It was a cold day, and my mood was miserable. The only thing that was sadder, was the rerun of the Hansie Cronke film playing on my screen. I was drinking hard out of a My Little Pony shot glass, guzzling drinks like they an alcoholic in first class on a luxury airplane, when all of a sudden, some sky-high legs appeared. It was Kervyn, taking advantage of my vertical issues, giving me an ultimatum to get a story up about some old Mickey Spillane creation. So I got to work right away, saving the Rainbow dash cutlery for another day, as my McHappy Meal lost its flavour and heat…
Looks like ol’ Mike Hammer is making a return, this time to the big screen (Sorry Stacy Keach). The last time that the grizzled private eye was on the big screen, was back in 1982 for I, The Jury, which starred Armand Assante in the lead role.
Created by Mickey Spillane in 1947, Mike Hammer was the prototype for the classic image of a 1940s detective. A hard drinker with a fondness for internal monologues and fist fights, while bending the law to get results, his influence has been felt in genre works for many decades now, influencing similar characters.
Spillane continued to write the character until his death in 2006, with Allan “Road to Perdition” Collins taking over for him and cranking out new material in the years to come.
Warner Bros is now looking to bring the PI back since they recently reacquired the rights to Mike Hammer, with Collins as an executive producer, alongside Spillane’s widow, Jane. The big question now though, is whether or not Warner Bros wants a more modern day interpretation of the character, or whether they’ll stick to the noir period that he originated from.
It’s a tricky scenario, and presents a helluva challenge. If done properly, such as the manner in which the BBC updated Sherlock, there could be something fantastic here, but many purists will want Hammer to remain a century behind the times.
Unfortunately, that might not draw in enough numbers to justify the costs for the film.
Warner Bros is currently accepting pitches for the project from several “A-List” writers, but that’s about all. It’d be great to see Mike Hammer return though, and personally, I’d love to see some big name actors audition for the role.
Who do you see as the gruff detective?
Last Updated: October 22, 2012
