McAVOY TALKS WANTED

[MattBrady]

by Daniel Robert Epstein

Just this morning I got a chance to interview James McAvoy as he was promoting the new film, The Last King of Scotland. In the film he plays a Scottish doctor who while being a missionary in Uganda ends up becoming the personal physician of Idi Amin. I got the chance to toss a few questions about the film based on Mark Millar and JG Jones’ Wanted where McAvoy plays Wesley Gibson, the son of the greatest supervillian on Earth, the “late” Killer.

Newsarama: So, it seems that studying Idi Amin could be good practice for playing Wesley in Wanted...

James McAvoy: [laughs] It could be. I can get that rage from somewhere.

NRAMA: Had you heard of Wanted before you got the screenplay?

JM: I had heard of the comic but I hadn’t read it even though I am a big sci-fi fan. Also a Glaswegian wrote it [Mark Millar]. The thing that really got me excited about it is [director] Timur [Bekmambetov] because I had had [his previous film] Nightwatch then Daywatch and I was blown away by both of them. I’m such a sci-fi nut that I am really excited about doing it. It is wish fulfillment to play that kind of part. I’m not going to try to get all buff for the part and be mean. I’m going to try to make him a regular guy, which I know has been done before, but it is not done all the time and we need those kinds of real heroes.

NRAMA: I read that you’re trained in gymnastics.

JM: Yeah but I haven’t done it in a couple of years. Though I am still bendy.

NRAMA: Wesley flips around a lot.

JM: Yes there is a lot of jumping and swinging around and doing silly things. I can’t wait. You will read that in the first two weeks I will break my hip or something [laughs] and there will be a major recast.

NRAMA: Have you met Mark Millar yet?

JM: No I haven’t but I look forward to meeting him.

NRAMA: Will the character have a Scottish accent like you do in real life?

JM: No it is set in America.

NRAMA: I have been lucky enough to interview Terence Stamp who has played two comic book characters (Stick in Elektra and General Zod in Superman II). When I asked him about playing comic book characters he said that he actually tried to figure out what the characters do in between the panels so that he could figure out how they move. Will you be doing anything with that in Wanted?

JM: Since the character was so based on Eminem, I feel like I have to get away from that since it is something I will never achieve. Nor should I try to attempt. I feel like I am going for the essence of what he’s done and then try to fill it in. there are also complications in translating a comic book to screen. Some things work really well and other things don’t. I suppose how we recreate that will determine our level of success. Timur and are working that out. Timur is incredible. He’s an evil genius. So I am just putting my ass in his hands and hopefully he won’t bullocks it.

NRAMA: One last one - is Shithead in the screenplay for Wanted?

JM: No it is not in the script at the moment. It is less about superheroes and more about the empowerment of lives and how Wesley does all this amazing stuff and people tell him he is a supervillian. But he knows he doesn’t have superpowers so he does it through belief.

[GuitarSmashley]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

by Daniel Robert Epstein



NRAMA: One last one - is Shithead in the screenplay for Wanted?

JM: No it is not in the script at the moment. It is less about superheroes and more about the empowerment of lives and how Wesley does all this amazing stuff and people tell him he is a supervillian. But he knows he doesn’t have superpowers so he does it through belief.

and thats the end of that chapter.

[turk9]

I can get past Eminem passing on the role, but.....No S***Head?!?! (oddly, this word was edited in my post, but not in the interview) Less about superheroes?!?!

This has disaster written all over it. Too bad, since I enjoyed Bekmambetov's other works, but if the script is screwed up, this has no hope.

turk

[Layters]

LOL good god. Why do they even bother buying the rights to comic books if they are just going to make a totally different movie anyway.

Its just such a cliche now. We all know that Hollywood doesnt have a sodding clue what its doing. The talent is all in TV these days. Anyone seen an Evening with Kevin Smith.

[FallenFate]

I honestly don't see how you can do this movie without the characters in the book. I suppose that you could use substitute charcaters, but the story really NEEDS to be about the world ruled by supervillains and needs to have the interactions between the various factions of villains, otherwise it's not the story of the book and they might as well call it something else. Having said this, I'm not passing judgment on it until, I see a more concrete plot synopsis of the movie. I am hopeful that this will turn out well. The series is short enough that it could be adapted and make a wonderful two and a half hour movie, but I would hope they do a pretty good adaptation since the series almost reads like Millar wrote it with the movie in mind (which I think I read somewhere he did).

[BobbyPeru]

sweet jesus, that last paragraph of the interview just stinks to high heaven. i think the only decent thing to come out of this movie now will be the fact that Mark Millar and his family are probably financially set for life. No more deep fried Mars bars for the Millars!

[jsnsbags]

holy frekin crap. I never make a review before seeing the movie, but now i am seriously close to. i mean the main point of the story is how the supervillians win and continue to win in that crazy effed up universe.

It was a pretty good story and Sh!thead, was icing on the cake (if it was a shi+ cake, but cake nonetheless). I really hope its not going in the direction I think its going. I'm getting a headache just thinking about how they could screw it all up.

and sh!t what the hell is that last paragraph supposed to mean? think i'm gonna need some pepto now.

[lawyerman]

Inside I'm crying.

I am a very big McAvoy fan (ever since Children of Dune and his ultra-quick intro & death on Band of Brothers), and was ultra excited when I read that he had been cast. While I was never that jonesed to have eminem play the role (depsite his likeness clearly being the basis for the character), the fact that McAvoy was playing the Killer only heightened my interest in the project.

But this mention of the script. NO ____-head. NO ____-HEAD? What next?

No ____-Wit?

No Sucker?

Part of the joy of the series is that it started out painting a very realistic and grounded world that Wesley existed in, one that the reader would identify as being EXTREMELY similar to the real world.

And then Millar turned that on its head.

The wilder the story, the more the plot device worked. Villains were so powerful, so ____ed up, that they had literally rewritten reality. And as Wesley came to learn the truth of his world, and believe it more and more, so did the reader.

Ugh. I'm hoping that while ____-head is probably being left out for budget reasons (a morphing pile of ____ would, one presumes, be rather expensive to, um, produce on film) [pun intended], a number of other characters will maintain their superpowered status.

If not, well, the long repressed memory of Halle Berry's "Catwoman" comes to mind . . .

foreign director.

based on comic book property.

Claims that it's true to the "spirit" of the character.


Next thing you know, they'll be casting Lucy Liu as Vixen! Or was that Elektra . . .

[jsnsbags]

Originally Posted by lawyerman

Ugh. I'm hoping that while ____-head is probably being left out for budget reasons (a morphing pile of ____ would, one presumes, be rather expensive to, um, produce on film) [pun intended], a number of other characters will maintain their superpowered status.

.

hey remember the Excremental in dogma? a moving pile of sh!t can be done. but i digress. because that is neither here nor there. like most people that read this thread, i'm getting more and more headaches the more i think about it.

[Arvandor]

He keeps referring to Wesley as a hero....

Dear Lord the man's an idiot.

[shamrock]

GOD!! I love Wanted more than anything!! this movie is gonna suck to high heaven. Why...WHY!! if some studio actully had the balls to do it like the comic it would be be a huge fan fav but might not have as much mainstream numbers, but who cares. The fan boys will buy the merch buy the 2 disk DVD's and see the movie over and over!

I wanna puke on my shoes

[HouseStark]

Wesley doesn't have powers? It sure looked like he did when he shot the wings off those flies!

[gwangung]

Originally Posted by Arvandor

He keeps referring to Wesley as a hero....

Sure, he is...of his own story.

Dear Lord the man's an idiot.

Nah, I think that applies to most fans...

This could still be crap, but how can you tell how the movie's gonna turn out from a fourth hand source?

[red-Wraith]

Geez, I hope you guys are kidding.

I mean, if any of you were realistically expecting to walk into a Toys 'R Us and find a Sh¡thead (or a Fockwhit) action figure for children 6 and up... then you're so effin out of touch with reality that no amount of drugs, or psychological help, is going to do you any good.

The fact of the matter is that whole series was a big F-U from Millar to DC, Fandom and the Industry based on an obscure property nobody outside of fandom knows (SSoSV), using ciphers of characters the general population couldn't care less for.

I mean, do you really think somebody outside of comics is going to say "Is that supposed to be the Toyman? Oh cool, Bizarro!"

Come On! Give me a break!

The fact of the matter is that there aren’t enough fans out there to keep comic books on the shelves, let alone… a movie!

So grow up! If comic book property ever needed a rewrite, this is it. And disservenly, so!

Do you think audiences are going to want more, or walk out of a movie theater thinking this is the greatest movie they ever saw; considering the main character just killed his father and turned around towards the audience and told them “this is me taking your effin movie money and shoving it up your @$$! Go “F” yourself!”

[FallenFate]

Originally Posted by red-Wraith

Geez, I hope you guys are kidding.

I mean, if any of you were realistically expecting to walk into a Toys 'R Us and find a Sh¡thead (or a Fockwhit) action figure for children 6 and up... then you're so effin out of touch with reality that no amount of drugs, or psychological help, is going to do you any good.

The fact of the matter is that whole series was a big F-U from Millar to DC, Fandom and the Industry based on an obscure property nobody outside of fandom knows (SSoSV), using ciphers of characters the general population couldn't care less for.

I mean, do you really think somebody outside of comics is going to say "Is that supposed to be the Toyman? Oh cool, Bizarro!"

Come On! Give me a break!

The fact of the matter is that there aren’t enough fans out there to keep comic books on the shelves, let alone… a movie!

So grow up! If comic book property ever needed a rewrite, this is it. And disservenly, so!

Do you think audiences are going to want more, or walk out of a movie theater thinking this is the greatest movie they ever saw; considering the main character just killed his father and turned around towards the audience and told them “this is me taking your effin movie money and shoving it up your @$$! Go “F” yourself!”

Okay...since you're obviously pretty delusional yourself...I'll make a few points.

1. This movie would most likely be rated "R". There's no way there would be a toy line for it anyway.

2. I myself said that they need to keep the villain aspect but could use subnstitute characters as long as the keep the dynamics of the world run by villains.

3. I, as a movie geek, would LOVE to see a movie that ended like that. I would change the concept a little so that the end of the movie reflected the end of the comic book by making the viewer think about what had just happened. By giving the possibility that this is really OUR world and that we have either just been told a story or let in on on the world's biggest secret (that movies and comic books had it right and we all forgot or were made to forget). The ending can be interpreted as a total mind F*** in general.


4. The concept absolutely IS NOT in need of a rewrite. It's nice of you to basically tell someone they don't know how to write something they came up with and wrote themselves.

[HouseStark]

I'd like to see the movie be as unapologetic and over the top as the comic. I’d be nice for a change. I think taking this story and converting it into the typical Hollywood cookie cutter mold will ruin what made the comic so much fun.

[little kon-el]

The key with keeping this property correct and to the spirit of the comic book (which, I believe, it is trying to stay faithful to), would be to ensure that Wesley does the "exact opposite" of a Spiderman or Superman movie.


Wesley has to come from a boring life that he disgards and disdainfully manipulates and destroys to meet his own ends and, when having reached a political consciousness over a social consciousness and understanding his own origins, he kills his father dead.

This is the opposite of the Superman story, where someone comes from some place fantastic into a boring world, where he is socially conscious over politically conscious, and lives in the shadow of a father who he could not save.

As for the characters, I could easily go for a smaller cast on this story. Make the villains a smaller circle, where they go against a more "pulpish" character...something akin to Flash Gordon or Doc Savage. They torture him and make the world less fantastic. The smaller circle helps to flesh out the characters and it allows the more fantastic characters to come to the forefront. I hope they don't overload us with too many "recognizeable" villains from DC Comics, because it loses it's specialness. Make the villains a bit more generic, moreso than the pastiche of villains that they used in the Wanted story.

- little kon-el

[tgail]

Average Newarama poster upon reading this interview:

"THE SKY IS FALLING!!!! THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!"

Relax. Odds are this guy doesn't even know a whole hell of a lot about the production other than who he's playing.

[TS24]

Mr. Tumnus from The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe is gonna play the dude from Wanted? I only read the first issue, and it sucked so I can't really say anything.

[Beheader]

Originally Posted by tgail

Relax. Odds are this guy doesn't even know a whole hell of a lot about the production other than who he's playing.

Just the production? He doesn't know the character or the comic. Too early for the doom & gloom, but not a good start either.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by jsnsbags

holy frekin crap. I never make a review before seeing the movie, but now i am seriously close to. i mean the main point of the story is how the supervillians win and continue to win in that crazy effed up universe.

It was a pretty good story and Sh!thead, was icing on the cake (if it was a shi+ cake, but cake nonetheless). I really hope its not going in the direction I think its going. I'm getting a headache just thinking about how they could screw it all up.

and sh!t what the hell is that last paragraph supposed to mean? think i'm gonna need some pepto now.

Yep. The best we can hope right now is that McAvoy doesn't really kow what he's talking about which is very bad by itself. And keep thinking it's still early and there can be changes. Hope is all we have at this point. Personally, I have a bad feeling about this. I think it's going to be another bad adaptation. Perhaps not. Whether it is or not, perhaps it will be a good movie independently of how well adapted it is. I prefer to be pessimistic so my hopes won't be crushed and I won't disappointed.

The one good thing that comes out of this is that the movie is still moving forward.

[Beheader]

Originally Posted by FallenFate

1. This movie would most likely be rated "R". There's no way there would be a toy line for it anyway.

2. I myself said that they need to keep the villain aspect but could use subnstitute characters as long as the keep the dynamics of the world run by villains.

3. I, as a movie geek, would LOVE to see a movie that ended like that. I would change the concept a little so that the end of the movie reflected the end of the comic book by making the viewer think about what had just happened. By giving the possibility that this is really OUR world and that we have either just been told a story or let in on on the world's biggest secret (that movies and comic books had it right and we all forgot or were made to forget). The ending can be interpreted as a total mind F*** in general.


4. The concept absolutely IS NOT in need of a rewrite. It's nice of you to basically tell someone they don't know how to write something they came up with and wrote themselves.

I could picture this post a few years ago when League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was first going into production.

[owmyhead]

I've read the script. At least a draft done about six-seven months ago. It sort of keeps the opening Fight Club inner-narration angry white cubicle dweller thing in the beginning enough that I was excited enough to see where it was going. But that's the only thing it has in relation to the comic. There are no super-villains. No super-heroes. It's about a secret Fraternity of Assassins. No super-villans. No super-heroes. No ears for Fox, no 5th dimensional elves, no bizarros, no...well, imagine Wanted if you took out all the superhero related stuff and that's what the script is. So do your complaining now, and maybe you can enjoy the movie when it comes out. At least it's not as bad as the Books of Magic script....

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Beheader

Just the production? He doesn't know the character or the comic. Too early for the doom & gloom, but not a good start either.

Exactly.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by owmyhead

I've read the script. At least a draft done about six-seven months ago. It sort of keeps the opening Fight Club inner-narration angry white cubicle dweller thing in the beginning enough that I was excited enough to see where it was going. But that's the only thing it has in relation to the comic. There are no super-villains. No super-heroes. It's about a secret Fraternity of Assassins. No super-villans. No super-heroes. No ears for Fox, no 5th dimensional elves, no bizarros, no...well, imagine Wanted if you took out all the superhero related stuff and that's what the script is. So do your complaining now, and maybe you can enjoy the movie when it comes out. At least it's not as bad as the Books of Magic script....

Even if it's not the final script, the mere fact that it was a draft for Wanted is horribly wrong. Catwoman-level wrong. The mere fact that something like that can even be considered as a possibility is one of the reasons I'm always extremely afraid of Hollywood adapting comics. Movies like Catwoman are proof that my fear and hate are not unreasonable. Sigh...