Hannibal the Huntsman

I found this today and just had to share. It's a fan art graphic retelling combining the grimmer rendition of Snow White with the new (and popular) TV series, Hannibal.

You may (or may not) be aware of the breakout NBC thriller Hannibal (which just ended it's first season - warning - graphic visuals if you scroll down the NBC site page!). It's based on the Hannibal character from Silence of the Lambs - a disturbed serial killer with cannibalistic tendencies (meaning this serial killer is more disturbing than average - *shudder*).

The TV series is the story of this scary guy before he's caught by the FBI, while he's still busy as a practicing therapist and while he's enjoying his role as gourmet cook, serving unsuspecting guests delicacies of other kinds (*double shudder*). It's an incredibly well done show - well written, well acted (everyone is amazing and scary-smart), artistically shot, extremely well layered and critically acclaimed for good reason.

It's also EXTREMELY gory and I'm actually surprised it's as widely followed as it is (most people I know don't have enough stomach to handle the visuals).

Perhaps it's due to the "artistry" in which everything is told and shot (I'm talking classical oil painting-like set-ups - amazing stuff) but I think it's also that sense of "other" woven in (an FBI consultant with a disorder sees visions, of sorts), which helps remove it from real life, giving it this sense of a (extremely) macabre fairy tale.

He took out his hunting knife and was about to stab it into her innocent heart when she began to cry, saying, “Oh, dear huntsman, let me live. I will run into the wild woods and never come back."Because she was so beautiful the huntsman took pity on her, and he said, “Run away, you poor child."He thought, “The wild animals will soon devour you anyway," but still it was as if a stone had fallen from his heart, for he would not have to kill her.

That said, it shouldn't be too surprising that the images have been used to retell a fairy tale - and boy does this send Snow White back to it's Grimm and cannibalistic roots! Wonderfully done and so very apt.

It should come as no surprise, though, that this retelling has no happy ending. Though the huntsman (in this version) does let her go at first she is very tempting prey... *wants to yell "RUN Abigail-Snow!" at the screen*

No doubt we could infer even more fairy tales from the series (eg the main protagonist is trying to shake a Sleeping Beauty-like stupor before it's too late) but I think I'll handle one macabre consideration at a time. (And now I need to go find some fluffy, sparkly unicorns dancing on rainbows to watch for a while...)

The artist/fan, known only as anenglishlane on Tumblr, who created this graphic "Hannibal au Snow White" series, describes herself as:

English undergraduate and (hopefully) a learned gentlewoman in the making.  Likes fairytales, court poetry, dark queens and power couples, gothic metaphors for Victorian sexuality, and alleged dark lords in cuddly jumpers.

We appreciate the way you think girl!

Finally! A "Fables" Film! (& What That Might Be Like) + A Fables-Prequel Game This Summer

Fan made movie poster by DigitalRich

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber. (GeekTyrant)

Snow White – Audrey Tautou

I just missed this gigantic news as I started blogging again and didn't "re-announce" it, figuring anyone vaguely interested would have already gotten the news, done their happy dances to the embarrassment of the neighbors, yelled enthusiastic "Hell Yeah!" (and other expletives) along with iO9, pulled out all their Fables comic covers and started drooling over their own movie "look books" without any prompting from me.

BUT.

You know I couldn't ignore this completely...
(Note: None of these casting suggestions are mine. I wouldn't know where to begin!)

Fan made movie poster by DigitalRich

In case you're thinking "What is all this Fables business? What is it and why should I care?", here's a quick summary from toplessrobot:

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the comic, Fables focuses on a group of childhood fantasy book characters, from Snow White to Blackbeard, who have been exiled out of their Homelands centuries ago after a fierce battle with a foe known as the Adversary. Now the remaining fairy-tale creatures hide in present day New York City as they try to stay out of reach from said Adversary and live quiet, normal lives. Well, not completely normal.

Jack Horner – Matthew McConaughey

... So I'm just going to fuel the fire a teensy bit, having noted that one of the Fables writers (for the comic - not cited as being connected with the movie.. yet), Mark Buckingham, is going to ComicCon on behalf of DCEntertainment and will no doubt be plied with a billion questions about the movie (even if that's not what he's supposed to be there for exactly). 

Fan made movie poster by DigitalRich

I'm also (finally) posting these (amazingly good) fan made posters made back in 2011, just to give you a sense that this is something a lot of people have been wanting (very badly) for a very long time.

From YouBentMyWookie: 

An obvious fan of the series, DeviantArt user DigitalRich has created seven very awesome fan-made movie posters giving us a tease at what a “Fables” movie or cable series might look like. 

The posters are fairly well cast too and features Elisha Cuthbert, Peter Dinklage, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Henry Cavill, and Zooey Deschanel.

Note: I'm not going to go into the Fables vs Once Upon A Time thing here. Something tells me that's going to come up again really soon...

A nice summary of the initial news from CelluloidandCigarettes:

Director Nikolaj Arcel

THR reports that Warner Bros. is back to making a live-action film based on the DC Comics/Vertigo comic Fables. They have a script from Jeremy Slater who was tasked to write Fox's Fantastic Four reboot and have hired Danish director Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair - shown at left). No word on when production is expected to begin but it sounds a little more promising than other DC based projects that are stuck in limbo (The Flash, Wonder Woman, Lobo, Sgt. Rock, Suicide Squad). Harry Potter producers David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford of Heyday Films are also involved.

Bigby Wolf – Russell Crowe

From APP.com:

Fortunately, “Fables”’ time in the spotlight has finally come, and newcomers will get a fresh chance to get in on the story from the beginning with a forthcoming film. Heyday Films, the studio behind the “Harry Potter” movies, announced recently that they are going into pre-production on a “Fables” movie. Given the scale of “Fables,” and the fact that Heyday built their reputation on an eight-part epic, it’s clear the hope is to turn “Fables” into a thriving franchise. If the adaptation is handled as well as Heyday’s last venture, that’s practically a foregone conclusion, because the strength of the source material is undeniable.

Fan made movie poster by DigitalRich

Toplessrobot also gave us a good "top 10" list of what we really should be seeing in the first film. (Because, really - you think they're going to make just ONE? How could they??) Here's a brief, excerpted recap:

10. Flycatcher And Boy Blue - These two characters turn from silly little sidekicks within the first couple of stories into a couple of the biggest heroes in the big battle that takes place later on. All I'm saying is that it would be nice if we get to see them at least once... 

9. Prince Charming's Snarky Attitude - The Prince Charming that you know and love from the fairy tales is non-existent in the Fables universe... He's a rather despicable character throughout the first few volumes, but he grows on you. Like an infection. 

Geppetto – Bryan Cranston

8. Drama on the Farms - All I really want to see is the homicidal Goldilocks and some of the other animals on the Farms try to hunt down Snow White. Without spoiling too much of the story, the revolt that happens on he Farms has a lot to do with rebuilding the relationship between the sisters Snow White and Rose Red; it's a cool little story and it shows how different and dangerous their worlds are compared to what we're used to in the children's books. Actually, all I really want to see is some of those animals, like one of the Three Bears, with a rifle in its hands. Because I've always been in favor of the right to arm bears.

Fan made movie poster by DigitalRich

7. The World Of Our Fairy Tale Exiles - The brilliant thing about the overall look for whatever sets will be made for Fables is that they can be done practically without too much effort, with the only real kind of CG we'll have to see coming from some of the animals and more mystical creatures...The comic contains very lush, detailed-yet-simple backdrops so it'll be a delight to see how those assigned to the film elaborate on the wonderful illustrations. Let me emphasize: elaborate on the wonderful illustrations! Ignore them at your peril, people. 

6. The Creatures - Since we're dealing with a flurry of mystical creatures, ranging from Shere Khan to the Three Pigs, we will have to see them at some point running around with the rest of the Fabletown folk...

Old King Cole – Robert Duvall

 To read the points in full, see examples from the graphic novels and for numbers 5 through 1 go HERE to toplessrobot and read the rest.

Myself? I want to see some of that amazing artwork, particularly by James Jean, translated well onto the big screen (I have a collection of it HERE). The covers keep drawing you back, no matter what you think of the adventures going on throughout the series, and those alone are enough to set your imagination flying with fairy tales of the edgy kind.

There's one thing that's clear, when you start to look at how a movie of Fables might look: this is no princess movie! If Once Upon A Time has soured guys on fairy tales at all (and Grimm isn't doing the trick for them) then this will help - a lot. This is definitely a not-for-kids or pixie-dust crowd project. (Gotta love how fairy tales are so versatile!)

Fan made movie poster by DigitalRich

Fan made movie poster by DigitalRich

One thing I haven't read anywhere yet is a statement from Fables creator Bill Willingham himself. I'm really curious to know what he thinks, now that it will be clear that anything Fables movie related will be worlds away from Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest of OUAT.

Rose Red – Keira Knightley

If you're enjoying imagining the cast possibilities and rediscovering the wealth of characters available to "play" with in Willingham's world, there are a couple more line-ups HERE & HERE for you to consider (with character descriptions).

In the meantime, if you're a gamer, you have a Fables game "The Wolf Among Us" to look forward to (a Willingham-approved-prequel to the comics series that may just give us some clues to the movie - maybe - see below) and, of course, anything Fables movie related that leaks from ComicCon, we'll be sure to share ASAP.

There's a write-up and first look of the Fables game HERE.

It's due out THIS SUMMER on Xbox 360, PC, Mac and PS3 (so, any minute now...).

Fan Made "Snow White and the Huntsman Poster"

This is a gorgeous fan-made poster for the upcoming film, Snow White and the Huntsman by Dwayne Labuschagne (aka chronophasia on deviantArt).

Mr. Labuschagne says, about the work:

 I've always been a fan of minimalist posters with interesting designs, so I got this idea to create a unique poster for Snow White and the Huntsman using only silhouettes to represent key imagery from the film. The silhouettes consist of stock images that I have tweaked in some way and expanded upon using other silhouettes. Those that I created myself are the silhouettes for the evil queen, the mysterious forest creature and the apple.

Universal Studios are currently looking for fan-made art for the movie and this poster was one of the works submitted (I'm not sure if the artist submitted it himself or it was submitted for him).

If you are interested in submitting your own piece, you can do that HERE.

You can see more of Mr. Labuschagne's work HERE.

Grimm Confessions by Fans of the Series

It's no surprise there are fan websites and blogs popping up for NBC's Grimm, just like they have for ABC's Once Upon A Time.

This blog, which can be contributed to by anyone, is titled Grimm Confessions and not only highlights the thoughts - pros and cons - about the series by various fans but their wishes for where it might go too. The day after an episode airing is a good time to check the blog for new entries though they appear more often than that.

Here are some examples:

There are many gif captures and multiple gif "arrangements" (sees to be the new trend!) so you can check those out too. One of the most creative "gif groupings" adds lines from the song "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics (used throughout the pilot episode) and pairs the lyrics with key scenes to underline their gravity. You can see that on this page HERE (I've linked to the posters own page so it's easier to find). I wonder who thought up the connection of that song with Red Riding Hood? It works chillingly well.

Fan Art of Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard

This lovely piece of fan art popped up yesterday, showing the dual role and real-world dilemma of Once Upon A Time's Snow White beautifully. I had to share. I'm looking forward to seeing what else people create as a result of this series.
Source: tooyoungtofight

Twisted Princesses

Want to see what the Disney Princesses would be like if they went to the dark side?

Jeffrey Thomas (aka *jefftoon01 on deviantART) has done a wonderful job of exploring exactly that and has a very cool series going in his gallery. If you appreciate dark fairy tales you'll love it, not to mention vampires, zombies and other monsters we love.

I recommend clicking on 'full view' as there are a LOT of cool details and story nuances you won't see in the thumbnail versions.

Here's a few examples - no passive princesses here!(Um - wow! I do NOT want to meet this Aurora in the woods!)(The Cheshire Cat here is exactly how I envision him!)Yay for fan art!

I hope there's more coming - the idea of "The Princess and the Frog" or "Rapunzel" getting this treatment sends story idea galloping through my head... *dashes away to grab pen and paper*

*Pops head back in quickly to say:*

You can find the rest HERE in his deviantART gallery.

"Awesome stuff Jeff! More please!"

NOTE: A sincere thank you to Bryan Prindiville for alerting me to these! He's a fabulous cartoonist/illustrator himself - go check out his WEBSITE and enjoy - a lot of things to make you smile there.