We had reported several times that Marvel was working on a Runaways movie, even to the point that we noted Keke Palmer would be joining the cast. However, a report over at Deadline now says that Marvel studios is slowing down the engines on the new film, due to heavy focus on their Avengers series.
As the report at Deadline notes,
Word in agency circles is that the project was flat-lining because it’s similar in age demo to Kick-Ass, but insiders tell me that isn’t true. Marvel simply has too much going on at the moment and will take its time on the live action adaptation of the comic…
Which is fair. Runaways is an immensely popular comic book, with a huge cult following. With Marvel Studios putting a LOT into the current Avengers series (if all the extras on the Iron Man 2 blu-ray proves anything), you’d imagine that they’d want to work on what they can focus on. And, to be honest, I’m kind of happy at this news. Marvel Studios is relatively new, and the reason that the first three movies have been a hit and the next two have so much buzz is that Marvel is pioneering the idea of a shared film universe. A Runaways movie might disrupt that flow, and honestly might work better as a TV show. Perhaps Runaways could take the stead of the Cloak and Dagger show on ABC Family, considering Cloak and Dagger appear in the first volume. Maybe? No? Hmm.
And what makes me happiest is that now there is no chance of Fred Figglehorn ruining a potentially great comic movie for me.
