Are any comic book movies "unfilmable" anymore?

By Ryan Riley, Contributor

Up until a year ago, conventional fanboy wisdom stated that Alan Moore's Watchmen was unfilmable, and that any attempts to translate it to the big screen would end in disaster. The arguments against it were many, but the two most compelling arguments involved the sheer volume of story contained in the book and the less-than-contemporary setting of 1985. Though some harsher critics of Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" film would agree with that assessment, I felt that it was (for the most part) very well-executed and it seemed to be pretty well-received by moviegoers.

So now that Pandora's Box has been opened, it got me thinking about other comic books that might have proven to be problematic to make into a movie. There are some comic books that are nearly as compelling as Watchmen, and would be glowing examples of why the comic book movie boom is a good thing. They also have their own unique obstacles that would, at the very least, complicate any possible adaptations. This is my shortlist of books that would fit this mold.

*Note: Various plot points for each of these books are discussed. You have been warned.

The Dark Knight Returns

The Rundown

As I stated in an earlier column, there were two books from the 1980's that opened my eyes to the greatness of the comic book medium. One was Watchmen, and the other was Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Not to be confused with last year's movie "The Dark Knight", The Dark Knight Returns tells the tale of a fifty-something Bruce Wayne taking up the mantle of Batman again after ten years of retirement. In the process of his renewed crusade against Gotham City's criminal element, he has to contend with the formidable gang called The Mutants, a police department under new leadership that is not amused by his antics and a rejuvenated Joker that has lost none of his lethal edge.

Why a movie should be made

If it weren't for this decidedly dark look at an older Batman, the Batman movies from Tim Burton's "Batman" to Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" might not have gotten greenlighted. And there are some scenes from The Dark Knight Returns that are begging to be made, like the Joker's appearance on the David Endochrine show (an obvious homage to "Late Show" host David Letterman) and the climactic battle between Batman & a government-controlled Superman.

The reason it might not happen

Before the release of "Watchmen", I would have said it was Dark Knight's less-than-contemporary setting of the 1980's. Even though the era of the story wasn't made implicit, everything about the political and cultural climate of the setting just screamed Eighties. But now that "Watchmen" has shown that it's not a dealbreaker, it's not so much whether a movie can be made but rather if they could make it as good as it could possibly be. Getting Frank Miller involved, maybe even to direct, would go a long way to ensure a quality adaptation.

The Ultimates

The Rundown

The concept of Marvel's premier superhero team is re-imagined by Mark Millar as a government sponsored initiative put together by General Nick Fury to guard against superpowered menaces such as Magneto and his Brotherhood.

Why a movie should be made

In this case it's not if the movie will be made so much, as there is an Avengers movie in the works that has Mark Millar's basis for his Nick Fury, Samuel Jackson, actually playing Fury. But other than that inspired casting choice, it's not likely to resemble Millar's story too closely. That's a bloody shame, because having a Hulk that has no compunctions about killing (and even eating) innocent people and an Iron Man that wholeheartedly embraces his alcoholism is too much fun. And before you say anything, I don't count the animated "Ultimate Avengers" as a true adaptation, because they toned down the brilliant R-rated action and situations to fit the mold of a PG-13 movie that would appeal to a wider audience. Not the greatest of translations.

The reason it might not happen

It will happen, but much like what happened with the movie adaptation of Mark Millar's Wanted, the finished product will retain little of what made the the book so much fun to read in the first place. And that's a lowdown, dirty shame.

Kingdom Come

The Rundown

Superman and his Justice League contemporaries return after years of self-imposed exile to control a new generation of superheroes that don't think anything of endangering innocent people when they do battle. They also have to deal with chaos that springs from behind-the-scenes machinations by Lex Luthor, not to mention what Batman has planned.

Why a movie should be made

Kingdom Come is one of the most powerful superhero-based comic book stories ever told. It is both epic and human at the same time, and that dichotomy would work exceedingly well in a movie. It takes the Spider-Man adage of "Power & Responsibility" to a whole other level, has twists and doublecrosses galore, and is action-packed enough to keep even the most jaded action film fan happy.

The reason it might not happen

As wonderful a movie as it would make, Kingdom Come might just be a little too ambitious to be on the big screen as a live action movie. With its cast of hundreds of heroes and villains, I don't know if even Michael Bay could keep up with all of the action. On the other hand, if Alex Ross handled the art direction with an animation-house like Dreamworks, it would make a kick-ass computer animated film that would make anything that came before it look like a Tom & Jerry cartoon.

X-Men: Age of Apocalypse

The Rundown

Charles Xavier's mentally unbalanced mutant son, Legion, travels to the past in an attempt to kill Magneto before he becomes a threat. When Charles dies as a result of trying to save Magneto, history is profoundly altered. Apocalypse raises an army of mutants and ends up taking over North America. Magneto forms his own team of X-Men in honor of his late friend, and leads them in an often futile attempt to protect what's left of humanity. The last hope to restore reality to its previous state lies within Bishop, the only person who remembers the world as it was before.

Why a movie should be made

The Age of Apocalypse storyline from the 1990's was a fresh way of looking at the X-Men mythos. Without Xavier to guide the course of mutantkind, the world becomes a decidedly darker and unpredictable place. For example, Cyclops, arguably the Luke Skywalker of the X-Men franchise, ends up working for the dark side without Xavier to take him under his wing. He eventually runs afoul of Wolverine, and their battle ends up costing Cyclops an eye and Wolverine a hand.

The reason it might not happen

After the debacle that was "X-Men: The Last Stand", the franchise needs a good reboot. The upcoming Wolverine flick looks to be a step in the right direction, but I don't think the studios would be willing at this point to make a film based on a storyline as esoteric as Age of Apocalypse.