One of the films that didn’t get as much press as, say, The Avengers or Paul at this year’s Comic-Con was James Gunn’s latest, Super, which was left still looking for distribution. Gunn and some of his cast, including Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page, took the film to Toronto this year to try and drum up some buyers and now there’s the good news thatIFC Films has snapped it up for a decent sum.
Super is the tale of Frank D’Arbo (Wilson), a Kick-Ass style ordinary schlub with no particular super powers who decides to become a costumed vigilante when his wife (Liv Tyler) is seduced away by charming drug dealer Jacques (Kevin Bacon).
And like in Matthew Vaughn’s movie, Frank’s alter ego, The Crimson Bolt, doesn’t exactly have an easy time of it. He does, however, acquire a sidekick in the form of Boltie, AKA troubled teen Libby (Page).
Gunn’s pic features a wealth of people he’s worked with in the past, including Nathan Fillion (as Biblical superhero The Holy Avenger, who appears to Frank in visions as he slowly goes further and further off the rails) and fellow Slither co-stars Gregg Henry and Michael Rooker.
With a dark, violent Troma feeling (Gunn got his start at the low-budget schlock house) Super looks to be a much edgier ride than your usual comic book shenanigans. “I never had to compromise in the making of this movie and I couldn't be more excited to have found a distribution partner wanting to embrace the extremities and balls-to-the-walls qualities of Super," Gunn says in the announcement. We’re already crossing our fingers that it gets picked up here.
Meanwhile, why not enjoy a clip from the movie courtesy of Coming Soon? Be warned, however: the NSFWOTPMOOC (Not Safe For Work Or The Precious Minds Of Our Children) footage includes brief violence, swearing and Rainn Wilson in a costume.