Geek Bits: Warner Bros. Pick Up ‘Red Star’; Disney Likes Gargoyles; Captain Canuck Flies Into Movie

Comic-Con starts tomorrow which means it’s going to be veritable deluge of geek news for the next four days. We’re sealing the exits and holding on tight for the ride to try and stay on top of it, but even before it begins, a few bits and bobs of geek news are already making their way out in pre-‘Con’ announcements. So here’s a few things you might have missed.

First up, Warner Bros. has acquired the comic book series “The Red Star” for producer Neal Moritz (“Fast Five,” “The Green Hornet,” “Battle: Los Angeles“) to turn into what everybody hopes will be franchise. It was in the works over Universal as a potential vehicle for Timur Bekmambetov with Matthew Sand (“Ninja Assassin“) writing the script before it was put into turnaround which should give you some idea of the size and scope of the project. Created by Christian Gossett, the story is set in “an alternate USSR where futuristic technology and magical elements co-exist. The main character is a soldier in the Red Fleet and his wife, who become keys to defeating a former brutal ruler and his minions.” Everything will start over from scratch with new talent being sought. If you want to get an idea of what a movie might look like, check out the gameplay footage from the unreleased XBox videogame adaptation by Acclaim (who went bankrupt before they could release it; a version eventually hit the PS2).

Vampires, Frankenstein, Snow White and now…gargoyles? Fine, whatever. David Elliot and Paul Lovett (“G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra,” “Four Brothers“) are going to write a movie for Disney about those winged, concrete creatures. Their pitch centers on turning those gothic decorations into guardian angels who watch over the city where they live. Of course, it’s not the first time Disney has played with those ugly creatures, as they were also behind the kind of awesome, mid-’90s animated show “Gargoyles.”

Oh, Canada. Always culturally just one or two steps behind everybody else in most things not poutine or BeaverTails related, it’s no surprise that with the comic book movie genre in full swing with innovative takes on iconic characters gracing the big screen, that somebody would finally dust off Captain Canuck and decide to turn it into a movie. Minds Eye Entertainment now have the rights for superhero described as a cross between Captain America and Flash Gordon, the character dons the red and white in a futuristic, alternate history where Canada is the reigning superpower of the world. LOL. Good luck, with this one guys. We pretty much guarantee Paul Gross will star, Brent Butt will write the screenplay, it will be made for $5 million and be fucking terrible. (And before you all scream “Hater!” this writer is Canadian and knows the sad path these kinds of patriotic vehicles wind up taking.) [THR/Variety/Variety]