Wanted trade paperback coverI was in on vacation last month and actually managed not to check my e-mail or answer my phone for a whole 4 days! That's a new record for me. So when I get back, I'm scanning for all the news I missed and came across this little gem that everybody will be talking about this year: Angelina Jolie's next movie will be based on a comic book, and it's not the often rumored Sin City II – it's WANTED.

Created by Mark Millar and artist J.G. Jones, WANTED was published by Top Cow and tells the story of the son of an assassin who is drawn into a world of violence and deceit after his father is murdered. Jolie is set to play the assassin who teaches the son what it takes to be a ruthless killing machine. The movie is set to begin shooting in Eastern Europe this May.

WANTED is an excellent graphic novel featuring outstanding plot twists, beautiful art, and a healthy dose of vulgarity. I was curious to know more about what the movie would be like, so I called up co-creator J.G. Jones (52, Y: The Last Man, Marvel Boy, Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia) to find out. Here's what he had to say:



CA: Dude, I just read that Angelina Jolie is going to be in the WANTED movie. That's, like, insane news. Did you think somebody was messing with you when you got the phone call?

JGJ: Look, it's a little embarrassing for me. I asked Angelina repeatedly to stop calling me at home. No one likes to hear a beautiful woman beg like that--well, OK, maybe that's not true, but she is a married woman after all, with her own kindergarten class at home. Besides, she's married to Brad Pitt, after all, and he was in FIGHT CLUB. I don't want any part of Tyler Durden. That dude is nuts!

CA: So filming starts in May? Are you going to the set? Are you totally taking me with you?

JGJ: I'm not sure I'll be going to the set. Not with the whole Angelina / Brad thing. That could get really uncomfortable. I think I'll go to the special effects studio instead. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a Hollywood special effects master. I never wanted to be a comic book artist. I blame the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. By the way, you should really pick up that book of all of Basil Gogos' FMoF covers. Sweet.

CA: The comic was a really excellent ride with all of the unethical characters and ultra violence ... any word on how the movie is going to go? Are we getting a "Hard R" or some PG-13 nonsense? I think the world is ready for some true grit with WANTED considering the reception genre movies like Grindhouse and 300 have been getting.

JGJ: Well, we do have the perfect director in Timur Bekmambetov. Just check out his Russian films, Night Watch and Day Watch,if you are worried about not having enough violence, humor, and visual style to suit you. I expect more than one boot to greet teeth in this film, but that could just be a thing of mine.

CA: What about the costumes you designed for the original series? Are we going to see any of that? Is the black suit going to make an appearance?

JGJ: Ha! Right. Like I'm going to tell you. Forgetaboutit. In other words, I have no idea.

CA: I want to be the first person to ask you if there are plans to do a sequel -- because you're going to get that question a ton. So are there any plans?

JGJ: Rumors: yes. Plans: no.

CA: What are you working on right now that doesn't involve Angelina Jolie?

JGJ: Stay out of my basement! Don't touch that! Who told you I was working on anything? Close that door!

The funny thing is that this is the most coherent I've heard J.G. in ages. The Angelina news must be really good for his mental state. Please check out his website when you can, and keep your eyes posted here for more WANTED news.