Kiss Almost Battled The Village People In A Movie

Alright movie buffs, wrap your head around this one: how much would you have enjoyed seeing Kiss battle the Village People in a movie?

In 1979, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter was working to help flesh out the idea of a female disco-related character eventually to be named ‘Dazzler.’ Loosely connected with the ‘X-Men’ franchise, the idea was to develop a property similar to the Archies, that would have additional music-related revenue potential.

After ‘Dazzler’ made her first appearance in issue 130 of ‘X-Men,’ Shooter found himself working on a possible treatment for a half-hour animated special proposed by Casablanca Records head honcho Neil Bogart, with a storyline idea that would incorporate parts for a multitude of people including Robin Williams, Cher, Lenny and Squiggy, The Village People and Kiss.

Shooter’s pitch found Kiss entering into combat against the Village People and as you can probably imagine, that piece and other elements of the pitch made the principals on the business end very excited and it was decided that this idea would have to be a full length feature film.

Unfortunately, due to various issues, the project went onto the shelf. Later, it was resurrected for a second push without Shooter being involved, as a possible vehicle for Bo Derek. Ultimately, it went into the underworld of purgatory for movies that had the potential to be both completely awful and awesome.

If you have the time and want to know what a story involving Kiss, the Village People and Lenny and Squiggy might look like, you can look at Shooter’s proposal here.

In other Kiss news, current guitarist Tommy Thayer says that the band has eight songs recorded for their next album, which Paul Stanley previously said “leaves ‘Sonic Boom’ in the dust.” Thayer says that the sessions are going “phenomenally” and that the material is “definitely some of the best stuff Kiss has ever recorded.”

Commenting on the future of the band, Paul Stanley says “this juggernaut continues at full speed” and that  “there’s no end in sight, nor should there be.”

Watch Kiss Perform 'Christine Sixteen' With The Gin Blossoms