For the first time in SEVERAL years (I'm talking at least 20) I just re-watched Disney's animated feature The Sword in the Stone. I'm finding a new appreciation for it; it's one of Disney's best!
I imagined a live-action version of the film with very little change, except maybe play down the musical aspects. Merlyn and Mim talk-sing a lot, but mages tend to speak in verse because casting magic requires it. Their speech is even occasionally lyrical.
Keep all the anthropomorphic characters, from the sugar jar to the amourous she-squirrels! Archimedes: Perfect. As. Is. Talks like a man, behaves like a man, but for all intents and purposes, an owl. When Melyn and Wort are fish/squirrels/whathaveyou, make them look as real as possible, but still keep their human facial traits, especially the eyes.
I imagine Stephan Lang as Merlyn: absent-minded, eccentric, crotchety and cranky; even a little clumsy. With a walking stick that doubles as a wand. But without that running beard gag. You can tell his mind is crammed to the brim with knowledge and he is constantly rummaging through the pile that is his mind, trying to find the appropriate information for the moment at hand. And he'd still have that silver fox thing going on!
Helena Bonham Carter is an obvious choice for Mad Madame Mim! Manic, maniacal, with a childish glee toying with her prey like a cat with a mouse.
Mim might have more of a roll in this version, constantly trying to undermine Merlyn's good works simply out of rivalry, with an epic mage's duel climax!
Not really sure about casting Wort (Arthur). Nathan Gamble?
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Alternate Professor X story
This isn't really any idea for a film or TV, but just my crack at fan fiction. I always had a problem with Charles Xavier. He had so much potential to do so much good, but he was such a pacifistic, hypocritical, Gandhi-type character, he did more harm then good. What if he took more control and responsibility? What if he was more politically ambitious?
What if...
Charles Xavier used his telepathic powers to make his stepfather feel all the harm he ever did, to avenge the abuse of Cain Marko and himself, eliminating Juggernaut as an enemy/rival by indebting him into servitude.
He psychically slays Cassandra Nova in quick work before she ever becomes anything at all.
He meets Moira at Oxford, marries her and telepathically disables Joseph MacTaggert from being a threat to anyone.
His son David with Moira is a perfectly sane, if slightly eccentric, and powerful telepath who can warp reality and time travel while under extreme psychological duress. Professor X uses David for his own purposes, but only under desperate, life-and-death circumstances.
He avoids the Vietnam War draft and eliminates Cain's draft as well.
After he defeats Shadow King, he develops a brain trust, a think tank to assist in his power and uses the astrally imprisoned Shadow King as a symbol of his power to any challengers. His brain trust would eventually include Sage, Jean, Emma, Betsy, David, Nathan, Rachel, the Stepford Cuckoos, etc. They only meet in session through Cerebro. They all connect to each other, then all to Charles, who is connected to every mutant mind on the planet. All telepaths eventually enter into a priestly class of the planet's society.
He never becomes parapalegic. Although he relies heavily on his mutant powers to achieve his goals, he is quite athletic and physically skilled.
He never allows his friendship with Eric Lehnsher to deteriorate, instead agreeing with Eric and offers to counsel him during his reign; even manipulating Eric during his rise as Magneto, mutant representaive of the world.
He acts as personal counselor to the Magnus family, fostering Eric's relationship with Pietro, Wanda and Lorna.
The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youth is an exclusive boarding secondary school. Admission is by Charles Xavier's personal invitation only. Part of the curriculum is regular psychic therapy sessions with a faculty telepath, which usually was Professor X. Students receive the best education the Western world can provide and attend the most prestigious universities in the world; Oxford receives most of the institute's graduates.
Moira's Mutant Research Facility is adjacent, address 1407 Graymalkin Lane.
The X-Men and the Brotherhood were one and the same, ruled by Magneto, ruled by Professor X. Professor X is in charge of the education and development of the world's mutants and Magneto (under Professor X's approval) is in charge of executive administration.
The Sentinel Program is a police force for the planet and answers to Magneto.
Sage acts as his personal secretary, committing all important information and intelligence to memory, including the world's mutant census. During his students' graduation ceremony, Sage activates any and all latent mutations in the graduates.
Mystique is his personal spy, who infiltrates all sorts of organizations, including the US government.
Charles is Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club, which he renamed the Phoenix Society, to both subconsciously appease Jean and please Eric, claiming it is to honor the survivors of the Holocaust. The most esteemed and powerful mutants in the world are members.
He never interfered with Jean's mental development, and instead treated her as an equal, confidant and apprentice for the rest of his life.
He detected and cleared Scott's mental blocks and traumas, allowing Scott to turn off his optic blasts, but also causing Scott to become telepathically dependent. First Charles was his guardian, then Jean, then Emma Frost.
The Summers brothers, and other powerful energy mutants, enter into a politically ruling class along with Magneto.
He fosters Jean and Scott's relationship, encouraging Jean to take responsibility for his psychological health. He encourages their conception of Nathan. Nathan grows to be named Professor X AND Magneto's successor, and Phoenix as the queen mother. Nathan soon takes the Stepford Cuckoos as his brides.
As he expands his royal family and mutant noble class, Charles brokers marriages between mutants, such as Scott and Jean, Alex and Lorna, Ororo and Forge, Anna Marie and Remy, Kitty and Piotr, Nathan and the Stepford Cuckoos, etc.
Once James Howlett enters their lives, Professor X encourages Jean to foster him and give up responsibility of Scott to Emma. Jean and James have two daughters: Rachel and Laura.
Jean cousels and heals James's taumatic relationship with Victor and Daken.
Team X is a special ops unit Professor X supervises and ensures mutant rights are never violated. Members include James Howlett, Victor, his son Daken, his daughter Laura, Rahne Sinclair, Silver Fox, etc.
He mentally conditions Anna Marie to suppress her mutant powers at will. While she rarely uses her powers, she only uses them while partnered with another mutant, normally Remy.
The humans enter into a working/service class to the mutants. Only the human families of mutants rise to any social esteem.
The Morlocks represent the lowest mutant class. Though under the protection of Professor X, it is a resevoir for his school's application process. A mutant social land-fill, Professor X uses them to invade human communities.
By the time Apocalypse rises, Charles Xavier is dead and Nathan makes quick work of him, and the Legacy Virus is never engineered.
What if...
He psychically slays Cassandra Nova in quick work before she ever becomes anything at all.
His son David with Moira is a perfectly sane, if slightly eccentric, and powerful telepath who can warp reality and time travel while under extreme psychological duress. Professor X uses David for his own purposes, but only under desperate, life-and-death circumstances.
He avoids the Vietnam War draft and eliminates Cain's draft as well.
After he defeats Shadow King, he develops a brain trust, a think tank to assist in his power and uses the astrally imprisoned Shadow King as a symbol of his power to any challengers. His brain trust would eventually include Sage, Jean, Emma, Betsy, David, Nathan, Rachel, the Stepford Cuckoos, etc. They only meet in session through Cerebro. They all connect to each other, then all to Charles, who is connected to every mutant mind on the planet. All telepaths eventually enter into a priestly class of the planet's society.
He never becomes parapalegic. Although he relies heavily on his mutant powers to achieve his goals, he is quite athletic and physically skilled.
He acts as personal counselor to the Magnus family, fostering Eric's relationship with Pietro, Wanda and Lorna.
The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youth is an exclusive boarding secondary school. Admission is by Charles Xavier's personal invitation only. Part of the curriculum is regular psychic therapy sessions with a faculty telepath, which usually was Professor X. Students receive the best education the Western world can provide and attend the most prestigious universities in the world; Oxford receives most of the institute's graduates.
Moira's Mutant Research Facility is adjacent, address 1407 Graymalkin Lane.
The X-Men and the Brotherhood were one and the same, ruled by Magneto, ruled by Professor X. Professor X is in charge of the education and development of the world's mutants and Magneto (under Professor X's approval) is in charge of executive administration.
Charles is Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club, which he renamed the Phoenix Society, to both subconsciously appease Jean and please Eric, claiming it is to honor the survivors of the Holocaust. The most esteemed and powerful mutants in the world are members.
The Summers brothers, and other powerful energy mutants, enter into a politically ruling class along with Magneto.
As he expands his royal family and mutant noble class, Charles brokers marriages between mutants, such as Scott and Jean, Alex and Lorna, Ororo and Forge, Anna Marie and Remy, Kitty and Piotr, Nathan and the Stepford Cuckoos, etc.
Jean cousels and heals James's taumatic relationship with Victor and Daken.
Team X is a special ops unit Professor X supervises and ensures mutant rights are never violated. Members include James Howlett, Victor, his son Daken, his daughter Laura, Rahne Sinclair, Silver Fox, etc.
The humans enter into a working/service class to the mutants. Only the human families of mutants rise to any social esteem.
The Morlocks represent the lowest mutant class. Though under the protection of Professor X, it is a resevoir for his school's application process. A mutant social land-fill, Professor X uses them to invade human communities.
By the time Apocalypse rises, Charles Xavier is dead and Nathan makes quick work of him, and the Legacy Virus is never engineered.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Cheesy 80s Sci Fi Rom-Com
Two alien species, one male and one female, ariive on Earth looking for true love. The female takes a beautiful, slutty human guise and the male takes shrimpy, nerdy human guise. They woo and court each other in the Earhtling fashion (as well as they can, anyway) not realizing they are both aliens from separate planets. Meanwhile, three "modern" fashion victim cougar witches sense the coming of the two star people, and work to steal their potential true love energy to fuel their power and youth.
Speculative Steampunk
Earth. Mid-21st century.
The British Empire has annexed the whole planet.
Political and economic relations with the Submarine and Subterranean civilizations are well established.
Time travel technologies only allow forward chronostreaming.
The Moon and Mars are colonized.
The British Empire has annexed the whole planet.
Political and economic relations with the Submarine and Subterranean civilizations are well established.
Time travel technologies only allow forward chronostreaming.
The Moon and Mars are colonized.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Armeggedon in Las Vegas
Stop me if this has been done before, but what about the final battle of Good (ethereal angels) and Evil (terrifying devils) fought on the ruins of Las Vegas. A place of beauty, glamour and wealth completely mixed into a place of filth and vice, lost in the wasteland of the world's advanced leading nation. Modern Age's Sodom & Gomorrah; wiped out from God's Divine Judgement of fire & brimstone. All human souls thay die are either promoted to soldiers of God, slaves of Satan, or suffering in Limbo, too lost and confused to pledge alligiance to anyone. The last battle is for the lost souls.
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