4. Doom Patrol - Grant Morrison
Who knows how long this string of superhero movies is going to last, but before it's over I would give my left nipple (which is my favorite one, I'll have you know) to see a Doom Patrol movie. Normally, I am not a fan of the "superhero ensemble" genre. I can accept one superhero (and complementing supervillain) in a story, but any more than that strains credulity and quickly comes across as a corporate attempt to maximize fan appeal and merchandising potential. Really: in a world where we have Batman
and Superman
and Wonder Woman
and Flash
and Green Lantern, doesn't it all start to become a bit silly? I make an exception for exactly two groups. The first is Watchmen, all hail Alan Moore. The second is Doom Patrol, and only because Grant Morrison's take on the team (which, in its original incarnation, may be a bit too close to the Fantastic Four or the X-Men for comfort) is amazing. Sure, it's not the typical superhero fare: Morrison's Doom Patrol saves the world from rampant dadaism and Scissormen who cut people out of reality, not evil geniuses or alien beings who want to rule/enslave/kill us all. But that's what would make it
so cool to see in the movies---that and characters like Danny The Street, Mr. Nobody, and Dorothy Spinner. Back in 2006,
Warner Brothers announced that they were considering bringing the Doom Patrol to life. After tapping Adam Turner (Area 52) to write the screenplay, the story went cold and there hasn't been any news since, so we can only assume this project is never going to come to pass. Which is just as well: this means there's still room for my dream team of Morrison adapting the screenplay and Terry Gilliam directing.