Posted in: Movies | Tagged: Comics, HRL

Brian Michael Bendis: The Next Spider-Man Movie Could Be 'You Are Spider-Man'

Published Sat, 26 Aug 2017 17:45:51 -0500

Brian Michael Bendis is in town for the London Super Comic Con this weekend, and from all accounts is being a swell chap. Turning up for signings early, leaving late, chatting to everyone who wants to share the time of day, and generally being a good sport. He's still working, too — and at panel about the relationship between movies, TV, and comics yesterday, he said that he had to take a conference meeting in three hours time about the next Spider-Man animated movie. He wouldn't confirm whether it stars Miles Morales, though he said "it would be weird that I would be consulting on it if he wasn't." It's okay, Brian — Sony confirmed that months ago.

With The Woods's Michael Dialynas and Revival's Mike Norton, they shared tales of adaptations. Of Mike Norton and Tim Seeley's problems with NBC and Revival, wanting to change it into something else, possibly something like Brad Pitt was up to, with Brian sharing similar production notes, with the value underlined of saying no to things.

There was also much discussion regarding the infinite budget of comic books and how much they had had to cut back on the filmed versions of their work, having to choose between three scenes or Norton asking whether it was really practical to hire a zorse (a horse/zebra cross) for so many days. What Bendis dubbed the "Game of Thrones Season 1" trick of pointing to a battle out of a window so as not actually have to film it was a common solution — especially if Dialynas's scene has giant glowing green children stomping on things.

There was much discussion about the future of comics, now that they have been strip mined for film and TV. Bendis pointed out the TV schedule often looks like a Diamond Previews catalogue, with iZombie followed by Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., followed by Walking Dead, one after another. His worry is that people wouldn't need the comics, that their itch would be scratched by television instead. A $7.99 Netflix subscription looks mighty nice next to a 20-page $3.99 comic book.

The question was asked, do you need these kind of comics anymore? The love for these characters has never been more intense, but that hasn't transferred to the comics. He did mention that Spider-Man: Homecoming boosted Ultimate Spider-Man sales and Jessica Jones has done wonders for that series, but the place for comics in the equation remains precarious.

He asked if maybe the format needs to change. For a major player within Marvel Comics, that may be quite an important thing to be saying in public.

He also talked about being worried for comic stores. If Diamond and the whole market folded, he would still be making comics or telling stories, but he worries for the industry as a whole. He compared this to the bankruptcy of Marvel when they were selling filing cabinets on the street, and yet came back wonderfully but remains worried. And what happens to the films without the comics? He says that movies need the comics they are based on to provide their honesty with the audience, and that they have a symbiotic relationship.

But right now, the comic book executives are in charge of short-term success — they need to get their quarter's numbers done. But comic creators are the ones in charge of the long term.

Talking of the long term, Bendis was also asked where he saw the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe going. He's less a part of that — but looking much further ahead, while he was previously worried for comics, he's also worried for film. He says the next movie could quite easily be You Are Spider-Man, a VR experience building on last year's Batman VR game.

He said that these are the babiest of baby steps into VR, but You Are Spider-Man is where it will end up. And as the world gets shittier, so the VR world gets sexier. And while his kid is happy with his Spider-Man wrist webbing device — in a few years he will actually be Spider-Man. And what could be better than that?

This is where corporate investment is going into right now, and so we will be given the chance if nothing else to discover if we like it or not…