Go Teen Titans!

[ColGreeley]

Teen Titans growing up on big screen By Borys Kit
Thu May 31, 3:24 AM ET



LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Teen Titans are getting the big-screen treatment courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

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The live-action adaptation of DC Comics' superteam series first appeared in 1964 as a sort of junior Justice League, comprising Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy, the respective sidekicks of A-list heroes Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow.

It reached X-Men-style success in the 1980s, when the team was relaunched in a new comic with the characters no longer kids but college-age adults and the stories explored more mature themes. The series also saw the addition of Cyborg, Starfire and Raven, original characters who weren't sidekicks, while the character of Robin matured into one called Nightwing.

Most recently, the comic was adapted to the television screen with a Cartoon Network series that ran from 2003-06 that used many of the '80s comics' heroes and story lines.

It is not known which heroes will be used, but Nightwing is said to be in the mix.

The film's producer, Akiva Goldsman, said the tone will be consistent with such recent Warners' comic book fare as "Batman Begins," "Superman Returns" and the upcoming "Watchmen."

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I agree with the article. The series was the most popular in the early 80's when it was relaunched by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. The team really grew into it's own and established themselves in the DC Universe. It will be interesting to see if a movie can do them justice.

[mruch89]

This is as good a thread as any for me to hijack with a thought I have had since watching Spiderman 3: Comic Book movies will always fall short of expectations particularly compared to adaptations of popular books. I liked Spiderman 3 and in general like most of the Comic book movies but I always felt that something was lacking until recently. That was when I came up with the above idea. And here's the reasoning.

Comic books, at least the successful ones that get turned into movie franchises, rely on a continuous story line. From what little comic book reading I have done (which is nothing compared to some members of this forum) the thing that made them interesting was the long story lines, and the ongoing battles with bad guys. The successful villains never completely go away or die, they escape somehow so they can come back later. THat is what makes them interesting. Good comic books are like a Soap opera, a continuous story, with characters moving in and out of the scenes. Which means that a certain segment of the population will be frustrated when the movies try to cram too much into a 2 hour movie.

Successful books that become movies have a finite beginning and end. Even the LoTR or Harry Potter books had an ending for each book, which made it easier to script the movie.

The movie going public does not want to go to a movie and not have a finished feeling when the movie is over. Plus it generally costs so much to make a movie and so long to make them that even if you wanted to have them be a cliffhanger of sorts the public would go nuts waiting for the next one. So movies are not the best media for a serial story like a comic book series. I think, if budgets and interest would work, that TV is the better medium for comic book adaptations. I think that people might be drawn in to an ongoing serial focused on a comic book hero and his various battles, or even better a super hero team.

[ColGreeley]

But it is cool to see comics on the big screen. Granted, sometimes the movies fall short of our expectations and wind up sucking, but to see them come alive on the big screen is pretty cool. And besides, TV did do alot of these titles in the past and did them horribly.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK - especially the TV movies
SPIDERMAN
CAPTAIN AMERICA
WONDER WOMAN

Only Smallville has done a half way decent job IMHO.

[mruch89]

I am not saying the TV has done a great job. And it is cool to see the hero's up on the big screen. But I think I would be more satisfied with a well done TV show that captured the serial effect of comics. The best example of this is actually kids cartoons (which I watch way too much of). I really like shows like Avatar, and there is no way you could satisfactorily capture the scope of that story on the big screen.

[ColGreeley]

I agree that a weekly installment of a book would be better. it would be like having to wait til the next issue comes out. Or like the old serial shows like you mentioned with the cliffhangers.

But back to the original post, I am excited becuase the article says Nightwing will be featured and Dick Grayson is my favorite DC character.

[papaThunder]

Dick Grayson is my favorite

Too many jokes.... AHHH!

[YourHero]

Nightwing is my second favorite DC character. Though I dont think that this movie will be an "adult" version of the Titans. Probably more kid oriented, meaning they only need one-two actually known actors. This could be bool though.

[Rorschach]

So casting speculations?
I'd like to see Jessica Biehl painted bronze to play Starfire...

But they'll probably just raid the cast of SMALLVILLE extras like they did for Flash Gordon.

[Stu]

The Swamp Thing is my favorite DC character. I have no problem with that movie.

[ColGreeley]

I just read another article about the Titans movie. Bruce Timm is involved in the project. Timm is responsible for the award winning BATMAN : THE ANIMATED SERIES and the JUSTICE LEAGUE, and the Titans cartoon. The movie's story may involve the Judas Contract, which in my honest opinion is one of the best Titans stories. This story was the launching ground for Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing.

[Pilgrim]

I kinda wish more Movie studios would get a longer vision of a project like this.


Imagine if they put in a Robin in the DarkKnight movie... Or even a solo Robin film with some Batman Cameos..

Then you move on and do the Proper evolution of the character from Robin to Nightwing, doing that in a justice league movie...

Heck make the other Characters story arcs a Tv show that come out on DVD a few weeks before the movie... Sign all the ACtors to be in both the TV show and the movie...

That's the dream right there.... A tv show for the background, the depth, then a movie for that really cool Crossover and Epic storyline.

They've done this in Japan for YEARS. Mostly in Anime, but some other genre's as well... Tell the story to a point in TV shows, then movie, then they would go back and do another season of TV...

That's how a proper comic book movie, especially one involving teams of characters needs to be done. If it's planned like that from the beginning it would be epic!

Firefly, and Serenity did this by necessity... I'd love to see it done by design.

Epic I say Epic.

[ColGreeley]

I agree sir, I agree.