“He was . . . a strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan. . . . A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things. . . . Wayward and restless as the wind, he was consistent in only one respect—he was true to his ideals of justice and right. Such was Solomon Kane.”Robert E. Howard's pulp character, Solomon Kane, is apparently going to be featured in a new movie, written and directed by Michael J. Bassett, whose previous films (Wilderness and Deathwatch) I've never seen.
From the poster, though, it looks like he's at least somewhat familiar with the source material, as British actor James Purfoy has certainly been made up to look the part of the dour, monster-fighting Puritan.
Of course, since Stephen Sommers completely lifted Kane's look for his atrocious Van Helsing film, I fear uneducated audiences and reviewers will think this is either a sequel to that misbegotten travesty – or worse – a rip-off of it.
Since I'm unfamiliar with the previous work of virtually everyone involved in this new project, I'll have to hope for the best. Howard's Solomon Kane was a character as unique and imaginative as his more famous creation, Conan the Cimmerian, and I'd love to see a faithful, frightening and fun adaptation on the screen. The original stories, published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in the late 20's and early 30's, are rich with cinematic potential, and I'd hate to see that potential squandered by yet another Hollywood hack job.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks to Craig for the head's up!
We've seen so many hack jobs that I fear for the result with this movie. The look is pretty good, but like you say the Van Helsing thing was such a rip off that folks who are not in the know will probably think it's a sequel or something. That's a shame
ReplyDeleteHopefully the marketing and the final result will make it clear that it is not a sequel to Van Helsing!
ReplyDelete