I can't help but feel bad for Garth Ennis because it seems like lately, the guy can't catch a break. It was bad enough that the long-awaited adaption of his controversial series Preacher was shelved at HBO; but this is just adding insult to injury. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Columbia Pictures has hired Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay to adapt Ennis' anti-superhero comic, The Boys. Back in February, Elisabeth gave us the heads up that Columbia had picked up the property in the 'spirit' of looking for some titles that could give Watchmen a run for their money on the topic of superhero subversion. Originally published in 2006, The Boys was created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The story was "set in a contemporary world very much similar to real one, with one notable exception: a number of people have some form of superpower. The series follows a superpowered CIA squad, known informally as "the Boys", whose job it is to keep watch on superheroes and, if necessary, intimidate or kill them."
So you might be wondering why the addition of Manfredi and Hay isn't good news. I mean everyone likes a comic book movie, right? Well, a quick glance at their collective resumes solves that mystery. Between the two of them, they have created some truly awful scripts (notably, The Tuxedo and crazy/beautiful). Hopefully the two have been brushing up on their 'superhero skills' by finishing their adaptation of R.I.P.D. for Universal. If not, I can't imagine that fans of the dark and violent world of The Boys will be pleased.
[Thanks: Comics2Film]
1. Please, please, PLEASE, people involved in this, don't screw this up!
...eh, it probably will be.
Posted at 2:27PM on Aug 29th 2008 by Vicki