Normally, we do not cover rumors here at FilmBuffOnline, but this one has a little meat to it.
CHUD ran a story about a supposed German radio interview with producer Joel Silver in which he made the announcement that the Wachowski siblings will be writing and directing the long in development Plastic Man film. What’s more, the siblings will be reuniting with their Matrix star, Keanu Reeves, for the project.
What gives this rumor weight is that in 1995, before Assassins, the Wachowskis’ debut screenwriting effort, hit the screen, they submitted a script for Plastic Man to Warner Brothers. Silver claims in the interview that this is the script that they will be bringing to the screen.
Of course, since this supposed interview occurred on German radio, it is hard to verify its veracity. So this news should be taken with a grain of salt.
Plastic Man dates back to the Golden Age of comics. Created by comic legend Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1, published by Quality Comics. Plastic Man is Patrick “Eel” O’Brien, a criminal whose robbery of a chemical plant goes wrong. Shot by a night watchman and doused in an experimental acid, O’Brien gained the power to stretch and contort his body into any form. He had a change of heart about his criminal life style, and used his new found abilities to fight crime as Plastic Man.
My take? Well, I might be easier on Keanu that certain other members of the FilmBuffOnline staff, I have to agree with Valerie D’Orazio of Occasional Superheroine that is a major piece of miscasting. Plastic Man is not a character that Keanu can coast by using his typical laconic acting style. Plastic Man is a living cartoon–animated and larger than life. Not something I see Keanu doing well.
Another thing about this is that the Wachowskis’ script varies from the comic origin in such a way that it is bound to infuriate hardcore fans of the character. As per a script review in Back Issue #3, the concept takes on an eco-friendly tact. The most inflammatory change was in Eel O’Brien backstory. Instead of a criminal with a heart of gold, O’Brien is an environmentalist whose extreme tactics got him in trouble with the law. He becomes Plastic Man not after being splashed with acid, but by having a “polymerization solution” shoved down his throat by the main bad guy.
Again, this is just a rumor at this stage. Until the Wachowskis are formally announced as directors and Keanu signs on the dotted line, this is all speculation.
Via Cinematical
