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Runaways is not only one of Marvel's most critically acclaimed comics, but one of its longest-gestating scripts.
Drew Pearce (he of Iron Man 3, All Hail the King and soon to be Mission: Impossible 5 writerly fame) chatted to us recently about the state of play with the movie's production, whether we could hope to see it as part of Marvel's Phase 3, and why it's a 'reverse Spider-Man' with flecks of The Godfather (well, ish).
Can you give us any update on Runaways ?
I wish I knew if Runaways had a place in Phase 3. I'm not close enough to the core. I don't work for Marvel, so I don't have a sense of the Master Plan other then when tiny crumbs are passed to me! I'm still super-proud of the script. I think it's a brilliant film in the making - not necessarily because of my script, but because of Brian K Vaughan's ( Lost, Under the Dome ) excellent idea. I know Kevin Feige's still a big fan of the script that's there in the vault. Whether it finds its way onto the runway for Phase 3, I have no idea, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
And as a fan of the source material, what is it you really want to do with that movie?
Honestly, telling the first arc of that story is the key to that story. I also think that one of the things that would make it so unique in the universe, and also a better movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - if we made it now rather than four years ago - is that it could now be part of this tapestry where people are becoming aware of superheroes inside of the MCU.
Which is what makes the comics so fun. But I think at its fundament, it's a reverse twist on the Spider-Man theme that 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility', because it's actually a movie where that relates to the parents and not the kids, and I've never seen a movie that does that, superhero or otherwise.
The realisation that your parents are fallible people, being heightened immeasurably by the fact that they're superpowered people who are using their superpowers for evil and not good. I just think it's the most potent idea and the script that exists at the moment takes an almost grandiose - almost Godfather -esque view of the crime syndicate. I just think it's so rich as an idea. It's just not as obvious as a single male superhero character, it's not as marketable, and I think that'll always be a hurdle with it.
For more from Pearce, including a hefty chat on other Marvel properties he'd love to bring to life, Sir Ben Kingsley reprising his role in All Hail the King , and the controversy surrounding Iron Man 3 's portrayal of The Mandarin, read the full interview .
All Hail the King will appear on the Thor: The Dark World DVD/Blu-ray, which will be available from 24 February 2014.
