Led by a cast that includes Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler, Nathan Fillion, Linda Cardellini, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Stephen Blackehart, Lloyd Kaufman, Valentine Miele, Mikaela Hoover, Andre Royo and Steve Agee, James Gunn’s forthcoming take on the superhero generation certainly isn’t lacking talent, but it remains to be seen if his vision can break from the pack of similarly minded films.
The film follows Frank (Wilson), an average guy who is married and madly in love with the troubled Sarah (Tyler). But when Sarah leaves Frank for Jacques (Bacon), a smooth-talking drug dealer, Frank transforms into pseudo-superhero The Crimson Bolt, stakes out Jacques’ sleazy hideaway, and wages a one-man war on crime. Libby (Page), a cute sociopathic teen working at the local comic book store joins him as his sidekick, Boltie, and together they plot to bring Jacques down. Outside that high concept is a core that is very familiar: regular guy decides to become superhero. We’ve seen the idea many times before, but hitting his blog, Gunn assures fans his film will be different.
“Yes, I know, there have been other films that are superficially the same as ours, movies about real people becoming superheroes – including some very good ones. But ours is the first that, although funny, focuses first and foremost on the emotions of the characters involved. It is a dark, gritty, violent, no-hold-barred independent film that is, I promise you, not at all what you expect.” He also adds that the project is close to the hearts of everyone involved as the cast and crew are taking the lowest possible paychecks they can, “SUPER is a VERY low-budget film made as a labor of love by all involved – as I said at the panel, everyone on the film, from me, to all of the actors, to the composer Tyler Bates, are all working on the film for the lowest amount the guilds allow.”
While disappointingly Gunn “won’t be releasing a trailer or footage onto the internet for a long while,” we get our first look at Rainn Wilson as Crimson Bolt and Liv Tyler as his wife Sarah. Can’t say we’re blown away, but the vision is certainly unique.
No word yet on a distributor, but from the sounds of it Gunn, who shot the the film earlier this year, is still putting the finishing touches on the film before getting it out there.