Lobo was created in 1983 by Keith Giffin and Roger Slifer, primarily to satirise ultraviolent Marvel characters like Wolverine and The Punisher. The joke was largely missed though, and Giffen has lamented that Lobo ultimately became the "violence poster boy" in the early 90s, especially thanks to the stonking mini series by Alan Grant and muscle-loving nutcase Simon Bisley.
The thing about the Grant / Bisley iteration though, is that it's extremely funny. If any Lobo storyline is worthy of a movie version, it's the one where Lobo finds he isn't the last of his race after all, because his hated pearled-and-twinsetted history teacher is still alive. His bounty will be earned if he gets her back to base undamaged, and what results is a fast-moving road/space-trip, featuring copious destruction, general mayhem, and karaoke.
Akiva Goldsman is producing for Warner Bros however (along with Joel Silver and Andrew Rona), and what we are apparently looking at here is an Earthbound story in which "Lobo teams with a smalltown teenage girl to stop four fugitives bent on wreaking havoc".
So currently, it's sounding a bit Ghost Rider and a bit Masters of the Universe. BUT, Ritchie is nothing if not a great visual stylist, and Holmes would appear to be a decent demonstration of some mainstream action chops, so it could be that there's something here after all.
And of course, the casting will be everything. This is live action "with a strong emphasis on visual effects" so it's entirely possible that the lead will be mo-cap enhanced in some way. But still, who do we think is reasonable casting for a seven-foot, chalk-skinned, mascara'd maniac with arms as thick as his waist? Who gets to wield the chain?
Source: Empire
