Sony has had some wild ideas on what to do with the movie rights to the Spider-Man universe over the years. From an Aunt May spin-off to the Box office giant, record shattering Morbius solo movie, it’s safe to say anything is on the table for Sony. I, like many others, find most of these ideas preposterous and comically idiotic… But there is one project so wild, so out there, so incredibly random that I cannot help but love it.
Donald Glover’s Hypno-Hustler
I think the Hypno-Hustler movie, announced in late 2022, could be good. I think it could be great even. Yes, when you describe it as a movie about a guy who’s fought Spidey like twice in the comics, starring a famous singer/actor, you probably think I’m talking about EL MUERTO, a movie that sounds really bad, but add Donald Glover into that equation and things take a turn.
Who is the Hypno-Hustler?
Hypno-Hustler, also known as Antoine Delsoin, made his debut in Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man #24 (1978) written by Bill Mantlo and Frank Springer and hasn’t appeared much since. Antoine’s whole schtick is mind controlling people with his music. Using his guitar and his 3 back up vocalists, The Mercy Killers, he’s able to hypnotise entire rooms of people at once. That already sounds like much more fun than El Muerto’s regular wrestler character or Spy Aunt May. Strangely he’s also equipped with shoes that can emit knockout gas and have retractable knives in the soles which uhm… Look, it was the 70s okay, they were doing so many drugs.
That’s honestly why I’m so interested in this project. Hypno-Hustler is my favorite part of comic books personified. He’s a weird disco fueled freak. A completely odd character made in an era where people hundreds of characters at the wall hoping any of them would stick. This era of marvel was filled with these insane ideas done completely sincere and straight. They were colorful oddballs with bizarre powers. Hypno-Hustler’s power set is mesmerizing psychedelica that I would love to see adapted in fun visual ways on the big screen. I imagine them using the aesthetic from those colorful 70s music videos to represent the hypnotic patterns you’d see Antoine utilize in the comics.
Using a character that has so little lore, almost no ties to the canon, gives creatives the opportunity to go in all sorts of weird and wacky directions. You can approach this from so many angles. It could be a strange Disco infused superpowered crime thriller set in the 70s or a more hip hop inspired modern heist movie, you could go in a more light hearted but absurd comedy route or play it completely straight and make it a drama. I think the possibilities are vast and very exciting.
Glover is a great producer
Glover isn’t only set to star in the project, he’ll also produce the film. While it is the first time Glover produces a feature film It is not the first time he’ll produce. In fact, Glover is a producer on many acclaimed tv shows. His work as a producer on Atlanta and Swarm is very relevant when talking about a Hypno-Hustler project. They are both shows about the music industry that deal with the subject matter in a more-out-there surrealist way. I think taking that same approach could benefit a Hypno-Hustler movie a lot. The flair for the weird and the absurd we see in the work he’s created as a writer and producer could blend very well with the weird and ridiculous nature of making a Hypno-Hustler solo film. You can’t really blend Crime, Super villains and Disco into one without at least acknowledging the oddness of it all.
Musical Overlap
A career in music is something Glover shares with the fictional C-lister. Starting his music career in hip hop in the early 2010’s, Donald Glover has become a household name (albeit under his stage name Childish Gambino), making great rap projects before shifting to a more experimental mix of Funk and Soul with his later ones. Especially that later stuff has some overlap with the funky sounds I associate with Hypno. The distinct sound he’s brought to those songs is perfect for a movie about a guy who hypnotizes you with his music. The last song released under the Childish Gambino name is Sticky, a weird mesmerizing banger created for the aforementioned Swarm show. You could perfectly slot the song into a Hypno Hustler project. Seriously, listen to it and tell me it doesn’t sound like it’s trying to infiltrate your mind.
Who knows, Glover could even bring his old collaborator/producer Ludwig Göransson on board for the soundtrack and score. Göransson produced 3 of Gambino’s biggest albums, winning 2 Grammy’s for his work on This is America, and went on to become an amazing composer for movies like Tenet and both Black Panther installments (Winning an Academy Award for the first BP). He also worked on shows like The Mandalorian and Community (which is where he met Glover) and is currently nominated for his beautiful Oppenheimer score at the Oscars. On top of that incredible resume, he’s also familiar with the SPUMM (Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Movies), having composed the score for the first Venom movie. It’s safe to say a collaboration of the two for a Hypno-Hustler movie could mean amazing things.
Glover’s varied acting career
Glover has already proven what a varied actor he can be. His work as Troy in Community as well as his stand up career proves what a talented comedic force he is. Even in his less outwardly comedic roles like Earnest in Atlanta makes it clear that he has an incredible comedic range. Glover’s short stint playing Lando in Solo shows us this smooth conniving side to him that I could totally see return in the Hypno Hustler project. The cool, calm and collected criminal making his way through the seedy underbelly of the Marvel Universe instead of the Star Wars Universe sounds like a ton of fun. On top of this he’s been able to do more drama oriented work during his time on Atlanta as well as action in projects like Mr and Mrs Smith and Solo. Glover’s role as Antoine Delsoin could be the culmination of his entire career so far.
Dead on arrival?
Sadly we haven’t heard anything new about the movie since the original announcement but I’m still hopeful we see the project come to fruition, especially since Glover and Sony are still on good terms seeing as the actor was willing to work with the studio last year for his cameo in Across The Spider-Verse.
Am I putting too much faith into Sony? Probably. But we know that when Sony gets really talented creatives involved and lets go of the reins they can make some beautiful stuff (as seen with the Spider-Verse movies). I genuinely believe that if Sony gives Glover and Co. enough time and enough space they can cook up something really unique and creative. Especially since Glover is a marvel fan, he’s been attached to several Marvel projects like the canceled Deadpool show (funnily enough, Deadpool is the only person who has faced HYpno Hustler besides Spider-Man) and Homecoming, as well as being intimately tied to the creation of Miles Morales. Donald Glover produced shows also take some time to get off the ground, his Mr and Mrs Smith show was announced in early 2021 and released just last week, so I’m not giving up hope on the project yet!
Written by @Ghostface0_0 on twitter
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