The DC Extended Universe: To Thanagar and Beyond!

[scarynikki12]

2 hours ago, MarkHB said:

I also think the "Joker vs Harley" / "Mad Love" movie is probably off the table because supposedly Margot Robbie was so disgusted by Jared Leto's antics on the Suicide Squad shoot that she no longer wants to be on the same continent as him,

I can't blame her.  His interpretation of Method Acting is too extreme and feels like an excuse to be an asshole more than anything.

[HunterHunted]

5 hours ago, MarkHB said:

I also think the "Joker vs Harley" / "Mad Love" movie is probably off the table because supposedly Margot Robbie was so disgusted by Jared Leto's antics on the Suicide Squad shoot that she no longer wants to be on the same continent as him,

Ugh! He was exasperating to even read about. I can't imagine actually dealing with him on set. I would have walked around with a yard stick and made it known that I didn't want him coming within a yard of my person or my trailer. Leto seemed to have confused obnoxious trolling and 14 year old dickery with "method acting." He was unprofessional and insufferable.

[MarkHB]

Mark Hughes, movie blogger for Forbes, is on this week's Holy Batcast podcast, and let slip the following about Birds of Prey:

Spoiler

Apparently. it's a well known secret that Barbara Gordon is indeed going to be in the movie. He also said that her appearance there won't really align with what we see in the Batgirl movie, which makes me believe that in BoP she will indeed be Oracle.

Lots of good info in that podcast,  TBH.

[scarynikki12]

[BetterButter]

[MarkHB]

1 hour ago, BetterButter said:

So, Margot's image, written on (I think) one of the pom-pom strands, says "cheekysneakypeeky".  And, as the lead character in "Close Encounters of the Weird Kind" said, "This means something..."

 

See you soon...

[BetterButter]

‘The Batman’ To Fly In Summer 2021; Ben Affleck Passes The Torch To Next Generation Of Bruce Wayne

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, BetterButter said:

‘The Batman’ To Fly In Summer 2021; Ben Affleck Passes The Torch To Next Generation Of Bruce Wayne

Sam Claflin would make a great Bruce Wayne.

[Spartan Girl]

Good riddance, Batfleck!

[darkestboy]

Who didn't see this coming? I liked Affleck in the role but I think Matt Reeves is completely right to break away from Snyder's take on the role and guaranteed The Batman will have fuck all to do with what Snyder was doing/intended to do with the character and that's for the best really.

Don't really care about The Suicide Squad just yet but will do when we get more detailed on the story.

[MarkHB]

Since we didn't specifically link to it (and with apologies to Aerosmith),  Waller's got a Gunn....

There's also an animated DC Super Pets planned for early 2021 as well; dates for all 3 of these movies have been added to the first post in this topic.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 1/31/2019 at 6:19 AM, Spartan Girl said:

Good riddance, Batfleck!

For REALZ! He was a Godawful Bruce Wayne and an even more atrocious Batman. I was one who was NEVER pleased that his wooden ass was cast. Of course anyone put against KevinFucking!Conroy will always fall short, but Christian Bale came pretty damn close as BOTH for me, as far as I'm concerned. Aside from the casting of Rachel, Nolan's casting was near perfect.

Edited February 1, 2019 by GHScorpiosRule

[Starfish35]

I wasn’t pleased about Affleck’s casting, but I was willing to let him change my mind.  Chris Evans certainly did, and I was intensely skeptical when he was cast for Captain America.  But no.  I never was won over by Afflack’s Bruce or Batman.  Looking forward to seeing who they cast next - hopefully it will be a better choice.

[Dee]

It didn't help that Affleck looked like he didn't want to be there most of the time.

[4evaQuez]

I'm actually more excited for The Suicide Squad than The Batman. Personally, I hope Gunn keeps Suicide Squad's gangster aesthetic. I think the character redesigns are the one thing Ayer got right, and I would love to see some more villains reimagined with this motif. Yes, I'm including the Joker in this. I love the look of the Joker.

That being said for the sequel I'll be happy as long as Waller, Harley, Deadshot and Boomerang return. No one else from the first film seems necessary, and I would love if they could expand Boomerang's role. I would also like to see Giganta and Tattoo Man included in the roster. My only concerns are Gunn's humor and how he will portray the female characters. Granted Ayer wasn't a shining example himself, but I've always hated how Gamora was portrayed, spoken about, the obvious whore house in the second film, or how Gunn portrayed the pink women always on their knees around the male characters. I hope WB/DC/Margot Robbie use their influence to protect Harley's portrayal in this film now that they know how incredibly popular and lucrative she is.

Second, I'm concerned about the middle school locker room humor of Gunn. Again, jokes about genitalia and stolen appendages and laserface can stay with the Guardians' films.

Beside from those concerns, I am excited to finally see this film dated as I actually love the first Suicide Squad despite its many flaws and hope the sequel can deliver actual quality product.

[HunterHunted]

I'm surprised more folks aren't talking about Kevin Smith's revelation about what the plans were for the Justice League trilogy. Honestly, this sounds so much worse than what we got. It seems overly complicated for no real reason. Having Justice League 3 set entirely in the Knightmare future of Earth and end with Earth being a ruined wasteland seems like the dumbest way to leave a cinematic universe, especially since WB/DC was hoping that each of their separate members of the Justice League was going to have multiple solo films. The only thing that makes any sense is if they were planning on using Flashpoint to reset the entire universe, which still sucks because it once again short changes the Flash.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/kevin-smith-reveals-zack-snyders-apparent-plans-for-his-justice-league-trilogy

Edited February 4, 2019 by HunterHunted

[SimoneS]

6 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I'm surprised more folks aren't talking about Kevin Smith's revelation about what the plans were for the Justice League trilogy. Honestly, this sounds so much worse than what we got. It seems overly complicated for no real reason. Having Justice League 3 set entirely in the Knight are future of Earth and end with Earth being a ruined wasteland seems like the dumbest way to leave a cinematic universe, especially since WB/DC was hoping that each of their separate members of the Justice League was going to have multiple solo films. The only thing that makes any sense is if they were planning on using Flashpoint to reset the entire universe, which still sucks because it once again short changes the Flash.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/kevin-smith-reveals-zack-snyders-apparent-plans-for-his-justice-league-trilogy

DC Films got lucky that its board decided to restructure its management before this debacle took shape. I think that Geoff Johns is an amazingly talented storyteller, but he is not a movie executive.

[MarkHB]

7 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I'm surprised more folks aren't talking about Kevin Smith's revelation about what the plans were for the Justice League trilogy. Honestly, this sounds so much worse than what we got. It seems overly complicated for no real reason. Having Justice League 3 set entirely in the Knightmare future of Earth and end with Earth being a ruined wasteland seems like the dumbest way to leave a cinematic universe, especially since WB/DC was hoping that each of their separate members of the Justice League was going to have multiple solo films. The only thing that makes any sense is if they were planning on using Flashpoint to reset the entire universe, which still sucks because it once again short changes the Flash.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/kevin-smith-reveals-zack-snyders-apparent-plans-for-his-justice-league-trilogy

 

I don't think they were going to reset the universe in-story at the end; I think it was intended to be a closed-end story that ended with Batman dying (the popular interpretation of Zack's charity T-shirt design).  Essentially, it sounds like it would have been a giant multi-part cinematic graphic novel rather than a setup for an ongoing universe.  That kind of plays into the comment that either Emmerich or Tsjuhara made way back at the beginning, "we aren't making superhero movies; we're making great movies about superheroes," which to me meant that they were going to put more emphasis on the deconstructionist introspective stuff (with the assumption that these characters have existed so long that they didn't specifically need cinematic construction) than on them actually being heroes.

 

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

DC Films got lucky that its board decided to restructure its management before this debacle took shape. I think that Geoff Johns is an amazingly talented storyteller, but he is not a movie executive.

Geoff Johns wasn't involved at that early stage.  There was a Collider article a while back that actually had some good info, and it essentially said that the WB movie execs froze out DC management when they were putting the plan together, on the grounds that they understood movie-making and DC's job was to provide the IP.  DC gave Johns the "Chief Creative Officer" title after that specifically so he could be heard in those meetings.

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 hours ago, MarkHB said:

they were going to put more emphasis on the deconstructionist introspective stuff (with the assumption that these characters have existed so long that they didn't specifically need cinematic construction) than on them actually being heroes.

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't even know what this means, or rather, I don't understand what you just wrote.

[MarkHB]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't even know what this means, or rather, I don't understand what you just wrote.

To put it another way, I believe (and this is entirely my interpretation of what was going on) they (meaning the bosses at WB) wanted to do a Watchmen-like take on the DC Universe.  Rather than making movies about superheroes being superheroic, they wanted to make movies about how superheroes are intrinsically fucked up.  And I believe they felt they would be critical darlings for doing so.

[starri]

4 hours ago, MarkHB said:

To put it another way, I believe (and this is entirely my interpretation of what was going on) they (meaning the bosses at WB) wanted to do a Watchmen-like take on the DC Universe.  Rather than making movies about superheroes being superheroic, they wanted to make movies about how superheroes are intrinsically fucked up.  And I believe they felt they would be critical darlings for doing so.

Except Snyder was given the chance to make that movie already.  And he fucked it up because his movie was just about how cool Rorschach is.

[BetterButter]

'Aquaman' Spinoff 'The Trench' in the Works

[VCRTracking]

I hope when Shazam! comes out James Cameron will find something to complain about it.

[MarkHB]

22 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I hope when Shazam! comes out James Cameron will find something to complain about it.

James Cameron has probably criticized the use of black and white in Citizen Kane as overly pretentious.

[MarkHB]

On 2/4/2019 at 8:43 PM, starri said:

Except Snyder was given the chance to make that movie already.  And he fucked it up because his movie was just about how cool Rorschach is.

I've thought a lot about this comment, and I think it may lead back to why, perhaps, it took 30 years to make the movie (and I'm now tempted to make a Watchmen film thread). It's a book with no clear protagonist; we see the narrative unfold through Rorschach's eyes, but he's nuts and the other heroes are variously hapless, so alienated they can't function, or just evil. The flashback issues break up the core narrative in the comics, but you can't do that in a movie (and I think Snyder did as well with them as anyone could). So I think that, if you're trying to tell the essential story from the book (with a modified ending because even DC is doing a whole series based on the idea that the original ending doesn't work), you have to focus on Rorschach because that's the story the book tells.

And I think it's also the case that WB gave Snyder the keys to MoS because, at the end of the day, he was the one who got Watchmen made.

[VCRTracking]

27 minutes ago, MarkHB said:

I've thought a lot about this comment, and I think it may lead back to why, perhaps, it took 30 years to make the movie (and I'm now tempted to make a Watchmen film thread). It's a book with no clear protagonist; we see the narrative unfold through Rorschach's eyes, but he's nuts and the other heroes are variously hapless, so alienated they can't function, or just evil. The flashback issues break up the core narrative in the comics, but you can't do that in a movie (and I think Snyder did as well with them as anyone could). So I think that, if you're trying to tell the essential story from the book (with a modified ending because even DC is doing a whole series based on the idea that the original ending doesn't work), you have to focus on Rorschach because that's the story the book tells.

And I think it's also the case that WB gave Snyder the keys to MoS because, at the end of the day, he was the one who got Watchmen made.

One of my favorite individual comics is Watchmen Chapter IX, where Laurie and Dr. Manhattan are on Mars. The final page is probably the most beautiful writing  I've read in a comic book. Also the moment Laurie realizes who her real father is was brilliant and could only be done in a comic. The film version was just okay.

For the most part the interesting thing about the series as a whole was how it was like a "Hollywood Babylon" for Golden age superheroes.

[MarkHB]

Hey everyone,

Just so you all know, the Birds of Prey topic is now live!

[VCRTracking]

[MarkHB]

Aquaman 2 has a date: December 16, 2022.  WB is striking while the iron is hot!

[Dee]

The response to Black Panther, Spider-Man, Aquaman, Captain Marvel & Wonder Woman should have producers re-considering a Cyborg solo film.

[Starfish35]

Are they even still doing The Flash solo film?

[BetterButter]

Will Smith Exits ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel

[SimoneS]

6 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

Are they even still doing The Flash solo film?

Yes, but it is on its third, maybe even fourth, director and it is undergoing rewrites.

2 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

Will Smith Exits ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel

Can't blame him, but really it was "amicable?" I find it difficult to believe that WB is happy about this development. 

[Bruinsfan]

12 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Yes, but it is on its third, maybe even fourth, director and it is undergoing rewrites.

Maybe TV Barry keeps going back in time and changing things to mess up the movie development?

I wish they would do a Cyborg solo movie. Ray Fisher's performance was a surprise highlight of the Justice League movie (I'd been grumpy about Cyborg replacing Green Lantern as a founding member until he won me over upon viewing), and having Joe Morton as the principal co-star is definitely a plus.

[MarkHB]

3 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Maybe TV Barry keeps going back in time and changing things to mess up the movie development?

I wish they would do a Cyborg solo movie. Ray Fisher's performance was a surprise highlight of the Justice League movie (I'd been grumpy about Cyborg replacing Green Lantern as a founding member until he won me over upon viewing), and having Joe Morton as the principal co-star is definitely a plus.

This just in: Michael Disco, an exec at New Line, is starting his own production company with a deal at WB and is apparently getting The Flash.

I like Mark Hughes's observation that the Flash film is a victim of the TV show.  For all that folks complain about this, that or the other, all in all the show has done a pretty great job of presenting everything we would want to see in the character, so what does the movie do?

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 minutes ago, MarkHB said:

For all that folks complain about this, that or the other, all in all the show has done a pretty great job of presenting everything we would want to see in the character, so what does the movie do?

I couldn't disagree more. CW's Flash isn't BARRY. He's got all the characteristics of Wally West. So WB decided to use his version? Whatever. They didn't make him a contemporary of the League; instead, he was like a teenager in comparison. He's one of the founding members, isn't he?

[Starfish35]

11 minutes ago, MarkHB said:

This just in: Michael Disco, an exec at New Line, is starting his own production company with a deal at WB and is apparently getting The Flash.

So it is still in the works then. I was starting to think that maybe it had been quietly scrapped.

[Trini]

Whether it was delayed, reworked, or recasted (or all of the above), I think a Flash film would have been released eventually. He's a popular character, and one of the better things from Justice League. Cyborg seems scrapped, though.

5 hours ago, MarkHB said:

This just in: Michael Disco, an exec at New Line, is starting his own production company with a deal at WB and is apparently getting The Flash.

Interesting.

Quote

I like Mark Hughes's observation that the Flash film is a victim of the TV show.  For all that folks complain about this, that or the other, all in all the show has done a pretty great job of presenting everything we would want to see in the character, so what does the movie do?

I disagree somewhat. On a shallow level, a movie could have better production values, a bigger scope, and a bigger audience than the CW show. And while the show has done a lot with the Flash canon, I'd say it has not lived up to its potential.

From what I understand, in the comics Barry Allen/the Flash in on par with Batman in terms of intellect, and Superman in terms of powers; with a formidable rogues gallery, and a relatable civilian life. I don't think the TV show has quite lived up to all that (but it doesn't necessarily have to); so I think a film would still have things to explore or show with the character.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Trini

[Dee]

Warner Bros.’ Kevin Tsujihara talks AT&T, self-driving Batman cars and the DC universe

Quote

The DC universe is a key franchise for Warner Bros., but results have been mixed. How has your strategy changed?

The upcoming slate, with “Shazam,” “Joker,” “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Birds of Prey,” feels like we’re on the right track. We have the right people in the right jobs working on it.

The universe isn’t as connected as we thought it was going to be five years ago. You’re seeing much more focus on individual experiences around individual characters. That’s not to say we won’t at some point come back to that notion of a more connected universe. But it feels like that’s the right strategy for us right now.

What finally clicked?

What Patty Jenkins did on “Wonder Woman” illustrated to us what you could do with these characters who are not Batman and Superman. Obviously, we want to get those two in the right place, and we want strong movies around Batman and Superman. But “Aquaman” is a perfect example of what we can do. They’re each unique and the tone’s different in each movie.

[Captain Carrot]

2 hours ago, Dee said:

The universe isn’t as connected as we thought it was going to be five years ago. You’re seeing much more focus on individual experiences around individual characters. That’s not to say we won’t at some point come back to that notion of a more connected universe. But it feels like that’s the right strategy for us right now.

2 hours ago, Dee said:

What Patty Jenkins did on “Wonder Woman” illustrated to us what you could do with these characters who are not Batman and Superman. Obviously, we want to get those two in the right place, and we want strong movies around Batman and Superman. But “Aquaman” is a perfect example of what we can do. They’re each unique and the tone’s different in each movie.

So, basically they decided to introduce characters before having them team up, and they realized that the same tone doesn't work for every character. If only there had been someone making similar movies that they could have used as an example of how to do an interconnected universe.

Seriously, how does this guy still have a job. Especially if there's any truth about him choosing his bonus over delaying the release of Justice League until it could be fixed.

https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/11/warner-bros-execs-refused-to-delay-justice-league-release-date-for-fear-of-losing-bonuses-report/

Quote

At this point, with a mish-mash of behind the scenes ideas and just months until the planned Justice League release date, many executives thought postponing the film was the right move. However, Emmerich and Tsujihara apparently “wanted to preserve their bonuses they would be paid before the merger.” The fear was that if Justice League came out in 2018, the AT&T/WB merger may have forced Emmerich and Tsujihara out of the studio by the end of the year, meaning they wouldn’t get bonuses.

[AimingforYoko]

5 hours ago, Captain Carrot said:

However, Emmerich and Tsujihara apparently “wanted to preserve their bonuses they would be paid before the merger.” The fear was that if Justice League came out in 2018, the AT&T/WB merger may have forced Emmerich and Tsujihara out of the studio by the end of the year, meaning they wouldn’t get bonuses.

To quote the great philosopher Philip J. Fry:

[Captain Carrot]

Oh, I'm not shocked by his actions. I'm shocked that AT&T kept him around. If I'm in charge of a company, and find out that someone cost the company boatloads of money for the sake of their bonus. That person would be emptying their desk.

[rmontro]

On 3/2/2019 at 1:43 PM, Captain Carrot said:

So, basically they decided to introduce characters before having them team up, and they realized that the same tone doesn't work for every character.

That's a good point, they really need to make sure they get the tone right for each individual hero.  It's just like different people have different personalities, and that's what makes interacting interesting.  Like they really messed up when they tried to treat Superman with the same tone Batman had.  In Justice League, when they started to write Superman more as Superman, then things started to shine (at least temporarily).

By the way, I'm watching a bit of Batman vs Superman on TV now, and I do like Jesse Eisenberg as the villain here.  What he is doing isn't Lex Luthor by any means, but that aside I like what he's doing.

[cambridgeguy]

Quote

By the way, I'm watching a bit of Batman vs Superman on TV now, and I do like Jesse Eisenberg as the villain here.  What he is doing isn't Lex Luthor by any means, but that aside I like what he's doing.

I honestly have no idea what he was going for aside from Heath Ledger's Joker.  Hackman and Spacey were also kind of goofy but they were better at showing the undercurrent of menace and desire for personal profit, even when said plan was an idiotic real estate scheme.  Eisenberg's Lex seemed to be all about chaos for the sake of chaos.

Likewise, I thought Affleck did a good job in BvS, except he was playing the Punisher.  Then he turned into Tony Stark in JL and that didn't seem right either.

[Perfect Xero]

I've said it before, but BvS has the best and most compelling live action portrayal of Lex Luthor ever, the only problem is that it's the character Ben Affleck is playing.

[BetterButter]

Idris Elba Replaces Will Smith as Deadshot in ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel

[Silver Raven]

10 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

Idris Elba Replaces Will Smith as Deadshot in ‘Suicide Squad’ Sequel

I saw a Tweet where somebody said that Don Cheadle was going to be Deadshot, and Cheadle replied, basically, "Really?"

[xaxat]

I like Will, but . . . UPGRADE!

[Bruinsfan]

Man, I feel like yelling Pacino's speech from Godfather 3. Though I'm not sure even Idris is enough to make me sit through another Suicide Squad movie.

[Morrigan2575]

On 3/4/2019 at 4:41 PM, Perfect Xero said:

I've said it before, but BvS has the best and most compelling live action portrayal of Lex Luthor ever, the only problem is that it's the character Ben Affleck is playing.

Michael Rosenbaum?! 😀