When comic book/superhero movies really started to prove themselves as blockbuster franchises, we started to get a handful of original takes on the genre. These were stories not based on established characters, but using the basic superhero concept to explore a different concept. As deals were made, it all sounded very promising. In the end we got trainwrecks like My Super Ex-Girlfriend and the uneven-at-best Hancock.
I'm therefore cautiously optimistic about the new pitch from the up-and-coming screenwriter David Guggenheim titled 364. The concept is simple: if you knew you were going to have superpowers for a single day each year, what would you do with those powers and how would you spend the other 364 days of the year? I'll admit, it's a great pitch, but I can't help but wonder if the question is inherently more interesting than the actual answer.
Not only has Universal nabbed the project, but Imagine Entertainment has come on board and Ron Howard intends to direct. There's no word on the tone of the project yet and I'm not even sure exactly where they are with the script at this point, but I wouldn't expect to see Opie saddle up for this just yet. I think the casting is going to be the key; I'd love to see the lead played by someone who would never be considered for an actual superhero franchise, like a Jay Baruchel or a Jesse Eisenberg, or go older and get someone like Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
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