PrimoOptimoso
Sr Member
Warning: The following will probably read like a kid gushing about a TV show, not like a 35-year old family man seriously brainstorming a movie pitch. My apologies in advance.
Thinking about some of the staples of my childhood coming to the big screen with varying results (Transformers, GI Joe, etc), I think that M.A.S.K. would actually make a great movie. Most of the characters can be easily updated without a whole lot of changes, and the general plot (mercenary crime organization wants to steal/kill/pillage/whatever, thwarted by this cadre of secret agents) is standard action-movie fare. Plus there's a little bit of humanity already built in as well, with Matt Trakker being a single parent in the middle of all the secret-agent biz.
Hmmmm, let's see...
- Not an origin story of the MASK organization, but we could get the needed viewer exposition by having it be a point in time where Trakker's son Scott is being introduced to the whole operation. Either he's about 10-12 like on the show and something happens where he *has* to be looped in, or he's 16-17 and Matt decides he's old enough to know. This is an admitted departure, but I think it would work better than 1. assuming the audience already knows what it's all about, or 2. making it a "new recruit" scenario a la Men In Black.
- We could get a little of the backstory about Matt finding out that Miles Mayhem killed his brother as the character-driver that goes alongside the overall good-guys/bad-guys plot. Lost his brother, lost his wife; this guy is pretty motivated.
- Rather than Mobile Armored Strike Kommand (sic), the MASK acronym could instead be a motto for Trakker's company, something like 'Magnificence Achieved through Scientific Knowledge' or so. Matt is a philanthropist but always struck me as a sort of Bruce Wayne type with a whole company (at least as a front for MASK, anyway). They could even lampshade it by making a joke, like X-men did with Cyclops and Wolverine about "yellow spandex".
- Believability, or "Why on earth would you build these weapons into helmets, guys?" Well, they're protective for starters, and they're voice-activated, leaving our hands free for other weapons, or of course for piloting these bitchin' vehicles! (another joke? 'Ever see James Bond trying to drive and shoot at the same time? It's tricky!') ...Bonus: They could work in something like it was MASK's doing so that inspired VENOM to build their own weaponized masks.
- The 'sleeper agent' concept here is applied to the good guys! What a great idea to develop in a time when people are worried about terrorists and such; Hey, your pizza guy might secretly be saving your ass tomorrow.
- Casting? Note: not to rip off another site, but a few of my suggestions match those of a blog discussing this very thing!
MASK
Matt Trakker: Aaron Eckhart perhaps.
Scott Trakker: I dunno, who's a good young actor these days?
Bruce Sato, toy designer/engineer, in 'Rhino' semi: Jay Chou
Alex Sector, zoologist, the other guy with 'Rhino': everybody I can think of might be too old, but somebody suggested Jeff Bridges on that blog I mentioned
Dusty Hayes, pizza shop owner, drives 'Gator' jeep: no idea, somebody who can do gool-ol'-boy.
Brad Turner, rock musician, drives the 'Condor' motorcycle/helicopter: always seemed like a rob lowe or tom cruise type.
Gloria Baker, martial artist, drives 'Shark' Porsche 928/submarine: Alison Brie
Hondo McLean, 'Hurricane' chevy belair/tank: Phil Lamarr if he bulked up
VENOM
Miles Mayhem: I am thinking the look of Richard Riehle but the characterization of somebody more sinister.
Sly Rax, 'Piranha' motorcycle/submarine: Bruce Campbell, doing his best Nicholson.
Vanessa Warfield, 'Manta' 300ZX/plane: Aviva Farber looks like she'd work, but I don't know how menacing she can be.
Cliff Dagger, 'Jackhammer' Bronco: Michael Chiklis looks OK, though the character is far too dumb for him
Bruno Sheppard, 'Scorpion' GTO/tank: Dwayne Johnson
Floyd Malloy, 'Vampire' motorcycle/plane: ?
There are many more on either side, but the above could already be too many.
- Vehicles. Some of the vehicles have direct descendants and/or don't need to be touched at all, like the Rhino semi-truck or the sweet '57 Bel Air that is Hurricane. Manta could be a 370Z instead of a 300ZX easily. If Porsche doesn't want Gloria driving an old 928 or a new, say, Panamera, then perhaps something like an FRS or G37. The issue is with the 'Thunderhawk' Camaro. The new Camaro style just doesn't look right, but then again they could use a Merc SL which already has gullwing doors, and is more fitting a guy with money to burn. Tough call there.
- Keep T-Bob! He doesn't have to be slapstick comic relief like the show, but he's Scott's own sidekick, like an R2D2 that actually talks. Keep the unicycle-scooter mode, too; there are commercial motorcycles available now with one wheel, believe it or not, so it's not too far-fetched these days.
If I write any more it'll just be rambling, but hey, there's something to chew on for you children of the 80s.
Thinking about some of the staples of my childhood coming to the big screen with varying results (Transformers, GI Joe, etc), I think that M.A.S.K. would actually make a great movie. Most of the characters can be easily updated without a whole lot of changes, and the general plot (mercenary crime organization wants to steal/kill/pillage/whatever, thwarted by this cadre of secret agents) is standard action-movie fare. Plus there's a little bit of humanity already built in as well, with Matt Trakker being a single parent in the middle of all the secret-agent biz.
Hmmmm, let's see...
- Not an origin story of the MASK organization, but we could get the needed viewer exposition by having it be a point in time where Trakker's son Scott is being introduced to the whole operation. Either he's about 10-12 like on the show and something happens where he *has* to be looped in, or he's 16-17 and Matt decides he's old enough to know. This is an admitted departure, but I think it would work better than 1. assuming the audience already knows what it's all about, or 2. making it a "new recruit" scenario a la Men In Black.
- We could get a little of the backstory about Matt finding out that Miles Mayhem killed his brother as the character-driver that goes alongside the overall good-guys/bad-guys plot. Lost his brother, lost his wife; this guy is pretty motivated.
- Rather than Mobile Armored Strike Kommand (sic), the MASK acronym could instead be a motto for Trakker's company, something like 'Magnificence Achieved through Scientific Knowledge' or so. Matt is a philanthropist but always struck me as a sort of Bruce Wayne type with a whole company (at least as a front for MASK, anyway). They could even lampshade it by making a joke, like X-men did with Cyclops and Wolverine about "yellow spandex".
- Believability, or "Why on earth would you build these weapons into helmets, guys?" Well, they're protective for starters, and they're voice-activated, leaving our hands free for other weapons, or of course for piloting these bitchin' vehicles! (another joke? 'Ever see James Bond trying to drive and shoot at the same time? It's tricky!') ...Bonus: They could work in something like it was MASK's doing so that inspired VENOM to build their own weaponized masks.
- The 'sleeper agent' concept here is applied to the good guys! What a great idea to develop in a time when people are worried about terrorists and such; Hey, your pizza guy might secretly be saving your ass tomorrow.
- Casting? Note: not to rip off another site, but a few of my suggestions match those of a blog discussing this very thing!
MASK
Matt Trakker: Aaron Eckhart perhaps.
Scott Trakker: I dunno, who's a good young actor these days?
Bruce Sato, toy designer/engineer, in 'Rhino' semi: Jay Chou
Alex Sector, zoologist, the other guy with 'Rhino': everybody I can think of might be too old, but somebody suggested Jeff Bridges on that blog I mentioned
Dusty Hayes, pizza shop owner, drives 'Gator' jeep: no idea, somebody who can do gool-ol'-boy.
Brad Turner, rock musician, drives the 'Condor' motorcycle/helicopter: always seemed like a rob lowe or tom cruise type.
Gloria Baker, martial artist, drives 'Shark' Porsche 928/submarine: Alison Brie
Hondo McLean, 'Hurricane' chevy belair/tank: Phil Lamarr if he bulked up
VENOM
Miles Mayhem: I am thinking the look of Richard Riehle but the characterization of somebody more sinister.
Sly Rax, 'Piranha' motorcycle/submarine: Bruce Campbell, doing his best Nicholson.
Vanessa Warfield, 'Manta' 300ZX/plane: Aviva Farber looks like she'd work, but I don't know how menacing she can be.
Cliff Dagger, 'Jackhammer' Bronco: Michael Chiklis looks OK, though the character is far too dumb for him
Bruno Sheppard, 'Scorpion' GTO/tank: Dwayne Johnson
Floyd Malloy, 'Vampire' motorcycle/plane: ?
There are many more on either side, but the above could already be too many.
- Vehicles. Some of the vehicles have direct descendants and/or don't need to be touched at all, like the Rhino semi-truck or the sweet '57 Bel Air that is Hurricane. Manta could be a 370Z instead of a 300ZX easily. If Porsche doesn't want Gloria driving an old 928 or a new, say, Panamera, then perhaps something like an FRS or G37. The issue is with the 'Thunderhawk' Camaro. The new Camaro style just doesn't look right, but then again they could use a Merc SL which already has gullwing doors, and is more fitting a guy with money to burn. Tough call there.
- Keep T-Bob! He doesn't have to be slapstick comic relief like the show, but he's Scott's own sidekick, like an R2D2 that actually talks. Keep the unicycle-scooter mode, too; there are commercial motorcycles available now with one wheel, believe it or not, so it's not too far-fetched these days.
If I write any more it'll just be rambling, but hey, there's something to chew on for you children of the 80s.
I'll wait.
