The Flash
Background: Barry Allen is a forensic scientist with the police. He is very slow, and quite often late.
When some chemicals he’s carrying are hit by lightning, they spill on him and give him both super speed and lightning fast reflexes.
He wears a red suit with a yellow lightning bolt on the chest and stores it in a ring.
Possible Star: Bradley Cooper was rumoured for the role, and we can’t think of anyone better for it.
Directed By: Edgar Wright. The Flash has to move fast and you need someone whose editing reflects that.
Film Version: The origin story sounds solid enough for a blockbuster film, the reason behind the suit less so.
Expect the movie Allen to go running as a hobby, who adapts his breathable Lycra to suit his superhero needs.
Aquaman
Background: Arthur Curry’s father was a famous undersea explorer, who discovered an ancient underwater city that he believed was Atlantis.
He built himself a watertight home in the sea and raised Arthur to breathe under the ocean and become strong and swift.
Additionally, Curry developed the power to speak to sea creatures, sonar abilities, a hand made of enchanted water and healing powers. His weakness is that he must touch water once every hour.
Possible Star: Sam Worthington, if he grows his hair a little and dyes it blonde.
Directed By: James Cameron made Aquaman in Entourage and he wants to set Avatar 2 underwater, but hey, no one wants Avatar 2 , right? So, here he can fill his underwater urge.
Film Version: Less talking to sea animals, for fear of the film becoming Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie 2 .
Martian Manhunter
Background: J’onn J’onnz is pulled from Mars to Earth by Dr Erdel in his teleportation beam. The shock of the encounter kills the doctor, and leaves J’onnz trapped on Earth.
He has a number of powers including shapeshifting, super speed, super strength, flight, super intelligence and telepathy.
In the comics, he takes the form of John Jones, a detective in the fictional Middletown, USA to fight crime.
Possible Star: Jason Statham fits the bill, by being bald. This is the franchise that Statham has been looking for, as long as he’s not too ‘ard to be painted green.
Directed By: Guy Ritchie will team up with Statham once again for a multi-stranded cop drama.
Film Version: Statham doesn't do American accents very well, so the setting will move to British shores and John Jones will be hiding out as a detective in Central London. Gritty.
Wonder Woman
Background: She’s known in her homeland as Diana of Themyscira, and is a Princess of the Amazons (a nation of all-female warriors).
She wins the right to return a US officer, whose plane crash-lands on the Amazons homeland, and to stay in the Man’s World and fight the Nazis.
Wonder Woman has the power of flight, she's one of the strongest beings on the planet and highly resistant to bodily harm.
She can psychically communicate with animals and is a master of all forms of classical armed and unarmed combat.
A lasso of truth is her weapon of choice, which forces the person within it to tell the truth, she protects herself with bracelets that deflect bullets.
Possible Star: Mary Elizabeth Winstead was chasing the role when the Justice League film was casting but didn’t get it.
Since then, she’s found favour among the comic-book community as Ramona in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World . She’s ready for that lead role.
Directed By: Joss Whedon was attached for a number of years, but they wouldn’t let him have his vision. If The Avengers does well, then he should get his own way.
Film Version: The setting is already rumoured to be moving to a contemporary setting, ridding the Nazi-fighting element.
In hindsight, that would be a bit too Captain America , so off those bleeding Nazis go.
Green Arrow
Background: Oliver Queen is a billionaire and former mayor of Star City who dresses like Robin Hood and invents trick arrows with special functions (explosive arrows, grappling arrows, tear gas arrows).
To move away from the obvious Batman similarities, the writers had Queen lose his fortune and become a crusader for the working class, further echoing the Robin Hood references.
Possible Star: Josh Holloway has the right look, with the blonde hair and the beard, plus, he could be ready to make the jump to the big leading roles.
Directed By: The Wachowskis are already confirmed to be directing a modern adaptation on Robin Hood called Hood .
Why don’t they ditch that and get themselves a readily provided superhero franchise?
Film Version: The story is tied in with the economic downturn, as a rich man who loses his well-paid job and can’t turn his luck around. He spends all of his savings on becoming Green Arrow.
Atom
Background: Ray Palmer fashions a lens out of white dwarf star matter that can make objects shrink.
During a spelunking accident, Palmer and his friends become trapped in a cave, so he uses the lens on himself to escape through a hole and help his friends escape.
Through further testing, he finds out that he can shrink himself and return to normal size without the aid of the lens.
He can weigh next to nothing, which means he can travel along telephone transmissions and surf microwaves.
Possible Star: Jon Hamm. The costume features a predominantly covered face with the jaw open. At the moment, only one man has a jaw worth promoting and that man is Jon Hamm.
Directed By: Danny Boyle, he created a film that centred on one man throughout a full-length feature and made it well. He knows how to focus on character. Plus, he’s not done the ‘superhero thing’ yet.
Film Version: Palmer’s power is only limited to what he imagines, as he can shrink and enlarge himself depending on what he needs.
Expect the story to centre on the man himself as he comes to terms with his power, as long as it’s better than Ang Lee’s Hulk .
Hawkman
Background: Prince Khufu, an ancient Egyptian prince was engaged in a bitter rivalry with Egyptian priest Hath-Set. He then killed him with a cursed dagger of Nth metal.
In 1940, Khufu is reincarnated as Carter Hall, an archaeologist, who finds the reincarnation of his rival and fights him to the death.
He then uses the incredibly light Nth metal to create a gravity-defying belt and wings to become the first Hawkman.
Possible Star: Gerard Butler has done the ancient Greek thing and bared his 10-pack, add some wings and a helmet and he’s fully kitted out for Hawkman.
Directed By: This sounds right up Steven Spielberg's street, in the same vein as Indiana Jones , but with a superhero twist. Plus, wouldn’t you love to see a Spielberg superhero trilogy?
Film Version: The reincarnation storyline sounds a bit too The Mummy Returns for us.
Instead, he gets trapped on an archaeological dig when they discover the Nth metal, and he has to fashion the substance into the belt in order to escape. Think Indiana Jones crossed with Iron Man .
Adam Strange
Background: Strange is an archaeologist working in Peru, who is suddenly teleported to the Planet Rann through the Zeta Beam.
He is then called on to protect the planet from extraterrestrial threats using high-tech weaponry such as a jetpack and energy blast guns.
Strange falls in love with the native Alanna, but when the beam transports him back to Earth, he can only return each time a new Zeta Beam appears.
Possible Star: Jake Gyllenhaal is young enough and hasn’t played a superhero yet (if you don't count Donnie Darko ...)
Directed By: Duncan Jones made the fantastic Moon (set in space, obviously), before upping the budget and action with Source Code . It's time to combine the two.
Film Version: The storyline is currently a bit too Avatar for our liking, so we'd shift the focus onto Strange being transported back to Earth away from his new love. Think Source Code , but with longer stays.
Bat Lash
Background: Bat Lash is a smooth-talking cowboy dandy who wears a flower in his hat. He lost his parents when they were murdered and his farm was swindled after he killed a sheriff's deputy in self-defence.
So, he goes on the run across the Mexico border to find the men who killed his parents.
He is "good with guns, handy with fists, great with cards; could talk his way out of the tightest jam." We wonder if he's decent with DIY and fantastic at frisbee too.
Possible Star: Aaron Eckhart has the chiselled face and blonde hair for the job, just as long as he’s happy with a flower in his hat, he can have the job.
Directed By: Neveldine/Taylor get to have another crack at the cowboy revenge film.
Film Version: Go all the way with the cowboys and revenge. The flower and smooth talking are just a façade for the hatred brewing in Bat Lash’s heart.
Bouncing Boy
Background: Chuck Taine received superhuman powers when he accidentally drank an experimental serum.
He uses his gift to bowl over enemies and can shrug off injuries; he was part of the Legion of Super-Heroes in an alternate timeline.
Possible Star: Step forward Jonah Hill. He played a super-villain in Megamind , and he can provide more than just a voice here.
Directed By: Judd Apatow can join his regular collaborator.
Film Version: The film version will be a traditional Apatow film: comedy with heart. This should focus on Taine coming to terms with his condition, with hilarious consequences.
Red Bee
Background: Richard Raleigh became Red Bee in the 1940s in Superior City, Oregon.
He was an amazing beekeeper and used a trained swarm of bees to attack his enemies. He had a favourite named Michael that he kept in a belt buckle for special needs.
Possible Star: Val Kilmer needs to both redeem his superhero credentials and score a hit film. This should just about do.
Directed By: Joel Schumacher, who also needs to redeem his superhero credentials.
Film Version: You know that scene in Batman Begins , where Batman calls on actual bats and disappears in a swarm of them? Well, that, but with bees.
Space Ranger
Background: Space Ranger Rick Star, son of multimillionaire Thaddeus Star, is the owner of Allied Solar Enterprises in New York in the 22nd century.
Rick Star became the Space Ranger to patrol Earth’s solar system and protect it from criminals and alien invaders.
He has no powers, but he does have weapons, ranging from a thermoblaze gun (melts stuff) to the dissolverizer (dissolves things).
Possible Star: Josh Brolin stops snarling and dons a bubble helmet.
Directed By: Paul Verhoeven can pit humans against aliens in spectacular style.
Film Version: Rick’s father sees him as a failure, and he enrols as a space ranger to prove himself. There’ll be training montages aplenty, before all-out battles.
Azrael
Background: Jean Paul Valley is a descendant of a long line of champion assassins, the Order of St Dumas.
This secret society trains their members from birth to silently enforce and protect.
The role is passed down from father to son and Valley realised he was the heir to this membership.
Possible Star: Chris Evans is absolutely perfect for the role. It’s just a shame he had to be involved in that Marvel film.
Directed By: Ridley Scott has directed his fair share of epics and this particular superhero has his origins in the Crusades. All Scott needs to do is put a modern twist on it.
Film Version: More delving into the origin of the Order. The sequels can focus on the modern day, but Scott will fancy a bit of knights-in-shining-armour action.
Mary Marvel
Background: Mary Batson gained her powers from the wizard Shazam, who gave her them when her house was attacked by the villain Ibac.
Whenever Mary says the word “Shazam!” out loud, she gains Solomon’s wisdom, Hercules’ superstrength, Atlas’ stamina, Zeus’ raw power, Achilles’ courage and Mercury’s superspeed.
Possible Star: Jessica Biel keeps being rumoured for superhero films, and this one would be perfect for her.
Directed By: Louis Leterrier. We saw the words Achilles and Zeus, and then Clash Of The Titans appeared and just wouldn’t go away.
Film Version: The magician and the “Shazam!” shouting are all a bit too much. Scrap that and have her summon her powers through hand movements.
Detective Chimp
Background: Bobo is a chimpanzee from Africa, brought to the U.S. by animal trainer Fred Thorpe.
He is promoted as the “Detective Chimp” who pretends to solve crimes in a circus.
He starts to pick up simple clues, but when he goes to the Fountain of Youth, he gets an intelligence boost and gains the ability to speak.
Possible Star: This role was made for Andy Serkis, who seems to more primate than man on film.
Directed By: Peter Jackson lightens up and brings Weta’s special effects team along for the ride.
Film Version: It’s a chimp that is super-intelligent and solves crimes. Why would you change a thing?
Plastic Man
Background: Eel O’Brian used to be a gangster, but when a guard at the Crawford Chemical Works shot him, he fell into a vat of acid, which seeped into his wounds.
He escaped and ended up at a spiritual retreat where he found that he could stretch his body into any shape he wanted.
Possible Star: Keanu Reeves was rumoured to be starring in a film version directed by the Wachowskis around 2008. He’d be great as long as his acting is more flexible than wooden.
Directed By: Roland Emmerich destroys buildings all the time. Whether it be with Godzilla , Independence Day or 2012 , he goes big. Plastic Man can go big too, so the director and subject are a match made in heaven.
Film Version: The gangster angle is too reminiscent of The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman .
O’Brian will be a small-time thief who gets shot and falls into a river polluted with nuclear waste. A much more believable angle.
Power Girl
Background: Karen “Kara” Starr crash-landed on Earth in a mysterious ship.
She possesses similar powers to Superman, including flight, superspeed, super-strength and near invulnerability.
She was taken in as a kind of protégée by Superman.
Possible Star: Scarlett Johansson, has the, erm, body for it.
Directed By: Michael Bay, has the, erm, eye for it.
Film Version: If Michael Bay has anything to do with it, there will be a deluge of explosions and a lot of slow-motion shots of Scarlett Johansson.
Pow-Wow Smith
Background: Ohiyesa was originally from the Sioux tribe in Red Deer Valley, but in the 1880s he decides to become a sheriff called Pow-Wow Smith.
He was given U.S. citizenship, but despite his great track record of law enforcement, the prejudiced townspeople shunned him or turned on him.
Pow-Wow is a crack shot and a fine detective, who let his deeds speak for themselves instead of reacting to their taunts.
Possible Star: Adam Beach is one of very few Native American actors in Hollywood. He appeared in Windtalkers and Flags Of Our Fathers . Looks like a perfect fit.
Directed By: Clint Eastwood directed Beach in Flags Of Our Fathers and has covered racial prejudice in Gran Torino . Plus, he’s no stranger to shoot-‘em-up films.
Film Version: The film could really run with the racial prejudice idea and become a film about identity and ambition. It has Oscar written all over, as long as he isn’t called Pow-Wow.
