After watching a few videos on the source of the real Men In Black conspiracy from which the comedy movie is based off on do you think they should reboot the movie and make it into more of a horror science fiction movie?

Submitted by herewego199209 t3_zz5gnl in movies

I always thought the men in black was just a comedy action movie, but it turns out it's based off of the conspiracy that there's this weird organization that's in charge of chasing down extraterrerial beings and keeping them from interacting with the world. I think that premise is far more interesting than what they tried to do with the men in black reboot. Sony ould do it on a much smaller budget and just make it a straight up horror film investigating alien claims and, etc.

257

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

ToddBradley t1_j29k5vw wrote

This has been done. It's called "The X-Files".

310

recriminology t1_j29onsx wrote

The only time he reacted was when he saw the dead body.

65

jfreak93 t1_j2b5ain wrote

That is hilarious.
What episode is this from?

8

lanceturley t1_j2b8o0l wrote

"Jose Chung's From Outer Space" is the title. Arguably the best episode in the series. It's also entirely standalone, so you don't even need to watch any other episodes for context.

19

WithCatlikeTread42 t1_j2akdme wrote

No other object has been misidentified as a flying saucer more often than the planet Venus

15

ToddBradley t1_j2amr8d wrote

By far my favorite episode of the whole series

6

WithCatlikeTread42 t1_j2bzy8h wrote

It’s my second favorite, but Clyde Bruckman isn’t relevant to the discussion. 🔮

Jose Chung is a close, close second, though.

2

techauditor t1_j2aiaut wrote

Right x files and the fringe are basically this lol

8

Kelvin_Inman t1_j29jbck wrote

Wasn’t the movie based on a comic book (which was based on the conspiracy theories)?

215

ootchang t1_j29zpyu wrote

Yes. And it’s actually a Marvel comic, since Marvel bought Malibu comics sometime in the late 90s I think? Maybe it was early 00s.

The original comic has aliens, but it has a lot more general paranormal stuff. Ghosts, demons, stuff like that.

80

DelveSea8 t1_j2a0ks8 wrote

What is the comic called?

2

ootchang t1_j2a305j wrote

As many have posted already, it’s called The Men in Black. Any adaptations of the movie drop “the” and it’s just Men in Black.

To answer your next question, and one I struggled with previously — it’s super hard to find. They have not reprinted it, it hasn’t been collected. Most likely it’s a lot of publishing rights issues, given that it started as an indie comic and then eventually became part of Marvel (now Disney) through a series of mergers.

The original creator hasn’t done much since. I hope he got paid though. The movie is very different, but it does owe a lot to the original comic.

40

DueCharacter5 t1_j2amc07 wrote

Pretty much none of the Malibu books will ever get reprinted or characters used again, because the creators of those books/characters get 5%. Marvel Comics is super stingy when it comes to doling out royalties.

22

ootchang t1_j2aoit7 wrote

Oh totally. I figured it was something like that.

For example, I heard that Ed Brubaker gets more money from his cameo in Winter Soldier than he got for writing the storyline the movie was based on.

14

bob1689321 t1_j2bj7nr wrote

Starlin got more for KGBeast appearing in Batman v Superman (you might not even remember this as iirc he was never referred to with that name) than he did for creating Thanos.

11

DelveSea8 t1_j2a59f0 wrote

Thanks man! I appreciate the info.

3

ootchang t1_j2ab1a9 wrote

Sure thing. I only know because I looked into it a few years ago, and really struggled to find much info. As a big fan of the film and the animated series, I just wanted to check it out. All I could get were crappy scanned PDFs and I gave up.

Speaking of the animated series, I feel like it captures more of the tone of the comic. It’s no where near as dark or violent because it was meant for kids on Saturday mornings, but it has a bit more of a cynical bite to it.

And speaking of crazy comic adaptations — if you’re at all interested in indie comics and haven’t checked out the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles run, it’s a blast. (The new stuff from IDW is really good too. )

13

ObviouslyNotAnEnt t1_j2aq04u wrote

I JUST looked at an omnibus on Amazon for the original TMNT run because of Red Letter Media’s recent Re:View. I allllmost pulled the trigger but it’s a bit pricey. But with your taste and recommendations, I think I’m gonna go for it

4

ootchang t1_j2aqb2k wrote

If you just want to check it out, most libraries have them I think — sometimes on hoopla. And also I know they did just really big paperback collections a while back, which were much less Expensive. Greta way to see if you’re into it.

5

DelveSea8 t1_j2ad5ji wrote

Nice man, I'll check it out. Sounds like the og men in black comics are worth finding too.

0

pantsonheaditor t1_j2b5ybc wrote

they are less comedy than the film , but still interesting storylines for sure.

2

missanthropocenex t1_j2aju30 wrote

OP is asking for a more “accurate version” In which case I would highly recommend the show FRINGE because it’s basically centered entirely around a more accurate MIB depiction. And also great.

13

herewego199209 OP t1_j29jjt5 wrote

Yeah supposedly it's based on comics but I never read them. I found out literally the other day what the comic was based on and it led me down a youtube rabbit hole on the theories. It's obviously probably full of shit, but the stories are super interesting. There was a movie made about the theories but it's pretty horrible, although I liked the Men in black design.

−32

DelveSea8 t1_j2a130f wrote

The conspiracy is that these men in black are extraterrestrial themselves and try to mimic humans in appearance. But they would still be government agents.

8

RedPandaMediaGroup t1_j2aaffl wrote

I remember when I first read about them and it’s such a spooky idea. You’d be interacting with them for several minutes or hours before you even notice something about them isn’t right.

8

invaluableimp t1_j2aw44x wrote

Talking to a 50s CIA agent stuffed to the gills with booze and pills: “Something ain’t right about this fella”

6

DelveSea8 t1_j2acy2m wrote

Many cases report odd behavior or appearance as soon as they see them. Waxy unnatural white skin, weird monotone voice, cold unnatural mannerisms, clothes from the 50s, sometimes no eyebrows, telepathy, etc... the X-Files at one point said the government was working with aliens, not simply hiding their existence.

2

DrRexMorman t1_j29kccr wrote

>it's based

It was an adaptation of a comic book based on that conspiracy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_in_Black_(comics)

>Sony ould do it on a much smaller budget and just make it a straight up horror film investigating alien claims and, etc.

I think it is unlikely that Sony will do anything with the concept after MiB International's failure.

You might be interested in Dark skies - which was greenlit by NBC after the X-Files' success. You can check out the pilot here:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6qh2

27

MarkMaxis t1_j29l7su wrote

Why a reboot? Men in Black don't have the rights to the conspiracy, a new movie could be made.

Honestly, I would be interested in watching that movie.

26

Malediction101 t1_j29pykh wrote

No, I want the MIB/Jump Street crossover!

20

Responsible-Pass7902 t1_j2a4pu8 wrote

They should do a show where it's space and they travel to new planets as explorers and each episode is new planet. But the group always splits up. 1 person tries to pick up alien women. 1 person is the drug/gambling. 1 the straight laced that has to bail others out of trouble. Then a fighter/schemer. But do it like the boys where you take chances and make the planets and their traditions intense with how they handle things. Their is never any back-up they got to get themselves out of trouble.

1

Roook36 t1_j29qdv5 wrote

The MiB comics sort of based their whole thing about parodying UFO conspiracy stuff and the Men in Black conspiracy theories.

I think a scary movie about them could be cool. But it wouldn't work as a Men in Black reboot. That's kind of like rebooting the "Airplane!" franchise to be about serious and scary airplane disasters.

But the conspiracy theory has been around for awhile. X-Files went into it a lot. But the idea of FBI looking Men in Black or government agents going to UFO witnesses and stuff is kind of a trope that was old before the MiB films came out and turned it into a comedy.

16

CletusDSpuckler t1_j29sz22 wrote

Say, Timmy, have you ever slammed into the ground in a 600 mph uncontrolled powered descent?

3

DeezSaltyNuts69 t1_j29of9x wrote

I guess you have never seen the X-Files, Fringe, Project Bluebook or any of the countless movies/shows with Aliens that have men in black then

13

SueSudio t1_j29ld7o wrote

My memory of the MIB "true life" stories were that these visitors were not government but more akin to aliens themselves. I was unaware that there were comics depicting them as government agents.

Personally, I think the "MIB are aliens" angle would make a better horror movie.

10

NotTheGreatPumpkin t1_j29uu22 wrote

Like with most conspiracy theories there are a plethora of variations. Sometimes it's a government agency with varying levels of autonomy from the rest of the government Sometimes it's aliens.

4

TrenterD t1_j2b4zip wrote

> My memory of the MIB "true life" stories were that these visitors were not government but more akin to aliens themselves.

That was my impression, too. I read pretty much every single book about UFOs from my local library in the late 80s/early 90s. The MIB definitely did not strike me as a comedy duo. I remember being actually kind of surprised by the concept of the movie when I first heard about it.

2

OpenBeard t1_j29ldh2 wrote

Google Mothman West Virginia

9

Freies_Palastina t1_j2bpdg5 wrote

David Paulides new 411 Ufo could and probably touches on this compared with his other observations for missing hikers. He's strayed from trying to say this but when evidence points in one direction for the most part..

Cause these people just vanish from their spots then are found later in really hard to reach places most people just wouldnt go to on their own. Not to mention the earch dogs ending up with a big fat nothing.

I still have to watch the new ufo 411 sounds really interesting. The mothman stuff was from decades ago and as far as I know hasnt been anything since.

1

ViolentAmbassador t1_j29kfwk wrote

I think you could make a good movie out of it, but I don't think tying it to the existing MIB brand would work. I just don't think audiences would accept an action comedy series morphing into a horror movie. It might become a cult favorite, but from general audiences you'd get like an F cinemascore and horrible word of mouth.

7

Ghostofjemfinch t1_j29o9an wrote

I wish Hollywood would FUCKING STOP REMAKING MOVIES.

5

anony-mouse8604 t1_j29pnqw wrote

Which movies have you paid to see in theaters this year?

2

Ghostofjemfinch t1_j2a1wae wrote

Thor, Dr. Strange, The Batman, The Northman, Black Panther.

I go the big screen for action stuff mostly.

−3

anony-mouse8604 t1_j2a2jq3 wrote

With the exception of the Northman, can’t you see how you’re voting (with your dollars) for exactly the thing you say you wish Hollywood would “fucking stop” doing?

8

Ghostofjemfinch t1_j2aphey wrote

With the exception of the endless DC/WB reboots because they can't get their shit together, adapting existing comic book IP is not remaking old movies, that's just a newer variation on adapting popular books for the big screen.

As a child of the 70s/80s I can't get enough of seeing my old comic books brought to life on the big screen. Thats something every fan has dreamt about for decades. We just happen to be in a time where doing that is finally possible.

I'm not saying all the Marvel content is top-notch but neither was the source material. They were comic books for kids, not collections of Shakespearean sonnets.

1

Cult_Of_Cthulu t1_j2a7i1h wrote

"Awww.. did you bring that tall man some flowers?"

5

zjustice11 t1_j2agc3q wrote

A quality SCP movie or show would be amazing. Kinda like the x-files but meaner. I’d watch that. The Santa one please

5

TurdPhurtis t1_j29ivmi wrote

Why are you wasting this idea here? Pitch this now.

4

heyitsEnricoPallazzo t1_j29nm2w wrote

The Men in Black phenomena is my all-time fav high strangeness event. I would LOVE more mainstream media about it, creepy af

4

Nateh8sYou t1_j29sx0e wrote

What you’re looking for is an SCP movie.

Part of me wants an in universe SCP movie, but I also don’t want the rights to belong to any one company. Currently it’s an open use for anyone to make stories about

4

davearneson t1_j2a9pjb wrote

Check out Delta Green. It's an RPG with tons of sophisticated scenarios for a story like this. It's a mix of X-Files. True detective and HP Lovecraft

4

JoeThrilling t1_j29iwjp wrote

I'm not really into horror but this sounds interesting.

3

MarkMaxis t1_j29lap1 wrote

Why a reboot? Men in Black don't have the rights to the conspiracy, a new movie could be made.

Honestly, I would be interested in watching that movie.

3

hardwaregeek t1_j29nn04 wrote

I was rewatching some clips of the original MIB and the scenes where K is explaining to J that he will have no identity, no friends or family will remember him, etc. really stood out to me. Like who does that? What kind of person is just like “alright I’ll forget all my friends and family for this cool suit and gun”? I know J grew up without a dad but did he have literally no other person in his life? And how do people like that not go completely insane? I guess they have their partners and alien friends but still.

All this is to say that if you leaned into the psychological weirdness that is being a MIB agent I could see that being an interesting take.

3

rekniht01 t1_j29v8lb wrote

I always wanted Alex Trebek and Jesse Ventura ( before he turned into whatever he is now) to cameo in a MIB movie.

3

jackBattlin t1_j2bxrdi wrote

It’s based on a very indie comic book. I’m talking, the publisher (Arcel comics) doubled as a home insulation company. They were eventually bought out by a slightly bigger company called Malibu Comics, which was in turn eventually bought out by Marvel.

I’ve only read the first 3 issues, but the comic book was much more serious and it didn’t deal exclusively with aliens either. Kind of like X-Files. Kind of the point was that Agent K (and the rest of the MIB) weren’t necessarily the good guys, and J had to navigate how to deal with that. I’d be down for a time shift. Although, writer Ed Solomon came up with some pretty iconic things (that weren’t in the book) that they’d be remiss not to bring back.

3

venom2015 t1_j29pv1r wrote

You should check out The Department of Truth comics. Not a movie, but I think it can scratch that itch aside from X-Files.

I heard it might get an adaptation, but given unique the art is and how it plays into the entire vibes of the story, idk how it'll be possible.

2

thedeadlyrhythm t1_j29t431 wrote

Check out the mothman prophecy

2

[deleted] t1_j2c6put wrote

[deleted]

1

thedeadlyrhythm t1_j2c7moo wrote

the book is great. i haven't seen the movie since i was a kid. but that's what op asked for. the book deals with it in great detail

1

IdleWillKill t1_j2cri9y wrote

The film does not include any men in black like the book does unfortunately

1

joeO44 t1_j29vvzs wrote

This would be a great opportunity for Chris Hemsworth and Tess Thompson to work together since they had such great chemistry… oh no

2

brilliantpants t1_j29yw1v wrote

I still wanna see the rumored crossover of 21 Jump Street and MiB where Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill’s characters join the MiB

2

fnordcinco t1_j2bdkc0 wrote

MIB had one of the first "drink your Ovaltine" type websites. They used all the conspiracy stuff to post pictures from the film. People were asking where the website was getting everything. Even some were worried about the website owners life. Then one day it switched to a straight promotional website. Boosh.

2

CranhamorBlakely t1_j29m8v9 wrote

Listen to the The Last Podcast on the Left series on it, I’m not a fan of the alien content but it’s great. Hail Yourself!

1

letdogsvote t1_j29pzcm wrote

Might be better as a gritty but not overly serious series. M.I.B. - Pursuit and Containment.

1

Responsible-Pass7902 t1_j2a341i wrote

Or make movie where it blurrs the line are they government people just erasing people mind to cover up something or is their really aliens that they don't want people to know about. Go back and forth where it looks like one then flip to other.

1

thiffusedinner t1_j2aayy8 wrote

Nah, I think they should revive that Men In Black/21 Jump Street crossover with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum

1

Therew0lf17 t1_j2ag1bl wrote

On a side note, for anyone wondering, the "Men in black" theory has been debunked... As the first place it was ever mentioned, was by a Satirist who was purposely trying to write a book to get fake conspiracies into the public consciousness to show how ridiculous alien conspiracy theories were.

1

CardinalsVSBrowns t1_j2ajw4v wrote

no, no more reimaginings. fresh prince reboot was a failure

1

m_garlic87 t1_j2apgkl wrote

That sounds pretty cool actually, I’d be down. I’m still down for the MiB/ 21 Jump Street cross over but I don’t think we’re getting that.

1

britch2tiger t1_j2awjx5 wrote

NOOOOO!

If it’s a good record, why try to break & fix it? Just leave decent movies alone.

1

Phatcat15 t1_j2b233w wrote

They kinda already did this with the X-Files…

1

Stiff_Zombie t1_j2ba4cx wrote

That would be a really cool idea. I've been fascinated with MIB stories way before the movies came out. I'll admit it is among my favorites though haha.

1

spaceape21420 t1_j2bapji wrote

That would be a way better movie even though the other ones weren't bad.

1

OkCoyote6888 t1_j2bbsw9 wrote

Could be cool but I’m sick of reboots

1

YouBlinkinSootLicker t1_j2bo5e1 wrote

Hmmmm imagine an entry to the HFY universe from the perspective of the MIB, the tale of 6 could work. Make it dark

1

phased417 t1_j2bqwo5 wrote

No. Because I think the original series vastly eclipses what its based on. I liked the idea that aliens coming to earth wouldnt be the weirdest thing because they would just integrate into society. Earth being a refugee hub for aliens was kinda cool.

1

boostman t1_j2bridy wrote

In the 90s (as I remember them), UFO/conspiracy culture was fairly mainstream so the audience would have been familiar with the original concept, making a humorous spinoff possible and more interesting at the time than a straight-ahead movie about the subject. We already had the X-files.

1

Knyfe-Wrench t1_j2bsaic wrote

MIB? No.

If you're doing government agency sci-fi horror I'd want something like SCP.

1

Randall058 t1_j2bu33w wrote

Came here to say “The Shadow Men” which fits op’s description.

1

Kind-Detective1774 t1_j2cajb9 wrote

I think they should just let the franchise stay dead.

1

bicameral_mind t1_j2cn4f0 wrote

It's funny you mention this because I was about 10 or 11 when the MiB movie came out and really into alien stuff. When I heard about the movie before it came out I researched the men in black on the early internet and it was some really creepy stuff. When I finally saw the movie it was a much different tone than I expected. I agree it would be a great candidate for a 'serious' reboot that takes a darker approach.

1

x4ty2 t1_j2dnrat wrote

There's a book series which includes the MIB archetype as a major player. MHI Monster Hunters International.

Great series, funny and cool. Lots of good horror built into it.

1

pav1010 t1_j2e91d1 wrote

If you ever find yourself in Point Pleasant, WV, the Mothman Museum has a little corner dedicated to the Men in Black.

1

ch_limited t1_j2e959b wrote

Go back and rewatch Men In Black. It’s funny, entertaining, the theme is relevant. It still holds up in every way. No need to reboot remake remix anything.

1

vagabondvisions t1_j2e9ft0 wrote

Imagine someone never having seen the X-Files...

1

PWHerman89 t1_j2eq2mw wrote

I’ve wanted a “real” men in black movie for years! It would be so incredibly creepy.

1

kevineleveneleven t1_j2eu8yq wrote

The MIB lore is less about actual interaction with 'aliens' and more about men in black suits who drive big black American cars (and unmarked helicopters, I guess) who threaten UFO experiencers to keep them quiet, confiscate evidence of UFOs and generally cover up the whole phenomenon. IRL there are a number of witnesses who talk about Air Force Intelligence officers confiscating the hard drives containing the radar data from the famous "tic-tac" UFO encounter on the Navy ship USS Nimitz. Lots of other witnesses for AF Intelligence doing stuff like this, including disinformation campaigns, so maybe they are the real MIB.

1

lucia-pacciola t1_j2f8ebt wrote

Adapt The Laundry Files, and go hard dark right off the bat.

1

Veszerin t1_j29j60k wrote

It's great the way it was. Conspiracy theories are dumb.

0

Karmacoma77 t1_j29k6vb wrote

On the other hand horror movies based on conspiracy theories could be pretty cool.

6

herewego199209 OP t1_j29jbto wrote

I mean it's fictional all around. I think even if you don't tie this movie to the brand it's still a very interesting premise for a movie.

1

Norio22 t1_j29mim4 wrote

Would be dope.

0

Meckamp t1_j2azcam wrote

Are there many films that have been rebooted in to a co.pletely different genre? If so anyone got any good ones?

0

cholula_is_good t1_j2c5iw7 wrote

The 21 jump street crossover is the MIB movie we want.

0

opiate_lifer t1_j2crlpb wrote

Not that I believe but there are some nice and creepy urban legends about these MIB that would make a pretty good scifi/horror movie.

They are described as sometimes possibly clones of a sort or androids, or sometimes reanimated corpses. Unusual mannerisms, bizarre unsettling behaviour etc.

0

Yourbubblestink t1_j29n7xc wrote

Either way - they definitely need to give a boot in the ass to Will Smith - he sucks.

−1

Sonova_Vondruke t1_j29wml4 wrote

It was a comic first..

And there is RIPD.. also a comic and two movies.

−1