DC ENTERTAINMENT developing HAWKMAN Movie?
With Hawkman making his live-action debut this February 5th in the Smallville two-hour movie "Absolute Justice" -- pictured above and below played by Michael Shanks (Stargate SG-1) -- it looks like he may be getting the big-screen treatment as well. According to Pajiba's sources, DC Comics and Warner Bros. are looking to make Hawkman a tentpole franchise. All I can say to that is... good luck!
DC and Warner have been looking to play catch up with Marvel for a while now. They began strategizing to make use of their vast stable of DC characters since back in July of 2008. They took a bigger step towards this when they formed DC Entertainment in September of this year. The biggest and most anticipated project is of course the Martin Campbell-directed Ryan Reynolds starrer Green Lantern, which is in preproduction. But with Superman features in legal limbo and Batman at the heed of Christopher Nolan's schedule and interest, it seems DC Entertainment has to turn to background characters from the Super Friends for the rest of their movies!
Even more puzzling is that the Hawkman movie is being described as part Indiana Jones, part Da Vinci Code and part Ghost. Huh? Or rather... WHAT THE F? That's an odd trio of names to utter in one sentence. It's like saying it's part steak, part ice cream, and part jell-o. Separate, they're fine. Together, they don't sound like a tasty mix. But maybe it's just not clicking in my head. The first person to suggest mixing chocolate and peanut butter probably got some weird looks too.
All the incarnations of Hawkman are characterized by the use of archaic weaponry and by large, artificial wings, attached to a harness made from the special Nth metal that allows flight, who works closely with a partner/romantic interest named Hawkgirl or Hawkwoman. The Golden Age Hawkman and the one being used for Smallville is Carter Hall, an archeologist who was the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince, Khufu. He and Hawkgirl used the same tools displayed in his museum to fight crime. The new Hawkman and Hawkgirl are police officers from the planet Thanagar who stayed on Earth to help human police forces, and the Justice League fight against supervillains.
Like Pajiba suggests, I also theorize that fan reaction to the character's appearance on Smallville will likely determine Hawkman's big-screen fate. Maybe if they work on an updated costume and some stellar casting... it could work. But even Aquaman, who has tested the waters (yup) with a well enough received pilot and a fictional turn on Entourage, he still went nowhere.
DC Comics' Will Hackner is heading up the big-screen version, which is currently out to writers.
What do you think of DC Entertainment's HAWKMAN movie? What do you think of the Indy/Code/Ghost description?
