Sunday, November 17, 2013

Why I Should Write For Hollywood: Marvel Comics' 'Deathlok'

I have always thought that one of Marvel's missed opportunities at a movie during the start of their films with X-Men & Blade, was Deathlok. Who is Deathlok, and why do I think he is one of Marvel's better chances for a film adaptation?
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Deathlok would be a perfect movie for this reason: When Michael Collins, a well-known scientist and pacifist, discovered his employeers were behind illegal weapons designs, he finds his brain placed in a cybernetic weapon known as Deathlok. However, he is able to gain control of this weapon. Realizing what he has become, Michael must wage two wars, an external one to gain his original body against the evil corporation that turned him into what he is, and an internal battle against his own AI, that merely wants to kill everything in it's way to help Collins accomplish his goal.

Do you not see the potential here? You have a pacifist trapped in a death machine. Said death machine is always telling Michael the easiest way to accomplish his goals, but he constantly tells it to explore other, non-lethal options.

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Throughout the comic, much of the dialogue is like this:

MICHAEL: They're shooting at us. We need to stop them.
COMPUTER: Recommend rapid fire shot to all 5 targets.
MICHAEL: No, find another way!
COMPUTER: There is only a 17.80% chance you will survive without using lethal force.
MICHAEL: I don't care!

You already have a conflict, where one man refuses to give into the easy tools at his disposal and chooses to live life according to his beliefs, no matter what has happened to him he refuses to compromise his beliefs and take the easy way through life. And what do most heroes do? They don't kill. This writes itself.

Then, there's the hope. You see, Michael Collins wants to be human again, but is it even possible? Well, his original body is still around, being kept alive in a tube, and his former employer holds the keys to making him human again. But will Deathlok kill just to get his life back? Well, of course he won't, but you need to make it appear that he might compromise his beliefs near the end of the movie. There could even be a tragic ending where he sacrifices his body to not kill someone, but in the end, despite the fact he can never be human again, he still has his soul, and that's all he needs to remind himself of who he once was.

So, there you go. You have a pacifist struggling with the fact he is now a weapon of death. He has to fight an AI that would rather kill to keep itself alive. He has to fight evil henchman and some robotic boss at the end that threatens to kill people somehow. He has to fight his desire to compromise his beliefs to be human again. And don't forget his wife, who he can never visit because of what he has become (who might or might not be kidnapped by the corporation to convince him to do what they want). And, just imagine how many unique scenes you can create that GO AGAINST the tradition action movie. You have set-ups for normal shoot-outs, but Deathlok finds a way to win non-lethally. Get crackin' Marvel!

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There are many Deathlok characters in the marvel universe, and this one is based on the 1990's version, who had his own series for 4 years.

Why I Should Write For Hollywood: Marvel Comics' The Avengers 3

I am working backwards with all the ideas I’ve had for other people’s licensed movies to show you my version of how I think some movies should be made. There are many movies based on different properties, mostly comic books, that I always wondered why they never made it to the screen.

Imagine, if you will, a trailer for Avengers 3. This is a Teaser Trailer to show everyone who the heroes are. Maria Hill narrates the Trailer. She is talking to someone, but you don’t know who. Her voice is always over the scene below her speech. Due to HTML, this is not in traditional Script Format.

MARIA HILL: “Nick Fury went missing on assignment.”

Show Nick Fury being subdued by a mysterious assailant with the bodies of SHIELD agents all around him. Fury looks at him as if he recognizes his assaliant. A hand moves toward the screen to indicate he is grabbing Fury by the neck.

MARIA HILL: “Bruce Banner was lost by our scouting team.”

Bruce Banner/Hulk is shot at with Tranquilizers in a remote desert-type town and falls down. His eyes glow, but he is then hit with over a dozen more tranquilizers and it prevents him from turning into the Hulk.

MARIA HILL: “Captain America’s home was in ruins; his whereabouts unknown.”

Show Captain America/Steve Rogers already captured, chained to an operating table that raises upward as Maria Hill talks
.
MARIA HILL: “All attempts to contact Thor have met with failure”

Show scene from Thor 3 to indicate Thor is having his own problems in Asgard and is unavailable.

MARIA HILL: “And, just yesterday, Tony Stark was taken while on his honeymoon.”

Tony Stark/Iron Man and Pepper Potts in some exotic county; this is their honeymoon. Cut to Pepper Potts trapped under rubble in a house/hotel, watching someone flying away with Tony Stark.

MARIA HILL: The world is in danger.. We we need a new team to rescue the Avengers…and save the world.

Show Miss Marvel/Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers punching a giant robot in the city.

CUT TO: SHIELD Agents near a limo as she turns around from the robot debris on the ground. CUT TO: Miss Marvel/Captain Marvel flying through the sky. She lands on top of the Helicarrier. QUICK FADE OUT.

CUT TO: Miss Marvel/Captain Marvel on the Helicarrier. PAN LEFT: A small insect-like creature spins around and shoots laser blasts on the ground, then transformers into The Wasp. Behind Miss Marvel/Captain Marvel, a thump is heard and she turns to see Giant-Man/Ant-Man is in his giant form.

CUT TO: CLOSE-UP: Maria Hill standing seriously at the Helicarrier entrance (to inform them of the events, which is this trailer’s dialogue). ZOOM OUT: Quicksilver runs up at super speed to stand left of Maria Hill. Scarlet Witch teleports to Maris Hill’s right.

MISS MARVEL/CAPTAIN MARVEL: “Is this everyone?”

MARIA HILL: “There is…one more.”

SERIES OF SHOTS, EACH WITH EXTREMELY QUICK FADE IN AND FADE OUTS: A hand picks up a syringe (this is the Extremist syringe from Iron Man 3). An arm is injected with the same syringe. A neck pulls back in pain, but we can’t see who it is.

2 SECONDS BLACK SCREEN

CUT TO: Pepper Potts, glowing red with the Extremis virus.

INSERT: TITLE:

AVENGERS 3: Coming Soon



Notes: 1) Yes, I know Scarlet Witch can’t teleport, but she needs a visually different power than everyone else on screen, and it needs to be quick and to the point. 2) In addition, Pepper Potts wouldn’t have the Iron Man arm on her, I just needed a picture that showed she had the Extremis on her skin. #) The villain (or villains) should be revealed in the 2nd Teaser Trailer.
To see this with pictures, go to: My Website's Blog Entry