The first reviews for the forthcoming Rogue Trooper film are in, following its premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.
Written and directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code, Warcraft, Mute) Rogue Trooper is an adaptation of the eponymous series created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, for 2000AD, produced by publisher Rebellion and Liberty Films.
There is no general release date yet: the producers are working with Creative Artists Agency and are looking for distribution.
Over at Deadline, Damon Wise describes the new film as “a fast-paced, satirical and often visually mind-blowing war movie that plays out like Starship Troopers as made by René Laloux, the Disney-gone-Dalí director of the 1973 French cult classic Fantastic Planet.” Read the full review here
Over at The Wrap, Drew Taylor describes it as “a marvel” which is also encouraging, “both for the way it maintains the off-the-wall energy of the original comics and for being an independent film made on a much tighter budget than we’d probably imagine (and may never know). Of course, neither of those things would matter if the movie weren’t any good. But it’s an absolute hoot: an otherworldly war movie populated by anthropomorphic weapons, arcane mythology and the kind of go-for-broke 1980s fantasy movie spirit that is (sadly) in short supply these days.” Read the full review here
The original creators behind Rogue Trooper had already praised the eagerly anticipated adaptation. Writer Gerry Finley-Day (Dan Dare) praised the movie’s “bags of action” while artist Dave Gibbons (Watchmen, Kingsmen) called it “completely mind-blowing”, following a private screening ahead of its premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which continues this week.
• Annecy International Animation Film Festival
• 2000AD: Original creators of ‘Rogue Trooper’ react to seeing the forthcoming movie
• Variety: How Duncan Jones Made ‘Rogue Trooper’ Look Like a Studio Epic on an Indie Budget
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: 2000AD, Animation, British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Film, Other Worlds
Leave a Reply