If the names Brigade, Bloodstrike, and Bloodwulf mean anything to you, you may have read a lot of Rob Liefeld comics as a kid. So this news may make you very happy, or very, very sad. Liefeld’s Extreme Universe has been optioned to be a cinematic universe, as in multiple films and crossover movies.
The Wrap broke the story that Graham King and Mark Gao’s Fundamental Films are producing Liefeld’s lesser known titles like Lethal, Re-Gex, Cybrid, Bloodwulf, Battlestone, Kaboom, and Nitro-Gen, as well as the previously mentioned Brigade, Bloodstrike, and Bloodwulf. Akiva Goldsman has also been signed to produce the films and oversee a writers room to develop the various franchises, as he has already done for Hasbro’s G.I. Joe and Transformer movies.
In a statement, King said “Rob has an uncanny ability to create unique stories with unforgettable characters and ‘Extreme Universe’ is no exception. “These stories are fantastic and I couldn’t imagine better partners on this project than Mark and his team at Fundamental Films.”
You can’t hear laughter In text piece, so just trust me when I say I laughed at this. A lot. Liefeld may be the co-creator of Deadpool, but none of these characters will ever, EVER, reach that level of popularity. In fact, they’re among the most derivative and unimaginative creations in Liefeld’s career.
Also: Rob Liefeld Has Written a Screenplay About Image Comics
First, let’s get this out of the way. Liefeld’s resurgence in Hollywood appears to be based on his connection to Deadpool, even though subsequent creators like Joe Kelly, Christopher Priest, Gail Simone, and Daniel Way added a lot more to the character than Liefeld did. Even Liefeld’s Deadpool co-creator, Fabian Nicieza, had a lot more to do with shaping Deadpool’s quirks and personality traits than Liefeld. So, it’s ridiculous for Liefeld to be receiving movie offers based on that claim to fame.
In Liefeld’s defense, some of his creations have led to good comics. Alan Moore’s run on Supreme is a classic, Youngblood is a great idea that’s had questionable execution, and Avengelyne was pretty fun for a ’90s bad girl book, even if she was technically a good girl angel. None of those characters are included in the new Extreme Universe deal, and they’re the only Liefeld owned characters that might have a real shot at breaking out on the big screen. There is an Avengelyne movie in the works as part of a separate deal.
As for Brigade and the other Extreme Universe castoffs? There’s really not much of a fanbase for them. It’s hard enough to build a cinematic universe about characters that people like. Just ask DC! But the Extreme Universe characters don’t have dedicated fan followings, and it’s unlikely that will change on the big screen. This might be a good deal for Liefeld, but we’ll be surprised if any of those Extreme Universe movies actually go on to become box office successes…if they even get made at all. We question the wisdom of this deal, but it does seem to mean that there is no God. Well played, universe! Well played.
What do you think about Liefeld’s new movie deal? Let us know in the comment section below!
