The Yellow Mark (2012)

Now this is a comic book movie you probably haven't heard of yet. A couple of various international movie sites - Cineman.ch and DesmontandoHollywood - are reporting major casting updates on a project called The Yellow Mark, an adaptation of a classic 1950's Belgian comic book primarily known as The Yellow 'M'. Apparently Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia revealed at a press conference during the Malaga Film Festival that Hugh Laurie and Kiefer Sutherland will star as Blake and Mortimer, the two leads in the film. I'm only skeptical because it would be quite a feat to cast these two TV stars in the same project.

Edgar Jacobs first created the Blake & Mortimer comic series in 1946; it has remained in print for six decades. They are considered classics in the Franco-Belgian comic book tradition. In Europe, the stories are held with the same high esteem as Tintin, Lucky Luke, Asterix and Alix. The Yellow Mark is a mystery set in 1950's London, in which Captain Francis Blake (Sutherland) and science professor Philip Mortimer (Laurie) look to identify a shadowy criminal known only as The Yellow Mark. The project is being produced by the French company La Fabrique de Films and is reported to have a budget of around $33.6 million.

A few of the reports also mention that John Hurt and Mark Strong are being considered for other roles. Álex de la Iglesia said at the press conference that he's hoping to shoot in the first half of 2010, so this is still a while off, which makes this casting even more sketchy. It's not that I don't trust these sites, it's just that neither Kiefer Sutherland nor Hugh Laurie really do that many movies, and I can't imagine a French-Spanish-Belgian adaptation of a comic being their next big project. I'll admit it sounds pretty cool, and seeing these two together would be great, so I'll hold out hope until we receive additional confirmation.

Read more: http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/04/22/rumor-laurie-and-sutherland-starring-in-the-yellow-mark/#ixzz0gODvM54q


22 April 2009