8 Exciting Upcoming Comic Book Movies You Need To Know About (That Aren’t Marvel Or DC)

Goofy Jim Carrey might finally be returning in a comic book movie...

By Danny Meegan /

With the enormous success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the heightened interest in superhero properties that caused, it was inevitable that any company in possession of a comic-book IP would look to get into the movie business.

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With oddball characters like Venom and Deadpool getting their own big-budget movies, and previously B and C-list heroes like Iron Man and Captain America making billions of dollars with ease, we live in a time where virtually any comic-book universe - if handled correctly - can prove a lucrative investment for the studio, and a great time at the movies for us fans.

We've got Aquaman and Into The Spider-Verse soon, with Captain Marvel, Avengers 4 and Dark Phoenix arriving next year, but these mainstream efforts are just the tip of the iceberg considering the large amount of lesser-known comic adaptations lurking on the movie release calendar.

There's no guarantee that these movies will be any good, and some may not even make it through development. But on the surface, they each have incredible potential, and these eight adaptations should definitely be on your radar.

8. Rising Stars

The Comic: A 24-issue limited series created by J. Michael Straczynski (who also wrote the Thor and World War Z movies), Rising Stars follows a group of people called "Specials", who were given superpowers after a comet struck their small Illinois town.

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The series explores how the Specials integrate with society, and how society responds to them. Some use their powers for good, others for bad, and others for selfish reasons like fame. There's also a murder case (investigated by John, a Special) that makes the comic feel like a mystery story featuring the X-Men. It's really cool.

The Movie: In 2016, MGM acquired the rights to turn Rising Stars into a feature-film, with Straczynski set to write the script. Richard Suckle and Alex Gartner will be producing the movie for Atlas Entertainment (the studio that worked on Batman V Superman, Wonder Woman, and the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984).

Unfortunately, that's all we really know about the Rising Stars adaptation, with the production going quiet since that 2016 report. But with Straczynski's work on Thor and World War Z proving popular with audiences, there's certainly enough reason for MGM to push forward with this one.

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