Groo Movie
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:50 -0700
I got this article from another website. It talks about a "Groo movie".
Went to the Sergio Aragones/Mark Evanier panel where they alternated between some great stories and fielding questions. Mark is making two books about his late friend, Jack Kirby (it was meant to be just one, but the more he learns, the more he writes). He shared a chapter where Kirby--newly employed at Marvel--is chastised by his new bosses for his work being "too DC-like." He said how the books have gotten so big that he's quickly running out of gig space on his harddrive--the first one, planned for an X-mas release is an art book of Kirby material with accompanying text, "is already at 30,000 words." (He told a story about being sold one of the first word processors on the market, but--being a big tech guy--was so knowledgeable about the machine that he wound explaining more about it to the salesman than vice versa.)
Aragones and Evanier are producing a CGI movie about their character GROO for a major studio. Over the years, they'd received several offers to do so (they say Favreau tried at one point, and a serious pitch was made years ago by Michael McKean with the intention of Chris Farley in the title role). At one point, Evanier was practically "stalked" by a producer (who wouldn't name but said was "very well known") who would take NO for an answer. They two stressed that they wouldn't give up the film rights until they got a deal that would give them creative control. The offers coming out of Hollywood were "poor and overly-aggressive." Sergio: "They wanted Will Ferrell. I HATE Will Ferrell !" (Yes, those were his actual words)
As of now, the two creators are producers on the film and have finished the script for "a major studio". They said it would be fully CG-animated and that Rob Minkoff (THE LION KING, STUAR LITTLE 1 & 2, HAUNTED MANSION) is officially directing.
The went on tell how they have an almost telepathic collaboration, to the point where they finish one anothers sentences. The two showed photos (including some showing Sergio as quite an accomplished cook), including some of awards they've received, Serigio's dog who inspired that of Groo (Sergio's lived to be 24 years old!), a Groo statue that sold for $175 and had a certificate of auth. with it--the two joked "[the distributours] were so worried people would copy the statue, but they could just Xerox a copy of the certificate?"
They told a story about how, when GROO was done for Marvel, he presented a finished page that had a panel of Groo mooning someone. The higher-ups rejected it on the basis that it was "sexual" and would never get past the CCA. Evanier argued "It's Groo's rear-end, you've got female X-men running around wearing dental floss!" He called Sergio over to his house where the artist drew up a poster of Groo sans pants covered by a "Censored" bar, with the intention of starting a "Save Groo's BADWORD" campaign. But Marvel went ahead with the unaltered page anyway, which kind of irked Sergio, as he wanted to really show off the poster.
They also mentioned how they wanted to do a GROO MEETS CONAN one-shot for Dark Horse, but the project fell apart. However, they still want to do it. (More about that below from the Dark Horse panel)
Sergio mentioned how he was supposed to design an award statue for an award to be presented to the great Jack Davis. His design was of an artist sitting on an inkwell. But--to his surprise--the awards folks changed it to a statue of Sergio's face and was actually named "The Sergio". Evanier: "He's gotten so many awards over the years that they had to finally make one for him!"
They told a story about how they were once in a retaurant and Sergio said he'd never do conventions again because the stuff he signs "just winds up on eBay". Somehow through this rage, he came up with idea of a Black undertaker who played the banjo--hence his cult character BOOGIEMAN. When the title was just in the concept stages, Evanier got an e-mail from a fan who seemed to already know the name. Evanier asked the fan not to let the name out; the fan responded that it was already on the Dark Horse website. To his surprise, Evanier found out that Dark Horse knew about the character. The company had already set a deadline for the following week, so the two had to make it in four days. Although a fan asked if there would be more from the series, they sad it wasn't likely and that they're surprised that it wasn't as popular as their other work.
When asked how Sergio got involved with MAD magazine and the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS, he said that he got with MAD in 1962, not knowing how long it would last, but since that year he has had his work in every single issue except one, "which wasn't my fault. The postman lost it." As for the WEEKLY (for which he draws a single page "find the 10 hidden items" illustration), he says he got a quick offer for just one week that has turned two years and that he's hoping to collect them all into a book soon.
Evanier was asked if he'd like to write a bio about his friend, Aragones. He said yes, but Sergio was hesitant: "A lot of people have to die before I can tell the truth about some things."
Went to the Sergio Aragones/Mark Evanier panel where they alternated between some great stories and fielding questions. Mark is making two books about his late friend, Jack Kirby (it was meant to be just one, but the more he learns, the more he writes). He shared a chapter where Kirby--newly employed at Marvel--is chastised by his new bosses for his work being "too DC-like." He said how the books have gotten so big that he's quickly running out of gig space on his harddrive--the first one, planned for an X-mas release is an art book of Kirby material with accompanying text, "is already at 30,000 words." (He told a story about being sold one of the first word processors on the market, but--being a big tech guy--was so knowledgeable about the machine that he wound explaining more about it to the salesman than vice versa.)
Aragones and Evanier are producing a CGI movie about their character GROO for a major studio. Over the years, they'd received several offers to do so (they say Favreau tried at one point, and a serious pitch was made years ago by Michael McKean with the intention of Chris Farley in the title role). At one point, Evanier was practically "stalked" by a producer (who wouldn't name but said was "very well known") who would take NO for an answer. They two stressed that they wouldn't give up the film rights until they got a deal that would give them creative control. The offers coming out of Hollywood were "poor and overly-aggressive." Sergio: "They wanted Will Ferrell. I HATE Will Ferrell !" (Yes, those were his actual words)
As of now, the two creators are producers on the film and have finished the script for "a major studio". They said it would be fully CG-animated and that Rob Minkoff (THE LION KING, STUAR LITTLE 1 & 2, HAUNTED MANSION) is officially directing.
The went on tell how they have an almost telepathic collaboration, to the point where they finish one anothers sentences. The two showed photos (including some showing Sergio as quite an accomplished cook), including some of awards they've received, Serigio's dog who inspired that of Groo (Sergio's lived to be 24 years old!), a Groo statue that sold for $175 and had a certificate of auth. with it--the two joked "[the distributours] were so worried people would copy the statue, but they could just Xerox a copy of the certificate?"
They told a story about how, when GROO was done for Marvel, he presented a finished page that had a panel of Groo mooning someone. The higher-ups rejected it on the basis that it was "sexual" and would never get past the CCA. Evanier argued "It's Groo's rear-end, you've got female X-men running around wearing dental floss!" He called Sergio over to his house where the artist drew up a poster of Groo sans pants covered by a "Censored" bar, with the intention of starting a "Save Groo's BADWORD" campaign. But Marvel went ahead with the unaltered page anyway, which kind of irked Sergio, as he wanted to really show off the poster.
They also mentioned how they wanted to do a GROO MEETS CONAN one-shot for Dark Horse, but the project fell apart. However, they still want to do it. (More about that below from the Dark Horse panel)
Sergio mentioned how he was supposed to design an award statue for an award to be presented to the great Jack Davis. His design was of an artist sitting on an inkwell. But--to his surprise--the awards folks changed it to a statue of Sergio's face and was actually named "The Sergio". Evanier: "He's gotten so many awards over the years that they had to finally make one for him!"
They told a story about how they were once in a retaurant and Sergio said he'd never do conventions again because the stuff he signs "just winds up on eBay". Somehow through this rage, he came up with idea of a Black undertaker who played the banjo--hence his cult character BOOGIEMAN. When the title was just in the concept stages, Evanier got an e-mail from a fan who seemed to already know the name. Evanier asked the fan not to let the name out; the fan responded that it was already on the Dark Horse website. To his surprise, Evanier found out that Dark Horse knew about the character. The company had already set a deadline for the following week, so the two had to make it in four days. Although a fan asked if there would be more from the series, they sad it wasn't likely and that they're surprised that it wasn't as popular as their other work.
When asked how Sergio got involved with MAD magazine and the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS, he said that he got with MAD in 1962, not knowing how long it would last, but since that year he has had his work in every single issue except one, "which wasn't my fault. The postman lost it." As for the WEEKLY (for which he draws a single page "find the 10 hidden items" illustration), he says he got a quick offer for just one week that has turned two years and that he's hoping to collect them all into a book soon.
Evanier was asked if he'd like to write a bio about his friend, Aragones. He said yes, but Sergio was hesitant: "A lot of people have to die before I can tell the truth about some things."