Previous Pitches
Plastic Man
Roy Harper, Snowbird
Enigma
The Brave and the Bold
Wildcat
Adam Strange
 

Okay, so this pitch is gonna be a lot quicker than the rest. No overlong intros, no witty banter as I'm elaborating on each section... none of that. I'm gonna trim the fat off this one for the sole reason that your boy Tom Servo is tired and he's gonna be waking up early tomorrow. He's going to Disney World (again!) tomorrow after a week of doctors' appointments and job applications, and not even a nightly binge of Kanye West, PFFR, Streetlight Manifesto, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is worth staying up for at this level of tired.

Oh, shit, I'm doing it again.

Alright, uhm... Deadpool was kind of a massive deal at the time of its release. It made comic book fans give a rat's behind about Fox again and baited casual moviegoers into theater seats with promises of grindhouse gore, Tarantinoesque profanity, and exploitative 2000's teencom raunchiness. Its success was unprecidented. After watching the reception it got, I got to wondering if DC is capable of a successful (at least critically) film of this nature. And I wholeheartedly believe they are.
 

T  H  E    C  R  E  E  P  E  R

Recalled during a therapy session from within the walls of Arkham Asylum, we follow the story of a patient, Jack Raburn (Jason Schwartzman, Rushmore), whose blossoming career as a WHAM-TV reporter came to a sudden end after going on an unscripted, controversial rant live on air. Fired, off his medication, and lonely in his upper-class abode, Jack wanders the streets at night in search of excitement. He finds it one night, in the form of a mugging. The man he saves reveals himself as Dr. Yatz (Macon Blair, Blue Ruin), a scientist developing a super-soldier serum called Venom under the employment of none other than WHAM-TV's head of security, Bill Brane (Mark Duplass, Safety Not Guaranteed). As a token of their gratitude, Brane and Yatz inject Jack with the drug, splicing his mental instability into a seperate entity calling itself The Creeper. With Jack under their thumb, they use his Creeper abilities to go to war with the notorious crime boss Angel Devlin (Stephen Root, Office Space), a decision that brings Jack into odds with a more old-fashioned vigilante named The Guardian (Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton) and both Raburn's psychiatrist and criminal-turned-antihero Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie, I, Tonya). The emergence of The Creeper and his unconventional war on crime will shake up Gotham's status quo and bring together a team of unlikely allies, as well as call into question the morality behind weaponizing the "undesirable".

I wasn't even trying to be subtle with the message here. Why? Again, I'm rushing through this one. We're dealing with themes of mental illness, very much like The Brave and the Bold. Unlike Bold, however, Creeper will approach the issue of politicizing certain marginalized groups as opposed to reflecting on the marginalization itself. Are the methods of Yatz, and more notably Brane, just? Is Jack's condition something to be ashamed of, or something to embrace, even at its worst? That's up to the viewer... and the screenwriter.
 

Director

Matt Spicer

Unlike most of the filmmakers I've used in these pitches, Matt Spicer is pretty new to the game. He's had experience in film before, serving as a producer on 2011's Ceremony and directing his own short film, It's Not You It's Me, in 2013. But what really put Spicer on the map is his directorial debut in the form of this year's feature-length dark comedy, Ingrid Goes West. Critics and myself lauded the film, praising its sharp comedic writing and biting social satire. The film is nominated in two categories at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, and the results are pending as of the time of writing.

Seeing as how The Creeper is an inherently silly concept, and his origin story is ripe for an exploration of mental health, attaching Spicer to the project is the logical choice. He has shown a talent in using comedy to approach stigmatic issues and ideas, and with my idea for this project being so indirectly similar to Ingrid Goes West, well...

It's obvious, isn't it?
 

Screenwriter(s)

David Branson Smith and Matt Spicer

There isn't anything to say here. David Branson Smith collaborated with Matt Spicer on the highly-regarded screenplay for Ingrid Goes West, so... uh, yeah... moving on?

Wow, this is actually quite difficult to write when I don't have anything witty to say. I actually feel pretty damn useless now. Hm... you think Tumblr could help with this self-loathing thing? I'd go hit up 4chan for some spicy memes, but then I'd wanna kill myself even more for enjoying Loss memes in 2017.
 

Misc.

Produced by Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, and Jared Ian Goldman

Music by Carter Burwell (Where the Wild Things Are)

Edited by Tomas Vengris (I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore)

Production Companies
DC Entertainment
Atlas Entertainment
Cruel and Unusual Films

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
 

The Cast

Actor/actress time, baby! Let's get on into the part that everyone comes for, mostly because most of the feedback given is on the cast. None of you are having in-depth discussions about framing, color grading, and the language of camera movement in the commments. And you know what? That's a shame! Get educated, ya frauds!

-Jason Schwartzman as Jack Raburn/The Creeper-
The main protagonist of the film. A mentally unstable WHAM-TV reporter fired for controversial outburts. Martial arts enthusiast and upperclassmen. Simultaneously stoic and childishly giddy. Becomes The Creeper, a vigilante alter ego birthed by his injection of Bill Brane and Dr. Yatz's super-serum. As The Creeper, he has hyperactive tendencies that often result in spontaneous outburts and mania. 
Notable Works: Rushmore & The Overnight 

-Stephen Root as Angel Devlin-
Feared crime boss whose operation threatens to overrun Gotham in the wake of Batman's absence. Ruthless in his methods and a man of few words. Has a bad temper, with even the littlest of screw-ups triggering episodes of violence and chaos. After the Venom serum developed by Dr. Yatz for his own unknown reasons, though it is heavily implied he is in debt to a mysterious criminal known to the papers as Bane.
Notable Works: Office Space & NewsRadio

-Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn-
 Ex-psychologist and supervillain who abandoned the latter career in an effort to return to the first, though her mental state holds her back. Brought into the effort against Angel Devlin after Jack Raburn unintentionally reveals his alter ego, The Creeper, to her when he saves her life. Makes use of her criminal past to navigate through the Gotham underground and get to Devlin, though her motivations are self-interested.
Notable Works: I, Tonya & The Wolf of Wall Street

-Macon Blair as Dr. Vincent Yatz-
After being saved from a mugging by Jack Raburn, he gifts him with the super-soldier serum, dubbed Venom, he produced. Weasely in his demeanor, Dr. Yatz is in it for the money. Unlike his employer Bill Brane, however, he develops a true caring for Jack Raburn, and works in assisting The Creeper during methods from headquarters.
Notable Works: Blue Ruin & Green Room

-Jason Mitchell as Jacob Harper/The Guardian-
Old-fashioned vigilante patrolling the streets of Gotham City during Batman's absence, which naturally puts him into conflict into Angel Devlin and his expanding criminal empire. Often finds him butting with heads with The Creeper over his unorthodox methods, and untrusting of Harley Quinn due to her past involvement with The Joker. Level-headed and workmanlike in his approach.
Notable Works: Straight Outta Compton & Mudbound

-Bob Balaban as Dr. Hugo Strange-
Head doctor at Arkham Asylum who tasks himself with probing Jack Raburn's mind and understanding the workings of the creature. Plays no direct role in the story, being who Jack is telling the narration of the film's events to. Uses humorlessness as a front for his own dirty actions. Heavily implied to be in the pocket of The Joker.
Notable Works: Moonrise Kingdom & Close Encounters of the Third Kind

-Mark Duplass as Bill Brane-
Secretive, sociopathic leader of the security for WHAM-TV and the organization funding the development of the Venom super-soldier serum. Cold and uncaring towards Jack Raburn, who he only sees as a means to an end. His careless attitude brings him into conflict with Dr. Victor Yatz, who developed the serum. Calculating and methodical.
Notable Works: Safety Not Guaranteed & Creep

-Mickey Sumner as Vera Sweet-
Reporter for WHAM-TV and ex-girlfriend of Jack Raburn, who broke up with him after his controversial tirade during a segment they shared reporting on the crime surge in Gotham. Flirtatious and prissy. Opportunistic, using Jack's firing as a means to climb up the ladder in her place of work.
Notable Works: Frances Ha & The End of the Tour

-Rhys Darby as Flamingo-
Unnamed enforcer for Angel Devlin. Only in it for the money, he carries out his duties almost completely uninvested in them. Becomes increasingly motivated as The Creeper's successes threaten his pay. Flamboyant and snarky, with methods as unconventional as The Creeper's.
Notable Works: Flight of the Conchords & Hunt for the Wilderpeople

-J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Jim Gordon-
The experienced, honest police commissioner of the GCPD. Leads a unit investigating the emergence of The Creeper in Gotham City, forced by public opinion into taking a stance against the vigilante. Serves as a reluctant obstacle in the way of the heroes.
Notable Works: Whiplash & Thank You For Smoking

-A.J. Bowen as John Lazzo-
Charismatic president of WHAM-TV. Forced to fire Jack Raburn after his tirade that included controversial politics, excessive profanity, and insults directed at the show's sponsors. Unknowing of Jack's mental unhealthiness and indirectly responsible for his transformation into The Creeper.
Notable Works: You're Next & A Horrible Way to Die

Additionally, Joe Swanberg has a cameo appearance during the film as millionare Alphonso Giovanni, featured in a WHAM-TV interview discussing his stunning weight loss and franchising of his vigilante character Legionary. In a mid-credits scene, Ben Affleck has a cameo as Bruce Wayne. The Guardian drives to a mysterious forested location, and after unlocking an elaborate security system, is granted access to Bruce Wayne's hideaway. There, they discuss Bruce's potential return to Gotham, and how necessary it is in the face of the Venom's spread. Disgraced, Bruce sadly declines, though as The Guardian leaves, he takes one look over to his cape and cowl. Instead of opening the case, however, he turns off the lights and leaves the room.
 

So how are we feeling about this one? Is it too derivative of other CBM's? On the opposite end of the spectrum, is it not inspired enough? How would you tackle a whackjob character like The Creeper, and how would you further develop the Gotham corner of the DCEU after the events of Enigma and Creeper? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Woah... that's loud. You hear that? It's movie sign! Cheers!