The rise of comic book blockbusters may be a recent phenomenon, with movie studios everywhere now seeing that sequels aren't the real money-maker - but shared universes full of heroes and oddball characters too strange for the real world. Whether it's Marvel's Justice League stars, comic adaptations are quickly becoming Hollywood's heaviest hitters. But that isn't the whole story.
There's a reason that comics have persisted this long, and while the most patriotic, cinematic or action-packed tales may be adapted for the mainstream fame they're likely to win, lesser-known titles (to the world at large) like Preacher show comics are a vast, varied medium - but nonetheless suitable to live-action. The medium is so varied, in fact, many moviegoers may not even realize that some of their most beloved characters and stories originated in comic form.
Here is our list of 20 Movies You May Not Know Were Based on Comics.
Oldboy (2013)
Film fanatics had the opportunity to show off their global movie wisdom when Spike Lee's Oldboy hit North American shores - a remake of South Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park's film of the same name. Substituting western actors into the central roles didn't help the remake reach the same levels of cult fame as its predecessor, but fans of the original film may not know that the story hails from a 1996 Japanese manga, "Old Boy."
Annie (1982)
It's nearly impossible these days to remain ignorant to the ginger orphan Annie, or her unwavering belief in just what "Tomorrow" may bring. Most modern moviegoers may have more personal experience with the recent Annie remake placing Quvenzhane Wallis in the title role, with the songs scattered throughout reminding viewers that the film is an adaptation of the musical - based on Harold Gray's "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip - itself loosely based upon the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley.
2 Guns (2013)
Given the recent film choices of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, it made sense to see the two action stars forces for a surprisingly satisfying shoot-em-up, but fans may be even more surprised to know that the story was based on a graphic novel of the same name by Steven Grant and Mat Santolouco. Not every comic adaptation must be a blockbuster.
Men in Black (1997)
The Men in Black series is best known for helping propel Will Smith into Hollywood superstardom, pairing him with Tommy Lee Jones as of a shadowy organization tasked with monitoring (and, if need, eliminating) alien activity on Earth. The original comic created by Lowell Cunningham was nowhere near as successful, running for just ten issues - under three different publishers (including Marvel). Unlike the film, the original comic's 'men in black' were tasked with all paranormal supervision: including demons, zombies, mutants, and other mythological creatures.
The Addams Family (1991)
No movie fan who lived through the 1990s could have missed the sudden success of The Addams Family, an odd, comedic look at a macabre - but loving - American family. Older audiences ed the family's debut in a 1964 TV show, as well as numerous live-action and animated specials, children's series, and books. But it all got its start in Charles' Addams' single- comic strip - implying a "Family Circus" media explosion should be coming any day now.
Road to Perdition (2002)
The Prohibition-era setting of Road to Perdition is familiar to classic gangster films, but the themes of fatherhood, family, and vengeance steal the show. Director Sam Mendes (Skyfall) has claimed he was looking for a story that said more with images than words - making the graphic novel by writer Max Allan Collins and artist Richard Piers Rayner a logical choice. The story was just one chapter in Collins' larger story, and itself an itted homage to the Japanese manga "Lone Wolf and Cub" by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima.
A History of Violence (2005)
The David Cronenberg drama/mystery/suspense tale A History of Violence is notable not only for being the last major film released on VHS, but as the first comic book from John Wagner adapted to film since comic book movies were "incredibly limited creatively."
The Mask (1994)
There was a time when Jim Carrey's most eccentric humor and behavior went entirely unchecked, to the delight of audiences - with no better example than The Mask (1994). A magical mask that heightened the traits of its subject (and rendered them invincible) was actually the idea of Mike Richardson, eventual founder of Dark Horse Comics. The concept would be refined into a standalone comic series, with the mask itself ed around to multiple DC Comics characters - including The Joker.
The Crow (1994)
Alex Proyas' The Crow is ed for a number of reasons: the perfect timing of an unconventional revenge tale and an undercurrent of 'emo' or 'goth' subculture, or the accidental death of star Brandon Lee just as the film was completing production. The film would go on to become a cult hit, but has since gained even mainstream recognition. However, many will still be surprised to find that the film's dark twist on a comic book vigilante tale actually began in the comics, as the work of James O'Barr.
Wanted (2008)
Some casual moviegoers might have looked at Wanted - a film in which James McAvoy is recruited by Angelina Jolie to a cryptic order of assassins - and simply assumed its plot could only be dreamt up in a comic book. Unfortunately, the film bore little resemblance to Mark Millar's (Kick-Ass, Kingsman) original series. In the comic version, the 'hero' Wesley discovered comic book superheroes had once been real, before their villains ed forces and wiped them off the planet - with his father among them. Nods to a defeated Superman and Batman threw winks to readers, but all movie audiences got were inexplicably curving bullets.
