Fun Worlds of DC

[Doctor Omega]

DC Film Slate Unchanged Despite Shakeup





Over the weekend at Comic Con Experience 2017 in Brazil, Warner Bros. Pictures offered up a list of upcoming titles which shows no change to their DC Films slate since San Diego Comic Con in July.

For now they officially have “Wonder Woman 2,” “Suicide Squad 2,” “Flashpoint,” “Shazam,” “Batgirl,” “Green Lantern Corps,” “The Batman” and “Justice League Dark” on the cards which means all the other reported on projects (“Gotham City Sirens,” The Joker biopic, etc.) are unknowns at this point.

There was expectation of some change though as late last week came the news that Warners has decided to overhaul its DC Films division with key staffing and structural changes with current DC Films head Jon Berg shifted to a different position in the studio where he’ll work with producer Roy Lee.

A replacement for him, someone who will continue to work alongside DC CCO Geoff Johns, is in the works and the studio is also considering moving their DC Films under their main production arm (ala “X-Men” at Fox) in the next few weeks as opposed to maintaining a separate division of the studio (ala Marvel Studios).

Reports from CCXP indicate “Flashpoint” is looking to begin filming early in 2018, while the “Suicide Squad” sequel is targeting an October 2018 start of production. Filmmaker Chris McKay adds that we can expect big announcements about the “Nightwing” film in February

Additionally Radar Online reports that Jon Hamm is aggressively pursuing the title role in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” and if so would be a fit closer to the likely departing Affleck than some other casting possibilities previously mentioned (ala Jake Gyllenhaal).

There’s no further DC film titles set for release before “Aquaman” late next year, bar a potential “Justice League” extended cut on home video. The theatrical version of the film just crossed $600M at the box-office despite weak reviews.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Matthew Vaughn Talks DC Movie Aims





“Kingsman,” “X-Men: First Class” and “Kick Ass” filmmaker Matthew Vaughn has certainly had success with comic book adaptations in the past. That is why, when his name has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the DC Films at Warner Bros. Pictures, it seems a logical fit.

Vaughn has previously confirmed he has discussed working on the direct sequel to “Man of Steel” and several other possible projects, and in a new interview with IGN he says he’s a fan of DC titles and what his aim would be if he were to sign up to one – namely to course correct in the way he did with “X-Men”:

“I do love the world of DC, and I’ve been talking to them at the moment about a few things. It’s more fun getting involved with franchises when they’re on the down, because then it’s easier to make a good film. So if I got involved with a few of the superhero films out there that have been disappointing, it’s going to be… if I do OK, it’ll probably be better.

So when I did X-Men there was, you know, a pretty low bar – X-Men 3, no offense, was not a fantastic piece of work. It’s much more fun saving and reinventing something – I’d be more intimidated trying to do a new Guardians [of the Galaxy], for example.

If I was going to do Batman, there’s no point doing the Dark Knight, because it’s been done to perfection – if I was doing Batman, I’d go ‘Christ, let’s bring out the Adam West version’. I’m not interested in copying somebody else’s take on the genre. I’ve got to figure out what I’m doing next and I feel like flexing a muscle which I haven’t used before. And I’ve filmed quite a few superhero movies.”

That would seem to imply Vaughn wants to take a break from the comic book movie genre. According to his frequent collaborator Mark Millar however, Superman is a property the director would jump on if he got the chance and he helped Vaughn come up with a story for a potential trilogy almost a decade ago. He tells El Fanboy Podcast(via JoBlo) however that his recent Netflix deal prevents him from helping Vaughn out:

“[Matthew Vaughn] and I are massive Superman fans…He actually phoned me up a few months ago, and he said, ‘Hey, listen, DC, they’re very interested in me doing Man of Steel 2. Do you want to come in and do this?’ And I was like, ‘I’m exclusive to Netflix for years. We can’t even have that conversation.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, man. What’s the chances of this?’

And then he kind of drifted away. And he’s attached himself to a couple of things and all that. Y’know so, it’s one of those things that might, I mean – if somebody phones Matthew up and offers him enough money it could all change tomorrow. There’s no point doing Superman unless you feel good. You should walk out of ‘Superman’ just feeling like a million dollars. You should feel great after a Superman film. The movie itself was going to be a big, vast fun epic. But ‘Superman’s got to be a laugh, as well.”

The DC films universe stands at a bit of a crossroads right now with “Justice League” looking to close out its theatrical run with a disappointing $675 million – meaning the $300 million budgeted film is going to be a money loser for the studio – albeit only by a little. “Aquaman” has wrapped filming, “Shazam” is reportedly set to begin shooting at Pinewood’s Toronto studios in early 2018, and “Wonder Woman 2” shoots next year.

One project previously in development, though its fate is uncertain now, is “Justice League Dark”. Some rejected concept art for the film, pitched by designer Joseph Khan, turned up on Twitter the other day – click here to see the gallery which boasts Dan Stevens as John Constantine, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Jason Blood, and Natalie Dormer as Zatanna.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Affleck Still Wants To Direct A Batman Film?





Ben Affleck has seemingly changed his tune about his future with the DC films universe. During promotion for “Justice League” last month, Affleck played it either coy or downright reticent when discussing his future in the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Now, in a new interview with DailySabah, he talked about what the future holds for him as Batman:

“For me, it’s interesting, and I always evaluate this stuff on the merit of the material. I want to direct a Batman movie, and I never got a script that I was happy with, so they are starting over and writing another script. And right now, I think a lot of different possibilities I think for the way the DC Universe could go, and I will just follow my interests in pursing that. And I know that I love working with this group of people, and it was a real joy for me to make this movie.”

Affleck was slated to both direct and star in the solo “The Batman” film until Warners decided to start over with Matt Reeves now directing the project. Due to that change, it hasn’t been clear if Affleck would return or if the studio would use the opportunity to recast.

Speaking about his take on the Caped Crusader so far, and more specifically his version seen in the “Justice League” film, Affleck says:

“I like this version of Batman a lot. It was a lot to carry around the danger of being angry and resentful of Superman the whole time, which led to a darker tone. And with this one, Batman is not a Joker and is not as funny, but is hilarious, as the straight man to Flash and other people. That’s a nice dynamic to get to play off of somebody and have a little bit more irony and have a little bit more self-awareness, a little bit more fun with the movie. That was great.

At present, Reeves’ “The Batman” has yet to set a production schedule with no word of a release date for the project either.


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[Gavin]

I rewatched Man of Steel last night for the first time since I first got the DVD. It's not as bad as I remembered it. Overall it's a pretty good Superman origin story. It's not perfect, by any means, but knowing what I was going into this time I found I quite enjoyed it. I have a feeling that it's reputation was largely based on not being what people expected and it was further dragged down by its follow up (which I'm psyching myself up to rewatch next).

 

[Doctor Omega]

(which I'm psyching myself up to rewatch next

May God have mercy upon your poor, brave soul.

Good luck mate.

As Ripley said, I am not going back there...

 

[Gavin]

May God have mercy upon your poor, brave soul.

Good luck mate.

As Ripley said, I am not going back there...

I'm planning on watching the extended edition which, by all accounts, is more coherent than the theatrical release which is what I originally saw.

 

[Gavin]

So I made it through Batman v Superman (the extended edition, which I hadn't seen before). I have to say it definitely makes far more sense than what was originally released. It's still a bloated mess though. Having seen it again I now think it would have been better if it was split into two movies because there was far too much in this to be fully explored. But overall I can see what Snyder was trying to do and, as a concept, it mostly works. It just wasn't very well realised.

Now on to Suicide Squad.

 

[Gavin]

Now on to Suicide Squad.

So ... Suicide Squad.

Not actually a bad concept but unfortunately poorly realised. The squad characters were great and well portrayed (although Katana was woefully underdeveloped and Slipknot was completely wasted - I know he was only there to get killed and demonstrate the reality of the bombs in their heads but it would have had more impact if he'd been a bit more developed and we'd actually had time to care for him). But Deadshot, Boomerang, Harley and Croc were great.

The biggest flaw in the movie was the mismatch between the villain and the squad. I kinda get that the squad was supposedly only there to rescue Amanda Waller but there was no point where I ever believed that they weren't going to fight Enchantress and there certainly didn't seem to be any alternate plan for taking on Enchantress other than the squad.

Assuming that the writers wanted the team we got, it would have been better to have gone for some sort of heist movie with a more "street level" villain to make the choice of the team more believable. Alternatively if they wanted Enchantress to be the bad guy (and she was great, don't get me wrong) they should have gone with a more "powered" squad.

 

[Doctor Omega]

DC Films Gets Its New Commander-in-Chief





One of the longest standing complaints about the DC Films initiative at Warner Bros. Pictures is that it has lacked a figurehead, someone whom decisions to default to and can serve as the public face of it in the way Marvel Studios does with Kevin Feige.

Previously Jon Berg and Geoff Johns were in that position at DC Films, but in the wake of the box office disappointment of “Justice League,” Warners has reportedly removed Berg from the role and settled on a new choice to take the reigns – New Line executive Walter Hamada.

Hamada helped shepherd “IT” through New Line, helped establish Warners’ successful “The Conjuring” universe and is a close confidante of “Aquaman” director James Wan. Hamada will continue to work alongside DC CCO Geoff Johns who will remain. Warner’s president and chief content officer Toby Emmerich says in a statement:

“Walter is creative, resourceful, and committed to excellence, and will bring those qualities to his oversight of our superhero films. He’s a terrific production executive and served as an executive producer on two of the summer’s most popular films, New Line’s ‘It’ and ‘Annabelle: Creation.’ I’m confident Walter and Geoff, working with our filmmaking partners, will deliver films that will resonate with both broad global audiences as well as DC fanboys and fangirls. Walter’s a great addition to the Warner Bros. Pictures team, and I look forward to working with him in his new post.”

The move will hopefully bring some stability to a brand which has seen the likes of Chris Nolan, David Goyer, Zack and Deborah Snyder, Charles Roven, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns all been sought for and/or serving as its main architect before moving onto other things. With only “Aquaman” set for release in 2018 and with both “Shazam” and “Wonder Woman 2” having not begun filming yet, the new team now has a chance to reassess its films before moving forward on any more.

Of that “Wonder Woman” sequel, director Patty Jenkins said to ET this week: “We’re actually making a totally different film with a lot of the same, similar like things that we love, but it’s its own movie completely, so it’s not ‘two’ to us. It’s an entirely new adventure together that we couldn’t be luckier [to do].” She also indicates they’re trying hard to get Lynda Carter to do a cameo.

 

[Gavin]

She also indicates they’re trying hard to get Lynda Carter to do a cameo.

I was disappointed that she wasn't able to make a cameo in the first one. Especially since she found time to make a couple of appearances in Supergirl (and still looks fantastic).

 

[Doctor Omega]

A persistent rumour....

 

[Gavin]

A persistent rumour....

I'm gonna respond to that rumour with a big fat "meh"

 

[Doctor Omega]

Affleck Undecided On Batman, Stan Open To Riddler





At last report, Ben Affleck’s future as the current big screen incarnation of Batman was undecided and that remains the case for the moment.

A new report at Revenge of the Fans claims Affleck scored far more than he bargained for with his work as Batman and the role was “not what he thought it would be”. However, their sources add that he’s still undecided over his future in the part:

“The present Batman is still Affleck. A change in cowl will not happen publicly until Ben is officially gone, and he is currently The Batman. But like we have said, it’s a negotiation thing right now. Not money, but appearances and creative. Ben isn’t wanting to vacate, but not wanting to commit fully.”

The sources also indicate the studio is disappointed that Affleck didn’t bring the charismatic presence to the DC universe that Robert Downey Jr. did to the Marvel universe and are as uncertain of how to proceed as Affleck is.

Speaking of Batman, Marvel Studios regular and The Winter Soldier himself, actor Sebastian Stan, recently appeared at Wizard World St. Louis and was asked which character he might want to play in a DC movie if it was offered. His answer? The Riddler whom he dubs his favourite DC character: “And honestly, I would not know what to do with the character at all. But it’s such a crazy, crazy character. Maybe I wouldn’t.”

At present, Affleck isn’t slated to reprise the role in any of the upcoming projects that are definitely coming like “Aquaman,” “Shazam” and “Wonder Woman 2”.

 

[Doctor Omega]

A fan using the controversial DeepFake software has shown that – for a tiny fraction of the price it cost the studio – they can digitally remove Henry Cavill’s moustache with the result showcasing similar quality to that of its appearance in the film. Check out a comparison video below:

 

[Doctor Omega]

 

[Gavin]

https://whatculture.com/film/why-zack-snyder-was-fired-from-justice-league?rf=homepage

Interesting article, although I'm not sure how accurate is, given that WhatCulture isn't something I'd consider a reliable source. Despite that, if its true it makes what I think are some good points about Zack Snyder's influence on the DCEU.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Cavill Rumored To Extend DCEU Contract





A new report suggests that Superman actor Henry Cavill is looking to negotiate a contract extension with Warner Bros. Pictures which would see him staying within the DCEU.

The 34-year-old actor debuted as the DC Comics hero in “Man of Steel,” and reprised the role for both “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League”. All three of Snyder’s films have been received with mixed reviews at best, but Cavill has been embraced in the role with many keen to see how he’d do without Snyder.

Cavill revealed during promotional rounds for “Justice League” he is only contracted for one more appearance in the role, that likely to be a short appearance in the currently in production “Shazam” film.

Now, Revenge of the Fans indicates Cavill is looking to set a new or extended deal which would begin with a direct “Man of Steel” sequel and they say “both parties are reportedly very open to the idea of an extension” and it’s now simply “a matter of contractual logistics”.

Matthew Vaughn, Steven DeKnight, and George Miller have all been rumored as potential helmers for a possible “Man of Steel” sequel, but there’s been no further progress since.

 

[Gavin]

I'd be happy to see him continue in the role. Justice League, for all its flaws, finally had him acting like Superman and I'd definitely like to see more of that.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Eisenberg Keen To Return As Lex Luthor





Currently at SXSW for a documentary he produced, actor Jesse Eisenberg spoke briefly with Variety about his role as Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor in the DC Films universe.

Eisenberg took on the role in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” serving as that film’s main antagonist, and reprised the part briefly in a post-credits cameo in “Justice League”. Asked if he was going to reprise the role in a future Superman film, he replied:

“I hope so. I mean, I have no idea is the truth. I love playing the character. Probably in terms of movie acting, it’s the most enjoyable character I’ve had the opportunity to play. So I would love to do it again. But I don’t know what their slate is. If you have any pull, please use it.”

Eisenberg also confirmed that, despite reports, he never had a major role to play in “Justice League” with his role only ever being that post-credits scene: “No. I was in it after the credits.” Asked if the scene was cut, Eisenberg revealed that: “No, no. Actually, on the contrary, they added some stuff.”

 

[Doctor Omega]