Happy
The Image Comic: Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson’s miniseries plunged former cop and hit-man Nick Sax into his own personal hell: haunted by a flying blue horse called Happy.
The Movie Version: This short series is ready and waiting to be adapted to film, with a bemused Sean Penn harassed by young Sam Lavagnino, the voice of Bravest Warrior ’s Catbug.
Lead Characters: Sean Penn (Nick Sax), Sam Lavagnino (Happy).
Dream Director: Michel Gondry.
Phonogram
The Image Comic: Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s acclaimed property combines pop music and magic for a quintessentially British experience.
The Movie Version: We want an all-British team for this, combining the ongoing storyline of volume one (the quest for the missing goddess of Britpop, naturally) and the expanded cast of The Singles Club . Only Wright can hit the pop culture notes spot on.
Lead Characters: Arthur Darvill (David Kohl), Chanel Cresswell (Emily Aster), Jack O’Connell (Kid-With-Knife).
Dream Director: Edgar Wright.
8House
The Image Comic: This title has only just been announced, which shows how excited we are about it. Brandon Graham teams with his top creator friends for the tales of an alien planet ruled by warring families.
The Movie Version: Details are thin on the ground, but it is time that Paul Verhoeven got back in the saddle for some major sci-fi world-building in the vein of Starship Troopers (minus Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards).
Lead Characters: Wait until the first issue hits.
Dream Director: Paul Verhoeven.
Velvet
The Image Comic: Ed Brubaker’s latest Image outing with his Captain America collaborator Steve Epting returns them to their espionage roots with this tale of a secret agent returning to the field after 20 years.
The Movie Version: Gravity proved that there was more to Bullock than slapstick comedy. Let’s cast her as the mature and competent spy. We’re sure she won’t mind.
Lead Character: Sandra Bullock (Velvet).
Dream Director: Steven Soderbergh.
Elephantmen
The Image Comic: Richard Starkings and Moritat’s surreal and gritty tale of animal-human hybrids is set in the aftermath of a brutal war in which the Elephantmen were used as soldiers.
The Movie Version: A cross between Blade Runner and The Island of Doctor Moreau , this film calls for a strong visual style and a grasp of the surreal and ironic. Step forward Tim Burton.
Lead Characters: Dave Bautista (Hip Flask), Amy Adams (Vanity Case), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Joshua Serengeti).
Dream Director: Tim Burton.
A Distant Soil
The Image Comic: Colleen Doran’s cosmic epic was ahead of its time when it debuted in the early ‘80s, dealing with new age themes and featuring some of the first gay lead characters in comics. The series centres around powerful young Earth-native Liana who discovers that she is the heir an intergalactic empire.
The Movie Version: Scott’s sci-fi world-building skills would be well suited to bringing to life this story, which combines the intrigue of Dune with a modern sensibility. Saoirse Ronan has proven herself in various sci-fi roles, while Wood would excel as the scheming Niniri.
Lead Characters: Saoirse Ronan (Liana Scott), Theo James (Jason Scott), Cillian Murphy (Sieren), Evan Rachel Wood (Niniri).
Dream Director: Ridley Scott.
Witchblade
The Image Comic: The Top Cow imprint classic centres around police detective Sara Pezzini, who becomes the latest women to control the deadly shapeshifting device called the Witchblade.
The Movie Version: Forget the TV show, it’s time for a full Witchblade reboot concerning Sara’s discovery of the Witchblade and her battle with immortal villain and former Grail knight Kenneth Irons. Kathryn Bigelow is a director who could bring grit and weight to the fantastic story.
Lead Characters: Olivia Wilde (Sara Pezzini), Eddie Cibrian (Patrick Gleason), Eric Dane (Kenneth Irons).
Dream Director: Kathryn Bigelow.
The Darkness
The Image Comic: Witchblade ’s sister title concerns former mob hitman Jackie Estacado, who comes inherits the vast power known as the Darkness. He faces off against a host of supernatural and human enemies who seek to destroy the Darkness or exact simple revenge on the killer.
The Movie Version: The Darkness would lend itself to a fast-paced, noir-influenced movie. A conflict with opposite force the Angelus could set up an interesting plot contrasting light vs dark and good vs evil, which in this comic book world are far from the same.
Lead Characters: Taylor Kitsch (Jackie Estacado), Yancy Butler (The Angelus).
Dream Director: Robert Rodriguez.
Artifacts
The Image Comic: This crossover united various Top Cow characters including Witchblade and the Darkness alongside fellow wielders of mystical ‘Artifacts’. They lined up against each other against the background of a plot to remake the world.
The Movie Version: Launching out of Witchblade and The Darkness films, this would be a fine opportunity for some Marvel-style franchise building, ready to bridge the gap between Warner/DC’s dark tone and the comic-book sensibility of The Avengers .
Lead Characters: Olivia Wilde (Sara Pezzini), Taylor Kitsch (Jackie Estacado), Yancy Butler (The Angelus).
Dream Director: Francis Lawrence.
Invincible
The Image Comic: The Walking Dead writer Robert Kirkman’s other long-running title is Invincible. With artists Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker, this series is a play on the classic superhero genre (especially Spider-Man) combined with a modern sensibility and some classic tropes.
The Movie Version: Drawing from the original arc - in which hero Mark Grayson/Invincible discovers his powers and learns some distressing truths about his superhero father - this could lead out further into the war with alien conquerors the Viltrumites. Thor: The Dark World ’s Taylor has demonstrated his ability to bring shine and style to a classic superhero setup.
Lead Characters: Logan Lerman (Mark Grayson), Brie Larson (Atom Eve), Ian McShane (Omni-Man)
Dream Director: Alan Taylor
