WEIR AND DEFILIPPIS ON JUMPER: JUMPSCARS

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

Oni Press is going to the movies on February 13th with the release of Jumper: Jumpscars—a graphic novel written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis. Weir and DeFilippis, best known for their work on New X-Men, Superman and other comics, were tapped to write the Jumpscars project which serves as a cross-promotional prequel to the Jumper film from Twentieth Century Fox opening on Valentine’s Day.

Based on the novel by Steven Gould, Jumper is the story of David Rice (played by Hayden Christensen) who discovers that he has the incredible ability to teleport himself any range of distance. David’s gift doesn’t go unnoticed, however, as a mysterious organization known as the Paladins set their sights on him in an effort to eliminate his genetic aberration. The Jumpscars OGN establishes the back story of one of the key Paladins in the movie, played by actress Diane Lane. The story follows the characters trials and tribulations as she hunts aberrations similar to the David Rice character.

Newsarama sat down with Weir and DeFilippis to discuss their role in developing extended content for Jumper; the challenges involved working with a major motions picture; and the power of proper cross promotion.

Newsarama: How did you get involved with the Jumper project with Oni?

Christina Weir: We've worked with Oni for many years on a variety of projects so they are well versed in our work. Oni came to us with the project and said they were looking for a story that tied-in to the movie. The parameters were vague and they were looking at a whole array of pitches waiting for a story that grabbed them. It was our choice to pitch them a prequel that was about one of the lesser character's history. Everyone seemed to like the story we pitched and we were hired.



NRAMA: Jumper seems to have this built-in "epic" quality in that the character of David Rice finds himself a piece of a much larger puzzle. How well did the nature of the film lend itself to your addition to its relatively self-actualized mythos?

Nunzio DeFilippis: Well, it's a full universe, with a lot of aspects that have great potential that there just wasn't room for in the film. Some of the mythology surrounding the Paladins is in the film, but a lot of it goes unspoken. We had a chance, by having access to the film's producers, the studio, and through them the writers and director, to tap into the unused portion of their plans. And even better, to put our own spin on it - bring our own take to the Paladins. Plus, there was a character whose backstory just begged to be told, and we got to do it.

NRAMA: So how does Jumpscars figure into the film itself? It's a prequel of sorts, right?

CW: Right - we took one of the lesser characters (the one played by Diane Lane in the movie) and came up with a story for her when she was first starting out as a Paladin.

NRAMA: Have the two of you been asked to provide more material post-film release?

CW: We've just been asked to do a one shot comic that they're going to animate and include on the Jumper DVD. We're pretty excited about that.



NRAMA: Structurally, because this project was an intellectual property made into a film first, was there any sense of confinement beyond the immediate concept or did you have a sense of carte blanche that you could take to enhance the IP?

ND: Actually, this project started with a novel, though I think the world being built in the film is very different from the world of the novel. But, either way, the project has the potential for a wider saga, and with that comes a bigger canvas. And because we came before any possible sequels, we got to use that canvas. As I mentioned, we got to expand on the Paladins in a way that works with everything they had in mind but still had touches of us in it.

NRAMA: What was the biggest challenge in telling this story prior to the Jumper story being told in the movie?

CW: The biggest challenge is continuity. In Hollywood, films are constantly being rewritten. While the story we're telling takes place a good twenty years before the movie, we still wanted to make sure that we didn't write anything that would conflict with what they were doing. We read a draft of the script early on. But that wasn't even close to the final draft or what they actually shot. On top of that, our artist Brian Hurtt, had his own set of challenges trying to keep the look of the book consistent with the look of the movie. They played around with the jump effect for a long time before they settled on the final project. And there we were asking Brian to draw these scenes with a character jumping and he didn't know what the actual special effect was supposed to look like.



NRAMA: As creators being approached to tackle enrichment work on something that already has some form to it, what makes this kind of work appealing? Is it just like writing something established like Spiderman or Superman? Or is there more to it than that?

ND: The main appeal is the wide audience the film will hopefully reach. We can get our story to people who might not have read our Oni work, or even our work on New X-Men or Adventures of Superman. That's a huge part of the appeal. But also, the world they've built for the movie is fun, and like the work-for-hire on superheroes, there's a real thrill in getting to play in that world, even if you don't own it the way you own creator-owned work like our Oni stuff. It's a trade-off.

NRAMA: How closely did you work with New Regency and FOX with the material? Was there an editorial presence or oversight from the studio?

CW: We worked with a producer named Stacy Maes. She was the one constantly filling us in on what was happening in the movie, showing us dailies, getting Brian concept art, etc. We discussed story a lot with her and she helped us develop a story that was both consistent with the movie but allowed us to develop some of our own mythology as well.

NRAMA: What projects are the two of you working on in the near future?

ND: We have the DVD project, which Christina mentioned. Plus, we're working on a sequel to our Oni mystery Past Lies, which is entitled All Saints Day, that should be out at the end of the year. We're trying to get an artist for three different books at Oni right now, so we could wind up with far more in the pipeline from them as well. In our OEL manga work for Seven Seas, Amazing Angent Luna Volume 4 just came out, with Volume 5 scheduled for the end of the year, and Destiny’s Hand Volume 2 came out, with Volume 3 also scheduled for the end of the year. There isn't much in the works at DC or Marvel, which we're trying to change. But the biggest news is in film and TV. We've had 2 film scripts optioned, and sold and idea to Oxygen for a TV movie, which we'll get to work on once the WGA strike ends. So this is going to be a really big year for us, at pretty much everywhere but the big superhero publishers.



NRAMA: How important do you think crossing into other media venues is becoming for comic books with the advent of the trendiness of viral marketing? Do you think the comic book industry could potentially become too dependent on mediums like film and video games if crossing mediums becomes too prevalent?

CW: It depends on how it's approached. I think bringing comics to new markets is a good thing, and there are a lot of great things that can be done, in terms of expanding the fanbase. However, problems arise when the crossover potential takes precedent over the comic material. There are some people in the business now who aren't nearly as interested in a comic idea if it can't also make a good movie. And that sort of thinking can potentially cost the market some good stories.

ND: I understand why these editors think that way. At a small press, the money to be gained from ancillary rights, things like film or TV or video games, can sometimes mean the difference between going out of business and actually making money. But it does have the risk of treating comics as just a delivery system for properties. I prefer Oni Press, because when they got into the film-making business recently, James Lucas Jones (our editor and the editor in chief at Oni) told his coworkers in no uncertain terms that the day a comic idea was rejected because 'it wasn't a movie' was the day he quit. And that wasn't a problem for them, because his attitude is their attitude. They are in the comic business, and if that business has the ability to make money or gain readers through Hollywood, that's great, but at the end of the day, it's got to be about the comics.

[nemler]

I'll see the movie. Probably won't read this prequel, though.

[Blackbeard]

Already pre-ordered and will pick it up Wednesday.

The trailer really looks intriguing, I might add. May have to ditch the kids and go see it. Hahaha!

[Bach1430]

Love the preview pages and will definitely pick up the prequel. The story is so damned interesting. There's an extended preview at CBR and I liked what I read.

Man, the thought of "jumping" anywhere I want in the world has also been a fantasy of mine. Just think of the airfare I could save.

[BClayMoore]

Brian Hurtt is one of the ten best artists in comics.

Someday people will clue in to this.

-BCM

[Harmful]

The movie trailer reminds me a bit of The Covenant for some reason, no idea why. The premise is pretty cool, I hope they pull it off well. Hayden Christiansen is just so awful though...he could teach wood to be stiff. Its hard to believe Sam Jackson would work with him again after the Star Wars debacles.

[J. Torres]

Originally Posted by BClayMoore

Brian Hurtt is one of the ten best artists in comics.

Someday people will clue in to this.

-BCM

Eh, he's okay if you like quality...

[JFx]

Nice, I'm going to check it.

[emmabe]

Originally Posted by Harmful

The movie trailer reminds me a bit of The Covenant for some reason, no idea why. The premise is pretty cool, I hope they pull it off well. Hayden Christiansen is just so awful though...he could teach wood to be stiff. Its hard to believe Sam Jackson would work with him again after the Star Wars debacles.

I wouldn't use the Star Wars films as an indicator of his abilities - his other body of work has been amazing.

[Da_Black_Goku]

The art is so-so, but I'm liking this story... it has TONS of potential.

I guess I'll go see the movie too, now. I wasn't interested before, but my interest is piqued.

[Bender-braü]

Originally Posted by Harmful

Hayden Christiansen is just so awful though...he could teach wood to be stiff. Its hard to believe Sam Jackson would work with him again after the Star Wars debacles.

I've seen Hayden Christiansen in other movies and he's done well. I think it was just bad dialog. Really, really bad dialog. So, IMHO if you're looking to blame some one for the Star Wars debacle (and who isn't? ) I'd look in Lucas' direction.

[gazoo]

It was the only book I bought last week, read it the same day & enjoyed it, please release a "Jumper" comic series, I'm in!