Comic Book Casting: The Image 7

In 1992, seven of the industry’s top artists rebelled against the Big Two and struck out on their own. It was a David & Goliath story writ large, with the David(s) in this case being Image Comics and the Goliath(s) being Marvel and DC. Armed with the hottest skills and significant fan support on their side, these seven artists – Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Eric Larsen, Jim Valentino and Whilce Portacio – changed the course of comics and created a company which stands to this day.

The foundation of Image Comics is one of the comic industry’s most memorable stories outside the comic books, and resonates with people for its little man vs. big man analogy. It didn’t hurt that comics were in the middle of one of its most popular modern eras, with several comic issues breaking one million in sales and collect-ability at and all-time high. And now, twenty years later I think it’d be an eye-opening and intriguing story to be told for comics fans and the general public alike.

The Concept:

Like I said earlier, the story of Image Comics has the familiar ring of a group of young rebels striking out against their overlords – you see that theme in everything from Star Wars to pro wrestling. The story of Image Comics is like that but in a business sense, mixing the personal politics of The Social Network with big money like Wall Street and the drive of a young group of individuals not unlike Entourage; it’s a familiar theme, but told against the colorful backdrop of comics.

The story here is about the artists breaking away from Marvel for Image, but also about larger themes like working for yourself, growing up, and in some cases the allure of becoming the kind of institution you rebelled against in the first place. Each of the Image Seven has their own unique arc, and could be played up for the drama with the unique personalities that would be a boon for biting comedy. Imagine the scenes like the building group recruiting Jim Lee into the fold, and the combined weight of all seven storming Marvel’s executive offices, going on to their public debut and even to darker times such as when Liefeld was voted out of the company. There are some deep truths in this and some shocking stories only a few people know about, and it could be a gripping tale that may end up rivaling the memorable stories of the comics themselves.

The Director:

While some people might push this into being a follow-up for The Social Network’s David Fincher & Aaron Sorkin duo, instead of being so cerebral I’d go in favor of a writer/director Rob Thomas. Between creating Veronica Mars to reviving 90210, Thomas has shown the ability to insert humor while juggling a larger-than-life franchise. But its smaller stories like Party Down that turn Thomas from a possibility to a definite fit for this. An Image 7 movie would have to have more seriousness than Party Down, it would be important to keep that rebellious spirit.

The Cast:

Todd McFarlane – James Franco: McFarlane’s passion for doing his own thing is well-documented, and I think he was a key instigator in organizing the group to make Image happen. I’ve interviewed McFarlane on several occasions, and he is a unique and engaging personality that wins you over with his exuberance and backs it up with his methodology once he hones in on something. Seeing James Franco take on this part would borrow from several other of his works like 127 Hours to Freaks & Geeks, and would be a sight to see.

Jim Lee – John Cho: Although he’s the only Image founder I’ve never had the opportunity to interview, I feel as if Jim Lee was in many ways what kept the group together. Many people don’t know this, but Lee was trained as a doctor – and has the degree to prove it – but bucked his parents wishes and tried his childhood passion of comics and actually succeeded. Although this  movie wouldn’t cover his path to power at DC Comics, even during the 90s Lee was very much a budding businessman in addition to being one of Image’s most stable founders, so seeing him as one of the last recruits into the Image rebellion and helping chart the company’s course early on is important. Seeing Cho in this role would continue that actor’s path from comedy roles to more serious ones, and I think these two share a similar background that would be great to see explored onscreen.

Marc Silvestri – Emile Hirsch: Silvestri was a couple years older than most of the other Image founders, and had been working in comics for years before most got their start. But he shared a studio with Lee and Portacio, and I believe added a sense of maturity to the group. Putting Emile Hirsch into this part could be interesting, especially opposite Franco, Cho, and the others.

Erik Larsen – Chris O’Dowd: Although I’ve never been fortunate enough to be in the same room as all seven Image founders at once, given Erik Larsen’s personality and creations I’d like to think he takes the edge off sometimes tense negotations, and uses his ability to do so to navigate tough issues with some outspoken creators. The IT Crowd and Bridesmaids star Chris O’Dowd would be an interesting choice, especially to see him-as-Larsen explaining his plans for Savage Dragon.

Jim Valentino – Zachary Quinto: Unlike all the other creators who founded Image, Jim Valentino was the only one who had done significant independent comics before. One of the older members of the group, Valentino had connections on the broader comics scene. Although Quinto might be leading man material for some, I think he’d be a crafty choice for this ensemble piece and carry through Valentino’s experience into this group of relative comics newcomers.

Whilce Portacio – Dante Basco: We all know the name Whilce Portacio, but in the grand scheme of the foundation of Image Comics he’s an enigma. Although one of the original founders, he had to back out from the company early on due to a family illness and only rejoined the company a year or two later with Wetworks. I’d love to see Basco (who will always stick into my mind for Hook) play Portacio as a compassionate-and-entrepreneurial Portacio who is forced to back out of the company and rejoin it after the initial rush of the first year.

Rob Liefeld – Zac Efron: Some people forget how young Rob Liefeld was Image was founded: only 25, younger than many budding comic creators today. If McFarlane was the instigator, then Liefeld was the fuel for the Image enterprise – his youthful exuberance showed through both on the comics page and not. And while Zac Efron may not be considered a serious actor, I think he’s close to the mindset of Liefeld at the time and, like Liefeld at the time, is looking to break out of the corporate image put on him by his Disney movies. Efron would be a striking image to off-set against the other actors in this ensemble piece, and could be just the thing to set this on fire.

Comments

  1. Rufio Rufio Rufio Rufiooooooooo!

  2. As long as wardrobe only dressed Liefeld in 501’s, I would be okay with this movie.

  3. Damn, I want to see this movie now. Aside from American Splendor, there’s a serious lack of comic book biopics.

    • Although as interesting as Image 7 would be as a movie, I’d also like to see the Lee/Kirby story get told. Now that’s a story!

    • Stan Lee would have to be played by Stan Lee though. As he is. Gray hair and everything.

    • Stan Lee, Kirby, Simon, Kane, Everett, Ayers, and most importantly DITKO! Also, Roy Thomas as the new kid and Martin Goodman.

  4. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I tried to make Chris listen to reason and cast Jesse Plemons as Liefeld, but I am but one man.

  5. I laughed so hard when I saw Liefeld being played by Zac Efron; but I would watch this movie in-a-heartbeat.

  6. This is a good idea. I’d watch the hell out of this movie.

  7. Jason Batemen has tp play Rob Liefeld.

  8. Is there a book? There should be. This is a great story and I could totally see this being a thing.

  9. Zac Efron as Rob Liefeld is so perfect in so many different ways I just wanna hug whoever came up with that idea. First there’s the fact that he actually would be exactly the right choice for the role given his youthful exuberance and naive nature compared to the rest of them, and there’s the meta-diss to Liefeld’s overcompensating masculinity by casting a former-Mousekateer.

  10. Inspired casting! Love this idea, best yet. I always saw Joaquin Phoenix as Valentino but Quinto would probably be better.

  11. Holy cow, Spock just got BURNED!

  12. Erik Larsen should be played by Bruce Willis. Who they should go on to play Dragon in a Savage Dragon feature film.

  13. We do definitely need a Savage Dragon film, asap. Two Hellboys, not one Dragon, what is the deal Hollywood? It sells itself, awesome green guy.

    Hah I gotta say, this idea is hilarious, but also excellent. If they did make this movie, I’d hope to give it a fitting Image twist, they should just go 100% fictional with it, and the last act being an all out Expendables style action flick with these guys going out guns blazing.

    • Just for the record, Image is my favorite comic company, and a documentary on it would be great. A “based on a true story” Hollywood dramatization, ha well I say might as well do something memorable and awesome with it. Surreal unexpected violence, it’s the best idea.

  14. I bet Efron can draw better than Leifeld.

  15. the actor that plays Todd from Breaking Bad would be a perfect Rob Liefeld. (as a bonus, Todd on that show is a d-bag so you know, he kinda already fits the part)

    http://snarkerati.com/tv-news/files/2012/05/jesse-plemons-breaking-bad.jpg

  16. I would really love to see this movie. Imagine getting everyone to sign off on it, good luck.

  17. This is a great idea. I would love to see a movie like this.

  18. At first glance, I thought, “An Image movie? Who cares?…”.

    Then I saw the cast, and remembered that the founding of Image Comics was a big deal in comics history, and I thought; “Holy crap, I wanna see this…”

  19. Look if movies like Moneyball can be a huge hit, this totally can too!

  20. I would like to see Paul Montgomery play all the roles in what would inevitably be the world’s most popular one man play.

  21. This sounds like a ‘made for HBO’ type movie. I’d watch it.

  22. Would watch the heck out of this movie. What is Aaron Sorkin working on these days?

  23. This movie has to be made!

  24. Rob Liefeld’s… extreme temperament, and physical facial features can only be appropriately represented by Mark Walberg channeling his turn in Boogie Nights.

  25. Get Sorkin to write it. The Comic Book Company