While Marvel Studios has recently gone left-field by beginning work on a Shang-Chi movie, it’s now been revealed that Warner Brothers is similarly looking to bring one of their more obscure characters to the big screen.
Courtesy of Deadline, Warners has brought in The Mayor’s Amanda Idoko to pen the screenplay for a Plastic Man movie. To be fair, Plastic Man is a cult favourite of sorts, but this is still a little bit of a surprising move from The WB. That said, there’s all kinds of visual possibilities to be had with such a fun character.
Originally created for Quality Comics by Jack Cole, Plastic Man debuted in 1941’s Police Comics #1. Patrick “Eel” O’Brian was a no-good criminal who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Why’s that? Well, that’s because a bungled robbery ends with him covered in some funky chemicals that completely change his genetic make-up. This change allows O’Brian to change in to pretty much any and all shapes you could possibly think of. Throw in a heroic change of heart and some humourous quips, and you soon had the fundamentals in place for a hugely enjoyable character. And yes, for those asking, he is indeed ever so slightly similar to DC’s other flexible hero, Elongated Man. Oh, and Marvel’s Reed Richards.
Following the closure of Quality Comics in 1956, DC Comics swooped in to nab the rights for several Quality creations, including Eel O’Brian. In terms of his notoriety in the comic book world, Plastic Man has been a fully paid-up member of the Justice League, has often teamed with Batman, and had a huge role to play in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again.
Away from comics, The Plastic Man/Comedy Adventure Show was an animated effort that ran from 1979 to 1981, and Plastic Man was a regular part of the fun in Batman: The Brave and the Bold during its run.
Previously, there have been several attempts to get a Plastic Man feature off the ground; all of which ultimately fizzled out and came to nothing. It’s still extremely early days, but it looks as if we may get to see Eel O’Brian on the big screen at some point after all.
As ever, expect more on all of this as we get it.