Sometimes seen as a bit of a joke, Plastic Man is one of those superhero characters that defied the odds to become popular and even, to some degree, respected. While there have been rumblings of an adaptation in the past – most recently with Kevin Smith pitching an animated take – the stretchy one might finally get his big break as Warner Bros. and DC have put a comedic film based on the character into early development, with writer Amanda Idoko on board.
Launched in 1941 in Quality Comics, Plastic Man owes his creation to writer-artist Jack Cole. Patrick "Eel" O’Brien was a safe-cracking burglar shot while pulling a job with his gang at the Crawford Chemical Works and doused with the contents of a mysterious drum of liquid. Somehow escaping the cops, he ended up at a monastery where a monk cared for him and inspired him to become a hero. He discovered that he can now bend, twist and shape his body into any form. A stretchy superhero was born! In 1956, Quality Comics shut down and DC acquired many of its characters, folding the bendy benchmark into its stable.
Since then, he's acquired cult status, joined the Justice League and appeared in his own cartoon series. As we mentioned above, it's early days for this, with the script in the works and no director attached. But The Hollywood Reporter has heard that it'll be keeping to the light-hearted style of the character, with Warner Bros. no doubt aiming for something akin to Deadpool.
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