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Silver Surfer Fan Art

Comics2Film recently interviewed director Erik Fleming whose first work as a film director was the Silver Surfer short film that surprised fans when it made it's debut on Atom Films. During the interview, Fleming commented on the progress of the big-budget Silver Surfer feature that's been in development at Fox for many years.

While Fleming doesn't have any involvement with the movie, he has been keeping an eye on things. "It was sort of frustrating for us because they never gave us a shot at it," Fleming said. Instead, the studio has worked with a series of A-List writers Fleming and his partners feel aren't as passionate about the character as they were.

"These scripts were like, he comes to earth, he loses his silver skin, and he's walking around human the whole movie, and in the end he gets his skin back and flies away," Fleming said of the scripts he's read.

However, Fleming is more hopeful that writer Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven, Sleepy Hollow) will do well with the character. His sources on the project told him months ago that Walker was working on a draft. "He might crack it because he's a great writer. I think his deal was that he was going to set it all in space," Fleming told us. "His deal is to completely can Earth and to make it like a Star Wars kind of movie where the whole thing is set all in outer space, in the future."

But Fleming hasn't given up hope of directing movie himself. "My dream is to make a film that breaks me out so I can have a crack at Silver Surfer. That it'll still be sitting there. But it's just too big of a movie to give to an unknown," Fleming said.

For more about Fleming and his Silver Surfer short, read the complete interview.

A scooper for Corona Coming Attractions confirms talk that Andrew Kevin Walker (Sleepy Hollow, 8mm) is developing a screenplay for the filmed adaptation of Marvel's Silver Surfer.  The writer apparently told audience members he was working on the script during an October writer's network conference.

Daily Variety featured an extensive report on the status of various Marvel movies in Michael Flemming's Dish column.  The article discusses the re-emerging value of Marvel properties in Hollywood following the bankruptcy problems of recent history.

Marvel president and CEO Avi Arad told Flemming, "Look at our library: It is an endless supply of protectable characters with huge followings.  With 3,500 characters at least, it is the only content library of its kind in terms of sheer volume, depth of characters and range, from superheroes to horror to comedy and romance."

Marvel's clout has allowed them to cut better deals, with the hopes of getting truer versions of their characters on the big screen.   "We have story and outline approval, and the script cannot be different from what was approved," Arad is quoted as saying. "We have a say over how the characters will look, access to dailies in a timely fashion, and we either exec produce or produce. Legally, we have a lot of checks and balances, but the way we work with studios is very collaborative."

Apparently the publisher recently had to flex this muscle during the development of the Spider-Man movie.  The story in development had the webslinger killing one of his villains.  Marvel nixed the idea.  "Spider-Man never kills anybody," Arad said.

We all know that Spider-Man and X-Men are moving forward.  But the article reports on several other projects as well.

Marvel and Twentieth Century Fox are reportedly looking to hire Raja Gosnell (Home Alone 3, Never Been Kissed) for directing duties on Fantastic Four.   Chris Columbus is the producer on that film.

Silver Surfer is also making progress.   Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven) has been hired for writing chores on that one.

Even dormant projects like Hulk are now stirring again.  Michael France is writing and Gale Anne Hurd is still on board as producer.

The Malibu universe character Prime, a project that hasn't shown signs of life for years, now has a new life at Universal.   Doug Chamberlin and Chris Webb (Toy Story 2) are writing the screenplay about "a comedy about a scrawny little kid who has the ability or handicap of going instantly from a kid to an Arnold-like man. It’s Big in a superhero’s body," as Arad describes it.  Chuck Gordon is producing.

Staple characters like Captain America and Doctor Strange are also riding the wave.  Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn of Mutual Film, producers of Saving Private Ryan, are in talks with Marvel about Cap. 

Sony Pictures Entertainment, who landed the Spider-Man license earlier this year are after the good Doctor Strange.   The studio is negotiating the rights for David Goyer to write.  Goyer, of course, wrote the screenplay for Blade.

Speaking of Blade, star Wesley Snipes is not only on board for a sequel, but he's also eyeing another Marvel character.  Black Panther was a stalled concept that Snipes walked away from to do Blade.  Now he's back on board with his Amen-Ra production company developing it in cooperation with Marvel.   No major studio is attached.

Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff) is said to be developing Namor with Sam Hamm in talks to write the screenplay.

Even lesser known Marvel properties are looking viable.   Damage Control, the humorous take on a task force that cleans up after superhero battles, has been optioned.  The concept is at Village Roadshow Pictures.  Neal Moritz and Barry Levine are producers.

The article also mentions that studio deals are in the works for Iron Man, Daredevil and animated feature for Thor.

20th Century Fox has renewed its three film licenses with Marvel Entertainment.  Fox has been developing Fantastic Four, X-Men and Silver Surfer for years, but word is that two of the three deals were in danger of expiring shortly.  VRTY reports that Fox has taken steps to ensure that development efforts could continue.  The studio's deal called for principal photography to commence under a specific schedule and that due to production delays, those deadlines were in danger of slipping.  The new deal extends the deadlines for at least two years.

The article also mentions that X-Men is in pre-production with an eye towards a summer filming start.  The movie is targeted for a 2000 release.  Likewise Fantastic Four is on deck also shooting for a 2000 or, more likely, a 2001 release.  Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures and Bernd Eichinger are producing Fantastic Four.   Eichinger is also the producer on Silver Surfer.

The DNCC reports that Mike Finch (Wing Commander) is hard at work on a new script for the live-action Silver Surfer movies.  The movie is in development at Fox Family Films.   Finch has also recently worked on an Aeon Flux movie.

With a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to Marvel's financial difficulties, Stan Lee told the DNCC that the publisher would be refocusing its efforts to bring it's comic properties to the silver screen.  "As soon as Toy Biz takes over, that is our number one objective, to get our movies, television and animation projects going," Lee is quoted as saying. 

The article reports that X-Men, Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four are all still active at Fox, Hulk is being retooled at Universal and Mort The Dead Teenager is in development at Dreamworks.  Diversification is part of Marvel's new movie strategy.  Spreading the characters over different studios will give the movies a lesser reliance on each other's success.

AICN ran a report from a spy who gave his impressions of an alleged script for the Silver Surfer movie.  The spy reports that the script is faithful to the Stan Lee's vision of the comic (but he seems a little fuzzy on the details of the comic, so I'm not sure we can take his word for it).  He reports the dialogue is updated with "slightly less philosophical posturing."  Finally, the spy claims Surfer fans will love it.

The DNCC reports that John Rice (Blown Away, Chasers) and Rudy Gaines have begun working on a script for the Silver Surfer movie.

In an article entitled BUZZ: Slimmer 'Racer' Speeds Ahead, Daily Variety reports on the progress of the Speed Racer movie, that was stalled with budget woes.  The same article mentions several other cases where the studios have decided to be pennywise and keep careful track of film costs.  Silver Surfer is mentioned as a movie "halted during pre-production" due to budget concerns.

In the Andy Mangels' Marvel Reel News column, Andy reports that this movie is directed by Geoffrey Wright (Romper Stomper) with a script by Richard Jeffries. Producers are Neue Constantin Films and 20th Century Fox. CGI will generate the Surfer's metallic look and Galactus will be the villain. The article says the release is expected for Summer of 1998, which seems highly unlikely to me as I have heard virtually nothing about filming actually beginning on this movie.

An AICN spy reported seeing the script for this movie and offered a plot synopsis. I won't give away too many details (see the actual report for that), but the script did include Alicia Masters and Galactus. The reported said the script is reminiscent of many of the benevolent-alien-trapped-on-earth types of things we've seen in recent times (like John Carpenter's Star Man).

Silver Surfer is one of 12 Marvel films listed by Stan Lee in the Soapbox column appearing in Marvel comics dated September, 1997. Stan mentions there are 5 more projects in development that he's keeping secret.