Warner Bros.
This year we had Maleficent, and Sony is working on a Sinister Six movie. Wicked has been on the verge of being made for years. Now is the age of the villain film.
They’ve moved beyond the horror genre (where Jason and Freddy are the real stars) and now anyone is fair game.
I, for one, am stoked. Let’s get some bad guy movies for…
5. Roy Batty from Blade Runner
We all know the line. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, C-beams glittering in the dark near the Tannhauser gate, yada yada. Let’s see those things! Let’s get a tragic story of the life and death of Roy Batty. What did he (and the other replicants, why not) do before Deckard came for them?
I would absolutely love to see a movie about Roy from birth to death. There’s a lot that can happen in four years, and Rutger Hauer made it sound freaking amazing. Basically, a robot seeing enough in four years to start developing human emotions and coveting a human lifespan. It’d be a Robot Gains Feelings movie, like A.I., but much better.
4. Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs
Orion Pictures
Bryan Fuller is absolutely killing it with the TV version of Hannibal Lecter, but I’m interested in learning more about the film’s other villain: Jame Gumb, aka Buffalo Bill. Since the TV version currently doesn’t have the rights to any characters who debuted in Silence of the Lambs (Clarice included) there’s a chance that he may not show up in the show, so let’s imagine a movie about the weird hick murderer.
There’s a few hints in the movie about his origins, like a few tidbits from Benjamin Raspail and a few more from Hannibal himself, who actually knew of Gumb before his killing spree. Let’s see what made him what he is. Except not in a terrible way, like Hannibal Rising.
3. Ivan Drago from Rocky IV
United Artists
It’s a long-running joke that the Russian version of Rocky IV had Drago winning instead. While that would also be a fine and interesting alternate take on a classic film, it sadly does not exist. Instead, let us imagine a world where Ivan Drago, the hope of a collapsing superpower, makes his way to the top only to be shut down by a representative of one of the state’s most hated enemies.
Hell, let’s see how he became so callous that he would kill a man in the ring and walk away. That dude had a hard life, and probably a harder career. Also, it’s Dolph Lundgren. Maybe I just think aging European actors need more work.
2. The Joker
Warner Bros.
DC’s not going to do it anytime soon, so hey.
Officially, The Joker has no origin. Any backstories are considered non-canon. And that’s because most of them suck, so fair enough. Still, I think, if done properly, a standalone Joker story, maybe using Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke” (basically the backstory used in Tim Burton’s Batman) or hell, maybe something totally original, could be a lot of fun.
I am 100% aware that if this ever happened, there is a 99.99% chance it would be terrible. Hollywood could always find a way to make something this interesting terrible because they’re really great at that. But I think I’d be okay with watching them try at least. (And yes, probably fail.)
1. Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects
Gramercy Pictures
Spoilers ahoy. Most of what we learn about Soze comes from “Verbal Kint,” who is also spending pretty much the entire time bullshitting the cops. What we do know (presumably) is that Soze was a petty drug dealer who, when his family is kidnapped by rival drug dealers, kills his own family in addition to the mobsters who did the deed (as well as everyone remotely connected to them) and then goes underground, never doing business in the flesh afterward.
Come on, how crazy would it be to see unassuming, nerdy Kevin Spacey running around being a ruthless, psychopathic crime lord? We could see his climb from nobody to a brutal mastermind, like The Godfather Part II but way, way weirder.
I know there’s a ton of other possibilities I’m not thinking of. Feel free to suggest more bad guy movies in the comments.
For more from Ashe, check out Weird Shit Blog and his book, The Book of Word Records, available now!
Read More Movie Lists
Related Topics: Batman, Blade Runner
