ROTTEN TOMATOES: Gavin Hood Suggests A Philosophical, Operatic Wolverine Comments

Gavin Hood Suggests A Philosophical, Operatic Wolverine

by Fred Topel | September 30, 2007

Summary

Gavin Hood devoted a few minutes of time at a Rendition press day to answer questions about the upcoming project on everybody's mind: Wolverine. Even the director of the Oscar-winning Tsotsi could joke about why he took on the big studio comic book project. Back to Article

(1-43 of 43 posts) | Reply

TheBlackGuy writes:
on Sep 29 2007 09:31 PM

Sounds cool. An existentialist Wolverine movie, how about that?

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kungfu_sage writes:
on Sep 29 2007 09:53 PM

when I hear the people talking about this movie who are actually working on it, it always sounds like they are truly excited about it, from Jackman to the other producers and this director, which I think makes it possible for this to turn out to be a really fantastic movie.

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Metafact writes:
on Sep 29 2007 10:02 PM

Well, when you think about it, what he's saying about Wolverine is basically true for almost all superheroes.

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ffamilyguy writes:
on Sep 29 2007 11:20 PM

I just hope that they still involve the whole mutant existence. If they just did a story on Wolverine who happened to run into, say Sabertooth, then that would be gay. To forget about the whole mutant existence would be pointless!

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eastern2western writes:
on Sep 29 2007 11:21 PM

Jackman is betting the farm on wolverine because all of his movies are losers except the xmen ones.

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Ruckas356 writes:
on Sep 29 2007 11:40 PM

peter jackson would would be amazing for this!!!! Imagine if he did it!!! The story behind wolverine is the best of any comic. Wolverine is really over a hundred years old. He even was a samurai in japan. I mean there is sooooo many great story lines within one character!!! This director better do it justice!!!

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arendr writes:
on Sep 29 2007 11:56 PM

This actually makes me interested in this project now. But I see a lot of disappointed other people if it is this way.

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aknddon3 writes:
on Sep 30 2007 12:58 AM

Eastern have you seen the Prestige? That was an amazing movie. Never talk again.

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Surrealist5 writes:
on Sep 30 2007 01:35 AM

could be interesting.

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Thundaar writes:
on Sep 30 2007 02:09 AM

Again with the inner angst...

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bigbrother writes:
on Sep 30 2007 04:20 AM

Decent movie yes, but was it a financial success? Also for me it was one of Nolan's worst efforts. I know saying the worst Christopher Nolan movie is like saying the slowest jet, but...

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Vega-Star writes:
on Sep 30 2007 06:06 AM

I actually thought the fountain was pretty good too eastern. he acted well in that one. but i do like wolverine, he's definitely one of the more complicated heroes because essentially he's an anti-hero.

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eastern2western writes:
on Sep 30 2007 07:47 AM

Let me rephrase my words. All of his movies are financial losers except for his x-men films.

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Pleasuretown writes:
on Sep 30 2007 07:48 AM

At least Gavin Hood has some kind of vision for Wolverine. It's not just being slapped together like X-Men 3 or any Fantastic Four. I'm pretty excited to see how it works out. Hopefully there's a good balance of Action and Emotion.

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bigteddyt writes:
on Sep 30 2007 07:59 AM

good call. x3 was the worst. i hate brett ratner.... we'll have to wait and see rendition. i think this director has a lot of promise. the guy did win an oscar. and plus, i love that jackman is giving due homage to the character that made him a star. he's already avoided the typecast by doing "financial losers" but he's doing what he wants and wolverine has let him do so. jackamn is a fine actor and has touched each section in the genre spectrum.

PS i'm so glad sabretooth is back (well, appearing) in this movie. my only complaint about x2 was that he wasn't there... he's freaking sabretooth, there's no way he died in the forst one.

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Uradik Smoke writes:
on Sep 30 2007 09:10 AM

Marvel needs to capitalize on is major characters and many would argue Wolverine to be one of its more popular heros . Now that Spiderman is on shakey terms with the mediocre 3rd film and no real direstion for the next film Marvel needs a couple "Major" characters to capitalize on . Iron Man and Wolverine could be those type of characters if the movies are done well ...

Heres to hoping that a solid director that has some major talent and major vision can make a origins story for Wolverine that will hit the same kind of way that Nolans Batman has . Nolan was a respected director that didnt have high interest in comic book movies but after learning about the character and the dark side of the stories agreed to do the movie and it turned out amazing , Hood has a similar situation and I hop he can nail Wolverine at his core ...

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gojirazilla writes:
on Sep 30 2007 11:07 AM

In reply to this comment (#1157311)
you must not of seen prestige or scoop christopher nolan woody allen nuff said

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bigbrother writes:
on Sep 30 2007 11:09 AM

In reply to this comment (#1157388)
Aren't all heroes pretty much anti-heroes now? Not bagging on your comment, but seriously when was the last Superhero who wasn't troubled by a dark past or haunted by some inner turmoil? Props though because Wolverine along with the Punisher was at the vanguard of the anti-hero revolution. I don't count Batman because it wasn't until after Wolverine, Punisher and Frank Millers Daredevil that Batman really started to embrace his darker side.

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Snarebeast writes:
on Sep 30 2007 11:21 AM

I think this movie would be interesting, but I kinda wish that they would just go ahead and do X-Men 4. The way the third one ended it really seemed like there might be more to tell. But Fox is just choosing to leave it where it was, which I kind of think is a mistake simply because X3 sucked so bad.

And I thought both The Prestige and The Fountain were awesome.

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bigbrother writes:
on Sep 30 2007 11:37 AM

In the interest of debate what did you think was great about the Prestige? I thought some of the acting was top notch(Caine, Bowie and Jackman), but was also turned off by some other parts of the movie. The conclusion took way to long to reveal itself(I got there about 45 minutes before the movie did) and I thought the attempted "Christian Bales henchman is not really Christian Bale in make-up, Really he's not...Oh wait surprise he is, look how clever I am was to fool you" part was laughably bad. Also didn't think Scarlett or to a lesser extent Perabo looked totally comfortable amongst the rest of the stellar cast.

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Bloody Mathias writes:
on Sep 30 2007 12:04 PM

I thinkt it's true, as someone stated earlier, all heroes now are anti-heroes.
Even Spidey, the geekest and nicest of all embraced his dark side this year and the only superhero not to have a single personality flaw is Superman.

And let's face it, Supes is really boring. So predictable and always in the right and the whole world could blow up and he'd still live, he's just boring to me.
Now, Supes on a rampage, now what should be what Singer does in Man of Steel.

Anyway, with Iron Man, Dark Knight and a revamped Hulk coming next year, all with something to prove, it looks like '08 could be the best year for heroes on the big screen.

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hippiman222 writes:
on Sep 30 2007 12:51 PM

I think its a good idea but the problem is what i gona make the movie good? its hard to do a biography on a fictional charecter from a 1980s show that was made into movies. I just want this movie to stand to its patential meening I want it tp be good.

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Ruckas356 writes:
on Sep 30 2007 01:27 PM

In reply to this comment (#1157315)
[edit] Wolverine's Origin
After decades of complicated, confounding back-stories and retcons, the 2001 limited series Origin finally tells the story of Wolverine's early years.

Set in 19th century Alberta, Canada, James Howlett, the second son of John and Elizabeth Howlett, is sick and frail in contrast to the quickly healing Wolverine. His parents hire a young Irish girl named Rose to watch over James and keep his spirits up. On the rare days that James is allowed to go outside he and Rose spend their time playing with a young boy they know as "Dog" Logan, the son of Thomas Logan, groundskeeper of the Howlett Mansion.

After Dog commits such heinous acts as trying to force himself on Rose and killing James' pet dog, John Howlett fires Thomas and has him thrown off the property. This only adds to Thomas' hatred and, in a drunken rage, he and his son, with the forced help of Rose, break into the Howlett Mansion at night armed with shotguns. Awakened by the noise, James enters the bedroom just in time to see Thomas shoot and kill John. Enraged and horrified at seeing his father murdered, James extends his claws for the first time. He kills Thomas, slashes Dog across the face, and passes out. Elizabeth, upon witnessing the death of her husband, her lover, and the emergence of James' claws, promptly commits suicide.

Rose, blinded by fear and not thinking straight, takes James and runs off into the night. The police are summoned to the mansion and they question Dog, who blames the killing entirely on Rose. With Rose blamed for the death of the Howletts and James exiled by his bitter grandfather they set out for parts unknown. They join a mining colony in British Columbia. James has lost all memory of his parents, his childhood, and his name, due to his trauma. To explain why they are together, but to avoid scandal, Rose claims that they are cousins and gives James a false name in order to further cover their tracks. For some unexplained reason she claims that his name is "Logan", the name of their enemies, the cause of all their problems.

"Logan" struggles under the harsh working conditions of the mining colony. As his mutant abilities develop, James becomes strong, acquiring the nickname "Wolverine" from his fellow miners. During his time at the mining colony, James speaks less and less of the past to Rose, often immersing himself in hunting and the physically demanding work of daily life in the colony.

Unbeknownst to James and Rose, Dog has tracked them to British Columbia. On his deathbed, James' grandfather had a change of heart and asked Dog to find his grandson so that he can see him one last time. However, Dog is still nursing a deep grudge against James for killing his father as well as scarring his face and against Rose for spurning his advances. Following their trail, Dog finds Rose and James at the mining colony and attempts to beat him to death in front of a large crowd. Just as James prepares to extend his claws and kill Dog, Rose is accidentally knocked into the fray by the crowd. Impaling herself, she dies in James' arms. Driven mad with grief, James becomes feral, living in the woods with wolves.

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punktuate writes:
on Sep 30 2007 01:48 PM

uradik smoke is totally on point nuff said (oh and your a dick smoke haha)

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Snarebeast writes:
on Sep 30 2007 03:48 PM

I thought the acting was great and that the story, for the most part, was pretty interesting. I will agree with the ending, I had that figured out before it was revealed. And I didn't think the henchman thing was THAT bad. I mean, I had that figured out, but I still didn't mind it that much.

But maybe I'm just biased because I like Christopher Nolan and I'm a huge Christian Bale fan. I just thought the movie was pretty well done.

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I Am Remote writes:
on Sep 30 2007 03:48 PM

What the hell does the Blob have to do with Wolverine?

Marvel has become the worst of the hollywood/comic offenders, using their character likenesses to fill seats and not serve their stories. Both Singer and Raimi should be ashamed for this crap... and it looks like the pillaging will continue. Lady Deathstrike is already been "used" and if they do use Sabretooth (how could they not?) they're going have to explain what the hell Sabretooth was doing in "X-Men" (maybe Singer will walk on screen and explain it to us: "money").

If someone tell me Wolverine movie, I think Sabretooth, Deathstrike, Silver Samurai, Deadpool, Omega Red... not the Blob.

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Young Turk writes:
on Sep 30 2007 06:08 PM

That is music to my ears. Truly, the difference between Brett ****ing Ratner directing and Bryan Singer.

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Novastar. writes:
on Sep 30 2007 07:53 PM

I think he can pull it off,he can put a good Wolverine movie together.Gavin showed us with 'Tsotsi' that he can give the viewer a movie with some emotional depth.The new thing to him would be cgi and action.If he can mix this last two with his already shown capacity of emotional storytelling,theire will be a good chance that one of the most loved charachters (Wolverine)will come to life with that 100 mil budget.

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uhhuhnads writes:
on Sep 30 2007 08:42 PM

Stop talking about it and make the damn movie already, jesus christ.

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Rated_Xpert writes:
on Oct 01 2007 01:00 AM

I heard it would be in theaters Summer 08, not 09. It seems like Gavin is making this project one now that that piece of crap rendition is done. He also hinted at an appearence of Gambit, that might be cool!

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blank blank writes:
on Oct 01 2007 07:22 AM

re: jackman
i like hugh jackman, and he picks good projects (working with nolan, allen, and aronofsky are good choices) that arent necessarily box office sensations (how many woody allen movies have grossed 100 mil?) but he does good work, and i think his motivations for doing wolverine have more to do than just money (even though thats a part of it, but i also think he realizes how popular wolverine is and doesnt want to f*** over the fans). gavin hood is a complete surprise for this project, but im glad they went this route instead of the "lets bring in a len wiseman/mark steven johnson!" route.

my only concern is that if you want to make a wolverine movie right, it has to be an R rated movie. but we'll see.

as for the prestige, i thought it was brilliant. sure, some savvier viewers may have discovered the ending a little early, and i think johansson and perabo were outclassed by jackman, bale, and caine in particular, but it still kept you thinking and wanting to know more. it wasnt some hack mystery ashley judd who dun it movie, where the killer is painfully obvious. i think hollywood should be putting out more prestiges.

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bigbrother writes:
on Oct 01 2007 07:37 AM

In reply to this comment (#1160368)
Agreed and please don't get me wrong I didn't think the Prestige was bad or second rate at all. Just for my personal taste it didn't blow my hair back like other Nolan Projects have. I actually thought the best part was the Edison-Tesla subplot. Bowie was awesome in that role.

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walkingdead09 writes:
on Oct 01 2007 09:34 AM

Nobody loves superheros more than me, especially b/c i write and publish comic books, but at some point this fad has to end. This will be a good one, but we already had a Cat Woman movie, whats next the Falcon is going to get his own movie. By the way I tried to watch the first Lord of the Rings, I hated the way that was shot. I get tired of hearing how great Peter Jackson is. Only thing I like of his is Meet The Feebles. Quit kissing his a s s he's a fat slob.

JD

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nightbat666 writes:
on Oct 01 2007 11:09 AM

In reply to this comment (#1157879)
inner turmoil and a dark past does not make you an anti-hero.

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blank blank writes:
on Oct 01 2007 11:10 AM

i do agree that bowie was great in it.

they should have a movie about the tesla edison wars...

of all nolan's projects, i thought insomnia was the weakest.

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Aqueryan Reloaded writes:
on Oct 01 2007 03:07 PM

Wow. Walking Dead, nice shameless self-promotion. And sorry you don't dig on Jackson, but you play yourself by being so dismissive of his works. Yeah, Feebles is a blast, but if that's the only props you're willing to give him, well...you're not very attuned to cinematic talent. I mean, c'mon - Bad Taste, Dead-Alive, and (especially) Heavenly Creatures are all deserving of the praise they've received. On top of that, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a magnificent achievement. So recognize...or shaddup.

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bobbquackenbush writes:
on Oct 01 2007 03:14 PM

If all Wolverine is going to do is talk and reflect as he did in the lame three X-Men movies, then they might as well forget it. Wolverine has always been about action first and philosophy at the very end, mostly as an excuse for mind numbing violence. To do it right it should be a strong R, but you can bet it will be a limp PG to be sure all the %u2018tweens can come in and waste their money.

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eastern2western writes:
on Oct 01 2007 04:25 PM

It is kind of weird that they have to go to australia to make a movie that is suppoe to set in canada when the first two movies were made in canada and pretend that the locations were in us.

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iakobos writes:
on Oct 01 2007 05:40 PM

Here's my $.02 on the Wolverine as anti-hero. As portrayed in the X-Men movies, I consider him to be more of a reluctant hero than anti-hero. IMO, Spider-Man 3 and other tales that show the hero's 'darker side' are just that, their darker side and are not necessarily anti-hero.

For me an anti-hero is someone who is in it for themselves and only themselves at all times. In other words deep down inside an anti-hero is really just a bad guy (think pretty much any mob movie). But on the other hand, and I think we can all agree, when you look deep down inside at Wolverine he really is a good guy. I think the reason we relate to Wolverine is that he, like us, is a good guy at heart but he struggles with his flaws and his darker nature just like we all do but he does strive to do the right thing in the end.

The best examples of a 100% anti-hero would be almost all the old '60's Clint Eastwood westerns. For example, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; A Fist Full of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More and High Plains Drifter to name a few. Talk about your flawed heroes. Eastwood's characters were only considered the good guy because he was not quite as bad as the bad guys.

A more modern example of a 100% anti-hero would be Vin Diesel's %u201CRiddick%u201D in Pitch Black. Riddick only thought of himself and the others were really just a means to an end so that he could get off the planet. Even though he did go back to get two of them he really didn't give a d*** if they lived or died. However, in The Chronicles of Riddick he morphs from a straight up anti-hero to more of a reluctant hero.

This is not to say that Wolverine won't be a true anti-hero in the new movie but thus far I haven't seen it in the X-Men movies.

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kudzai.f.f writes:
on Oct 01 2007 07:56 PM

well i hope that gavin hood realises that a philosophical and operatic wolverine movie will have to be prefaced by exceptional writing and even better direction in order to stave of disaster.

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bigbrother writes:
on Oct 01 2007 11:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#1162451)
Probably has more to do with the weather than anything. Obviously nowhere looks more like Canada than Canada, but weather there is highly unpredictable and no one wants to be on a shoot that's delayed 80 days because of weather.

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renodc writes:
on Oct 02 2007 09:22 AM

This sounds intriguing, but apparently if the writer's strike occurs early, then it probably won't happen any time soon.

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Rohan180 writes:
on Oct 02 2007 08:14 PM

Hugh Jackman is one of the most talented actors of our time. Like the actors of old he is a jack of all trades, he can sing, dance, and act! What more do you want! The full package if you ask me!

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