Film News: Morrison & Robertson's Happy to be developed for Film by Rza & Hudlin

  The miniseries first issue has just come out mere weeks ago and it is already getting a film. Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson's Happy miniseries has been picked up by newly minted director RZA and producer Reginald Hudlin for a film adaption. The book focuses on  a former cop and hitman by the name of Nick Saxx who starts to see a 'Care Bear' level of sweet and happy blue flying horse who will not allow Saxx to feel sad ... for ANY reason.

Grant Morrison had described Happy to CBR earlier this summer.

"Imagine the most cynical, fucked up man in the world having to deal with this -- with a sickeningly upbeat little cartoon character -- each trapped with the other.' What would it be like if the Bad Lieutenant teamed up with Pegasus the Flying Horse? By this time, I knew the Happy the Horse would be tiny. And it struck me that I could throw 'Christmas story' in with this as well. I've always wanted to have a go at a classic Christmas story like 'It's A Wonderful Life' or 'A Christmas Carol' but with characters drawn from the shock headlines of the 21st century. So this idea seemed to lend itself to that and it gave me a chance to do the kind of wider, symbolic pop cult critique that I like. It just grew from there."



 The script for the movie adaption has been confirmed to be written by Morrison himself. While there is no set date for when the Happy film will come out ... prob ably around Christmas next year or so ... but Happy #1 by Morrison and Robertson is in stores now.
 

Morrison & Robertson Tell You To Get Happy

  

( From the Image Comics Site)

NEW MORRISON & ROBERTSON SERIES WISHES YOU MANY "HAPPY" RETURNS

Posted on July 20, 2012

 HAPPY! debuts in September from Image Comics

Nick Sax isn't what you'd call a "winner." The anti-hero of the newGrant Morrison and Darick Robertson comic mini-series HAPPY!has been fired from the police force, turned on by his own employees in his murder-for-hire business (well, what would you expect?), is constantly drunk, and is waging a hopeless battle against the agonies of eczema. Sax seems beyond redemption, but saviors often take strange forms, and, in his case, it's the form of a tiny blue, feathered pony named Happy.

Oh, did we forget to mention that? Yes, besides being heavy with violence, profanity, and sex, HAPPY! is also a tribute to the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

"HAPPY! is a story I’ve wanted to write since hit-man Nick Sax and his ‘partner’ Happy the Horse appeared fully-formed in my head two years ago," said Morrison. In an interview at Newsarama , he described the impetus of its development: "I wanted to do a classic Christmas story – like A Christmas Carol or It’s A Wonderful Life – but with all the junkies, killers and pedophiles which make our modern world so colorful!"

In the same interview, artist Robertson talked a bit about the mysterious, eponymous Happy the Horse, about whom the two creators are being enticingly elusive. 

"Happy had a complete transformation from the initial drawing to what he became and what he became is one of the most enjoyable things I've ever designed to draw," said Robertson. "I hope readers will have as much fun with this as I've been having.

HAPPY! is Morrison and Robertson's first Image Comics series. It was announced at this year's Image Expo in February, which celebrated the independent publisher's 20th anniversary. Recently, Morrison commented on the experience of working on a creator-owned project.

"As much as I enjoy making monthly superhero books, there’s something very exciting and inspiring about creating a complete, original story from whole cloth and I’m grateful to Image Comics for seeing the potential of this project and giving it a home," said Morrison. "After a banner year for creativity at the company, Darick and I hope we can round 2012 out on a high note with the most twisted Christmas crime story you’ll ever read."

HAPPY! #1 will be in stores on September 26 and is available now for pre-order. The four-issue miniseries will culminate with an issue released Christmas week