NBC to Air XIII Adaptation in February; We3 Adaption Being Produced

[GrnMarvl14]

These two have NOTHING in common, at all, but they're interesting to me, so I'm melding them into one post/thread.

Source.

While English versions of the celebrated Frenco-Belgian XIII comic may be hard to come by, those interested in Jean Van Hamme and William Vance’s story of an amnesiac killer will get a chance to see an adaptation of it on NBC in February.

The original NBC movie version of XIII will air on two evenings – February 8th and 15th, from 9-11pm on both nights. The television version stars Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff

NBC describes the film version as:

“XIII” is a high-stakes cat-and-mouse thriller starring Val Kilmer (“The Doors”), Stephen Dorff (“World Trade Center”), Stephen McHattie (“Watchmen”) and Jessalyn Gilsig (NBC’s “Heroes”). The adrenaline-charged miniseries begins dramatically as the first female U.S. president is shot dead by a sniper during her Veterans Day speech. Three months later, a wounded man is found tattered in a forest with no memory of his identity. The only clue is a tattoo on his neck -- “XIII.” Could his lightning-fast reflexes and killer instincts betray him as the presidential assassin that the U.S. is desperately searching for? Submerged in a far-reaching conspiracy, which threatens to overthrow the entire government, XIII’s identity becomes the key to unraveling a complex and dangerous secret that will shock and excite. From the first bullet, this gripping action-thriller will leave audiences gasping for more. Ted Atherton (“Max Payne”), John Bourgeois (“Burn Up”), Greg Bryk (“ReGenesis”), Lucinda Davis (“Wargames: The Dead Code”), and Caterina Murino (“Casino Royale”) also star. “XIII” is an official Canada/France co-production, developed and produced by Prodigy Pictures and Cipango in association with Power. Prodigy Pictures’ Jay Firestone, Cipango’s Edouard Vesinne and Thomas Anargyros and Power’s Justin Bodle will serve as executive producers. Directed by Duane Clark (“CSI,” “Meadowlands), “XIII” is written by David Wolkove (“La Femme Nikita,” “Relic Hunter”) and Philippe Lyon (“The Trail,” “Alive”).

XIII began in the Belgian magazine Spirou in 1984, and all told has spanned 19 volumes (published by Dargaud), with The Last Round being published last year. The series has a large following in France and Belgium, as well as other countries where the work has been translated. English translations of the work are very limited, and to date, have only covered the first few issues. Catalan Communications published translated versions of the first three volumes in 1989; Alias Comics published censored versions of the first 5 issues in 2005, and Dabel Bros., in association with Marvel Comics collected the first three volumes (uncensored) in 2007. Ironically, the property’s largest audience in the Unites States is probably most familiar with XIII due to its 2003 videogame incarnation.

I believe this is the first adaption of a French comic that's ever made me intrigued. Makes me wish I'd picked up that issue I found...

Source.

ShockTillYouDrop.com reports that Kung Fu Panda co-director John Stevenson is attached to helm We3, based on the Vertigo mini-series of the same name.

Written by Grant Morrison, who adapted his own source material, the action-packed, hyper-violent and heartbreaking story focuses on three test animals - a dog, a cat and a rabbit - who are infused into prototype combat suits equipped with various weaponry. Thanks to chips in their skulls, they're allowed to speak. This trio breaks free and We3 tells of their perilous return home.

The "iconic" We3 image. I love that image for some reason.

A cat, a dog, and a rabbit in robotic combat suits. C'mon...who doesn't want to see that? It'll be adorably destructive.

 

[Nekusagi]

Wasn't XIII a third person shooter for the GameCube? So it's not an entirely unknown property.

EDIT: Oh wait, that's in the article.

 

[GrnMarvl14]

Wasn't XIII a third person shooter for the GameCube? So it's not an entirely unknown property.

EDIT: Oh wait, that's in the article.

Yeah. I'm sure there are people who have heard of XIII, but it's not like it's a huge name in comics, or even gaming (seem to remember there being some buzz around it, but don't remember anything big. Maybe I'm wrong, though).

 

[P-fan]

I remember reading We3, I heard about XIII, now want to look for the comic.

 

[Zeta]

The thing I never got about We3 is that the animals are stolen from families who raised them. Which makes no sense. When you're training a police animal, you don't run down to little Jimmy's doghouse on Maple Street and snatch his dog while cackling like an evil villain. You raise them from birth. That's the biggest problem I had with that series.

 

[Dogasu]

I remember playing the PC version of the XIII game on a friend's computer and thinking it was pretty cool, so I went and got myself the GameCube version. I sucked at the game (the controls didn't really help...), so I quit fairly early.

Had no idea it was based on a comic, though. Might have to try and track it down.