Superheroes storm into theaters this summer

• 'X2' marks the spot as movie hotshots hit UH

By Scott Bowles
USA Today

Mutant character Pyro (Aaron Stanford) unleashes fire to hold off pursuing police. Mutant powers are huge this summer. And they make eye-catching special effects in films. Twentieth Century Fox

'The Matrix Reloaded' gives Keanu Reeves the power to stop bullets.

'The Hulk' directors opted for a computer-generated resemblance to the original.

'Princess Blade,' starring Yuki-Yumiko Shaku, comes from Japan.

'Terminator 3' brings its mechanical superhero back to search for Connor.

Today, it is harder to find one who hasn't been splashed with gamma rays or radioactive waste, mutated by freak genes or built out of metal and microchips. Even those who look like normal men and women often are digitally re-created to perform the impossible stunts of superheroes.

So it goes with the new breed of comic-book films, which will dominate this summer. Though the season always brings its share of spectacle and sequels, few summers have been so focused on a single genre — particularly one once known for cheap leotards, suspension wires and corny dialogue.

No fewer than nine movies due out this summer either sprang from comic books or spawned their own. Some bring the clout of superheroes who have been on TV shows and magazine stands for decades. Others will struggle to find an audience beyond comic-shop regulars.

All are hoping to tap into the public fervor — and profits — touched off by last year's "Spider-Man," which snagged $403.7 million.

It's a huge gamble for Hollywood, which has spent more than $1 billion to produce and market this summer's comic-book films. Moviegoers have turned on the genre before, vanquishing "Superman" in the 1980s and "Batman" in the 1990s after four films each when Warner Bros. strayed from faithful comic story lines in favor of camp. (The studio is trying to revive the two D.C. Comics legends with promises of plotlines that are more serious.)

A strong summer is crucial for Hollywood because it constitutes nearly 40 percent of ticket sales for the year. So far, box office receipts lag 13 percent behind 2002's.

But executives are betting that moviegoers' appetite for fantastic fare is as boundless as the stories that spring from illustrated pages. Among them:

"X2: X-Men United": The sequel launches the season Friday. Based on Marvel Comics' best-selling franchise, it reunites the original cast of Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry, who propelled the original film to $157.3 million in 2000.

"The Matrix Reloaded": The most anticipated movie of the summer opens May 14 and revisits the dark, computer-controlled world created by former comic-book writers Larry and Andy Wachowski. The film, a sequel to the 1999 hit that sparked a popular online comic and grossed $171.4 million, will be followed by "The Matrix Revolutions" on Nov. 5.

"The Hulk": Director Ang Lee, who dabbled in action with 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," goes full-tilt in the story of Dr. Bruce Banner, belted by gamma rays. The film, based on one of Marvel's most enduring series, hits theaters June 20.

The superhero parade also includes the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator 3: Rise of Machines," out July 2, and Angelina Jolie in "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" on July 25. Both spawned popular comic books. "The League," based on the comic book the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, features such characters as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Invisible Man as crime fighters. It arrives July 11.

It won't all be high-profile stuff. "The Princess Blade," a Japanese film based on a 1970s comic about a sword-wielding warrior, hits select U.S. theaters Aug. 8. Even comic-book writers are hot property: "Washington Heights," out May 9, and "American Splendor," due Aug. 15, tell the stories of blue-collar stiffs struggling to make it as comic-book authors.

"I get calls every day from studios asking what characters we have that could become a movie," says Avi Arad, head of Marvel Studios, which owns rights to "X-Men," "Hulk" and the granddaddy of all comic-book films, "Spider-Man." (Its sequel, due in 2004, is now shooting.) "It doesn't matter how unknown the comic is. They want it."

Marvel has optioned more than a dozen comic-book movies. And no title seems too obscure. Ever heard of Mort the Dead Teenager? You will. The niche series about a mischievous teenager stuck in purgatory will hit screens in 2005, produced by professed comic-book geek Quentin Tarantino.

But will audiences stick around? Some executives worry that the rush to adapt comic books could doom the genre. "All it takes is a few directors who are just looking to make a profit on a title," Arad says. "Comic-book fans aren't like other movie people. They'll turn on you if you aren't true to their books. Then it's all over."

Caped with technology

To hedge their bets, studios are targeting an audience beyond the core comic demographic of white teenage males. An increasing number of cinema superheroes will be women: Jennifer Garner, who played Elektra in this year's "Daredevil," is scheduled to get her own film. Halle Berry is considering playing Catwoman, who finally gets to skirmish solo.

So far, the strategy has paid off. "Daredevil's" audience was 46 percent female, unusually high for a second-tier comic hero. "Spider-Man's" audience was almost half female.

"X2," which features Berry, Anna Paquin and Famke Janssen as superheroes, "is an example of what we do better now," says Lauren Shuler Donner, who produced the film. "You've got to make comic-book heroes more accessible to a general audience. If the girls don't connect with a hero, you won't be around for the long term."

At least not as long as the comic-book genre, which has been a staple of TV and cinema for decades. "The Batman," featuring B-movie hunk Lewis Wilson as the caped crusader, hit screens in 1943. The man of steel got his feature-film debut in 1951 with "Superman and the Mole Men."

So why the recent crush of titles? Some experts cite the zeitgeist.

"Just as Batman and Superman were born of World War II, today's times make comic-book movies very appealing," says Liam O'Brien, an associate professor of media and philosophy at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. "People want a superhero that can take care of these world problems, and Hollywood is offering up just that."

Invasion of the nerds

Many of those in Hollywood, though, say the answer is simpler than that. "The secret about this industry is that it is full of nerds," says Don Murphy, producer of "The League." "We grew up with comic books. I can't tell you how many times you'd overhear a conversation that went something like, 'Remember Spiderman No. 104? Wouldn't it be great if we could put that on screen?' Now we can."

Indeed, technology has allowed filmmakers to match the stunning visuals of today's comics. Mark Steven Johnson, director of this spring's hit "Daredevil," literally ripped pages out of his comic books and taped them to his sets to replicate the images exactly.

Ang Lee says he underestimated the importance of a comic-book movie's look until he started designing his hulking green hero. Before accepting the job, his only knowledge of the Hulk was the Bill Bixby TV show of the late 1970s.

"My image of the Hulk was Lou Ferrigno," he says. "I didn't even think about the look of the creature at first, just the story line."

But after reading the comic books and meeting hard-core fans, Lee says, he realized he couldn't shortchange appearances. He opted for an elaborate, computer-generated character that is said to rival Gollum, the CG character from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."

"Comic books are a true American pulp art form," he says. "I love the idea of finally creating an A-product out of a B-movie. I believe that's why they're so popular now in Hollywood."

The money isn't bad, either. Like any other business, movie studios are seeking brand-name recognition to make their products stand out. Comic-book heroes come pre-packaged with marquee clout and a fan base that buys a lot more than movie tickets.

"Comic-book fans are born collectors," says Terence Walsh, owner of Fantasia Comics in Portland, Ore. "If they like a movie, they want the action figures, the trading cards, the comic books, you name it. I'm just amazed it took studios so long to realize what a gold mine they were sitting on."

'X2' marks the spot as movie hotshots hit UH

Hawai'i-born Kelly Hu, who plays Lady Deathstrike, will be one of the "X2" representatives at a UH-Manoa event on May 9.

Director Bryan Singer and screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris will be on hand, and clips from "X2" will be shown. The presentation is hosted by Chris Lee, founding co-director of the university's cinematic and digital arts program.

Singer directed "X2," which opens Friday, and the first "X-Men" film.