Captain Canuck goes Hollywood: possible movie in the works, with Justin Bieber as the red-caped crime fighter

Captain Canuck goes Hollywood: possible movie in the works, with Justin Bieber as the red-caped crime fighter

Move over, Captain America. According to the L.A. Times, Richard Comely, creator of the comic book character Captain Canuck, is in talks with an unnamed Canadian production company for a $15-million live-action cinematic adaptation of the maple leaf-adorned superhero. But what Canadian super-talent has the gravitas, popularity charm and politeness to represent the True North’s true hero? For Comely, the name that comes to mind is none other than Justin Bieber.

Created in 1974 by Comely with artist George Freeman, Captain Canuck was originally an honest Mountie-turned-intelligence-agent that went by the civilian name Tom Evans and gained his superpowers from an encounter with aliens while camping. The character took on several iterations over the 26 issues of the comic book, including the superpower-less Darren Oak, who tries to warn Canada of a conspiracy to set up a one-world government in Toronto, and a West coast version of Captain Canuck with a vigilante attitude.

Captain Canuck made a comeback in 2009 thanks to a hardcover reprint from IDW Publishing. According to Comely, part of Captain Canuck’s importance lies in helping change American opinions about their neighbours to the North. Comely told the Hollywood Reporter, “The reality is many Americans think we’re pretty boring. They just think of us not shooting each other much, we’re polite, we live igloos. We’re going to have to figure out a solution.” Well, it’s safe to say Captain Canuck’s rippling musculature and crime fighting (even white-collar crime fighting) reputation proves he’s pretty kick-ass, but how about an age appropriate Canadian star à la Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern or Seth Rogan as The Green Hornet?

• Could ‘Captain Canuck’ take off as a Hollywood film? [L.A. Times]