Although Mike Hammer isn’t exactly the world’s best-known fictional detective, somebody over at Warner Bros. is obviously a big fan as it’s been reported that the studio have purchased the rights to the character for an upcoming cinematic adaptation.
Hammer hails from a series of pulpy novels first written by Mickey Spillane in the late 40s. Hammer, unlike many of his contemporaries, is actually a defender of the law and genuinely believes that justice should be served through the legitimate channels. He even admires the police, who are usually screwing things up for men like Philip Marlowe. Hammer is a goody-goody, basically, albeit with a badass name and Colt .45.
Some of you might be familiar with ol’ Mike through Stacy Keach, who played Hammer in the 80s detective series (the creatively titled Mike Hammer). There was even a cinematic adaptation in 1982 under the bizarre name I, The Jury, but it’s not talked about much these days because is was criminally bad.
According to reports, Warner Bros. have been taking scripts from a number of well-established screenwriters, although there’s been no mention of names so far. We’re thinking somebody like Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en) would do justice to Hammer’s hard-boiled nature.
Still, Hammer isn’t exactly Sam Spade, so Warner Bros. are going to have to be on the ball with the marketing of this potential franchise. Start by saying the name over and over again. Mike Hammer. Mike Hammer. Mike Hammer. It’s kind of beginning to stick, isn’t it? Kind of.
We’re already thinking about taglines: THIS SUMMER… PREPARE TO BE NAILED. No, no: CRIME IS ABOUT TO TAKE A HAMMERING. Um, give us a minute.
So, what are your thoughts on a Mike Hammer adaptation? Is it a good idea for Warner to bring back a character like Mike in an age of CGI and slackened morals? Or are you just disappointed that this article wasn’t about tools?
As usual, let us know in the comments section below.
Source: Empire
