With the success of Deadpool in theaters, it is not a surprise that movie studios are now more willing to put their money on adaptations about anti-heroes, a niche in the comic book based movies. Not only that, but Deadpool also showed that an R-rated movie can be made and still turn out to be a financial and critical success, opening a whole new array of possibilities for characters which previously were rarely explored due to their violent nature and questionable morals.
One of such character is Lobo, the DC Comics anti-hero. Rumors of a Lobo movie have been in the talks for a while, going as far back as 2009; but now we have more concrete information about the film; Jason Fuchs, the screenwriter of Wonder Woman, is now officially on board in the project. Personally, I think it is the perfect move for DC Comics to make and here is why.
Marvel Comics took the industry by storm when we learned about their plans for a connected cinematic universe, and DC Comics made a fatal mistake. They took too long to kick start the wheels into motion, and now many fans see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as a clumsy attempt to build a setup for the creation of The Justice League.
Now Marvel Comics scored a victory first with Deadpool, but as we mentioned earlier, the Lobo movie has been in the talks for years now, and it is safe to say that DC Comics must have a pretty clear idea on which direction the project is going to take.
Also, Lobo is an anti-hero, just like Deadpool, and while we can draw some parallels between both mercenaries on the topics of questionable morals and fourth wall breaking, they are very different characters. Lobo is an alien who wiped out his people to achieve uniqueness. Now, tell me if that would not be awesome to see in a film! It is edgy, off the wall and not seen before in a comic book based movie.
Lobo visits multiple planets while doing his mercenary exploits. His adventures are featured in original settings and characters from other worlds, if handled correctly featuring good writing and environments, we could have a movie with violence, dark humor and various settings for the character to venture on. Guardians Of The Galaxy handled an alien cast pretty well, but to me, Lobo is just at a much more impressive level.
And finally, let us not forget one key point: Lobo has faced various DC Comics villains and also heroes, he will be an excellent antagonist for The Justice League to take on when the league forms. The interactions among the characters would be priceless.
Clearly, the era of: “classic hero characters only” has ended. That fact will give the opportunity to mainstream audiences to get to know new characters, and will grant hardcore comic book fans to see the stories in theaters of comic book characters which until recently we were lucky if we saw on a fan-made film (which are always appreciated).
The bottom line is that news of progress on the Lobo movie come at a perfect time with lots of potential for a success that further validates the R approach on comic book movies in today’s market.
