Cannes Film Festival 2013

'Kick-Ass' creator Mark Millar to consult on Marvel film franchises for Fox

Famed comic-book writer to assist with 'X-Men' and 'Fantastic Four' franchises

<p>Mark Millar's "Super Crooks," with art by Lenil Yu.</p>

Mark Millar's "Super Crooks," with art by Lenil Yu.

Credit: Marvel Icon

Fox is tapping a comic-book veteran for assistance with their lucrative superhero properties.

Superstar "Kick-Ass" creator Mark Millar, known for his acclaimed work on such Marvel titles as "The Ultimates" and "Civil War," has signed on as a creative consultant for Fox's "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" film franchises. Under the deal, Millar will work on such upcoming titles as Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: Days of Future Past," James Mangold's "The Wolverine" and a "Fantastic Four" reboot to be directed by "Chronicle" phenom Josh Trank.

“As someone who has spent his entire life obsessed with both comic-books and movies, this is essentially my dream gig as it’s a unique combination of both,” said Millar in a statement. “I spent ten years working at Marvel and am really happy with the work I did on the comic side of things so the idea of working with these characters now in a brand new medium is enormously exciting for me. I really like the Fox team, love this bold new direction they have for their franchises and am proud to be working alongside some of modern cinema’s biggest talents. James Mangold is incredible, Matthew Vaughn’s one of my closest pals and Josh Trank gave us, in my opinion, one of the greatest superhero movies of the last decade with 'Chronicle.' The invitation to join this crew was maybe the coolest phone-call I’ve ever had.”

Twice nominated for an Eisner Award, the Scotland-based Millar began his career as a teenager writing on the short-lived Trident series "Saviour." He later went on to land a job with DC, working on such titles as "Swamp Thing" and "JLA" before landing his big break as Warren Ellis' replacement on DC/Wildstorm's ultra-violent superhero series "The Authority." A move to Marvel in the early 2000s saw him bring his distinctive, irreverent flair to titles including "Marvel Knights Spider-Man," "Fantastic Four," "Marvel Zombies" and the celebrated "Old Man Logan" plotline in "Wolverine."

In addition to "Kick-Ass," Millar is the creator of such series as "Wanted" (loosely adapted into the hit 2008 Angelina Jolie movie of the same name), "War Heroes" and "Nemesis," the last of which currently has a feature-film version in development at Fox. All were developed via his own Millarworld line of comics that was started in 2004.

Do you think Millar's involvement in the "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" film franchises will result in better films? Sound off below.

Chris-eggertsen-sm
A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.
Trending Now on HitFix Boards
Topic Started By Latest Post Replies
sandylewis90
2 months ago
1
sandylewis90
3 months ago
1
Discuss Movies General on HitFix Message Boards »

Comments

  • Option 1

    Comment instantly as a guest Guest
  • Option 2

    Connect
  • Option 3

    Login or create a HitFix account Login Signup
  • Default-avatar

    Chris

    No mention of Daredevil anywhere there. Here's hoping they've decided to give it up and let it revert back to Marvel where it belongs!

    September 28, 2012 at 2:44AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Allessandro Fox is not pursuing Daredevil.
      The character(minus Elektra) will revert back to Marvel on October 10th, unless Fox can start production on it before that, which seems highly unlikely.

      September 28, 2012 at 5:25AM EST
    • Jeff_avatar_2_talkback_profile

      Mulderism Marvel Studios is where heroes go to become mediocre.

      September 28, 2012 at 1:24PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Chris Well, mediocre would be about ten steps up from what Daredevil was at Fox.

      September 28, 2012 at 1:40PM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Shawn Yeah, because Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers were oh soo mediocre

      September 28, 2012 at 6:21PM EST
    • Jeff_avatar_2_talkback_profile

      Mulderism Solid B+ movies. Consistent but nothing great. Of all of them Iron Man 1 is the only one I revisit.

      September 28, 2012 at 6:31PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Max

    well, if that's not the best way to totally buttfuck all of FOX's chances at EVER making a decent Marvel flick, I dunno what is! DO YOUR WORST MILLAR! YOU FUCKING WORTHLESS HACK BASTARD! It'll be nice seeing all of Marvel's properties back under the the roof they belong under. Worthless prick.

    September 28, 2012 at 5:18AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Emil Schwarzensteinski

    Millar is kind of overrated and I have no idea why a comic writer who is virtually untested in the film industry is supposed to 'give hope' for any of the Fox franchises. Lets not forget that celebrated comic book writer Geoff Johns wrote the Green Lantern script, and Frank Miller did The Spirit. A comic book writer in Hollywood is NOT indicative of anything. Even the Kick-Ass movie wasn't written by Millar, the screenplay was adapted by Matt Vaughn & Co.

    September 28, 2012 at 9:24AM EST Reply to Comment

Get Instant Alerts on Breaking News

Recent Activity on Facebook
Most Popular on Facebook
Top Stories From Around the Web