The DC Extended Universe: To Thanagar and Beyond!

[VCRTracking]

10 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

God, I hope she doesn't act like one of her many, MANY attention-hungry SNL characters.

"I have a magic lasso too...."

Edited June 28, 2018 by VCRTracking

[JessePinkman]

I'm hoping this is less Edward E. Nigma to the Riddler in Batman Forever or Maxwell Dillon to Electro in Amazing Spider-Man and more Selina Kyle to Catwoman in Batman Returns.

[Bruinsfan]

There's hope, Wiig was good in a largely dramatic role in The Girl Most Likely, and she managed not to trip any of my Do Not Want triggers in Ghostbusters. But I'll remain on edge until I see the movie.

[MarkHB]

Margot Robbie has said that Birds of Prey (starring herself as Harley Quinn) is slated to start shooting in January, will have a smallish budget and be R-rated.  I have trouble believing that the theatrical release in the US will be an actual R, although they may well shoot for an R for the home video release (much like the R-rated BvS Ultimate Cut and the "unrated" Suicide Squad home release).  There's another interview with her where she says "Harley will have a new costume, but it isn't designed yet, and diversity is wonderful."

[scarynikki12]

Hope this means they’ll announce the cast at Comic Con. 

[MarkHB]

This is technically outside the DCEU, but THR is reporting that Joaquin Phoenix has signed to play The Joker in the off-label origin movie that has been discussed (with Martin Scorcese producing at one point); shooting should begin in September in New York.

Quote

Warners has yet to stake out a release date for the film, which goes against the grain of most comic book movies that have flags planted years in advance. But the Joker stand-alone pic is meant to be different from other comic book superhero movies.  

The project's budget is in the $55 million range, significantly lower than the tentpoles that dominate the form. And the stand-alone is meant to be darker and more experimental in tone and content (at least as experimental as a studio can be with established brands such as DC), which is described as being akin to a crime drama.

That said, there is a chance that the movie could be ready for release as early as late 2019, depending on various factors.

Warners has a possible second Joker movie in the works as Jared Leto, who played the character in Suicide Squad, now has his own solo film project in development.

Also, The Rock is teasing other DC cameos in the Black Adam movie, and here is an article from last month saying that DC should make villain movies for a while.

Edited July 11, 2018 by MarkHB

[BetterButter]

[Bill1978]

Wow!! That's a lot of colour for a DC film.

[Bruinsfan]

Looks pretty good! I'm very slightly disappointed that the cape doesn't appear to have the classic asymmetrical collar and tassels, but if that ends up being my biggest complaint I'll be quite happy.

[starri]

Birds of Prey has a roster if not a cast.

To the announcement of Huntress and the Renee Montoya Question, I say OH HELL YES.

[Trini]

<-- Skeptical; until an official announcement is made. (And even then....) I mean, if they're doing 'Birds of Prey', there's a fairly short list of female characters in the Bat-mythos that could/would be included. It isn't that hard to guess based on certain factors.

[Trini]

[millennium]

On 7/16/2018 at 8:03 PM, starri said:

Birds of Prey has a roster if not a cast.

To the announcement of Huntress and the Renee Montoya Question, I say OH HELL YES.

The article mentions the confirmation of a "Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie" ( as opposed to a Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, because as you know these things are never really about the Joker but the celebrities who play him).  Coming on the same day I learn Greg Berlanti and the Arrowverse hacks at the CW are getting their mitts on Batwoman, it suddenly dawns on me that I don't give a shit about any of this anymore.

The Batman universe I grew up with is dead, and has been for a long time.   

[methodwriter85]

On 6/22/2018 at 3:11 PM, Bruinsfan said:

Salt in the wound is that in every interview I've ever seen, Henry Cavill's own personality would be perfect for Superman. All he has to do is use an American accent and he's there!

I remember someone saying in the Superman thread that apparently, Zach Synder wants to Superman to basically boil down to a monotone roid rage jock who can just barely keep himself in check. Which is definitely how Henry has been playing it, but my question is why? Like, seriously? I don't get it. I don't get why you would take Superman, who's supposed to stand for truth, justice, and the American Way, and then turn him into whatever these past two movies have turned him into it.

Did they really go the foam muscle route for Zachary Levi? Pretty funny. They were going to do that with Christopher Reeve but he thought it would look stupid so he just agreed to gain the muscle instead.

[MarkHB]

On 7/16/2018 at 8:03 PM, starri said:

Birds of Prey has a roster if not a cast.

To the announcement of Huntress and the Renee Montoya Question, I say OH HELL YES.

They've said Renee Montoya, no word of whether she'll be the Question or just a cop.  Personally I'd like to see Vic Sage since my main exposure to the character was the Denny O'Neil / Denys Cowan book.  I've also seen speculation that maybe Charlton's lawyers weren't 100% on the ball with their contracts so maybe there are legal issues around using some of these characters in films, and personally I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Ditko (RIP) had some extra riders in his contract for the Question; I'm pretty sure he was the biggest name Charlton had on their roster at the time.

This one isn't technically DCEU as it's out of the main continuity, but the Todd Phillips / Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie is official.  It's going to be titled Joker, filming this fall in NYC with a release date of October 4, 2019, just a month before Wonder Woman 1984.

[VCRTracking]

[Perfect Xero]

10 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I remember someone saying in the Superman thread that apparently, Zach Synder wants to Superman to basically boil down to a monotone roid rage jock who can just barely keep himself in check. Which is definitely how Henry has been playing it, but my question is why? Like, seriously? I don't get it. I don't get why you would take Superman, who's supposed to stand for truth, justice, and the American Way, and then turn him into whatever these past two movies have turned him into it.

Because after the successes of The Dark Knight trilogy and 300, Warner Brothers thought that was the way they needed to do comic book movies. So they hired the guys who made those films and told them to make Superman cool like Batman and the Spartans.

[Perfect Xero]

2 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

WB Exec: I think the problem with films has been that they just haven't been dark and angry enough.

Edited July 19, 2018 by Perfect Xero

[Fukui San]

“Who’s this guy?”

”Dove. He’s like the ultimate pacifist. The living symbol of peace. He only-“

”Razor sharp wings. Throat slitter. Next!”

[tennisgurl]

"Fuck Batman." Well...thats a way to start your show I guess...

21 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Like, seriously? I don't get it. I don't get why you would take Superman, who's supposed to stand for truth, justice, and the American Way, and then turn him into whatever these past two movies have turned him into it.

I think I get what the original idea was. They saw what Marvel was doing, and wanted a piece of that success, but didnt want to be accused of just copying their formula. So they looked at the first few MCU films, which are colorful, quippy, fun popcorn flicks, and decided to go the opposite way. They decided that, to differentiate themselves, they would make darker, more supposedly grounded, more serious, even auteur superhero movies. That didnt work out for them (and I can and have gone into the reasons I think that its gone badly), but I think thats what they were going for, and I think it could have worked alright. 

[darkestboy]

Okay sticking to the movies ....

The Aquaman and Shazam stuff has piqued my interest for both movies, both look decent but it's Wonder Woman 1984 that still has more intrigue for me. Harley's Birds Of Prey movie has potential too with that roster, but I'm a bit annoyed it might not feature Batgirl.

Really don't care for the Joker movie. Cannot see any need for this one at all.

[Bruinsfan]

Adding Joaquin Phoenix to the mix as the title character just reinforces my lack of desire to go anywhere near it (though no more than one starring Jared Leto would have). But my hope is that it will act as a magnet for all the people behind the scenes at Warner Bros. who crave nihilistic worldviews and fetishized violence, leaving the projects featuring characters that should be altruistic and inspirational to people with sensibilities more in line with Patty Jenkins'.

Edited July 20, 2018 by Bruinsfan

[tennisgurl]

Has anyone told DC they have characters other than the Joker to make movies about? 

[stealinghome]

16 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I think I get what the original idea was. They saw what Marvel was doing, and wanted a piece of that success, but didnt want to be accused of just copying their formula. So they looked at the first few MCU films, which are colorful, quippy, fun popcorn flicks, and decided to go the opposite way. They decided that, to differentiate themselves, they would make darker, more supposedly grounded, more serious, even auteur superhero movies. That didnt work out for them (and I can and have gone into the reasons I think that its gone badly), but I think thats what they were going for, and I think it could have worked alright. 

Plus, the WB was coming off Nolan's critically-acclaimed Batman trilogy at that time, was it not? That's also a reason that I think they thought a darker, more serious EU would work. (The irony, I would argue, is that they missed what made Nolan's movies hits to begin with.)

[Perfect Xero]

1 hour ago, stealinghome said:

Plus, the WB was coming off Nolan's critically-acclaimed Batman trilogy at that time, was it not? That's also a reason that I think they thought a darker, more serious EU would work. (The irony, I would argue, is that they missed what made Nolan's movies hits to begin with.)

There was an interesting article on that subject just the other day.

https://screenrant.com/dark-knight-batman-movie-influence-wrong-lessons/

I think it's kind of funny that this pretty much mirrors what happened in the comics industry in the 90s after the successes of Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns when the entire industry decided to double down on grim, dark and edgy, even on characters that weren't really built for it.

[MarkHB]

16 hours ago, stealinghome said:

Plus, the WB was coming off Nolan's critically-acclaimed Batman trilogy at that time, was it not? That's also a reason that I think they thought a darker, more serious EU would work. (The irony, I would argue, is that they missed what made Nolan's movies hits to begin with.)

Not only that, but they were also coming off their own attempts at two DC films that approached the MCU style and tone: Superman Returns and Green Lantern.  So, "we're not good at that" might have been a logical reaction.

According to "reports," WB went to Nolan with their idea for where they wanted to go with the DCEU and asked if he wanted to run it.  He said no, but suggested 2 names: Zack Snyder and Darren Aronofsky.  My takeaway from that has been that WB already specifically wanted to go in a very different direction from Marvel, because you don't bring up those names if you want a Ron Howard film.  (And no disparagement of Ron Howard at all, he's made a lot of good movies, but no one ever came out of one of his films wondering "WTF was that?")  And Zack had already built up some goodwill in the WB offices because, after 20 years, he was the one who actually got Watchmen made.  (And for all those who say they hate that film, just ask yourself: would you rather have Terry Gilliam's version?  Because he was attached to it for a long time.)

Edited July 21, 2018 by MarkHB

[starri]

On 7/19/2018 at 7:55 AM, MarkHB said:

I've also seen speculation that maybe Charlton's lawyers weren't 100% on the ball with their contracts so maybe there are legal issues around using some of these characters in films, and personally I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Ditko (RIP) had some extra riders in his contract for the Question; I'm pretty sure he was the biggest name Charlton had on their roster at the time.

Didn't stop them from having Vic being one of the best recurring characters on Justice League Unlimited.  They also had plans to include him in the Arrowverse, but were blocked by Warner Bros because there are supposedly other plans.

I have to hope Renee will also show up on the Batwoman series.

[VCRTracking]

[methodwriter85]

I mean, duh, he's Steve Trevor's great-grandson or something. It seems pretty obvious. Retconning Steve's death would make zero sense given the weight it added to Wonder Woman plus the significance of the watch scene at the end.

[Andrew Wiggin]

The SHAZAM trailer looks like Fun :D

[MarkHB]

There were no new DC films announced at the Comic-Con presentation yesterday, just presentations for Aquaman, Shazam, and some brief clips from Wonder Woman 1984 that weren't officially released.

[darkestboy]

Apparently they're in talks with Robert DeNiro and Frances Conroy for the Joker movie ....

https://www.darkhorizons.com/frances...jokers-mother/

And this one is also interesting but apparently DC are looking for a Kristen Stewart type for Batgirl ....

http://whatculture.com/film/batgirl-...barbara-gordon

Plus, Natasha Rothwell has been cast in Wonder Woman 1984 ....

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...n-1984-1129667
 

[Silver Raven]

Jeez, Aquaman looks cheesy af.

[HunterHunted]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Jeez, Aquaman looks cheesy af.

Sooooooooooooooo it's Black Panther, but with Killmonger and T'Challa's ideological positions reversed and underwater?

[starri]

...with Ragnarok's visuals after being run through a blue filter.

[BetterButter]

[JessePinkman]

Do we need to rename the thread?

[MarkHB]

On 7/30/2018 at 4:03 PM, JessePinkman said:

Do we need to rename the thread?

I don't think so... "Worlds of DC" isn't the official name, either.  :)

[MarkHB]

Via Batman-News, news on The Batman! Reeves is hoping to start filming in the spring or early summer next year.

[JessePinkman]

2 hours ago, MarkHB said:

I don't think so... "Worlds of DC" isn't the official name, either.  :)

I’m so tired ?

[methodwriter85]

On 7/30/2018 at 3:59 PM, BetterButter said:

So how long into the movie do you think it'll take before he betrays Wonder Woman?

[darkestboy]

Pedro so has to be playing Maxwell Lord at this rate, doesn't he? 

Glad we've gotten something on Batman movie even if they are being cagey about Affleck's overall involvement in it.

The Joker movie has added both Mark Maron and Bryan Callen. The latter playing an ageing stripper ....

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/j...on-1202890764/

http://comicbook.com/dc/2018/07/31/j...todd-phillips/

[Bruinsfan]

So that's what happened to Pool Boy!

Pedro Pascal could be playing Morgan Edge. The look and time period would be right, and that would give the movie a villain with organized crime connections and a secret link to Apokolips.

[HunterHunted]

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh.

https://movieweb.com/amp/batman-v-superman-robin-dick-grayson-zack-snyder-confirms/

[cambridgeguy]

That might have been Snyder's intent but since he's not really in charge of the DCEU anymore and it was not stated on screen it means nothing.  If someone really wants Dick Grayson to show up then Dick will appear, regardless of what Snyder thinks. 

[MarkHB]

2 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

That might have been Snyder's intent but since he's not really in charge of the DCEU anymore and it was not stated on screen it means nothing.  If someone really wants Dick Grayson to show up then Dick will appear, regardless of what Snyder thinks. 

Given that there has been talk of a Nightwing movie, I don't think that that was ever anything more than the backstory that Zack had in his head.  The idea that they were going to go to Carrie Kelley next, though, is interesting... maybe Anna Kendrick really was going to play Robin!

The other thing I've been thinking, though, as regards the whole "Batman is at the end of his career" narrative that was hinted at in both BvS and JL, is that the filmmakers were struggling with how to make him valuable in the midst of a battle with someone like Steppenwolf.  He doesn't need to be the battelfield tactical leader, not with a highly trained Amazon warrior princess on the team, and realistically the best use of him would be remotely in a strategy and support position where he can best leverage his brain and gadgets.... but would people pay to see that?

[ICantDoThatDave]

Quote

He doesn't need to be the battelfield tactical leader, not with a highly trained Amazon warrior princess on the team,

I'm not so sure about that.  The Amazons have pretty terrible tactics.  "Let's abandon the high ground on this cliff where our bows & arrows might have an actual advantage over an army with guns making a sea landing!" in WW & "How about we all just randomly charge the enemy while using primitive weapons?" in Justice League didn't scream tactical geniuses to me.

[Bruinsfan]

They do play a master level game of Keepaway, though.

[Dee]

‘Supergirl’ Movie in the Works

Quote

Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are in the early stages of a “Supergirl” film. They have hired “22 Jump Street” writer Oren Uziel to pen the script, but have not found a producer yet.

The character has been played by Melissa Benoist in the titular CW series that’s heading into its fourth season, and is executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller.

The superheroine first appeared in “Action Comics #252” from writer Otto Binder and illustrator Al Plastino. It followed Kara Zor-El, who was born and raised in Argo City — a fragment of Krypton that survived destruction. When the town is doomed, Kara is sent to Earth by her parents to be raised by her cousin Kal-El, known as Superman. Supergirl adopted the secret identity of orphan Linda Lee and made Midvale Orphanage her home.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Dee

[Trini]

2 hours ago, Dee said:

‘Supergirl’ Movie in the Works

 

If this actually gets out of development, I wonder if and how it will be connected to the other DC films? For casting, I'm assuming they're going to go for someone early-twenties, if Kara Zor-El will be a teenager.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Trini