If the films based on the comic books of Mark Millar (or indeed, the comic books themselves) came anywhere near to matching the creator’s ability to hype them up, his success rate would be close to Stanley Kubrick‘s. Instead, the William Castle of the comic book world has been behind “Wanted” and “Kick-Ass,” and has spent 2010 claiming that he was writing the next “X-Men” movie for Fox (possibly confusing ‘himself’ with ‘Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman‘), that a sequel to “Kick-Ass” had been green-lit, and that Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp were going to star in the Tony Scott-helmed adaptation of “Nemesis.”
The next project to come up on the Millar Wheel O’Bullshit? “Superior,” a recently-launched ongoing series on Marvel‘s creator-owned Icon imprint, about a multiple sclerosis sufferer transformed by an alien into his favorite big-screen superhero. That’s right, it’s “Simon Birch” meets “Last Action Hero“! The project is, according to Millar, being developed into a movie (although no studio has been named yet), and he’s been teasing a potential announcement on the project to come in the new year.
Millar revealed on his Twitter account just before Christmas (via MTV) that “Superior movie just locked down most high profile actor of 2010. Official release in January,” and the speculation has already begun as to who that could be, with current usual suspects like Ryan Reynolds, Sam Worthington and Jon Hamm all being bandied out by fans. However, bearing in mind Millar’s usual commitment to truth, we’ve rounded up a handful of names as to what the ‘most high profile actor of 2010’ could mean to the comic creator and who could end up in that key role.
1. The star of the biggest grossing 3D movie of 2010 and a man who’s proven time after time he’s got the square jaw and heroic chops to carry off one of the most highly powered individuals in the universe. Not to mention, he’s played a superhero in the past. Yes, it’s the star of “Toy Story 3” and “Zoom,” Tim Allen!
2. With “Superior” skewing younger and lighter than Millar’s usual ultra-violent mayhem (at least so far), it would make sense to hire an actor with a light touch, who’s had a recent success in a family-friendly comedy. Step forward the fourth male lead of the top-grossing live-action comedy of 2010, “Grown Ups“‘s David Spade!
3. Of course, there’s bound to be plenty of action involved, and audiences have shown since the dawn of cinema that they love seeing the stars put themselves in danger. So why not the death-defying star of a mega-grossing action-comedy hit… Steve-O, from “Jackass 3-D?”
4. As we move into awards season, some of the most high profile names being discussed are those who’ve given some of the most indelible performances of the year. With the likes of Christian Bale and Robert Downey Jr. proving that proper actors can thrive in superhero flicks, the stigma has long gone from the genre. Let’s hear it for Ronald Bronstein, the star of “Daddy Longlegs!” No, we haven’t seen it either.
5. Only one character in 2010 became an instant icon — beloved by adults and kids alike, stealing the show in its feature debut, which turned out to be one of the biggest grossing films of the year, a film which happened to have a Millar-like interest in the intricacies of superhero villainy. Clearly, the natural choice is a Minion, from “Despicable Me.” But only if they can’t get Mr. Pricklepants.