Fox is tapping a comic-book veteran for assistance with their lucrative superhero properties.
Superstar “Kick-Ass” creator Mark Millar, known for his acclaimed work on such Marvel titles as “The Ultimates” and “Civil War,” has signed on as a creative consultant for Fox’s “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” film franchises. Under the deal, Millar will work on such upcoming titles as Matthew Vaughn’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” James Mangold’s “The Wolverine” and a “Fantastic Four” reboot to be directed by “Chronicle” phenom Josh Trank.
“As someone who has spent his entire life obsessed with both comic-books and movies, this is essentially my dream gig as it”s a unique combination of both,” said Millar in a statement. “I spent ten years working at Marvel and am really happy with the work I did on the comic side of things so the idea of working with these characters now in a brand new medium is enormously exciting for me. I really like the Fox team, love this bold new direction they have for their franchises and am proud to be working alongside some of modern cinema”s biggest talents. James Mangold is incredible, Matthew Vaughn”s one of my closest pals and Josh Trank gave us, in my opinion, one of the greatest superhero movies of the last decade with ‘Chronicle.’ The invitation to join this crew was maybe the coolest phone-call I”ve ever had.”
Twice nominated for an Eisner Award, the Scotland-based Millar began his career as a teenager writing on the short-lived Trident series “Saviour.” He later went on to land a job with DC, working on such titles as “Swamp Thing” and “JLA” before landing his big break as Warren Ellis’ replacement on DC/Wildstorm’s ultra-violent superhero series “The Authority.” A move to Marvel in the early 2000s saw him bring his distinctive, irreverent flair to titles including “Marvel Knights Spider-Man,” “Fantastic Four,” “Marvel Zombies” and the celebrated “Old Man Logan” plotline in “Wolverine.”
In addition to “Kick-Ass,” Millar is the creator of such series as “Wanted” (loosely adapted into the hit 2008 Angelina Jolie movie of the same name), “War Heroes” and “Nemesis,” the last of which currently has a feature-film version in development at Fox. All were developed via his own Millarworld line of comics that was started in 2004.
Do you think Millar’s involvement in the “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” film franchises will result in better films? Sound off below.