With much of the superhero movie attention justifiably focused on Marvel, we've been trying to come up with ideas for which of their lower tier characters might be next on the silver screen. But DC Comics has an even greater roster of characters to pull from, many with significant built-in audiences and histories that stretch back decades. One of DC's most popular B-list characters is Lobo, and Warner Brothers has been trying to get a film based on the alien bounty hunter at least since 2009.
At one point, Guy Ritchie was set to direct a Lobo adaptation but he had to drop out to take on Sherlock Holmes. Obviously, that was a wise move considering the money they made. Now Warner Brothers is putting the project back on the frontline, with Brad Peyton set to direct. Peyton is getting a shot at jumpstarting his own franchise after banking more than $300M for Warner Brothers with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, so obviously they are lovin' this guy right now. There was a script already completed by Don Payne before, but it remains to be seen if that's still in play. I doubt it.
Lobo, who looks like an alien member of KISS, is an intergalactic bounty hunter created in 1983 by the great Keith Giffen and Roger Slifer as part of their Omega Men series. Giffen dreamed him up as an indictment on the extreme violent characters like Wolverine and The Punisher. He was a bad ass biker who took no prisoners at first, but upon his re-emergence he became more of a comedic anti-hero similar to Marvel's Deadpool.
Although some may disagree, I think this is a smart move for Warner Brothers. Lobo has huge franchise potential if done correctly. And since whoever takes the lead role will be heavily made up, they can invest in building a rising star who doesn't command big money. Jeffrey Dean Morgan(Watchmen) has stated in the past that Lobo is one of his dream roles, and considering his past with DC and Warner Brothers(he also starred in The Losers for them), it would make a nice fit. Plus, this builds up the DC movie universe in a significant way, giving us a taste of it outside of Batman and Superman. If the ultimate goal is to lead up to a Justice League film, then movies like this are going to be a part of that. I'm much more excited about seeing Lobo than I am Aquaman or Martian Manhunter. [Deadline]
