In the June 26-July 9 issue of Variety, there's a story on page five headlined "Entourage Floats Faux Feature." The article discusses the two-page ad that ran in June 16's Variety congratulating James Cameron and Vince Chase for the $116+ million opening of Cameron's "Aquaman" feature. Anyone who watches the hit HBO series knows full well that this record-setting event happened two Sundays ago in the fictional showbiz world of "Entourage."
Yet the bogus ad has stoked interest in the prospect of Cameron directing a genuine "Aquaman" feature (although astoundingly the WB, missing the opportunity to cash in on it, passed on the proposed "Aquaman" TV series "Mercy Reef.") And Denise Martin's article concludes with the following:
"The ad has lit a flame under Cameron fans, who hope the director will make the pic his follow-up to 'Titanic.' "Now all we need is for Cameron to really make an Aquaman film and we're good to go," Aquaman's comicbook scribe Peter David cracked."
Somewhere, DC execs are spitting tacks over THAT one.
And hey, Jim...if you're reading this...I've got some great ideas. Have your person call my person, we'll do a thing.
PAD
Posted by Peter David at June 27, 2006 12:14 PM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingThat's awesome.
Speaking of DC, have you picked up the Linda Danvers Supergirl toy from that DC Mattel line? Looks nice.
Aquaman's biggest problem is the Justice League. When he's in the water, he's a badass. When he's with a group, there's a lot of, "Is the crime near any docks? Lakes? Canals? No?"
The Super Friends was the worst about this. Since they couldn't use his abilities much, he ended up seeming more lame than the other heroes.
But again, on his own he's a badass. When almost everything else got canceled after the golden age, he survived in the back pages of Adventure comics for a long damn time. He had a successful cartoon with Superman before there was a Super Friends. So even though the character has some baggage, I could see a movie working.
Heck, when I first heard about Tim Burton's Batman, I didn't think that could overcome the 60s TV show.
Peter, bet you're glad you've got that exclusive contract with Marvel in the top desk drawer now, aren't you? Not that I would ever suggest the powers-that-be at DC don't have a sense of humor of course.
But here's the $64,000 question:
Would he have the hook?
I hate to say it, because I would love to see it, but Aquaman will never get made.
But that was the beauty of Peter's Aquaman, he was a character who belonged in the Justice League, in or out of the water (the only one who came close to beating Peter's version of Aquaman was Grant Morrison). I miss that Aquaman a lot.
As for Mercy Reef a.k.a. the new CW's Aquaman, I heard it was dead in the water (I couldn't help myself on that one, sorry). The execs got one look at it and canned it. Something about too mnay romantic triangles and not enough concentration on the hero. Sounds like another show on TV.
"But that was the beauty of Peter's Aquaman, he was a character who belonged in the Justice League, in or out of the water."
That was certiainly an improvement, but Aquaman still worked better on his own. A good writer could make almost anyone useful in the JLA. Aquaman's core design works best when he's not being pulled out of the water too much. If someone actually did make a movie, that wouldn't be a problem.
Last season they showed Vince working with a harpoon type creation while he was in pre-produciton for the movie. However in the scenes from Aquaman so far this season, looks like the character has both hands. Entourage has really had a lot of fun with the whole movie and the Aquaman concept. It's never come accross as disrespectful at all, its just been fun.
Ah well, maybe this will help revive interest in the Lloyd Bridges '60s SEA HUNT series.
Well, you know, Variety is the spice of life.
Aquaman was always my second favorite out of the DC guys. Now, my only question, almost all kidding aside, are we ever going to see a serious production out of a studio for this guy or is anyone that may be involved always going to be thinking that they're all wet?
You think that's embarassing? Wait until we start playing, at every opportunity, the only song about Aquaman ever written - "Arthur Curry" by the comedy rock band Ookla the Mok.
"Batman's got an attitude, everybody takes him seriously
And Superman never made any money, well try to tell that to DC
All the other members of the Justice League
Say I have useless super powers and make fun of me
But I know there will come a day
When they're gonna stare in slack-jawed wonder as they hear me say
CHORUS:
I am Aquaman and nobody better mess with me
I may be nothing to you but I am a king beneath the sea
Let's see you get by underwater as well as I do on the ground
I am Aquaman and you better not mess around...
...I know that I'm no Brainiac but I'm no fool
I know not even Peter David can make me cool."
Well, I don't care what anybody says, Justice League Animated Aquaman is plenty cool, and the scene where he loses his hand is one of the best scenes out of the entire series.
I figure the trick to keeping Aquaman cool is to not overuse him, trying to shoehorn him into stories when he doesn't really have any reason to be there, like any Superfriends episode with a desert planet. :P
But, Peter, who would be in YOUR entourage?
-- Ken from Chicago (who in shocking turnaround has an amazing bit of UNsuppressed visualization of an image of Peter and Kathleen in the back of a convertible with Shana driving, Ariel in shotgun seat, driving past their names in neon on various Sunset strip shots and pulling up to a daycare center when Caroline runs out)
1I thought there was a confirmed Aquaman series for the WB next fall. I heard Samuel L Jackson say he was going to be playing his mentor or something. Is this project dead also?
I thought there was a confirmed Aquaman series for the WB next fall.
That's that "Mercy Reef" show that PAD mentioned in the initial post. When the CW network (the network to launch this fall that's basically a mixture of UPN and the WB) announced its fall schedule, "Mercy Reef" wasn't on it, but there's apparently some hope that the show might yet be included for a mid-season debut...
That is a bummer! Here I thought with all the shows I've liked that went off the air, there was one new one for the fall. Time to buy more classic TV on DVD. Thanks for the update.
...who hope the director will make the pic his follow-up to 'Titanic'...
Aquaman, starring Leo DiCaprio?
As far as I'm concerned the last great Sci-Fi show was Tru Calling to come on TV, and Fox apparently didn't actually want it (putting it up against the final season of Friends). I think we need more syndicated superheroes. The Flash was coming into it's own in it's first season, but CBS had to put it up against number one Cosby at that time, and then cancelled it for bad ratings. I think all shows should have mandatory clauses in their contracts that if the network cancels it, that they are then in their rights to do with it what they want (the creators in regards to syndicating it, or selling it to another network). One might note also, that one season Brisco County garnered the same Nielsen ratings in it's first season as the X-Files, but only the X-Files went on to a second season. Oh, the humanity!!!
I should probably get my hands on "Entourage", as I've heard a bit about it, but have yet to see it.
Oh, and since we're talking about super heroes...
The first Spidey 3 teaser is out.
I haven't drooled like this since, well, the first Spidey 2 teaser came out. :)
Hey Peter,
Thought I'd post on here rather than email you directly as that seems a bit rude to me.
Just wanted to ask if you're doing the San Diego Comic-Con this year? A press release from Claypool said you might be stopping by their booth and I'd love to meet you in person. Plus, it lets me know to pack some of your stuff when I'm flying from Down Under.
Cheers,
Richard
Speaking of Aquaman, he shows up in Superman Returns. No, really. So there's precedent for a big screen version.
That would be telling.
We also have this article: Will "Superman" Sink "Aquaman" at the Box Office?
Well, yes, it would be telling, which is what I asked you to do.
Not that I actually believe you, mind.
The problem with Aquaman is a group isn't so much the needs-to-be-near-water thing as the writers-hardly-ever-really-THINK-about-him thing.
Peter, as well as Grant Morrison, really gave some thought to how to use Aquaman in a dry setting (and kudos to Peter for having Arthur/Orin/whoever point out that the one-hour limit wasn't as big an issue as it was always presumed to be: "What, I'm fine after 59 minutes, but after 60 I'm dead?"). Okay, so there are no fish around to command. Big deal! The guy can outswim a Cigarette boat! He can throw a knockout punch UNDER WATER! He can withstand pressures that would pulp a surface-dwelling human!
Out of water, Aquaman has super-strength and has to be pretty damage-resistant.
The problem there is that he then becomes just another guy who hits hard and is hard to knock down--unless you want to expand the telepathy thing.
Thomas E. Reed sez:
he only song about Aquaman ever written - "Arthur Curry" by the comedy rock band Ookla the Mok.
Ah, but you're mistaken, Thomas. That's not the only song ever written about Aquaman. There's also "Aquaman" by the '90s ska band Skavoovie & the Epitones, from their second album, 1997's "Ripe." Great song, great album, great band, well worth seeking out.