Alan Martin, co-creator of the Tank Girl comic book, says he is interested in working on adapting another Tank Girl film.
Unfortunately for Martin and his potential collaborators, MGM is sitting on the film rights to the Tank Girl franchise. However, it will eventually revert back to the creators if they sit on it too long.
“Way back in 1995 two movies were released that were based on British comic books. The first was JUDGE DREDD, which unfortunately ended up as nothing more than a generic vanity piece for Stallone. It bombed. The second was TANK GIRL, which, although critically panned, and initially alienating our original readership, has since helped to bring a new audience to the comics. It also bombed,” Martin wrote in a recent blog post.
“This September sees Judge Dredd getting a second bite at the cherry. The trailer below (although being quite crap, and filled with far too many guns being cocked) offers some hope that this time the film will come a lot closer to the brilliant original source material.
“Meanwhile, Tank Girl still hangs in bankruptcy limbo, sealed in the tomb of MGM, as they struggle to make movies. I have tried relentlessly to free the movie rights from MGM, but I’m just a lone voice, lost in the wilderness. If anyone knows or is connected to a relevant employee of MGM, please, start hammering on their door for me. And if you yourself are one of their executives, could I get a private word with you? If you’re not gonna play with it, CAN WE HAVE OUR BALL BACK PLEASE?”
Martin is clearly frustrated by the legal situation, but there is no reason for MGM to ever hand back rights without compensation before the limit runs out. It may seem unfair, but they did pay for those rights, and if a year from now, there is a sudden upsurge of interest in Tank Girl for whatever reason, they’d be sorry if they let go of the rights for nothing.
Simply put: it’s not going to happen. A new Tank Girl is not forthcoming unless MGM makes it or the time limit runs out.
Trying to imagine what a new Tank Girl film would look like is fun, however. With today’s effects and talent, the film could be spectacular. I’m visualizing a style similar to the recent action-girl film Sucker Punch.
My recommendation to Martin: Start work on a Tank Girl video game – unless you sold the rights to that as well.
