Plot: Spanning 60 years, J. Michael Straczynski's epic saga begins with a meteor strike over a small US town where all the children in utero at the time are born with special powers. Rising Stars charts the lives of the 113 'Specials' as they grow to adulthood and deal with their powers, themselves, each other and the world itself. There are triumphs, tragedies, conspiracies and epic action in this excellent and tightly-plotted comic. The Pitch: Superhero by Spielberg. Why It Would Make A Killer Movie: Rising Stars is the superhero story to end all superhero stories. It has great characters, big action, a gripping storyline, enigmatic protagonists and incredible visuals. This has absolutely everything you could want from a comic book adaptation but with the one thing you'll never get with Marvel or DC cash cows; a complete and flawless ending. Creator J. Michael Straczynski, who wrote the Clint Eastwood directed film The Changeling, penned a script back in 2001 based on Rising Stars first act (Born In Fire) intending it to be a trilogy, but after legal disputes with publisher Top Cow nothing ever came of it. It may just be wishful thinking but with Superhero films now de rigueur in Hollywood, and with a number of great directors ranging from Steven Spielberg to Ridley Scott having never made a Superhero film, this great story could still make the transition to the big screen in the future, made by a filmmaker with the right skills to do it justice.
