Christopher Aanerud September 4th, 2018 - 9:03 AM
Duncan Jones is working on a comic book movie, and he has seemingly revealed on Twitter that it is based on Rogue Trooper from the 2000 AD British science fiction-focused comic magazine. Created in 1981 by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, Rogue Trooper follows the story of Rogue, a genetically-created infantryman with blue skin who has been manufactured as a super soldier. In his search for the dastardly Traitor General he relies on assistance from three biochips (onto which an entire infantryman’s personality is downloaded at the time of death for later retrieval) that are mounted on his rifle, his backpack, and his helmet. Rogue is immune to toxins, can withstand being submerged in acid, and can survive in a vacuum in space.
Jones, known for directing Moon, Source Code, Warcraft, and Mute, first teased the project on July 12 on Twitter:
A little nervous about this, but hell, nervous is where the fun is!
I’m going to be making a comic book movie next! A pretty special one.
That’s the initial tease…Second tease to come in a few days!
— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) July 12, 2018
A few days later he posted the below video, in which he mentions fellow 2000 AD alum Judge Dredd, teasing that a sequel to 2012’s Dredd would be welcome (Karl Urban agrees). The camera slowly zooms in as Jones removes his hat, revealing that he sports an epic mohawk akin to Rogue’s hairstyle in the comics.
As promised… pic.twitter.com/6y3pzn2Cn1
— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) July 15, 2018
Jones’ “one for them, one for me” quote references advice that David Bowie (Jones’ dad) gave to the filmmaker. In a 2016 New York Times interview, Jones discusses his father’s desire to balance popular pieces of entertainment with smaller, more personal projects. “One of the things my dad always said is that it’s O.K. to do one for you and one for them,” he said. “He taught me a lot of things, but that’s certainly one of the many that I took to heart.”
Certainly, with Warcraft under his belt, Jones has the experience necessary to handle a massive piece of pulp entertainment with heart, focusing on the darker aspects of an action-filled apocalyptic story while keeping the intimate character moments that are woven into Warcraft, Moon, and Mute. As progress continues on bringing Rogue Trooper to the big screen, this is definitely one comic book film to keep an eye on.
