Tom Hanks says of comic book movies: "I'm not in their wheelhouse"

Would Tom Hanks be right for the MCU or DCU? #happysadconfused #joshhorowitz #tomhanks
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[@BiggestDawgEver]

Finally, a Hollywood heavy hitter can say that superhero material might not be for him professionally without the need to disparage the fans and artists who enjoy and produce that content. Thank you, Tom, for your sincere commentary.

[@Ice_2192]

Agree. Everyone has their own opinion and it’s not a set-in-stone fact. I never expect actors like him, Leo, or Al Pacino to be in one and that’s fine. I mean look what happened to Clooney. Those are drama focused actors and I don’t see them doing super hero movies. Just do the movies they are comfortable with. There are toxic comic book fans that’s shit on any thing that is said bad about their fandom.

[@BiggestDawgEver]

@Ice_2192 To be fair, though, Leo has been in the running for comic book/sci-fi material more than once, and just because it hasn't happened yet, it's hardly written in stone that he never will. As for Al Pacino? It may not have been based on a graphic novel, but his performance in the Devil's Advocate is very much in that spirit. George Clooney just didn't take the subject matter seriously, not that his director did either. Clooney also isn't exactly a particularly gifted dramatic actor. He's serviceable, but he is mostly just a handsome "movie star." That is not to diminish his quality as an activist, philanthropist, and producer. He just isn't what I would call a master of his craft. While there is definitely toxicity in the genre fan community, comparatively less so for the MCU than some other franchises I would say, I think a lot of us are justifiably offended when the elites like Spielberg, Scorsese, Cameron, Tarantino lambast and diminish not just the audience of comic book cinema, but the creators of it as well. I find it to be a case of false smug superiority, to hide multiple cases of sour grapes. When Spielberg complains that he has trouble getting films funded, Scorsese derides superhero movies as "not true cinema," or Tarantino says it's the IP, not the actors bringing the character to life, that is selling tickets, it smacks of a bunch of privileged snobs whose noses are out of joint because they can't get a low profit art film made or find a desirable theatrical release window. These issues aren't because of the prevalence of a certain genre of films, but rather be ause studios are motivated entirely by profit, and they have raised ticket prices, reduced theatrical exclusivity windows, prioritized streaming, and forced he majority of film goers to save their money for spectacle event movies to justify the cost.

[@jon8004]

He's definitely polite, but he implies that many of those movies are not well written. (I happen to think he's correct.)

[@jon8004]

@@BiggestDawgEver I wouldn't call Spielberg's or Tarantino's movies "low profit art" films. I'm assuming you're young. I'm 40. When I was a kid in the '80s and '90s, the cineplexes were filled with a diverse slate of films. People didn't even know what they were going to see when they went to the movie theater because they figured there'd be something worth watching when they got there. That sort of thing is unheard of now. I remember seeing Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man", which I thought was great, and then I saw Nolan's Batman movies, which I thought were spectacular, and then comic book movies invaded like a horde, knocking out most of what used to be good about the movie theater: mid-budget genre films, principally. You may feel that fans are "justifiably" angry at guys like Scorsese, but I know what things used to look like, and I can say with assurance that their annoyance is equally justifiable. These people aren't trying to make "art films". You couldn't make "The Fugitive" today if you wanted to. It'd be made for half the budget, and it would be jam-packed with a bunch of ugly CGI instead of, you know, crashing an actual train. And the studio would destroy that script out of fear because they'd be worried the action wouldn't stack up to whatever blockbuster comic book movie was in theaters that weekend.

[@JohnDoe-tm9wz]

Oh, muffin. Did a A list celebrity hurt your feelings criticizing superhero movies? How tragic! 🤣🤣🤣

[@williamjackson6705]

Tom clearly knows his comics & gave some thoughtful & insightful answers. No pomposity or ego. Great conversation.

[@AriefLeuvenardi]

Interestingly, Tom Hanks was in the amazing “Road to Perdition" that was based on a comic book / graphic novel. And super interestingly (pun intended), the actor who played his son, Tyler Hoechlin, went on to play Superman in TV’s "Supergirl" and then "Superman & Lois".

[@sleepinggorilla]

They mean “Superhero”. Most people, like my parents, don’t understand that comics cover many genres outside of Superheroes.

[@AndrewSnarls]

​@@sleepinggorilla - Exactly, people are not understanding that Tom Hanks is talking about the superhero genre of comic books and not the entire medium of comic books which span every single genre that you can come up with. So it doesn't matter if Tom Hanks has been in Road to Perdition, or the latest graphic novel adaptation he was in called Here, neither of those are superhero related. People who don't read comic books only see comic books as one genre, when they're not.

[@sleepinggorilla]

@@AndrewSnarls, I love comics as an art form. I enjoyed the MCU because it did the big comic book crossover, which is always fun. But the big-name Superheroes are repetitive and keep rebooting every year or two. Only so many time you can watch Magneto destroy the X-Mansion.

[@AndrewSnarls]

@@sleepinggorilla - I've been reading comic books since the early '80s and I eventually became a professional artist, so I completely understand the love of the medium as an art form. I also stopped reading as many superhero comics in the early 2000's for many of the repetitive reasons you probably did. During the '90s I leaned more into buying indie comics like Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, Lenore by Roman Dirge, Scud: The Disposable Assassin by Rob Schrab, Bone by Jeff Smith, Creed by Trent Kaniuga, and all kinds of other creator owned books that really weren't superhero in nature and that's still all I read to this day. However, I for a long time saw every MCU movie until Endgame, because after Endgame the low-quality identity-politics and propaganda began and the activists ruined how the MCU used to be, and I'm just tired of watching superhero movies that aren't being respected in their adaptations and are being used in ways that they shouldn't, where are all of the big name male characters are being replaced by generic female copies with no learning curves for their powers, they're just better than men because they're women... it's sickening. So it's not superhero fatigue as some people like to call it, it's just being tired of seeing beloved characters disrespected while also being lectured to during a movie which should be a fun viewing experience. So in the end I do understand where Tom Hanks is coming from in relation to the comic book superhero genre, because even as a long-long time fan I'm tired of it too.

[@briang7307]

Tom Hanks would be a good Jonathan Kent.

[@joshuacalkins]

Just what I was thinking! I can’t imagine him being a traditional superhero or villain, but he could play a very subtle and compelling human, as usual, and that part could be in a comic movie as well as anywhere else. Costner did well.

[@kirkhilljr.5446]

He'd also be a good Perry White

[@Jay-sj3io]

Yeah I see him as a Perry too

[@KingNothing710]

Great insight. Considering Tom doesn't seem very interested in being in a comic book movie he sure seems to know a lot about them and what makes a good film. He surely sounds like he would be a good producer or something with that mindset

[@Jeremy-f3s]

Yeah he made some interesting observations about what each of those characters is exploring that I never thought about but as an actor he has ofcourse. And I agree with him that after a decade of this stuff the territory left to explore is wearing thin cos pure spectacle is not what makes a film good. This genre is burning itself out fast.

[@lucone2937]

All the comic book movies don't have to be about superheroes like "Sin City" (2005) and "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" (2014) that were directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller based on Miller's comic book series.

[@sleepinggorilla]

If I recall, he is a comic book and Lord of the Rings fan. He just sees that he wouldn’t have that much to offer to those kind of films.

[@michaelmorningstar8645]

​@@Jeremy-f3sThe "genre" is infinite. A Super Hero movie can be any kind of movie.

[@Jeremy-f3s]

@michaelmorningstar8645 no genre is infinite, and you're forgetting the stories still haveto adhere to certain tropes to be marketable hence why Marvel movies are so production line. There are always exceptions that get through which is the films that people remember but most are pretty standard stuff with themes repeating again and again, every genre has that, like for instance now all the superhero films are doing the quickly becoming hackneyed multi verse theme so there's very little originality going on. Usually one person does come up with an original idea and then everybody else wanting the same success just apes it. But comic books themselves are full of triteness. They're just soap operas for nerds and soap operas aren't original at all.

[@thehobliks]

Years ago, I vaguely remember an interview with Hanks saying he was interested in playing a comic book villain but nobody has ever approached him. Always thought he'd be an awesome Mr. Freeze.

[@journeym4n-l5s]

Maybe it was for the best. Mr. Freeze was too much for DCEU to handle properly. Maybe now under Matt Reeves's umbrella.

[@thehobliks]

@journeym4n-l5s this was pre dceu. I don't think the mcu was in phase 2 yet or it was just starting. It's been awhile.

[@emjai2122]

The Superhero genre is just a storytelling device. The best movies use their genre to tell a story of a deeper truth. Superman is about loss and family. X-Men is about acceptance. Superhero movies that only focus on “battles and powers” truly miss the point of the genre.

[@bt3519]

That's why imo the Raimi Spider-Man movies are still the best because it's not just about Spidey doing cool flips. It's about Peter Parker dealing with the responsibility of it all, and trying to balance that life of saving an entire city and trying to pay the rent on time. The fight scenes are just the icing on top. The mcu is cool and fun, but theres just something about those original Spider-Man and Xmen movies when they didnt just focus on the next big thing.

[@emjai2122]

@@bt3519 dig deeper and you’ll find that Spider-Man is coming of age story mixed with atonement. 😉. The deepest truths are not plot dependent.

[@michaelmorningstar8645]

​@@bt3519Raimi's Spider-Man movies are bad slapstick with none of the humanity the character is known for.

[@bt3519]

@michaelmorningstar8645 Then you've never read the original comics because its definitely the closest version to them lol

[@Blynat]

Exactly, if you want pure power scaling circle jerks you can watch DBZ 😆

[@uwillbe]

Tom Hanks starred in a movie based off a comic book, Road to Perdition, although it’s not fantastical, it is based on a comic book.

[@CaptainJonathan]

Nice to see such a great actor recogizing and voicing that we need good stories, not just fancy visuals.

[@bobj92651]

Tom Hanks may not be in a superhero movie, but maybe he should play Stan Lee in a biopic.

[@gumgumleobazooka]

Really cool to get a respectful actor’s perspective that doesn’t just take a dump on something that is popular and a little niche.

[@ddust102]

Can Josh not ask about Marvel or Star Wars in an interview? There’s more to life and art

[@theplothickens]

He just made a fantastic analysis.

[@maximusaurelius9906]

I could see Tom Hanks in a number of different superhero comic book roles. Jonathan Kent, Jor-El, Perry White, Uncle Ben, Old Man Steve Roger's, Norman Osborn, Lex Luthor, Victor Fries, Alfred Pennyworth, Professor X. Any number of different generals, politicians, reporters or secret agents. Just imagine what you could do with Tom Hanks as Ben Urich or Henry Peter Gyrich or General Sam Lane or General Thaddeus Ross. I think Perry White would be a perfect role for Tom Hanks.

[@KillBill808]

Marvel fan since the 2000's but he is right. Marvel right now focuses more on cameo's and bridging characters and storylines from the comics, wich is dope. But that was never the main point of it all. It feels like the same over & over again with some agenda push on top of it. Why did we love those early Spider-man and X-Men movies and the Daredevil tv show? Because it was damn good writing, story telling & relatable characters with a take that was unique. Why does the Penguin work right now? Why did Peacemaker work? Because it's damn good and unique. I gotta give Marvel credit for trying to be different with Phase 4 and Eternals but I know they got discouraged. It would be a wrong move to not take any risks right now cause the reason why it didn't work was because the material wasn't that good, not because of the risks. My gut is saying they go for safe right now and for what we know, hence the RDJ recasting as Doom...

[@sixdollarman1362]

Road to Perdition is comic book movie, although not a super-hero movie. Tom Hanks did very well in that.

[@dknightwalker7269]

So the short story is. Give me a brilliant script and Im in 😅

[@CloneShockTrooper]

I would find it interesting to see Tom Hanks in a role, both in DC Comics movie and Marvel Movie. yeah I would love to see that

[@bobbyk9815]

Two words: Senator Kelly

[@ShafOne519]

Does Josh have a mandate to ask every actor/director about making a superhero movie? Like, what’s that got to do with Tom Hanks or Robert Zemeckis?

[@ADSNavarro]

Everyone has the potential to be in one so it's just natural

[@Nemoticon]

Yes... because it gets him views, which is the whole point of a youtuber's existence.

[@maxborg1627]

Zemeckis was considered for a couple of superhero movies.

[@Jeremy-f3s]

Considering it's a dominating genre of film right now and considering Tom is an actor who is on hire for any role imaginable however unlikely then er yeah, it's relevant. They got Robert Redford, Gary Shandling, Julia Louis Dreyfuss and Martin Freeman into Marvel, none of those people would've seemed likely candidates so no reason Tom couldn't.

[@BM-sg1sl]

It’s a good question to get him views considering all the backlash some of these directors get for hating on the genre

[@rockwellknuckles9425]

Let the Playtone Galaxy evolve in its own space. Hope he does a sequel with Shades and Fay called “I Was Spartacus”. Make more Playtone hit records. Plz and thank you.

[@jamesdrynan]

The bottom line is revenue. As soon as the powers-that-be saw dollar signs in comic book movies, the race was on. Trillions have been made. To what end?

[@greyeyed123]

The point is we are coo-coo for dragons and burning with fire.

[@MAMoreno]

Wait: was David S. Pumpkins a comic book superhero? Or was he his own thing?

[@Nion8six]

Hanks as Lionel Luthor! 🙏 lol

[@MichaelHeide]

He'd be a great Pa Kent though.

[@DennyT123]

Why are the doors so small in the room Hanks is in?

[@rmirandagrajales]

He forgets Road to Perdition is a graphic novel 🤷‍♂️

[@ravioli34]

The Boys series is kind of doing what Hanks suggests, which is to imagine what all powerful beings with no restraints would really be doing in today's world.

[@michaelmorningstar8645]

The MCU does that. The Boys is over the top distopian violence.

[@kangaroo3708]

Do you have to ask every actor if he’ll do a marvel movie? Are you being paid by them or something?

[@masterofallgoons]

He's trying to get views and interesting conversations and stories about the state of the industry. You don't have to come up with conspiracy theories, it's actually as simple as the face value.

[@McEnrySweet]

He sounds more against the Comic Book movies. He always tries to ask these questions getting them to say things against them to get clicks.

[@tinasmachine]

It’s not for you, boomer

[@plus_sign]

i hope Tom gets to see Joaquin Phoenix's phenomenal work in Joker 2, the story it's telling about art, society & entertainment is even deeper than the first

[@biffstrong1079]

I didn't believe Superman could fly in that first movie.

[@DIDYOUSEETHAT172]

1:00 I never did believe it. What spoiled the whole movie for me was the terrible, terrible, REALY TERRIBLE scene of Clarke running to beat the train. YIKES! Dismal, fake, phony, poorly done. The rest of the movie that was all I thought about.

[@malfeitor1349]

How old are you?

[@malfeitor1349]

I bet you’re disappointed by a lot of things….

[@merickful]

I doubt your claim is true. It sounds like you're applying today's standards to yesterday's films and passing it off as a long-standing opinion. What is clear is that you definitely block your own view when you go to the movies.

[@davidkhan1626]

Tom Hanks would be a very good Jim Gordon