The highly-anticipated film adaptation of DC Vertigo’s graphic novel The Kitchen is almost here, and Supanova takes an exclusive first look behind the scenes, as the film’s cast and director share more insight into the August 29 release.
Starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss, and directed by Andrea Berloff, the new film will bring the gritty world created by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle to life in an “adventurous and out there” way.
A CLOSER LOOK AT ‘THE KITCHEN’
Written by Tessa Flemming
COMIC BOOK KAPOW
As previously mentioned, The Kitchen is based on the DC Vertigo graphic novel of the same name by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.
Masters, who is best known for his Sons of Anarchy and The Raid graphic novels, and Doyle, who has worked on comics such as Constantine, decided to create the mini-series due to their mutual love of ‘70s New York.
“It’s such an interesting time to write about… Gangsters were a part of everyday life and it could be a dangerous place to be, but there was also this sense that society was changing… As a guy from Britain, New York (especially in the ‘70s) is so iconic. It’s somewhere I’ve seen in films and heard [about] in music my entire life,” Masters said, talking to Broken Frontier.
Masters is also apparently stoked for the movie, tweeting his praise early last year.
IT’S NOT YOUR TYPICAL MOB MOVIE
Berloff is quick to note that her main inspiration for the film, Thelma and Louise, was something outside the typical mob movie box.
“[Thelma and Louise] is about two women who are not necessarily angels and yet you’re rooting for them the entire time. That idea of women who aren’t necessarily the good girls and yet they’re your heroes really became something of a touchstone for me,” Berloff said in an interview with LA Times.
IT’S ONE OF MANY GRITTY VERTIGO ADAPTATIONS
DC Entertainment recently announced that ongoing Vertigo titles will be absorbed into the DC Black Label in January 2020, meaning that edgier series like The Kitchen may become a little rarer. Thankfully, Vertigo has created a long legacy, with The Kitchen being its latest foray into film and TV, its other wildly successful adaptations including iZombie, Preacher and Lucifer.
IT’S NOT NECESSARILY LAUGH OUT LOUD
Another factor people have been quick to point out is The Kitchen’s largely comedic cast. With names such as Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) and Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip, The Last O.G.), people immediately assumed the film would be a comedy. A misdirection that producer Michael De Luca hints might have been a little intentional.
“We were trying to be surprising. I’ve always believed comedians and comic actors can usually make the transition to drama. Going back to Charlie Chaplin up to Robin Williams, it’s just a deep well of range in these kinds of performers,” De Luca said to LA Times.
‘The Kitchen’ opens in Australian cinemas on August 29.
