5 famous films and their original titles (Round 4) – Answers revealed!
- The Coldest City = Atomic Blonde (Based on the comic book, The Coldest City, by
@AntonyJohnston
and Sam Hart). Head Cheese = The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Head Cheese was the working title in early development but later changed to Leatherface during production, and finally The Texas Chainsaw Massacre prior to the movie’s release).
Nothing Lasts Forever = Die Hard (The movie is based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp and was renamed Die Hard during production).
Scared Sheetless = Beetlejuice (The movie was originally pitched as Scared Sheetlets by writers Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson but, with Tim Burton coming on board to direct and the Beetlejuice character gaining prominence in subsequent rewrites, it was decided to change the title).
Star Beast – Alien (Writer Dan O’Bannon was unhappy with the original title he deemed too generic and, while considering alternate titles, purportedly reviewed the script and, noting how many times the word “alien” appeared, decided it would prove the perfect title).
How about we move on to t.v. with – 5 Famous Television Shows and their original titles?
Continuing our 100 Supervillain Stories….
#2. “The Killing Joke” (1988)
Escaping the confines of Arkham Asylum, the Joker sets out to blur the line between sanity and insanity, comedy and tragedy. And he’s going to use Gotham City’s top cop, Commissioner Jim Gordon, and his daughter Barbara to do it.
Writer: Alan Moore
Penciler: Brian Bolland
Inker: Brian Bolland
Colorist: John Higgins
Letterer: Richard Starkings
One of Batman’s most celebrated stories is also one of its most controversial, a tale lauded for its exploration of the fine line separating sanity and madness, and the complex relationship that binds Batman and the Joker, yet criticized for its depictions of cruelty. Writer Alan Moore would later express regret for some of the story’s nihilistic elements, particularly the violence perpetrated against Barbara Gordon, as well as its influence in ushering in a darker approach to storytelling.
I agree that the cruelty inflicted on Barbara feels gratuitous and ultimately ill-advised from a narrative standpoint, reflecting more an inelegance and lack of subtlety in the storytelling than a manifestation of the Joker’s depravity, but I would still argue these negative elements don’t eclipse the story’s strengths: the Joker’s tragic yet ambiguous backstory, the dual examination of Batman and the Joker’s respective psyches, and, of course, Brian Bolland’s beautiful artwork.
Speaking of Bolland, he had intended for “The Killing Joke” to be told in black and white, but DC balked. Years later, for the 2008 Deluxe Edition, Bolland would recolor it in more muted tones that he thought better reflected his original vision.
There’s some debate about the ending. Does Batman kill his arch enemy in the closing panels or is their shared laugh a rare moment of personal connection, like that flashlight beam offering a ray of hope that will inevitably lead to disaster and heartbreak. I lean towards the latter.
Some of these stories will no doubt survive the test of time better than others and “The Killing Joke” is an example of one that may not have fared as well in retrospect, but that still cannot undermine the importance of its contribution to the evolution of storytelling in comics.
#3. “Magneto: Testament” (2009)
The definitive origin story of one of Marvel’s greatest icons begins with a silver chain and a crush on a girl – and quickly turns into a harrowing struggle for survival against the inexorable machinery of Hitler’s Final Solution.
Writer: Greg Pak
Penciler: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Inker: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Natalie Lanphear
A grounded origin story almost devoid of super power trappings, Magneto: Testament offers an account, at turns grim and harrowing, of one of history’s darkest moments as seen through the eyes of young Max Eisenhardt, a boy who would grow up to become Magneto, the Master of Magnetism. Carmine Di Giandomenico’s art and Matt Hollingsworth’s colors do a wonderful job of reflecting the tale’s bleak tone. Author Greg Park’s well-researched narrative works as an educational resource as well as a gripping exploration of the human will to survive against the darkest of odds, yet I would argue it doesn’t work quite as well as a supervillain origin story as, outside of a brief instant where it appears Max instinctively disrupts the trajectory of some bullets, saving his own life, we don’t really see the flowering of his mutant abilities. One could argue this makes the story more accessible to readers who may be turned off by the more fantastical elements typical of comic books but, in all fairness, this IS as presented a supervillain origin story and, given what we later learn about Magneto’s abilities – how anger and emotional trauma end up triggering them – it feels a bit of a letdown that we never really see these abilities manifest. Still, despite this, it’s a bold, historical retelling that humanizes one of Marvel’s most storied villains.
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