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These Are Those Things

Remembering Harvey Pekar

Comic Book Resources has a good post on the NY Comic Con event on American Splendor’s creator Harvey Pekar. Harvey has been an inspiration for so many people, myself included.

Dean Haspiel shared a litte bit more on how our movie came together, and how he introduced me to Harvey.

“I was working as an assistant to [producer] Ted Hope,” Haspiel said. “One of my jobs was to pay bills and file things. I came across an ‘American Splendor’ film script. Rob Schneider was slated to play Pekar, but that didn’t happen. I also came across a Chester Brown screenplay. I discovered a bunch of comics and that [Hope] was a fan. I had done two or three one-page stories with Harvey and I felt like I could ask Ted Hope if he was interested in an ‘American Splendor’ movie. He said ‘Sure!’ I called up Harvey, and he didn’t know who this guy was and what his movies were. He said, ‘Sure, have him call me.’ A year and a half later was this amazing, Sundance Award-winning movie.”

Give the whole post a read.

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These Are Those Things

The Path To American Splendor

Dean Haspiel had Harvey Pekar’s wife Joyce Brabner call me. Having long wanted to make a film of Harvey and American Splendor, I optioned the material on the phone. It wasn’t so easy for Dean who struggled to get Harvey to let him work for him, and then got in a fight with Harvey when he finally called. Classic Harvey. Check out the video here.

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Let's Make Better Films

What is SUPER? James Gunn speaks

Earlier this week, our directed posted from his blog his description of what our film is:

“Yes, I know, there have been other films that are superficially the same as ours, movies about real people becoming superheroes – including some very good ones. But ours is the first that, although funny, focuses first and foremost on the emotions of the characters involved. It is a dark, gritty, violent, no-hold-barred independent film that is, I promise you, not at all what you expect.”

Check it out.  James throws in some photos of his girlfriend for good measure.