The film industry is a constant revolving game of copycat and one-upmanship. Whenever a movie becomes a surprise box office success, studios follow suit, capitalizing on an emerging trend. Hoping to make a quick buck, while it can. In a way, the entertainment news field operates somewhat similarly. With comic book movies and nostalgia tinged offerings at an all time high, it makes sense that a someone would want to find a property that fuses the two together, in hopes of the next big hit. So it comes as no surprise that Variety is reporting that Paramount is setting adapt the graphic novel Kill Them All into a film.
When reading the synopsis to the 2015 story by Kyle Starks (Rick and Morty), it’s easy to see why the studio see’s a potential hit:
“A betrayed murderess wants revenge. A hard drinking former cop wants his job back. For either to get what they want, they’re going to have to fight their way through fifteen flights of criminals, assassins, drug lords, murderers, yup, even accountants, and… KILL. THEM. ALL.”
On the page this sounds like it’ll be along the lines of The Raid, Judge Dredd, High-Rise and Mayhem. This makes further sense when you consider that the graphic novel is a self-described “love letter to 90s action movies”. That could mean any number of things. Remaining energetically positive, it potentially sounds like a lot of fun. A movie like this will come down to tone, which sadly, as I haven’t read this before, I can’t really speak to. Should any readers have knowledge of the content, let us know in the comments.
If handled just right (insert John Travolta Primary Colors gif here) there’s no reason to think this couldn’t be something big. The strange aspect to all this, is that Paramount are the one’s going forward with it. The synopsis and indicated tone scream of something made by a smaller studio or even a streaming platform. After all, Paramount isn’t synonymous with good bid budget comic adaptations. Though this could be the start of them turning over a new leaf. They’ve put things squarely in the hands of producers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, who on one hand are responsible for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, but on the other, gave us two CGI Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.
Outside of the basic announcement and initial talent involved, there’s nothing else known about Kill Them All. Depending on who they land to direct the picture, production could be rushed to hit theaters in a year or two. The second more news pops up concerning this project, we’ll update you immediately.
