Harbinger Movie

[cthulhu73]

I saw this blurb in a Valiant Entertainment email. It has a "link to the press release" that goes to the wrong place.

HARBINGER HEADS TO HOLLYWOOD
Valiant Entertainment's parent company, DMG Entertainment, announced Valiant's big plans, including a brand-new office in New York, video games, and bringing Valiant's comics, TV shows, and film closer together. One extra exciting piece of info is that Paramount's HARBINGER is aiming for a 2021 release!

[Juki]

“ Paramount's HARBINGER is aiming for a 2021 release!“ If this is true.... and the Harbinger Movie is moving forward... THIS IS GREAT NEWS!!!! But, I won’t believe it until information comes out that it is actually being filmed.

[cthulhu73]

I agree; man I hope it's done well. Harbinger has been my favorite Valiant title since the 90's.

I'm assuming this is it....

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201145/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

[nonplayer]

With the world dealing with covid I highly doubt it.

[IMJ]

I agree; man I hope it's done well. Harbinger has been my favorite Valiant title since the 90's.

I'm assuming this is it....

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201145/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

This is how I feel as well. I'm just glad it's still getting made....

[Juki]

Out of curiosity.... how far into the “Harbinger story” do you think this movie will/should go? It seems obvious to me that Harada will have to be in it. But, how far do they go into developing the character of Toyo Harada? Is most of Harada saved for a potential second movie?

For me, getting Toyo Harada done right is essential to the success of all future Valiant movies. Personally, I think Master Darque and Harada ultimately are the big keys to possible movie success. Other characters that fall into the villain type role may work well for netflix type shows. But, on the big screen you need a “big time villain.”

[Phantom]

Super looking forward to this. Superised their is not more information?

[geocarr]

Out of curiosity.... how far into the “Harbinger story” do you think this movie will/should go? It seems obvious to me that Harada will have to be in it. But, how far do they go into developing the character of Toyo Harada? Is most of Harada saved for a potential second movie?

For me, getting Toyo Harada done right is essential to the success of all future Valiant movies. Personally, I think Master Darque and Harada ultimately are the big keys to possible movie success. Other characters that fall into the villain type role may work well for netflix type shows. But, on the big screen you need a “big time villain.”

I see Harbinger as an ideal trilogy of movies.

I think the first movie should focus on Harada and just tell his story and end with Pete and Joe escaping from the psychiatric facility using a demonstration of Pete's telepathy, mind control, and telekinesis to hint to the audience at the similarities between his abilities and power level and Harada's. This movie should show Harada first meeting Darpan, Livewire, and other psiots he recruits into the Harbinger Foundation. This movie should also highlight Harada to the audience the amount of good Harada and the Harbinger Foundation has done for others as much if not moreso as his morally ambiguous larger plan for the world so that the audience leaves the theater questioning and discussing if he is a villain or not. I want the audience to be conflicted about Harada and struggle to label him as good or bad or hero or villain.

The second movie would focus on Pete and the meeting the rest of renegades with lots of character building but mostly Harada and the Harbinger Foundation in the background of the movie. This movie highlights Pete's and the other character's flaws and mistakes and should make the audience somewhat struggle to clearly see them as heroes while also make it somewhat easy for the audience to sympathize with each character. Harada tries to recruit Pete in this movie and we all know what happens to Joe. This movie sets the stage for the battle between the renegades and Harada and the Harbinger Foundation in the third movie.

The third movie is the action movie everyone has been waiting for and it hits the ground running and stays that way from beginning to end now that the audience is emotionally invested and conflicted about all the characters. Parts of it will seem cliched and familiar tropes but it will be entertaining with top notch action sequence choreography and special effects.

I haven't thought this next one out nearly as much but I maybe think a Master Darque trilogy might work as well.

The first movie would introduce Master Darque and Sandria in the distant past and tell their story while also introducing the audience to Voodoo and loa and the lineage of Shadowmen and Shadowwomen. Jack becomes Shadowman at the end of the movie. The audience should leave the theater scared to death of Master Darque and the movie should show them there is no cruelty or atrocity he won't commit to achieve his goals. This is straight up horror movie where we see how and why Master Darque becomes evil and his continual acquisition of power and the symbols on his body and the negative consequences for everyone around him. The movie should gradually show a few symbols appear on Darque's arms and maybe back and/or torso while at the end there should be a reveal where he shaves his head while naked and the audience sees his whole body covered in the symbols. The movie portrays Master Darque as beginning with a moral center and losing it and Sandria in reverse beginning without a moral center and gaining one but not knowing what to do with it and being conflicted about it but finally acting in a positive way on it by the end of the movie.

The second movie reveals Master Darque's master plan and Sandria becoming conflicted about her brother and Sandria as an anti-hero who struggles between self preservation and morality which she's not sure about anyway. This movie shows the audience more of Sandria's abilities which you thought she might have but weren't sure from the first movie so it creates some "Damn! I didn't know she could do that (but I thought last movie she might be able to do some of it)!!" moments. This movie introduces Shan Fong after Hwen dies and focuses on Shan processing the grief and isolating while using her abilities and her limited understanding of her abilities. Shan can access the Deadside which gives the audience an introduction to that but Shan can't find or communicate with Hwen and the Deadside characters are telling her it's because of "him" but never name Master Darque and Shan never figures it out in this movie. I'm thinking Jack seeks out Shan to try to learn more about the nature of the loa and his abilities and the deadside and his naïve struggle to decide whether he wants to be Shadowman or not (which he learns eventually he never had a choice to begin with). Meanwhile, throughout the movie, Master Darque is manipulating both Shan and Jack offering to help them both but using their abilities and supernatural strengths to advance his plans. Sandria is working behind the scenes in mysterious unknown ways to undermine her brother but the movie doesn't reveal how.

The third movie of course has Jack and Shan teaming up against Master Darque and we learn that Sandria was recruiting Punk Mambo in the last movie. Jack embraces his role as Shadowman. Shan learns the connection between Master Darque and Hwen's death. Punk Mambo's is hilariously sarcastic and Darque grossly underestimates her but we learn almost nothing about her except she is critical in turning the tide against Darque. Shan never finds Hwen in the movie which sets up a possible serialized Doctor Mirage show. I can't figure out if that's enough to defeat Darque or if the Geomancer and Gilad should come in as well. The movie could end with the Geomancer telling Gilad the Earth wants him to make the sacrifice to distract Darque long enough for Jack, Shan, and Punk mambo to defeat Darque. The movie leaves the audience extremely curious and dying to know more about Punk Mambo. One Easter egg could show Hwen in the Deadside. Another Easter egg at the end of the movie is the opening scene for Gilad in Wrath of the Eternal Warrior.

I see the Harbinger movies as questioning good vs evil and moral ambiguity, responsibility and boundaries that come with power, government conspiracies, and good ole super hero powers and action.

I see the Master Darque movies as horror and psychological thriller and somewhat apocalyptic movies.

No time travel!! And no costumes other than Harbinger Foundation uniforms. Jack can wear a Shadowman shirt but it's just a shirt he got in a store in New Orleans that he likes and not a costume.

It's so much fun for me to imagine these possible stories and character interactions. You guys probably think I'm crazy but I enjoy it.

[geocarr]

Superised their is not more information?

Me too. If they're serious about a 2021 release, I would think they would at least have a teaser image out by now. The Harbinger Foundation symbol if nothing else even if people get it confused with The Hunger Games mockingjay.

[Juki]

geocarr,
I think Valiant should put you in charge as an architect for the movies. Everything for Darque and Harada makes sense the way you laid it out in trilogy. Most importantly.....You said very eloquently what I was trying to convey.... the first Harbinger movie should concentrate on developing Harada (especially his intention in doing what he believes is best for all). But, I am afraid it will concentrate more on Peter.

[geocarr]

geocarr,
I think Valiant should put you in charge as an architect for the movies. Everything for Darque and Harada makes sense the way you laid it out in trilogy. Most importantly.....You said very eloquently what I was trying to convey.... the first Harbinger movie should concentrate on developing Harada (especially his intention in doing what he believes is best for all). But, I am afraid it will concentrate more on Peter.

Thank you for the kind words. I certainly enjoy letting my imagination loose with these characters and how they might possibly interact and definitely believe they have similar potential to the MCU. I have no way of knowing if anyone else would like what I like, but then again, I guess no one ever does.

[Not_Bloodshot]

I don’t know if you guys have seen this relatively new show on Cinemax called Warrior. It’s based on a concept story by Bruce Lee. Anyways, the lead actor, Andrew Koji, is brilliant in the show. Not that my vote matters, but if it did, I vote for him to be Toyo Harada, even if they have to age him a bit...

I can’t find any of the better clips on YouTube of him in a suit being a stone cold, calculating, badass like you can see in the show, but here is a preview for those who haven’t seen it:

https://youtu.be/J0QMqpHXYeM

[mkb28]

I don’t know if you guys have seen this relatively new show on Cinemax called Warrior. It’s based on a concept story by Bruce Lee. Anyways, the lead actor, Andrew Koji, is brilliant in the show. Not that my vote matters, but if it did, I vote for him to be Toyo Harada, even if they have to age him a bit...

I can’t find any of the better clips on YouTube of him in a suit being a stone cold, calculating, badass like you can see in the show, but here is a preview for those who haven’t seen it:

https://youtu.be/J0QMqpHXYeM

Man, I wish I had Cinemax. That looks like a great series to watch. Thanks for sharing!