Mini-Marvel: Small-Scale Movies for Less-Known Characters

How can there NOT be a Pet Avengers movie?

CHUD reports that Marvel Studios is thinking out of the blockbuster–they’re talking to writers and directors about making movies featuring what are described as “third-tier characters” for budgets in the $30-40 million range. Supposedly they’re “open to bringing any of their characters to the screen at the right price point,” but some of the names that are being tossed around are Dr. Strange, Ka-Zar, Luke Cage, Dazzler and Power Pack.

I am not a Marvel expert, so I don’t recognize any of those names–which is exactly the point. Marvel has plenty of big movies coming up featuring their high-profile characters, but they probably want to find things that can fill in the gap between “Hulk 4″ (that would be the fourth film after the third reboot) and “Avengers.” You might be uneasy about the prospect of putting together a $200 million film about Ka-Zar, or any character only known by serious aficionados, but a $30 million investment? Why the heck not?

So…if you have an idea for a movie featuring, say, Slapstick, that can be done with no-name actors and I-made-it-on-my-MacBook effects, well, my friend, get that pitch ready. Hey, I think I have an idea….