Director talks, teaser poster revealed
Kevin Munroe is stepping into the ring with Death Ray Films and Maya Entertainment at his back to take on El Zombo Fantasma. The trio have announced they’re bringing the four-part comic book mini-series – published in 2004 by Dark Horse Comics – to the big screen.
Munroe is writing and directing the film for production outfit Death Ray, a company he co-operates with producers Chris Patton and Robert Sanchez. Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson will executive produce. Jose Martinez, Kellvin Chavez and Moctesuma Esparza, representing Maya, are also serving as producers.
El Zombie Fantasma is deeply rooted in Munroe’s past. He co-created the character, a Mexican wrestler, with David Wilkins. The two hatched the idea for the series while they were working at the Midway Games. It picks up with the unsolved murder of the masked El Zombo and his release from Hell. Dropped into Los Angeles, he serves as a guardian angel for young Belisa Montoya but is conflicted between saving this troubled teen and finding his killers.
“I think Hellboy is a touchstone for the kind of heightened reality you’ll see in this,” Munroe exclusively tells ShockTillYouDrop.com. “I think Dick Tracy might have too broad of a palette but – and we were talking about this – there’s wrestling and then there’s the world of El Zombo. Everything’s 40% bigger. It’s all got to be believable but there’s nothing wrong with pushing the boundaries. I was always a fan of the old Santo movies and those ask for a leap of faith, but when you’re in that world, it’s all believable.”
“We’ve gone for years trying to get this made with Dark Horse,” he continues. “Then when we met with the Maya team – I went in with Death Ray, me, Robert and Chris – we brought up El Zombo and they perked up. They got this could be a Latino hero. It’s a mix of the right partners and the right time. It’s not your normal superhero movie.”
Sanchez adds: “As a Cuban-American in this industry, I see El Zombo as a unique property that will not only showcase Latinos but also appeal to all audiences. It has action, romance, redemption and wrestling, it’s a Latin Hellboy. It’s the prefect date movie!”
Like Hellboy there is a heavy dose of the supernatural that comes into play in El Zombo’s life (naturally, the dude broke out of Hell), but Munroe says that will slowly unfold through the story. As for finding the man to fill the mask “It’s up in the air, because I love the idea of a [muscle] costume, creating that comic book vibe, but on the other hand I would love to break somebody. Find someone new. It’s a question of who’s available, what kind of work we can have done. It’s one of the undecided factors.”
El Zombo Fantasma could potentially open the doors to sequels and a spin-off, Munro says. “The Maya people are talking animation, video games, everything, it’s really cool.” Currently, the writer-director is gearing up for Dead of Night; he’s also attached to helm War Monkeys with Death Ray.
Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
