During a recent online chat
at the Mage web site, Mage creator Matt
Wagner revealed that the first draft of
screenplay had been turned in and "it ROCKS!".
Comics
2 Film talked
to Wagner to find out more about the script.
Screenwriter John Rogers turned the
first draft in to Wagner and producers at Critical
Mass Entertainment and Spyglass
Entertainment several weeks ago. "I
got it e-mailed to me like at 10:30 in the
morning one morning and, of course, that was the
end of that day," Wagner told us.
" I had to just sit there and download and
read."
Wagner seemed quite
enthusiastic about the work, which adapts the Hero
Discovered story arc of the comic.
"One of the things I love about it is, it's
not crazy faithful." Wagner told us.
" It knows it has to adapts and so it
changes things. For instance there's a
whole other character in this that isn't in Hero
Discovered at all."
Wagner went on to say,
"He explains the magic real well. He
takes stuff that I had written when I was 20
years old and writes from a 30 year old
standpoint so it's a little more eloquent.
It's great."
Fans needn't worry about
changes made during the adaptation process.
"[Rogers] manages to lift huge sections,
straight from the book, that will ring very
familiar and true to almost everybody. And
yet he still brings his own sense of humor to it.
[Rogers provides] each of the main four
characters with a real distinct voice and a real
distinct relationship with each of the other
characters in the group."
The strength Rogers showed
in his Jesse James screenplay is
also said to be evident in Mage.
"John's really good at defining character in
moments of action with quick, quippy dialog, and
not in a dumb action movie sense."
However, the script does contain plenty of action.
It also has opportunities for special effects
with the prevalence of monsters and magic in the
story.
Although all parties
involved agree that the screenplay is terrific,
Rogers has gone to work on the second draft.
Added 03/29/00
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