A friend of mine (Holla Ruan) posted an old meme of Bryan Cranston as the legendary Stan Lee. The fan art if you like is quite old, in fact, it may have been around way before the king of cameos passed on. I am sure we all have our perfect casting differences but the resurgence of this meme did have me asking the question. “Is it too soon?”
Are we ready for a Stan Lee biopic? The short answer is yes. Truth be told I was ready 5 years ago. It is a fascinating tale of how he built such a rich world of characters. And I am sure I will hear those comments on how he isn’t solely responsible for the creation of most of his work. However, that is part of why this story should be told.
The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Stan Lee is not one of the god-like characters he has created. No, he is very much human and prone to flaws like the rest of us. He has made mistakes and probably regrets some of them if not all. But therein lies the story that is tapered with such richness.
People fail to realize that fame often erases or enhances stars flaws. It’s a cruel game and to the victor goes the spoils. Stan Lee was not perfect but from my point of view was not a bad person by any means. I suppose he was very much like the characters he created. Like them, he was not the straight cut beacon of hope.
A proper biopic will cover all of this and hopefully, give us a proper peek into the real life of a man who is responsible for so much of our childhood and even our kids to a great degree.
The Time is Now
Back to the original question. The time is perfect. With Disney now having its own streaming service, it could launch as a mini-series. After all, so much of history cannot be fitted into a 2-hour long movie. A short series much like the recent Micheal Jordan special on Netflix is the right way to go. Not only exploring just him but the people that also helped build both the Stan Lee brand as well as Marvel.
I always believe the best way to honor someone’s death is to remember them. To live in someone’s heart is to live forever.
