
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Loving, No Hero.
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...........shit.
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that shit was fucking weak.
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July 27, 2009, 3:48 p.m. CST
The teaser trailers for Ellis' Anime Marvel projects are on YouT
by Chewtoy
In case people actually want to see them. Iron Man looks pretty cool. Wolverine looks... well... at least he has claws pop out of his hands... so it's got that going for it.<br><br> Iron Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzk3XT_kC7A Wolverine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DsQT2tYSdk
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The early-mid 90s ruined me as a comics fan, apparently. And yes, I think Venom is lame. And YES, get off my lawn!
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Pretty shocked any G.I. Joe fan would really think it truly sucked, well, unless you're a hardcore Snake Eyes/Scarlett 'shipper I guess... then it'd make sense.
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They are gonna have to work VERY hard for this flick to be better than John Boorman's EXCALIBUR.
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I Tivoed it, but things kept coming up, so I kept pushing back actually watching it. By the time I did, I had heard all sorts of fan boys ravings about how it was the second coming of GI JOE and how it was utter brilliance by Ellis. So maybe all of the usual geek hyperbole set me up to be a bit disappointed -- which I was. It had some fun bits, I thought it was "okay", but I wouldn't say it was all THAT. It certainly wasn't worth the ravings that others give it, though maybe that can be partially excused because I'm sure there were certain fan segments that were simply happy to see the characters back on screen again.<p>To me, GI JOE: RESOLUTE seemed like just another victim of internet hyperbole, which is become all too problematic since creators and studios and marketing firms are obviously going online and out of their way to work over people any way they can, to get ANY kind of momentum going. As I mentioned in the IRON MAN Con thread the other day, I had the same experience with THE DARK KNIGHT, where I likewise didn't get a chance to see it until the tail end of its run and after all the hype had gone through the roof. The result: I liked it, but (again) after hearing SO much praise, I didn't think it was the second coming.<p>So, I wish Ellis well with this. Though frankly, as a writer, he's always hit or miss with me. Sometimes he has great ideas, other times it just seems like a creative wank fest with no real point or it was clearly something he did to pick up a paycheck. And unless he's got a great hook worked out for WHY the Arthurian knights came together -- something REALLY brilliant and TRULY original -- I can't see why I'd care too much about this project.
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And he will fuck each and every one of us just to prove that right.
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in the same league as Nicol Williamson, will be the 'ol stand by, Sir Ian McKellen.
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he nearly destroyed the iron man comic,with his extremis reboot. <p>luckily marvel acknowledged this mistake,and they are trying to retcon this fiasko.
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more badass magician,than constantine and saruman put together.
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Nevermind, I don't want any Fox studio type fuckwer thinking it would be a great movie franchise for the preteen set. Transmetropolitan is perfect the way it is. Anyway as for the anime projects, Iron Man could work. I'm not a Wolverine purist by any stretch but that just didn't seem like Wolverine at all. The single defining characteristic was the claws other than that it was a total stranger. Ellis is still a ManGod though....
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I can never get enough of adult animation.
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see: Baccano! showcasing how 'adult' animation need not sacrifice 'quality.'
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I've been wanting some decent marvel animations for an eternity. Something with the kind of epic battles superheroes are capable of that we see in comics, but can't really but done the same in live action films. Iron man really does look at home in anime. <br><br> Now how about some more. Iron Fist anime perhaps?
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The shadow of the Boorman film is too large. <br> <br> So I suggest you stand in Dudley Moore's shadow and call it ARTHUR: OUT OF THE ROCK.
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Fuck. Also, people who post and post and post the same fucking thing on these boards are just begging to be shot in the face.
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Why do they keep fucking ruining all their shots at Arthur when someone has already tackled and conquered it with the Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell FTW!
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YET ANOTHER...
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I doubt this will even come close to Boorman's Excalibur. We'll see.
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Resolute was good as a counterpoint to the the laughable live-actioner. Ellis might not "get" ARAH, but at least it was more faithful to the aesthetic and level of fantasy/scifi, despite mixing in garbage from the cartoon. A straight up adaptation of Hama's version as a toon would be preferable.
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sadly far too cool and obscure to actually get done, but lovely idea...
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I'm with you there mate. I much prefer Cornwell's plausible historical novel feel with an attempt to be correct to the right period, over the romantic quasi-mediaeval no-time that the story has become set in since the French got hold of it. But I doubt anyone would go for a big screen version like this, especially after the mess that was the most recent 'Arthur' that tried for a similar approach.
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July 27, 2009, 6:42 p.m. CST
Excalibur Done 300 Style --- was wondering how long it would tak
by nexxus7
I wonder if my copyright on the concept which was registered two years ago is enforceable. Guess I'll find out.
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...Why didn't the guy who did the best FUCKING GI Joe script do the FUCKING GI Joe feature film?! Imagine that...a comic book guy writing a comic book movie!<p> I'm sitting here hundreds of miles from Shithead Central (Hollywood), I don't earn a dime off of this, but I'm still out-thinking a typical movie producer or studio head...that's what billions of dollars and hundreds of tons of cocaine does to a 'tard's brain.
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Kinda awkward.
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Think about that.
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Warren Ellis is indeed a god among comic writers, and I'm always interested in seeing something good done with Arthurian legend, but I have a hard time imagining even he can save those damn anime projects.
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Would really be better suited to an epic, high production value cable series similar to Deadwood, Rome, etc. There's a wealth of material there, but it always gets cut down to bare bones - and sometimes beyond - when you try to cram it into a 2-hour movie. I'd fucking love to see them do the whole mythos justice by telling it over 36+ 1-hour episodes. It's the only way they'd ever really give depth and personality to the knights, while still telling the traditional rise to power of Arthur. Boorman's EXCALIBUR is frickin' badass, and I can't imagine anyone telling that story better. But I'd love to see someone come along and tell the stories, adventures, and individual exploits of the knights - basically everything that wasn't told in EXCALIBUR - and do it with a very adult, mature tone (none of that PG-13 crap) with all the sex and violence intact. With the right talent attached and a proper budget, I think it could be a massive hit.
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We need something like the early 80's Excalibur movie.
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It's a webcomic, basically tells the story of what would happen if the Children of the Damned grew up. Good Stuff. They need to just make a movie out of this!
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Just joining in letting Herc know to read or at least mention the best thing Ellis ever did.
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Larry Hama. Big Lob was based on a big turd, and is a shitty attempt at a recurring joke. Think about that.
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That is an epic. Roland, Charlemagne, the 12 peers, Ogier the Dane, Oliver, Bishop Turpin, Marsillion and Oliphant. 10,000 Franks, 35,000 Moors. Epic battles, tragic heroes it could provide both view points that see war as heroic, glorious and meaningful and tragic, foolish and wasteful. The Muslim/Christian conflict could be gone over to give both sides. Come on, do it.
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July 27, 2009, 10:08 p.m. CST
Why does Hollywood keep producing King Arthur retread after retr
by ackack
Very few of them have been successful and theres only so much you can do with it.
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would kick ass!!!I think they should do a prequel to more than meets the eye
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Best comic series since Watchmen, but this site knows not of it...
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I checked out the producers on IMDB. They have about 10 projects "in development" including an Odysseus and a Marco Polo project. A Clash of the Ti... I mean War of the Gods project and a prequel to 300. Which is basically a code words for throw spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks. Of all those, a 300 prequel stands the best chance of making it to the screen first based on the performance of the first one. Even though Boorman's Excalibur was a great movie it wasn't a money-maker in theatrical release. None of the recent Arthurian-legend movies have been hits and there are a couple of others Arthurian movies "in development". So my guess is if you see this at all it will be 2012 at the earliest.
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Everytime AICN talks about Ellis they list alot of his work but always neglect Transmetropolitan...
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...no fucking point.<p>I agree with tile_mcgillus and raw_bean - Bernard Cornwell has laid down the ultimate version of the Arthur story. Balls to round tables, fair maidens, questing beasts and all the other shit that Mallory pinned on the original Welsh stories, let's have Derfel, Nimue and the finest Merlin of them all!<p>Harry can play King Mark of Kernow...
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Hasbro said that if Resolute did well, they'd consider a Transformers done in that style. Hasbro is in development with Discovery to create their own tv channel. Cartoon Network screwed Hasbro in how they aired Transformers: Animated, hence it's departure, and rushed third season.
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Boorman's Excalibur was the best stab (ahem) at the legend, but it still fell short. The last attempt was King Arthur and that was dire, and the less said about BBC's Merlin shite the better. This needs to be on the scale of Jackson's Lord of the Rings in terms of visuals and ambition. Oh, does anyone (reading this from the UK) remember a short film which was included at the begning of the original theatrical run of Empire Strikes back in 1980 of a knight being haunted by a beautfiul ghostly woman which led him to his doom? It was very Exclaibur like. I've looked on the internet but never found what this was called...
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First, I hope they call it TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION 1, instead of Resolute...but same general idea of a mature take on the material, it would kick so much ass. <BR><BR> 1. Have the storyline take place sometime DURING the Generation 1 seasons. The benefit is that we would get to see original Megatron. The negative is that no almost no robot characters could be killed off...unless they pick some characters that disappeared during the original seasons.<BR><BR> 2. CONTINUE where the series left off in 1987. That means no Megatron, but we get Galvatron. Starscream would still be around. the benefit is that you could do anything you want, kill off any robot characters. I like this idea.<BR><BR> (Yes I am daydreaming, as there is no Transformers Resolute, but its awesome idea.)
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But leave it to fanboys to be so base. What GI Joe needs to be updated to tday has nothing to do with throats being cut onscreen, what it needs is writing that matches what we expect from todays material. Some guys actually getting hit by the guns would be cool, and characters dying toa dd suspense, but here is no reason it can't be just as cool being relatively kid friendly. The spirit of the series is certainly not, nor was it ever meant to be, R rated.
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Or eat some steamed crabs?
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Edit button Harry, for the love of god!
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cos i don't wanna hear it. Just see it.
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July 28, 2009, 9:08 a.m. CST
Excalibur, the real one, is Arthurian perfection
by Grammaton Cleric Binks
And it's good to look back to see so many stars in early blink and you miss roles: Griffin Dunne, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson... There is only one Excalibur.
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A Bernard Cornwell series of Arthur would be great for HBO. A series about the Saxon Chronicles would be better.
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the love for the original Excalibur. The soundtrack was good, but it was so historically off base it is laughable. The 2004 King Arthur was much closer historically to Arthur and the proper time period. I've never understood the hate for the most recent movie and the worshipping of Excalibur.
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And if you want to see proof why Mirren is a GILF (remember those swimsuit images that came out a few months back), check her out in Excalibur...<p>Why the love for Excalibur...? Because it feels like a tale, a legend, not just another mooovie. And Williamson's Merlin is wonderful.
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Tis could be really awesome, there really needs to be a new Arthur story. I enjoyed the one with Clive Owen and even the Last Legion but I want an Arthur story filled with magic not realism. The Boorman Excaliber was good for it's time but guys it has not aged well. I know its a beloved classic but it looks and feels old and the voice over dub on Arthur was horrible when it first came out and almost unbearable now.<p> IndustryKiller!, I get where you're coming from but the G.I.Joe comic by Larry Hama while not "rated R" it was very grown up and not really for kids. There is plenty of G.I.Joe kid friendly stuff out there, the original cartoon, Sigma 6 and even the new movie. Resolute wasn't made for kids, it was made for the fans of both the comic and original cartoon and blended those worlds together. There is plenty of stuff out there for the kids but it's nice to see a property like that grow up with the fan base that has kept it alive.<p> The Marvel anime project look awesome and based on the quality of animation alone I can't belive people are bitching aboout them If anime isn't your thing that fine but with the animation and Ellis plotting the stories they could be really awesome, just because Wolverine looks a little different doesn't mean it's crap people.
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and it can never be exceeded. No studio, director, screenwriter, actors etc. can possibly top that movie in this day and age. The definitive King Arthur has been made. If you don't have a copy, get one today.
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July 28, 2009, 1:02 p.m. CST
Kind of sad that Ellis doesn't even know what knights were
by Thick McRunFast
...which is to say, thugs. Thugs who "protected" the peasantry in the same way that the mob "protected" local businesses (taking what they wanted in exchange for not killing them). If Ellis can write that story, a deconstruction of the knight mythos, that would be truly awesome.
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G.I. Joe isn't Shakespeare. Resolute had some good action and the violent tone suits G.I. Joe well (I always hated that no one died in G.I. Joe). Not sure what people were expecting from it.
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EXCALIBUR is nowhere near flawless, but it's the best of its kind. I like how raw, dirty, and brutal it is. I also like the tone of it - it retains the magic and the menace of legend. I *do* think some parts of it could be improved - most knights unfortunately don't have much to do, and some of the story seems rushed. (On a related note, the idea mentioned above - a series focusing on the exploits of the knights could be excellent.) <br> <br> KING ARTHUR left me kind of cold. I loved Skarsgard as the villain a lot more than I liked sleepwalking Clive Owen as the hero. The re-imagining of Guinevere seemed like pandering to modern notions of "girl power". The absence of magic was also a letdown - I didn't want a documentary Arthur, I wanted the fantastic, magical Arthur of legend. I don't even remember what Merlin did during the film, which is not a good sign when you're telling the story of King Arthur. <br> <br> All in all, give me the gritty magic of EXCALIBUR over the updated pseudo-history of KING ARTHUR.
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of a stretch, if the movie was supposed to exist in a quasi-mythical, mashed-up history milieu. Recall that warrior woman Scathach trained the Irish/Celtic hero Cuchullain in myth, and also remember the historical warrior women of the Sauromatian and Sarmatians.
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I loved Boorman's 1981 film- it was mesmerizing. I also kinda liked KA, if for no other reason than it focused on the knights as individual personalities. People either love the magic (like my wife), or they want the revisionism. Is there a happy medium? For a knights movie to be successful, it would need a stylish filmmaker, a spot on cast, and epic production value.
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Any day of the week.
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"Where's the dragon Merlin?"<p> "Right there. Can't you see it?"<p> "All I see is a little mist."<p> "That's the dragon!"<p> "Uh, Merlin, are ALL your potions made by boiling marijuana?
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No reason you can't do both.<p> Just say that one of the reasons the Romans tried to subjugate Europe was because the 'barbarians' were into magic and shit, and the reason the Romans had to flee Britain was because magic kicks ass.<p> Then, make Arthur a Roman officer and make Merlin a Saxon shaman (or whatever) who convinces Arthur to stay by telling him he can bring peace to the British tribes and become the greated king.<p> Simple! Problem solved!
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How does it look anime? You see any HUGE anime eyes?<p> Just because the forms are slick and nicely designed doesnt mean "anime". That's just stupid. It's just evolving and thank god it is. What would you have it look like Kim Possible? No offense to Stephen Silver.
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Back in the day, American comics and the G.I. Joe cartoon had a certain artstyle to me...distinct from say, Dragonball or Sailormoon or whatever.<BR><BR> GI Joe: Sigma and GI Joe: Resolute's artstyles remind me more of Robotech than good ol' Real American Hero. Thats all.
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with those of us who liked it, because of the ATMOSPHERE. Too many movies missing that these days, and it doesn't have to cost as much as the nation's GDP. I haven't seen King Arthur yet, but I hesitate that it has as much atmosphere as Excalibur. Boorman made it when he wasn't able to make Lord of the Rings, and that magic and atmosphere shines, even with the historical inaccuracies (like the plate mail armor). But its an entertaining film. And yes, Helen Mirren is stunning in it. Brilliant move to cast her with Nicole Williamson since they hated each other so much after their breakup. But get a kickass Merlin too: McKellan, Lee, or any old British geezer with gravitas! Captain Peacock from Are You Being Served? heh...
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aicn is cool again
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The reason people like the King Arthur legend is because it is a legend. People like the characters, the mythology, the mystical aspects of the story. That is why something like the Clive Owens version fails to register for most people (besides the fact that he can only play the same basic character it seems in every movie, regardless of the actual role). A historically accurate King Arthur story isn't what people want. They want the myth and legend. That's why Excalibur remains a cut above the rest.
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... of three things IMHO: (1)it was a rarely told story -- unlike Arthur; 2) the production values; and 3) Gerad Butler played one heckuva Leonidas.<p>They have a great team behind this one, but I just wish they were doing different movie.<p>Still, if anyone can do a really fresh take on Arthur, it would be these guys.
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...but Warren Ellis is the real deal. His involvement alone on this project makes me hope it sees the light of day. If they can maintain the action and atmosphere like they did on 300, this could be epic.
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Even when the prettyboy Joes are twisting around in slow motion, BIG LOB must be running by at regular speed in his basketball shirt.
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