10 Movies You Never Would Have Guessed Were Based Off Comic Books

Comic book movies are enjoying an all-time high right now, with at least eight of 2016’s biggest releases being based on the medium (we’ll let you work out what they are). However, there is still a common misconception about the distinction between a superhero movie and one based on a comic book. Though comics are arguably a much more respected medium than they used to be, many still see them as a merely the platform of superheroes – which is, of course, entirely unfair. If you look at comic book publishing as a whole, you would see that it is as wide-ranging as any other storytelling medium. Even DC and Marvel don’t print superhero stories alone. As such, there are several famous movies that are not regularly known to be based on comic books, strips, graphic novels or manga. Here are ten such films you never would have guessed began in the pages of a funny book. 10) Alien Vs. Predator You might think that the lacklustre Alien vs. Predator films were just a cash-in crossover of two popular sci-fi movie franchises. However, while that is admittedly true, the idea of Xenomorphs and Predators going at it has been around far longer than the movies, as it actually began in comic books. Dark Horse Comics first published an AVP story all the way back in 1989, which soon span off into other mediums including the popular SNES game from 1993. The film series, which started in 2004, is actually very late to the game. The comics push the crossover idea further, with the likes of Alien vs. Predator vs. The Terminator and even Superman and Batman Versus Alien and Predator. OK, now that one we’d like to see… 9) Kingsman: The Secret Service One of the most surprising movie hits from last year was Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, which turned out to be a brilliant subversion of spy movies and made an unexpectedly great action star out of Colin Firth. It might have passed you by then that it is actually based on a comic book. The Secret Service was a six-issue limited series from Icon Comics, an imprint of Marvel for creator-owned titles. It was written by Mark Millar – who you probably know from his work on Civil War and Kick-Ass. The film was already a fairly loose adaptation of the source material but will carve out its own path entirely for the upcoming sequel expected in 2017. 8) Oblivion No one would have guessed that Tom Cruise sci-fi flick Oblivion was based on a comic book, as its source material was never actually published. The film, which sees Cruise as one of the last people on Earth after an alien invasion, was directed by Tron: Legacy’s Joseph Kosinski. Kosinski began the project as a graphic novel for Radical Comics, which he co-wrote with Arvid Nelson, but it was never released. Instead, he used the material to pitch the idea as a movie. Kosinski has since said that the comic was just a way of working through his ideas and that he always planned to make it as a film. As such, this one isn’t technically based off a comic book – but the graphic novel did come first, so we’re counting it here. 7) Snowpiercer We really should have expected 2013’s Snowpiercer to be based on a comic book, as it starred the comic book movie king Chris Evans in the lead – he of Captain America and Fantastic Four fame, but also lesser known comic adaptations Push and The Losers. Snowpiercer is actually an adaptation of French graphic novel Le Transperceneige (‘The Snow-Piercer’) which, like the film, focuses on a world-spanning train which houses the last vestiges of humanity after most have been killed in a new Ice Age. Despite starring Evans and featuring the likes of Tilda Swinton and John Hurt in supporting roles, Snowpiercer mostly slipped under the radar but, if you haven’t seen it, it is well worth a watch. 6) Blue Is The Warmest Colour Another film based on a French graphic novel from 2013 was Blue is the Warmest Colour, a French language romantic drama about a shy teenage girl (Adele Exarchopoulos) who falls for a blue-haired stranger, played by Lea Seydoux of Inglorious Basterds and SPECTRE fame. The film is an adaptation of Le bleu est une couleur chaude (originally published as Blue Angel), but the novel’s author Julie Maroh was a vocal dissenter of the film. She particularly disagreed with the film’s sex scenes, saying: “as a feminist and lesbian spectator, I cannot endorse the direction Kechiche took on these matters.” For everyone else, Blue is the Warmest Colour was seen as a tender, emotional love story which often features in ‘foreign films you need to watch’ lists. 5) The Fountain Darren Aronofsky’s notoriously complex 2006 movie The Fountain (called either powerful by its fans, or pretentious by its critics) had a suitably convoluted journey to the screen. At first, Aronofsky planned to make the film with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, but Warner Bros. pulled out of the project. He then worked hard to cut the film’s budget by half and it was eventually made with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. In the interim, however, Aronofsky adapted his script into a graphic novel published by DC’s Vertigo imprint, as he feared at that time that the film would never make it to screen. “I knew it was a hard film to make, and I said at least if Hollywood f*cks me over at least I’ll make a comic book out of it,” he later explained. 4) Road To Perdition 2002’s gangster movie Road to Perdition had a lot of cinematic calibre behind it; directed by Sam Mendes, it starred Tom Hanks with Paul Newman in his final live-action role. Given this pedigree of talent in a world not yet inundated with comic book adaptations, it is surprising to learn that the film was actually based off a graphic novel… which in turn was based off another comic book. Comic book-ception. The book of the same name as the film was published by DC’s imprint, Paradox Press, and was written by Max Allan Collins. The author has called the story, about the fractious relationship between a mobster and his son, an “unabashed homage” to Japanese manga Lone Wolf and Cub. 3) Men In Black Audiences have been enjoying the Men in Black franchise for nearly twenty years now (don’t you suddenly feel old?), but it is often forgotten that the film series first began as an adaptation of a comic book series. Similar to the way in which the ultra-violent The Mask comics were turned into a Jim Carrey comedy vehicle, The Men in Black comics were much darker and bleaker than the family-friendly fun seen in the films. Interestingly, the comics also included paranormal elements, like werewolves and zombies, something the films have so far steered clear of. Maybe that could be an idea for the next MIB movie? 2) Oldboy Seen as a tentpole of Asian filmmaking, Oldboy is actually based off a Japanese manga. In a reverse of the usual situation, the film actually upped the violence and death. Its cult appeal in the US was such that it was adapted again in 2013, with Josh Brolin in the lead – if you haven’t heard of it, that’s because it was a huge flop. The three versions of the story differ in certain ways but all feature the same basic premise, about a man who wants revenge for being locked up in a hotel room for a long period of time. As if to one up each other, every version has extended that time period, from a decade in the manga to 15 years in the Korean film and 20 years in the remake. 1) A History Of Violence And, finally, another film which is as far away from the costumes and capes that most people associate with comic book movies is David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. The movie sees Viggo Mortensen as an ordinary man who confronts some robbers to protect his family – but gets pulled into a world of violence and crime. The film is a rendering of a graphic novel of the same name from Vertigo Comics, written by John Wagner (who is most known as the creator of Judge Dredd). It’s also a classic of its kind, with Mortensen calling it the best film he has ever worked on. A History of Violence might not be widely known as a comic book adaptation, but it might just be one of the best out there.