Captain Britain The Movie?

I?ve been wondering, is there a market for a Captain Britain movie? Would Americans be interested in going to see a superhero who doesn?t have an American accent? And is it possible to make an English based superhero without him becoming laughable? After all, who wants to see him running around somewhere like Milton Keynes or Brighton! Then again, if it was handled seriously then I can?t see why he couldn?t be like a superhero version of James Bond. Then there?s his origins, where he gets his powers from a rip-off of Merlin. For a movie maybe they could base his origins on the actual Arthur legend and make it more surreal than other superhero movies, a bit like a cross between Captain America, the film Excalibur and James Bond? And of course you?d base him primarily in London, maybe fighting mostly gangland "Batman Begins" style. I can?t think of anywhere else without it becoming a comedy. Thoughts anyone?

 

I know one thing, slapstick might have a chance with some American superheroes, or at least in the past anyway, but it would go down like a led balloon for an English based superhero. There?s too many chances of unintentionally making it humorous as it is without going out of the way to do a 60?s Batman job on him. Nope, there?d be absolutely NO room for stereotypes of English culture at all or else it become farce. For him to work you?d have to make the film akin The Watchmen regarding seriousness. I?ve been thinking and I think the nearest American superhero movie to how I?d have him portrayed would be Daredevil. Yes, I know the movie doesn?t have that many friends, but the darkness and seriousness of the movie, along with the character?s portrayal is very much on a parallel with how I?d envision the exploits of Captain Britain. And if there?s going to be any humour at all then, again, it would have to be similar black humour as shown in Daredevil. There?d be absolutely NO room for any gags whatsoever.

If the villains aren?t regular thugs at any point then they should be plausible eccentrics like Kingpin, Ra?s al Ghul, or slightly over the top but dark villains like Bullseye, Scarecrow or Joker from TDK. Yes, I was very pleased with those villains. If I remember my old Captain Britain comic from when I was a kid, where it showed CB?s origins, wasn?t there some mad scientist type he was up against at the time?

Other than London, places like Glastonbury and Stonehenge would be interesting locations for the movie to feature, seeing that they have strong connections to Arthur and things like mystic druids.

I would also feature him in his more classy original costume rather than the more recent over the top bodysuit, which, quite frankly, wouldn?t translate at all well to live action.

Leonidas was actually played by a Scottish actor (he even kept his Scottish accent), but I get your meaning about 300. Other than him and David Wenham (who put on a pretty good English accent I might add) the Spartans were mostly either native English or had pretty convincing English accents. After only just watching 300 again tonight I thought they all came across as good examples of how CB could be like.

 

If they take it seriously and do it right, of course it could work.
If they don't take it seriously, or do it wrong, it won't be any worse than most of the botched super-hero movies.

 

Captain Britain is not, and never was, a great character idea, and a movie adaptation would not work. Captain Britain was created by Marvel (USA) to cash in on the patriotic feeling surrounding the Queen's Silver Jubilee; it was written by an American, drawn by and American, and was basically an American hero dressed up with a few British motifs. It didn't last long.

The only reason the character has survived to this day is that Alan Davis and Alan Moore managed to create one of the best comic arcs of the eighties in the revamped strip. Davis and Moore did great things, but I think they did them in spite of what had gone before, rather than having a solid base to work on. Unlike Spider-Man, Batman, or Captain America, Captain Britain doesn't have a solid, easily defined, persona, and that makes him difficult to write. Or easy, if you just don't care - which has been the case with most writers who have dealt with the character since the mid-eighties.

I'm not too familiar with the recent MI:13 comic, but the great thing about Moore's Jaspers' Warp story arc was the skillful way he blended Douglas Adams-style cosmic wackiness with moments of gritty horror, and I don't think that would work on the big screen with a 2 hr run-time. I simply don't think it's a workable idea.

Having said all that, I should say that Captain Britain has been one of my favourite heroes since I was a kid in the 70's, and I am now eagerly awaiting the Panini reprint book of the Davis/Moore years (plus the second half of the Black Knight's U.K. strip).

 

That was kinda my point, that he doesn?t really have a defined bible as such, so other than a few things, like him getting his powers from Merlin, choosing between the ambulate and the sword, his name and maybe what part of the country he originally comes from, any film would be more open to doing a back story than it would with all the famous US characters. But as I stated, the makers would have to be careful not to include any stereotypes and make him more of an English based Daredevil with Arthurian magical powers.

Hmm, INTERESTING...Yes, from what I saw of Butler's act and physique in 300 he would indeed be a good candidate, just so long as he can adopt an Essex accent that is. As the report says I was pretty much on the ball as to the suggested atmosphere of the movie, that is dark and mystical. But I still say he should have his original outfil rather than the rather silly Union Flag bodysuit.

[image=http://www.ifanboy.com/comics/marvel_comics/captain_britain_moore_davis_omnibus_hc_dm_ed/cover-large.jpg]

 

Seeing the lack of a solid background for him I think I?d like to be somewhat creative with the concept. Rather than having him an outsider vigilante like Daredevil I think I?d like to take a page out of his cousin?s book, Captain America, and have him act as a super soldier/agent for both the Special Forces and MI5. After all, he's wearing the flag so he can't be too much of an antihero. He looks like he'd take orders more than not.

 

[image=http://images.comiccollectorlive.com/covers/672/6721085e-3a7d-4662-8d49-effc863d8021.jpg]
^I remember how he used to pole-vault to the scene of the crime!

CB has had many different uniforms over the years:

[image=http://ultimatecomics.free.fr/xmen/images/x-men/Excalibur_Sword_of_Power_01.jpg] [image=http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/229/84029-60031-captain-britain_super.jpg] [image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/rnart/cbbisley1.jpg]

I prefer the classic Davis redesign:
[image=http://texcap.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/davis_capbamad_omni-2f.jpg]

 

Yep, that's the annual I had as a kid that showed his origins. Doesn't he look like Daredevil there with all the acrobatics and the primarily red costume! For me the original looked far classier and more like a uniform.

 

Very cool idea, with all the Brit-bashing in Hollywood lately how about a true blue superhero? I suggets Alexis Denisoff for the role

 

Hm, yeah, I don't know why they're still doing it either, what with the IRA tamed and all our troops coming back in flag draped boxes from that American war known as "Afghanistan". That's why I think it would be a bit of a change to have one of us as the hero rather than a villain. I think it would go at least part way towards an apology for all the years of making their No. 1 ally look like a bunch of *****. You never know, they could go whole hog and get that Anglo hating Mel Gibson to play him! Nah, on second thoughts I think the old coot's way too old and past it for the roll.