A vision for how they should have adapted DC Comics heroes in the 2000

Here's the story for the team up

Dan Garrett’s partner on the force, Mike Manning, has decided to once and for all hunt Blue Beetle down. Because he sees him as a menace. He thinks all these dressed up crime-fighters are. They’re a plague in society.
The hero is doing his usual patrolling of the city at night and about to expose a drug ring, Suddenly, he’s surrounded by police cars and armed cops. They don’t care about the criminals but only to catch the good guy.
Mike unmasks the vigilante and gets a shocking surprise w.hen the identity is revealed. It's Dan!
He could maybe react by punching him in the face? The truth has been kept away from him all these years. That could justify the anger.

While Dan is held in custody, awaiting trial, his friend Sparkington J. Northrup jr (“Sparky”) visits him.
He’s known him since the he was temporarily hired as his bodyguard. The easy-going young lad gave him clues about how to defeat the evil Ted Kord and his martial arts skills. It was by using disco moves.
A fun detail is that he barely seems to have aged since they first met 12 years ago. LOL

They talk through the cell bars. A tear runs down Sparky’s cheek. “I will always cheer for you, always believe in you!!”
This is the end of Blue Beetle. His superhero days are over!

We see some police work being done before Mike receives a phone call. It’s from some authority that wants to *have the goods delivered*.
Suddenly, there’s a call on the police radio about Blue Beetle dealing with a group of opium smugglers.
Mike still believes there’s only one of them, he can’t understand what’s happening.
He yells at the kid to go, then he confronts Dan angrily. The masked menace now has inspired copycats.
But we know that other Beetle is obviously Ted Kord who’s left his villain days behind him.

In the future, Booster Gold reads old records about the superheroes of the early 2000s but something is wrong. His friend Dan Garrett is now listed as a villain and there is hardly any information about the other people in spandex. Instead, there are a lot of files that tells of anarchy and vandalism.
The timeline has recently changed.
He approaches Time Masters (formerly known as Linear Men) which have only just discovered that things have been altered in the past.
It’s causing ripples through time. It won’t be long before it becomes permanent and their own present will be different.
Does Booster’s last visit back in time have something to do with this?
The only choice is to go back and save the future.
To not risk making more changes, Time Masters decide to only send one of their agents, Rip Hunter, instead of a whole team.
Booster is allowed to join the mission because he has the most experience with the past. He’s been there two times.
They take a future vehicle with them. A van.

The first thing is to make sure that Dan Garrett is never arrested in 2012. That’s a tipping point when it went downhill.
It’s back to the opening scene. The hero is rescued at the last moment but the cops are on their tail. Rip is a good driver and manages to outmanoeuvre them. At the same time, he gives a short briefing about their mission.
(the filming angle inside the car is here done in as in the old days of Hollywood, having a film clip being shown at the vehicle’s rear window... for the sake of doing a homage)
During the sequence, police cars crash into each other like crazy. Dan asks if cops drive this bad in the future too.

The group needs a hideout. An abandoned brick stone factory will work. They contact Ted Kord and ask him to come there. He has to be informed of what’s happening.

What the changed superhero records in the future say is that when Blue Beetle was caught by the police after being a public enemy for decades, other people like him were rarely seen in the months that followed. They seem to have slowly faded away, one by one.
Streets would no longer be safe. The number of crimes and violence increased rapidly.
The worst part is that the records now claim it was what the vigilantes had planned all along. Old television broadcasts and newspaper articles had been re-edited and falsified in order to put the heroes in bad light. To depict them as bad guys. To mislead the future about what these amazing crime-fighters really did for society.

Booster says they should find other extraordinary people. It’s time to unite, not work alone. The world must see heroes for what they really are.

Booster and Rip go out-of-state and visit a science facility in another city.
They’re looking for a *mr Ray Palmer* but are told that he went on a meeting at an undisclosed location. That was few days ago and he hasn’t been heard from since.
However, his assistant Albert Pratt introduces himself and seems to be more than willing to help with anything.
Rip checks something on his futuristic watch which have access to a database of the original historical records, before they changed. Time Masters have that kind of luxury.
He can be useful too”.

Meanwhile somewhere else, Dan and Ted Kord are in some shady parts of another city. They knock on an old vintage office door with the sign “Ralph Dibny, private detective”.

Booster has brought the blue scarab back with him. Future scientists didn’t really understand everything about it. Only that it attaches itself to the body and becomes a part of the nervous system. Which makes it able to give direct signals to the brain. The device is very advanced even by future standards.
Time Masters have looked at the scarab as well. They confirm it becomes and acts as if it’s a real part of the body. The device seems to be half technological, half organic.
Booster wants the heroes to bring in the Jaime Reyes kid too, the third Blue Beetle. He’s the one who had merged with the scarab. But it’s not his present they should look for. He’s is a completely different person at this point. Without having access to the powersuit for years, he would end up on the other side of the law. Always seeking kicks similar to wearing the Beetle armor.
Jamie has to be taken from the same time when he handed the scarab over to Booster and Rip for a future analysis. That was four years prior.

In other words, it’s needed to go back to 2008. It’s another crucial point in history. Bad stuff will happen soon that year. It could end some heroic paths that are meant to go on. Not only for Jaime Reyes.
The scene is a reshot of the one where Dan, Ted and Jaime say their goodbyes to Booster and Rip, after having fought Jarvis Kord’s robots. As soon as the three Blue Beetles have gone in separate directions, the 2012 Booster approaches him.
Jaime: “Already back? That was fast!”
The he sees Dan and Ted. “But how…?
He turns and points to the spot from where he last saw them. “You were right over there!”
Booster: “It’s how time travel works. It makes people able to show up anywhere, anytime. Amazing, isn’t it?
Rip walks up to them. “Stop wasting time!. Listen Jaime, we need you to come with us!
Jaime: “Where to?
Rip Hunter: “To the future… 2012!
Jaime: “Is it about the end of the world?
Booster: “Don’t worry! He’ll explain!
When Jaime sees their high tech van, he goes “Holy s**t!
Inside the van, Rip gives the scarab back to Jaime Reyes. He gives a short briefing about the test results and warns him to use it, it can change his behavior and thought process. That thing should only be activated when life is at stake and there’s no other option.

Next up is a visit to another moment later that year.
NASA scientist (and secret superhero) Ted Knight runs the risk of becoming Amanda Waller’s pawn. He’s far too important for that, he has a legacy to live up to. That journey must continue.
Dan and Booster manage to convince him to come with them. The truth is that he already felt it was a hidden agenda behind the Africa mission.

The Sylvester Pemberton boy also has a destiny to fulfill. He looks up to Spaceman a lot and will one day continue his work.
The rich kid is intercepted just when school’s over for the day and he’s about to be picked up. Jaime approaches him with a promise about adventures and to work with three Blue Beetles if he goes with them to the future. It sounds a whole lot of fun. He’s definitely up for the task.
Pat Dugan is brought along because of his role as a “muscle man”.
Lyle Norg happens to be standing next to them. He wants to go for a ride in the cool futuristic vehicle too, and climbs in with the others.
Ted Kord asks who that other kid is.
Sylvester goes “It’s my best mate. He can do some really cool stuff!”.
Then he sees Ted Knight and become more excited than before. “You’re here too!!

The school in question has students from some very influential families. It doesn’t go unnoticed that strangers talk to kids, take them inside their car and drive off.
The police are called right away. A new chase takes place.
Rip complains that they have failed to go under the radar with this mission
Sylvester laughs and says it’s like being in a movie. He turns around and gives the finger to the cops.

TO BE CONTINUED….
 
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Part 2

We're back in 2012.
Now a whole bunch of heroes are gathered. There’s one more thing to do.
They all wear their suits when Booster leads them out on a field. He has a great knowledge of the past when it comes to superheroes.
According to his calculation, this is the exact time and place.
Just then, two wonderous siblings are beamed down from the sky. These are met with the sight of a bunch of people in costumes.
Are you here to join our circus?
The alien boy then sees someone he recognizes. “You’re the one who can stretch yourself like rubber, am I right?

To not raise any suspicion, Dan Garrett still has to go to work every day. If he doesn’t, a policeman will be reported as missing. The force will try to find him and this would make it more difficult for him to remain hidden.

The prophetic nightmares of Wesley Dodds have gotten worse. They depict powerful evil forces let loose. One night, the bad dreams become so strong that his physical body is drawn inside them. He ends up in another place. The same happens with his young helper Sandy Hawkins because of the close bond they share after he did chemical experiments on him. Which led to the teenager’s body becoming silicon-based.
The duo is trying to figure how to get back home. The city they are in doesn’t feel like their world. The vibe is a bit off.
Never mind that, the streets here look like they need as much cleansing as they do back home. They get back in their “vigilantism mode” to rescue some guy who’s chased and beaten by armed people. The two heroes take them down and the victim runs off.
Wesley is filled with a stronger feeling of fury now than he usually is and becomes more violent when he fights.
Why did these people attack one guy? This must be a really bad place.
Sandy looks at the ones they’ve beaten to the ground. He points out they wear uniforms.
Wesley bends down to inspect. Their weapons seem to be typical for a governmental organization. The insignia says Checkmate. What a very unsympathetic and hostile choice of word.
The two decide to look up this organization and its whereabouts.

Rip shows the blue scarab to Wonder Twins because he suspects it’s of alien origin.
They confirm it could be, after having a look at its components. But neither of the siblings knows what planetary system it comes from. They haven’t seen anything like it.
The mystery isn’t solved.

Ralph Dibny and Albert Pratt are out shopping groceries for the team. They talk about the first time they met. It was when Bito Wladon had become the villain Sonar.
A sheet of paper is hanging on the side of a street light. It’s old and torn. There’s a pic and a text. “Have you seen our beloved son?
Ralph stops to take a closer look. He recognizes that face. It’s Jaime Reyes!!!
As the detective he is, this is a disappearance he’s never heard about. It never happened. But yet, it seems that it did. Strange! They’ve just picked him up and brought him here. Ralph takes the sheet of paper with him. He must tell the others.
Inside the store, Albert picks up newspapers from the rack. Different headlines say something about a NASA scientist who’s been missing for four years. And the Pemberton family is still trying to find Sylvester.
Back at the abandoned hideout, they show what they’ve found.
There’s a long silence while everyone processes what it means.
Jaime speaks up. “You mean when you went back to pick us up and take us here, we actually disappeared?”.
Albert Pratt says he thinks that makes sense after all, and looks at the other scientists. Ted Kord confirms it could be true. When the heroes travelled in time to go to 2012, they literally left everything in 2008 and were never seen after that.
Ted Knight: “I’ve just started prioritizing my family again! What have we done?
Pat Dugan: “And I’ve just married Barbara!
Sylvester looks surprised. “So, mom and dad think I’m missing, and so does everybody else?
Pat Dugan: “This is really bad. They probably think I took you away
Wonder Twins chime in: “There’s a new present forming around us, another reality when things played out differently
Dan Garrett gives Rip a stern look. “You should have known better”.
Ralph Dibny: “Maybe this time travelling is what created the horrible future you want to prevent?
Booster must defend his choices and explain. Spaceman would be working for Checkmate at the moment if he didn’t go back and interfere.
Sylvester wouldn’t have reached his full potential. He would find himself being beaten by a villain, stopped being a hero, walking away from his family’s heritage and become a nobody.
Jaime would be a substance using member of a gang, without the scarab.
By giving these people from the past an extra push into the superhero business, this would change. When the mission is over, they will be returned to the same moments in 2008 as if they were never gone at all.
Lyle Norg: “What about me? What did happen to me in the original timeline?
Booster: “You were only a footnote. That’s all. And when the future records changed, you weren’t seen at all. But now you have the chance to be a true heroic icon”.
Jaime: “Hey, if that’s not altering history, I don’t know what is!
Pat Dugan: “What’s Checkmate doing now that’s worse than before?”

Amanda Waller has launched a new plan. She wants to use criminals for the most dangerous missions. They can be useful that way.
Some really bad ones can’t be in a regular prison. These are brought to another place with high security. The place is called Belle Reeve. The dangerous inmates are guarded 24/7 and are also being prepared to go out in the field. Their so-called “skills” make them living, walking weapons.
Among them are Killer Croc, Catalyst, Baron Nightblood, Floronic Man. Mentioned but not seen.
Anyone who doesn’t follow orders but try to escape, will be killed right on the spot. It’s a clear death sentence.
The big business man Maxwell Lord withdraws his funding for Checkmate when he finds out. He will do everything to fight this. It’s a disgrace to human rights.
But the new part of the organization isn’t Checkmate. It’s something else, it’s A.R.G.U.S.

Ted Knight and Jaime Reyes follow Sylvester and Lyle to their school one evening. They must all let the families know they are safe. But how? Using e-mail accounts would be a bad thing. The location of the sender can be tracked.
Sylvester knows what to do. The solution is Dead Boy Detectives. They can travel anywhere. The ghost curse that usually binds dead souls to one building, was broken last time they met.
It's of course an especially good idea to have ghost boys show themselves to parents and say their sons are still alive. It’s not scary at all!
The messages delivered also include a promise that the “missing people” are going to contact their families later. It will be done by recording video clips of themselves, which they do later in the film. The tapes will be brought to the houses. Lyle is perfect for performing this very task.
Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland are happy to see their two friends from school again.
We thought you were dead at first and looked for your ghosts. When we didn’t find them, we’re sure that you were alive somewhere.”
Sylvester starts to talk about the time-travelling, to which Edwin looks totally amazed.
Charles breaks in: “We have to tell you something. There’s teacher here who’s working late”.
A voice is suddenly heard echoing the halls of the big school. “Who’s there?!!”
Lyle knows that voice. “It’s T-Rex! The man of the hour!
(a fun word play for Rex Tyler/Hourman)
 
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Part 3

Dead Boy Detectives and Rex Tyler join the others at the hideout. Everything is being explained to them.
Rex suggests that the ghost boys Edwin and Charles can be used to take a look at Belle Reeve so the heroes would know what they’re up against. Lyle offers to go there too.
Sylvester: “What about the guy who left Checkmate after the experiments in 2008? I know he’s a wild card! But he could be useful since he knows the insides of the facility”.
Pat Dugan: “He’s strong! The toughest opponent I ever had. Nearly broke my ribs before I managed to gain his trust! Is he mentally stable today? Anyone who knows?
Ted Kord: “You mean the ‘metal bones’ guy, right? He’s been silent since then. Wouldn’t be a bad thing to have him become a full-fledged hero like I did.”
Dan Garrett: “I won't accept him out in the field. What if he turns again, and goes against us?
Ralph Dibny: “I’ll take care of him then!”
Wonder Twins: “Let him be a consultant! That could be helpful too
Suddenly, Black Lightning comes out of the shadows and takes the heroes by surprise.
So this is where all of you are!”
He looks at Dan: “Hey Blue Beetle, the whole police force is looking for you after the escape.”
Ted Knight: “How did you find us?
Black Lightning: “Come on! I know a lot about the streets. Do you really think it would go undetected that a bunch of people come and go at an abandoned factory? You aren’t really smart for a scientist!"
He pauses to breathe. Then he rambles on. “Where the f**k have you and the young boys here been the last few years?”
Booster: “We didn’t kidnap the kids. We brought them here in a time machine. The future is at stake! Tell him, Rip!”
And so yet another superhero is let in on the matter.
Black Lightning adds that he has started to heard tales about a new guy with a gas mask who’s clashing with several Checkmate agents out in the field, and not going easy on them. He must be stopped before the organization sees the pattern, that the loner is tracking them down. They will strike back with full force.
Albert Pratt: “If anyone knows what that last part means, it’s me!”
Booster: “There isn’t anything about him in the historical records, not even before the change. Is he a hero or a villain? Should we bring him here too?
Rip Hunter: “Checkmate is dangerous! See if you can find him. We would need as much back-up as we can. Especially since Jaime can’t use the scarab too much.
Ted Knight: “I know of at least one more. Maybe it’s time to make a long-distance call to Africa…

There’s a case of puppy love within the team
Lyle Norg knows that Sylvester has gotten a crush on Jayna, the alien girl, since they met.
He teases the lovesick boy by pretending to be him, and by imitating his voice in a mocking way.
Jayna, oh Jayna, my sweetheart, an angel from the sky, I love you so! I love you so!!
Sylvester finds this annoying and truly embarrassing. He chases his laughing friend out of the room.

Homo Magi, the race of shadowy but good magical people that mostly stick to themselves and avoid humans, notice that weird energies are stirring. They are in a way “force-sensitive” (lol). But what is it that’s about to happen?
One of the most prominent among them, Zatanna, feels there’s something really bad and powerful out there. She doesn’t know what it is, only that it’s out of tune with this world.
Timothy Hunter, the teenage prodigy, possesses also amazing skills to a level that surpass many adult Homo Magi. He too feels that something is really really wrong.
The two of them head out to investigate.

There’s one problem with A.R.G.U.S.’ new villain squad project.
Klarion Bleak, the witch boy, refuses to comply. He’s in an almost constant fit of rage, only to calm down when being given strong electric shocks.
Sometimes at night, agents sneak in to do it for fun. They enjoy the sight of the pale creature in pain.
Yes, he’s being tortured.
Zatanna is going to be furious when she later finds out. It doesn’t matter that the witch boy is pure evil and she once fought him to take this threat down.

Limbo Town in the dark realm beneath Earth isn’t really fond of the surface world.
They are a bunch of dubious sorcerers. But even among them, Klarion is a true black sheep. They regard him as demonic. Now they want him back, to give him a fair trial.
If he isn’t handed over to them, they will take action. And their self-proclaimed leader, who overthrew their king, won’t play it soft with humankind.
Will Klarion’s sister Beulah make a difference? How caring is she? Does she love her brother despite his bad actions?

Dr Thaddeus Sivana is one of the founders of Checkmate. His role is that of a scientist, while Waller is the head of the military division.
As a young man, he only wanted to help the world but he was always mistreated. A wish for revenge grew in him, but he was biding his time.
Sivana made sure to be successful and gain political influence. This led to the government hiring him. He’s been involved in different projects: including weapon technology.
He's a great schemer. The formation of A.R.G.U.S. is one of his plans.
When Klarion was handed over to him a few years ago, a new world opened before his eyes. Magic exists! Other dimensions too.
This gave Sivana a new obsession. If the supernatural is real, then it must have a history too. He started to study archeology, symbolism, ancient cryptology and the world of myths/legends. There could be totems or other kind of items that hold power. Surely there must be something hidden in a tomb somewhere. Hand-picked teams of experts were put together to do the diggings.
He wanted to find old objects of power and went a little mad in the process.
By using blood from Klarion, it also became possible to pass into other realms of existence. His obsessive search extended to those places (don’t ask me about that level of quantum physics, it’s too advanced lol).
The fact that there’s questionable tormenting of prisoners after working hours at Belle Reeve is what Sivana views as a very human-like thing to do. He’s above that kind of sadistic behavior himself. His long-term goals include inflicting pain too, but of the psychological kind. He’s colder, more calculated.
 
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Sorry but I have to divide the story in several posts. It was too long and not possible to edit.

Here's Part 4

Billy Batson wakes up in an alley. He doesn’t know where he is. All he remembers is that he had a bad dream.
He's been to strange places before, but they were brighter and fantastical. Not a nighttime city.
He can’t change by saying the magical word. To his horror, it doesn’t work anymore.
Is Parasite on the loose?
Billy calls for the wizard again. No reply.
What is he going to do? He’s all alone. No foster parents, no Freddy Freeman, no Sunny Sparkle.
He was given extraordinary skills but it couldn’t save his murdered parents. Now it seems he’s lost the powers too.
The only thing to do is to pull himself together and look for someone who can help. If he’s lucky, there will be a castle somewhere.
In the meantime, maybe a happy song or dance can cheer him up, like it always does?
He takes a couple of dancing steps but trips over his feet. He’s too gloomy. It feels like joy has been pulled away from him. What kind of land is this?

Zatanna and Timothy Hunter find the lost Billy when he’s wandering the streets. They know instantly that there’s something special about that boy. He’s taken to the Homo Magi.
A few from the tribe nurture him because he looks weak - Timothy’s potions are helping a lot - and they try to ‘read him’ at the same time.
They notice traces of dormant magic in Billy’s body. But of a different kind than theirs. Homo Magi ponder if they should try to make it active.
The tribe leader and Zatanna ask Billy to tell them his story.
To sum it up for you readers. Billy is from another Earth, with other natural laws. He lost the ability to change after coming here through a portal. Things work differently in this world. That’s pretty much it!
Billy: “So, you are magical people! Do you have any unicorns?
Timothy: “No, we don’t have unicorns!
Billy starts to chatter away, in an incoherent manner, about princesses, castles, knights, flower fields and blond girls in red capes.
The leader and Zatanna discuss among themselves whether the boy is mentally challenged or not. He seems to be stuck in a child’s mind.
But homo magi have seen a middle-aged man in a suit and a golden helmet before so they’re open for everything unbelievable.

Homo Magi decide to engage in a ritual and try to reach the wizard of Billy’s Earth. Their collective power makes it possible.
Believe it or not, Shazam arrives at their camp with a confused look on his face. He's taken to Billy and then let in on the matter. What’s he’s told amazes him.
The wizard truly feels that this is another world, but also that his magic is gravely weakened.
He senses another thing, something evil that don’t belong here. Why?
Because this is where Black Adam is!!!!
And not only that, but now he’s almost back at full power. His human host Theo Adam doesn’t exist anymore. The spirit that went inside his body in the tomb at Knossos has taken over him completely. Which is bad news for everyone.
Shazam is really sorry that Theo was sent here. He didn’t mean to. Despite his wisdom, his magical powers and his long life, he never knew about parallel Earths. That’s beyond his knowledge. He only believed that he and Billy had managed to banish Theo to another dimension. But that was before the bad guy had access to all of his powers.
I’m so sorry!

Shazam thinks Billy was brought here because of Black Adam.
Both of them have the same power, from the same source. That’s why they will always find each other through space and time. They are destined for a rematch.
Billy had sort of “lost his powers” when he arrived. But why didn’t the same happen for Theo? Shazam’s theory is that the willpower and hate in Black Adam is so strong that it defies every logic and reason. He wants to live, to control, to rule. Not even the laws of the universe can stop him from existing. He still continued to grow in strength after coming here. By now, he will be more powerful than what Billy can be. Despite Homo Magi trying to reactivate the powers the wizard gave the boy.
Not because their magic is weaker, but because it’s different. It was not them who made Billy possess marvelous strength. And this is another world. This means the boy will be less powerful here than back home.

By the camp fire, Shazam tells a tale from ancient times (shown in flashback).
Teth-Adam and his nephew Aman, about the same age as Billy, were two shepherds who had been taken as prisoners and forced to work in a mine under terrible conditions.
With their skills and brains, the two escaped. Shazam had seen what they had managed to do against all odds. They had potential to be true heroes so the wizard decided to do for them what he did for Billy.
As the pure soul the boy was, similar to Billy, he wanted to go back in and rescue other slaves. The uncle however, only wished to punish the ones who had taken their freedom and made their life miserable. He was blood-thirsty, full of rage.
Shazam admits to have made a grave mistake. He never looked into Teth-Adams heart before gifting him with powers. Black Adam was born that very day. The wizard could only watch as the man broke young Aman’s neck and killed him right there. Then he transformed and went back inside to take revenge. He did that because he thinks that nobody else than him should have access to such strength.
He started a tyrannic reign with himself as supreme leader. He’s a true all-powerful monster. And no, not even Billy’s friend Sunny Sparkle, who has a certain ability to turn criminals, would have any effect whatsoever on a full-powered Black Adam. Because he’s rotten at the core.
Hearing all this makes Billy eyes become filled with tears.
Shazam tells Homo Magi that Black Adam is unbelievably strong. His motivation and determination make him even stronger than his powerset would normally do. One can’t simply grasp how dangerous he is. No soldier or warrior stands a chance. It doesn’t matter how much battle experience somehow has. Even an army would lose. There’s no weakness to him. Swords and bullets won't hurt him. But magic can turn the tides. That’s because everything he possesses originates from magic.
It took a bunch of wizards to take him down the first time though. It’s really important that it comes in numbers. Just one opponent isn’t enough.
The question is if Homo Magi is up to the task. They have to be or else this world is doomed.
Zatanna says she knows that there is something called superheroes here. Homo Magi should ask them for help.

Ralph Dibny takes on his detective persona when he’s out to locate the whereabouts of the new vigilante guy in town who goes by the name Sandman.
The ghosts of Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland tag along. But Sandman doesn’t want to be found.

Vixen and Rex Tyler are tasked with tracking down Hank Heywood. They will be able to deal with him if he gets aggressive. The team might need his special talent.

To know what the heroes are up against, Ted Kord and Albert Pratt visit Belle Reeve in their civilian profession as scientists. Hank will have told the team what he remembers about that place.
As a part of the investigation, Dead Boy Detectives and Lyle Norg go there too but keep out of sight to not raise suspicion.
However, Dr Sivana understands the two science visitors are after something other than what they say.

Sandman uses sleeping gas to take the heroes down at the factory where they’re hiding, before he and Sandy Hawkins enter the premises. He did it to check them out.
Only the ghost boys are still awake. And Wonder Twins because of their alien biology. They activate their powers and corner the vigilante duo, before explaining that they’re working towards the same goal.

Somehow, Zatanna knows about the heroes’s hideout. She arrives there with Billy, Shazam and Timothy Hunter.
Rip Hunter is upset that EVERYBODY seems to know where to find them.
But Booster thinks it’s hilarious that more and more people drop by. He says it feels like they’re a whole all-star troop at this point. Like a big bunch of Superfriends.
Sandman has to facepalm himself, hearing this.

What Zatanna and the newcomers tell them is something that sounds really strange.
This is also the point when Sandman and his helper Sandy Hawkins first find out about parallel Earths. But they’ve already figured it out. This is not their world
When Black Adam is brought up, none of the heroes can really understand that level of superstrength. There’s nothing to compare with in their world. They only hear that the villain can withstand bullets, is able to lift a car, and punch through a brick wall. He also has the power of flight.
Sandy says that where he and Wesley come from, there are occasionally people who get to be space cops and wield green rings, and this Adam guy sounds a bit similar to them.
Wonder Twins give each other a knowingly glance. They know about an almost identical thing in this universe, but decide to not share it with the others.

A.R.G.U.S.’ most prized possession breaks out of Belle Reeve.
Well, it’s Dr Sivana who releases him. He frees Klarion from his power-dampening chains. The witch boy looks stunned up on the scientist. Like he can’t process that someone would actually be helping him.
Klarion does an elegant bow and shows him gratitude. “I will forever be thankful for what you did. I offer you my services” His voice is silky and vengeful.
The two aren’t really that unlike. Both want others to suffer. Klarion is a little more impulse driven though, as the youngster he is.
Here’s when science and black magic team up. They’ll benefit from each other.
Klarion smiles wickedly. “Time to set things in motion!
Unbeknownst to Sivana, the witch boy will include his own asset into the equation, his most loyal and trustworthy follower.
 
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Part 5

Klarion had a really bad influence on people the first time he was let loose. He explains it with that they were weak-minded and easy to manipulate. Now that he’s out in the world again, he will pick up from where he left.
Jeremy Karne is the worst of the worst. He’s mind is so ruined he’s beyond any savings.
What’s Klarion’s excuse? “He had it in him to begin with. I only lifted it up to the surface
Kid Karnevil will rise again when the witch boy helps him out of a security psychiatric hospital for the most dangerously insane.
It's a good thing that Amanda Waller didn’t get her hands on that one.
She probably didn’t regard him as a super villain, but only a murderous psycho.

Ted Knight, Dan Garrett, and Ted Kord sit by themselves and talk. They discuss the gathering of superheroes from everywhere, how this could be the start of something new, which none of them would ever think was possible before.
Booster joins the trio at the table. “You should make it official. We have the world’s first team of heroes here.”
Ted Kord thinks it’s a very good idea.
Booster: “But you’re going to need a better place than this. Something more worthy for superheroes.”
Ted Knight says he knows about a NASA facility that’s no longer in use. That could be their base.
Dan explains that he rather works alone and will leave when the original timeline is back. He doesn’t see himself as a team-player with a polished headquarters.
Booster: “Because you’re the brooding vigilante of the night?
Dan: “You DO know that we have to return a bunch of people to the past, right? The twins will leave earth. They’re from outer space. And then there are a handful from another dimension. They can’t stay

At the other side of the abandoned factory. We find all the youngsters.
Zan: “It’s true what we've just been told. There are copies of Tellus. I look at Billy and Sandy and just know it. They’re different, in their own ways, from you boys here. Even when including your magical essence, Tim.
Jayna. “Haven’t we stumbled across a theory about something similar before, brother?
Zan: “Hm, we’ve been to countless planets to perform. I think I recall hearing something, somewhere
Jayna: “Yes, me too! What’s the name of that long-lost civilization? Was it Ekron? Well, anyway. They were an advanced race during the early universe. They discovered something, that their world had a twin planet in another dimension!
Zan: “… but with a slighly different set of natural laws? Yeah, I think that was what the legends claim. Maybe it’s the same all over universe?
Jayna: “Who would have guessed it’s real?

The boys start to compare powers. Jayna laughs at them.
Edwin and Charles only listen and smile
Zan: “I can turn into any shape of water. Liquid, frozen or gas. And my sister, she becomes an animal”. Sylvester bugs his eyes out hearing that.
Lyle: “You won’t ever see me coming. I’m gifted with the moment of surprise. BAM, you’re gone!
Timothy: “As Zan said, I’m magical. A young master prodigy of spells and potions.
Sylvester: “I can still kick your butts”. He’s trying to impress Jayna with his vigilante skills. She smiles back at him.
Sandy: “I don't need any power. I will beat you all in the blink of an eye without it“. He snaps his fingers. “Just like that! You will be down before you even knew what happened
Jaime: “You wish!” He activates the scarab. An exoskeleton suit covers all of him “Ah, what a rush!!!
Billy: “That’s awesome! You look like a knight!!
Jaime: “Because I am! What’s your power newbie? You didn’t say anything earlier
Billy: “Er… I don’t really have access to it right now
Sylvester: “Tell me you can at least do a little karate!
Billy: “No, sorry!” Then his face lights up. “But I think it’s fun to dance
Everybody laughs!
Lyle: “Maybe you’re just really smart?
Sandy: “I doubt he is. Do you carry a weapon of some sorts?”
Billy: “Not that either
Timothy explains: “It’s supposed to be something similar to Black Adam, but weaker!

The “Sandman vigilante” has been causing problems for Amanda Waller, taking out several of her people in the field.
He's later been seen with the other people in tights. Which mean they’re together.
This is war!
Amanda decides to fight everyone that stands in her way.
She re-activates the old Task Force X again. They’re the most outdated section of her organization. But when dealing with the superheroes, one needs to be smart and tactical, to use the brain. It will be the “last ride of Task Force X”, as she calls it.
She’s also found out about Homo Magi. Dr Sivana has told her about them. He said they’re the same people as those in Limbo Town who asked about Klarion. Then they came here and took him away. Sivana is great at telling lies, Waller believes what he says.
She sees red. The witch boy was HER property. She OWNS him.
To punish Homo Magi, she sends a troop of the immoral and impulsive Checkmate soldiers. That’s needed to deal with the matter.
The magical tribe could very well suffer. She doesn’t care. These are not humans to her.

Limbo Town starts to prepare to launch an assault on the surface world. They never got Klarion delivered back. Now they've heard he's free again.
Beulah Bleek tries to reach out to Submissionary Judah. She pleads to give humankind a chance. If she can talk sense into her brother, she’s sure he will step back. Maybe return wilingly.

Task Force X arrives at the premises where the heroes are said to be and do a search of the place. But it’s empty. The leader contacts home base. “It’s nobody here, not a single one of these f**king a**holes”.
Amanda Waller looks stunned but annoyed. “Find them and make sure not anyone escapes!
The main doors of the factory suddenly open. Maxwell Lord steps inside with his assistants.
He acts as if he’s surprised to see the soldiers.
I didn’t hire any inspection of the facilities! What are you doing here?

A short moment later, the troop leader contacts Waller. “It’s Maxwell Lord, sir! He says he’s just bought the factory. The documents seem to be in order. What shall we do?
Maxwell gives an arrogant comment: “Ah, walkie-talkies. How retro! Let me talk to your headquarters!
The leader reluctantly hands over his communication device.
Hello Amanda Waller. I know it’s you! This is a private property. Call off your little army right now. They’re messing up the place. If you don’t, I will talk to some of my friends that happen to be in the senate!” He looks stone cold and calm, not showing any sign of how fun he thinks this is.
Amanda orders Task Force X to fall back. She’s boiling with fury inside but remains professional.
Don’t think for a second I’ll ever forget this, Maxwell!
Miss Waller’s closest operative asks if they should have Checkmate retreat too.
No, tell them to not hold back in any way!
She pushes a communication button. “Tell Dr Sivana to meet with me right now
The answer makes her scream.
He left an hour ago, sir.”

When everybody has left the factory, including Maxwell’s assistants, he smiles and looks at some empty section at the ground floor.
I think you could have handled this by yourselves
An invisible cloak of energies shatters, revealing the heroes behind. Zatanna and Timothy had used magic to hide them all.
Spaceman: “Well, we are still grateful!”
Maxwell looks around. “You seriously need a better base than this. You are superheroes, not petty criminals
Booster: “JUST what I said too
Maxwell: “We need to improve your reputation too! It just isn’t suitable to have fugitives or child runaways on the team.”
Jaime snaps: “I’m not a child!
Wonder Twins: “For the record, we are in fact older than you!”. (Sylvester looks shocked)
Maxwell: “Sure! Because in space, no-one can see you age, right?
Wonder Twins: “Right!
Maxwell: “If what you have told me is true, it requires all of the team to tackle this Adam guy!
Rip Hunter: “Can we still count on you?
Maxwell: “Yes, but since the police is looking for some of you for various reasons, I haven’t seen you here. Remember that!
He points at them with a smile, and closes the door behind him on his way out.
 
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Part 6

Dr Sivana meets with Klarion. He has something to reveal to the witch boy. He’s got another trick up his sleeve.
It's a secret weapon. An unstoppable force.
It's Black Adam! He enters the room and looks so strong it’s like the powers ooze out of his body.
The witch boy laughs wickedly. This seems to get better and better.
We’re told that Sivana took care of ancient warlord’s weakened human host Theo Adam when he was sent to this world, and made sure that his powers grew. It’s all thanks to Klarion, who opened Sivana’s eyes for the existence of other dimensions.

Albert Pratt tells the team about a plan. He will go to the nuclear facility and absorb the radiation.
When Black Adam shows up, he has to be tricked into going there.
But stay nearby and lure him out of his hiding!

On the late afternoon when they’re on their way to the power plant, Billy Batson starts singing a few lines from a song.
Wesley Dodds: “Stop singing, goddammit!
Sandy Hawkins: “Maybe his powers are music-based?
Hank Heywood: “God, I really hope not!

At the location, the heroes gather before they spread out at different parts of the huge place.
Spaceman: “Have you taken you miracle pill?
Hourman: “Yes. And you have your gravity staff, I see!
Vixen: “Are you sure it’s a good idea to use a kid for a bait?
Rip Hunter: “It’s what will draw him out. He’ll sense his energies! They’re connected!

Star-Spangled Kid and Dead Boy Detectives go where all the offices are.
What are you really going to do? You can’t fight, you’re not physical.
Edwin: “Haven’t thought of that. Maybe try to scare him? Make him confused?
Charles: “Look for his weakness? Be cheering for you guys?

What if the villains were one step ahead?
Kid Karnevil walks the halls in the basement of a big office building. He lets the blade of his knife scrape against the stone walls. He’s out to get the boy who dresses in a blue costume with stars on it
They had a brief encounter inside the entrance where they clashed. A good opponent but Kid Karnevil moves so fast that he managed to slice through the suit. Then the silly boy ran away. No worries! He will find him!
No-one escapes Kid Karnevil!
Klarion keeps whispering in his ear that he’s doing a good job. “Yeah, get rid of the heroes! Take them all! Stab them! Kill them!
There are two boy ghosts. It appears they’re trying to stop him. It’s in vain, he walks right through them.
And there’s a girl. She’s really pale. Kid Karnevil hates girls. She holds a stick that glowes at the top. He advances at her, quickly dodges the beam of grey light she sends out, grabs her throat and pushes her hard against the wall. The girl is going to be Kid Karnevil’s next victim.
She looks surprised rather than scared. He raises his knife to cut right through her chest. Though she’s just an obstacle in his way, it will still feel great seeing the blood.
Just then, Klarion materializes out of nowhere. “Not her, you lunatic!!!
The witch boy takes hold of Kid Karnevil’s shoulder and puts the psychotic murderer temporarily to sleep. He saved his sister at the last moment.
Beulah begs him to stop with this crusade of his. Limbo Town will soon march.
Klarion refuses to change. He says it’s too late to stop now. and walks away.
Then I must stop you myself, brother!”, Beulah yells.
You’re no match for me and you know it!” With the flic of his hand, he sends the sister home through a black vortex.
Let them come!” he says to himself

Blue Beetle, the 1st, stands on an open area of the nuclear facilities, ready to meet the biggest threat he’s ever faced.
On his right is Star-Spangled Kid, on his left is Billy Batson and the wizard Shazam.
A shadow moves out of the dark and into the premises' night lights, way over there. It’s a boy with a knife and an evil look on his face. It’s Kid Karnevil.
The pale Klarion walks next to him.
And up in the air, a cape and a suit as dark as the night, mixed with gold.
It's Black Adam!
The awakened supervillain sees Billy. “So that’s who the old man picked as the guardian. Pathetic!
Shazam: “Leave this place! Go back to your own world!
Black Adam: “Not before I’ve got what I came for. Then maybe, just maybe, I’ll consider it!”
Blue Beetle: “You’re a tyrant!
Black Adam: “I see that you have brought a costumed kid to oppose me!
He eyes the little hero who’s got cut marks after a knife. “Tough little one, aren’t you? Maybe I should break your neck?
Star-Spangled Kid strikes a fighting pose: “Come here and try!
Klarion talks to himself: “There’s something familiar about that boy!
Blue Beetle runs towards them. Kid Karnevil attacks the hero but his knife bounces off the costume.
Blue Beetle: “Bulletproof!
He takes hold of Kid Karnevil’s hand and uses his strength to make the teenager drop the knife, before kicking him away.

Stripesy takes hold of Black Adam’s left arm while Commander Steel takes the other. They’re strong for humans. Star-Spangled Kid dives in and kick between his legs while Blue Beetle goes for a straight blow to the face. Ouch! It’s like hitting a stone statue.
Thankfully his suit could transfer some of the impact and prevent any broken bones.
Stripsesy is a muscle man by human standard but is thrown to the side.
Commander Steel with his metal skeleton lasts a little longer.
Sandman throws a bomb of sleeping gas, intent to make the villain dizzy, before he and Sandy are the next ones to try.
The gas doesn’t seem to help that much.
Someone throws stones at Black Adam. He can’t see who (but it’s Invisible Boy)
Blue Beetle II gets in and attack with his martial arts and gadgets.
Hourman has slightly enhanced strength, agility and speed for 60 minutes. He dives into the fight.
Wonder Twins activate their powers.
Jayna becomes a lion and charges but is thrown away. Zan tries to prevent Black Adam from breathing by having his watery form freeze around his head but is ripped away from his face
Vixen summons the strength of a gorilla.
Dead Boy Detectives try to block Black Adam’s sight by circling all over him and also disturb him with ghost sounds. He starts to spin fast so they blow away.
Nothing really helps. He’s too powerful.
Spaceman uses his gravity staff to try take control over Black Adam’s body.
Booster Gold and Rip Hunter walk towards the villain while they fire away at him with future tech gadgets.
Zatanna and Timothy come in with their wands lifted
Klarion has been standing on the sideline to watch, he finds everything amusing. Now he intervenes to not let the two Homo Magi stop his powerful ally.
A duel with Timothy, the teen prodigy, starts. Wands are being waved in a furious manner. Curses are cast and blocked
The witch boy smiles. “Finally a worthy opponent!
Zatanna goes for Black Adam. It makes him react.
That’s a different kind of magic!
One Homo Magi isn’t enough to stop him.

Blue Beetle II flies up into the air and uses a gadget from above. Black Adam follows but is met with Spaceman who blasts him with concentrated cosmic radiation.
Blue Beetle III who’s got a string of weapons is also flying up there. Booster and Rip continue to shoot. All this firing slows the villain down a notch.
Time for Elongated Man. His powers will take Black Adam by surprise. He stretches up, takes hold of the villain and start tossing him around a couple times. Down to the ground. Then into a wall. He shows a whole new level of badassery here. He’s formidable in the fight.
I imagine the whole cinema is cheering at this point.
Vixen tries again, with the strength of a grizzly bear.
Again, it’s not really enough.

Blue Beetle, the 1st, shouts at Billy to transform. But he can’t. He’s not fully re-activated yet. Needs a little more.
Shazam uses the very little magic he has in this world to disturb Klarion in some way.
With that, Zatanna and Timothy can give Billy the final magical boost with their wands.
The boy lifts his arms. “SHAZAM!!!!!” in an explosion of light.
Here comes Marvelous, a grown man dressed in red and white.
Blue Beetle III: “Holy s*t!!!! Is that his power?!!
While the transformed Billy starts to clash with Black Adam, Zatanna and Timothy both use their magic against the villain.
Black Lightening comes running. “Sorry I was late! I had something to fix!
Then he starts going at it with electricity beams.
Elongated Man shouts back: “What can be more important than the fight of the century?!
It seems the tides might turn. But now Black Adam gets angry. That is when he’s really dangerous.
The combined forces of the heroes aren’t enough. The villain starts to go rough on them. He's using all of his deadly powers. The good guys won’t last much longer.
Not even Marvelous. Black Adam is too strong and too fast for him. They might be equal in their own world but not here.
Black Adam’s thirst for blood is stronger than even Klarion would have guessed in his own wickedness. It’s gone THAT far. For the sake of this world and everything in it, the witch boy takes a stand. He sides with the superheroes.
It’s ENOUGH!!!” Klarion fires blasts of dark witchcraft at Black Adam.
And yet another kind of magic. Interesting
No, not even that helped. Because the witch boy is the only sorcerer from Limbo Town present. A group of people with the SAME magic is required to take down Black Adam.
Such a stupid plot device, haha.
There’s a possibility that Dr Sivana may have used Klarion’s blood for powering up the evil spirit inside Theo Adam. But it’s not something I decided to use as an actual part of the story. It’s up to you to the decide.
 
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Part 7 (the last)

Spaceman knows that they need to get the villain closer to the powerplant. He signals to the two air-borne Blue Beetles and they lead him there.

Albert Pratt has been sitting inside for a few hours, exposing himself to the radiation. Now he’s charged beyond reason. His body is glowing blue and green.
He walks outside and shouts “Atom power!” with a booming voice.
Atom Zero, as he’s called, has become unbelievable strong. Which he uses against Black Adam. He power-punches him, and again, and again. The villain gets a really good beating. There’s still a way to take this mighty threat after all.
No, there isn’t!
Eventually, Albert will start to be drained of his radiation. Black Adam strikes back and fights like a maniac. It ends with the hero being badly hurt, laying on the ground. The villain hovers in the air above the fallen guy. Albert was their last hope.

Marvelous changes back to Billy. He’s got dried nose-bleed in his face. Some of his ribs are cracked. He holds onto his chest. He’s in pain.
Stop this! We know you’re like a god. But what has this world done to you? It’s not even our own. Leave it alone! It’s not about these people, it’s us. It’s always been us
Black Adam turns towards him. “Poor scrawny boy. You remind me of my nephew. Always about doing good.
Billy: “Don’t hide behind your powers Black Adam! Come and face me as the human you once were. I bet you don’t have the courage to.”
A smile is formed on the ancient warlord's face. “You’ve practiced this speech for long, kid?” You don’t get it. The world needs to be controlled. All the worlds do.”
Billy: “No, it’s YOU who don’t get it! Say the word! Do it! And I will tell you a secret!
Black Adam lands and changes into a bearded man. “Now what?!!
They look at each other
Billy “I am Aman!!”
Teth-Adam looks surprised, not knowing how to respond. Then he starts coughing blood. “What is happening with me?
Billy: “You’ll see!
The tyrant starts to age rapidly and screams in fear. He’s losing the ability to forever control others. He falls to his knees. Then he crumbles down to the ground and becomes a pile of dust. Black Adam is no more!

The others walk up to Billy
Klarion: “That’s the bravest thing I’ve ever seen! You ARE a hero!
Shazam: “One of the reasons I chose him!
A luxurious car suddenly enters the premises through the open gates. Maxwell Lord steps outside.
Now I know why the world needs superheroes. I saw everything on the multiple cameras I’ve installed around here. That was a really dangerous force of evil

Albert is laying there. They all gather around
Ralph takes his hand: “You did good, mate. I’m impressed!
Albert: “We all did. We showed him to not mess with us. Thanks, Billy! You were the most amazing! Don’t ever stop singing!
Billy: “I won’t! I promise!!
Albert looks at Wonder Twins. “It’s so cool to have you aliens on the team. Come back again and visit us!
Jayna: “As often as we can! We like Tellus very much. It’s a nice planet
Zan: “We’ve got friends for life here
Albert: “I’m in pretty bad shape, huh?!”
Ralph: “Shall we carry you inside to re-charge?
Albert: “No, it’s too late for that. I only wanna say that’s been fun working with you. Please tell Ray he’s great!
Ralph: “I know he thinks you are, too
Albert smiles weakly “I hope I will get my own film someday! I deserve it!
And then he dies.

Zatanna falls down to her knees. Timothy does too. They feel so much agony and fright.
Maxwell: “What is wrong with them?
Zatanna gasps: “The camp… is… under attack”.
Timothy: “It’s… Checkmate!
Commander Steele: “Those bastards! Can you take me there?
Vixen: “We’ll all go. I hate armed men who invade villages!
Hourman sighs: “Okay, I’ll take another pill then!
Sandman: “Are we really up for more fighting? We just got our butts kicked
Booster: “We don’t have a choice!” Homo Magi must be saved for the sake of the future
Stripesy: “I can’t wait to fight real humans again
Klarion: “Can I join, too?
Maxwell: “Go and save the wizard people then! I will take care of things here
The heroes teleport to assist Homo Magi. Shazam and the wounded Billy stay. They are too powerless to be useful.

What follows is a short but intense battle-scene, 5-10 minutes, where the heroes use their cunning minds to tackle Checkmate. They have to take them by surprise, and act quickly, before any deadly weaponry is used against them.
The tribe struggle despite their magical powers.
Unfortunately, Timothy Hunter becomes one of the casualties, off-camera. A grenade takes his left leg.
It shows how pointless warfare is. People just get damaged or die. It’s the civilians that suffer the most.
It also hints a little about the Vietnam war, a hidden criticism of the crimes some armed soldiers did to villagers.
We see one of the heroes carry the damaged Timothy
This is the darkest part of this film, by a landslide.

After this, I think it would be a good thing to show Belle Reeve being shut down by the government.
Amanda Waller can be arrested, handcuffed and brought to a police car.
But Dr Sivana wasn’t found. What is he up to?

A funeral is later held for Albert Pratt. Maxwell Lord attends it.
Timothy is present. He’s in a wheelchair.

Ted Knight, Dan Garrett, Booster Gold, Ted Kord and Ralph Dibny declare the team official. These five are the founders. The others are listed as members.
A photo of Albert Pratt is hanging on the wall.
The team will lay low. Nobody can be trusted unless proven otherwise.
Maxwell Lord funds them. But he doesn’t like that they prefer to work under the radar. As a businessman, he would have hoped to blow it up in the media.
He had even prepared a case for them, which they turned down. The heroes aren’t his employees. We see a file or a dossier on his desk, with the name VULTURE on the front page.

The heroes throw a party after the formation of the team. They raise their glasses in a toast.
Billy Batson and Sparky do a dance-off in the veins of Saturday Night Fever.

Soon, some people need to leave.
To the past or the future. To outer space or other dimensions.
When Wonder Twins have their goodbye moment, it feels sad. Sylvester has a little shortage of words. He struggles to find the right ones. He hugs them instead
Jayna surprises the boy when she leans back in and gives a quick kiss on the cheek. His face gets red as a tomato.
She smiles warmly at him. “Always look at the sky. One day we’ll be back!

Ted Knight is told to take on a mentor role to Sylvester when they’re back in 2008. He has to train him as a superhero. “For the sake of the future”

The ancient order of Homo Magi withdraws further away and cuts all its ties to humankind. The battle with Checkmate was such a terrible event, with great losses on both sides. The tribe has gotten enough of that stuff. If a slaughter like this can happen, then the human society is beyond saving.
It's up to superheroes to deal with that.
The last thing the tribe do is to help some people return to their own Earths.
Black Lightening, Vixen, Hourman and Commander Steel decide to visit those worlds to have some more adventure.

What about Klarion?
He beamed down to Limbo Town to face his punishment before they marched to war.
He would accept whatever they decide to do with him. Hopefully he had redeemed himself in some way. We’ll never know about his fate, though.

THE END!
 
I think there should be a scene with the heroes and Homo Magi before the terrible battle.
Dan Garrett’s Blue Beetle meets John Zatara and is told he looks like The Phantom, which annoys the masked vigilante. He snaps back with “… and you Mandrake the magician!
Booster asks if this will make him Flash Gordon then.
LOL

The video tapes that were recorded and sent to the families then.
What about showing them during the end credits?
We see all of the heroes gather in front of the camera.
In Sylvester’s clip, he unmasks to reveal who he is to his parents (which they won't know in the past anyway).
He explains that they’ve traveled in time to save the future. The team is soon going to fight a powerful ancient warlord and save the world. He tells the parents he misses them, but they shouldn’t worry. They will see each other again in 2008 as if he never disappeared. He finishes with that he loves wearing tights. That would be funny.

Now to the crew

Justice: The Beginning (NBC/Touchstone/DreamWorks/Amblin/ABC/Hallmark/MGM/DC Films, 2012)
filmed in Dallas, Washington DC, Baltimore, New Orleans, Memphis
and Jordan (flashback)

Directed by
Timur Bekmambetov

Produced by
Timur Bekmambetov
Martin Campbell
Jon Favreau
John Woo
&
Wes Craven

Co-produced by
Joe Johnston
John Waters
PJ Hogan
James McTeigue
Dave McKean
Peter Cattaneo
&
Gabor Csupo

Written by Timur Bekmambetov, James Schamus, Caspian Tredwell-Owen, John Rogers, Ashley Edward Miller, Mark McCorkle, David Berenbaum

Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
incl re-arr of every hero’s theme

Costume design: Stephanie Maslansky, Kevin Hickerson, Wendy Partridge, Penny Rose, Tom Wilkinson, Varvara Avdyushko

Set design: Kerrie Brown, Paul Cross, Valeriy Viktorov, Mukhtar Mirzakeyev

Cast
Dan Garrett/Blue Beetle: Billy Campbell
Michael Jon Carter/Booster Gold: Rhys Wakefield
Ted Kord/Blue Beetle II: Jason Flemyng
Rip Hunter: Colin Farrell
Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle III: Jake T Austin
Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man: Ricky Schroder
Albert Pratt/Atom Zero: Jay Baruchel
Ted Knight/Spaceman: Hugo Weaving
Sylvester Pemberton/Star-Spangled Kid: Bobby Coleman
Pat Dugan/Stripesy: Nathan Fillion
Wonder Twins: Dylan Minnette & Hailee Steinfeld
Lyle Norg/Invisible Boy: Troye Sivan
Zatanna: Kristin Kreuk
Billy Batson: Kodi Smit-McPhee
Marvelous: Brandon Routh

Amanda Waller: Phylicia Rashād
Dr Thaddeus Sivana: Stacy Keach
Klarion Bleak, the witch boy: Jonah Bobo
Teth-Adam/Black Adam: Josh Brolin
Jeremy Karne/Kid Karnevil: Robbie Kay

Timothy Hunter: Leo Howard
Edwin Paine: Hero Fiennes-Tiffin
Charles Rowland: Asa Butterfield
Wesley Dodds/Sandman: Donnie Wahlberg
Sandy Hawkins: Dylan Riley Snyder
Rex Tyler/Hourman: Paul Blackthorne
Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightening: Cuba Gooding jr
Mari McCabe/Vixen: Angela Bassett
Hank Heywood/Commander Steel: Scott Speedman

Maxwell Lord: Rob Lowe
Shazam the wizard: Max von Sydow
Mike Manning: Richard Roxburgh
Beulah Bleek: Isabelle Furhman
Submissionary Judah: Peter Mayhew
Sparkington J. Northrup jr/Sparky: Ross Lynch
John Zatara: Peter Cullen
Zachary Zatara: Chace Crawford
Aman: Uriah Shelton (flashback)

Glorified cameos
Cop: Josh Lucas
Head of Time Masters: Rip Torn
Time Masters operatives: Michael Sheen, Carrie-Anne Moss
Old blues guitarist: Bernie Casey
A.R.G.U.S. operative: Cindy Crawford
A.R.G.U.S. technician: Kevin Dillon
Homo Magi leader: Klaus Maria Brandauer
Nightclub singer: Madonna
Checkmate agent: Jason Patric
Limbo Town warrior: Michael Paré
Checkmate soldiers: Matthew Fox, Natasha Henstridge, Vinnie Jones
Task Force X leader: Tom Sizemore
 
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I think there should be a scene with the heroes and Homo Magi before the terrible battle.
Dan Garrett’s Blue Beetle meets John Zatara and is told he looks like The Phantom, which annoys the masked vigilante. He snaps back with “… and you Mandrake the magician!
Booster asks if this will make him Flash Gordon then.
LOL

The video tapes that were recorded and sent to the families then.
What about showing them during the end credits?
We see all of the heroes gather in front of the camera.
In Sylvester’s clip, he unmasks to reveal who he is to his parents (which they won't know in the past anyway).
He explains that they’ve traveled in time to save the future. The team is soon going to fight a powerful ancient warlord and save the world. He tells the parents he misses them, but they shouldn’t worry. They will see each other again in 2008 as if he never disappeared. He finishes with that he loves wearing tights. That would be funny.

Now to the crew

Justice: The Beginning (NBC/Touchstone/DreamWorks/Amblin/ABC/Hallmark/DC Films, 2012)
filmed in Dallas, Washington DC, Baltimore, New Orleans, Memphis
and Jordan (flashback)

Directed by
Timur Bekmambetov

Produced by
Timur Bekmambetov
Martin Campbell
Jon Favreau
John Woo
&
Wes Craven

Co-produced by
Joe Johnston
John Waters
PJ Hogan
James McTeigue
Dave McKean
Peter Cattaneo
&
Gabor Csupo

Written by Timur Bekmambetov, James Schamus, Caspian Tredwell-Owen, John Rogers, Ashley Edward Miller, Mark McCorkle, David Berenbaum

Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
incl re-arr of every hero’s theme

Costume design: Stephanie Maslansky, Kevin Hickerson, Wendy Partridge, Penny Rose, Tom Wilkinson, Varvara Avdyushko

Set design: Kerrie Brown, Paul Cross, Valeriy Viktorov, Mukhtar Mirzakeyev

Cast
Dan Garrett/Blue Beetle: Billy Campbell
Michael Jon Carter/Booster Gold: Rhys Wakefield
Ted Kord/Blue Beetle II: Jason Flemyng
Rip Hunter: Colin Farrell
Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle III: Jake T Austin
Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man: Ricky Schroder
Albert Pratt/Atom Zero: Jay Baruchel
Ted Knight/Spaceman: Hugo Weaving
Sylvester Pemberton/Star-Spangled Kid: Bobby Coleman
Pat Dugan/Stripesy: Nathan Fillion
Wonder Twins: Dylan Minnette & Hailee Steinfeld
Lyle Norg/Invisible Boy: Troye Sivan
Zatanna: Kristin Kreuk
Billy Batson: Kodi Smit-McPhee
Marvelous: Brandon Routh

Amanda Waller: Phylicia Rashād
Dr Thaddeus Sivana: Stacy Keach
Klarion Bleak, the witch boy: Jonah Bobo
Teth-Adam/Black Adam: Josh Brolin
Jeremy Karne/Kid Karnevil: Robbie Kay

Timothy Hunter: Leo Howard
Edwin Paine: Hero Fiennes-Tiffin
Charles Rowland: Asa Butterfield
Wesley Dodds/Sandman: Donnie Wahlberg
Sandy Hawkins: Dylan Riley Snyder
Rex Tyler/Hourman: Paul Blackthorne
Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightening: Cuba Gooding jr
Mari McCabe/Vixen: Angela Bassett
Hank Heywood/Commander Steel: Scott Speedman

Maxwell Lord: Rob Lowe
Shazam the wizard: Max von Sydow
Mike Manning: Richard Roxburgh
Beulah Bleek: Isabelle Furhman
Submissionary Judah: Peter Mayhew
Sparkington J. Northrup jr/Sparky: Ross Lynch
John Zatara: Peter Cullen
Zachary Zatara: Chace Crawford
Aman: Uriah Shelton (flashback)

Glorified cameos
Cop: Josh Lucas
Head of Time Masters: Rip Torn
Time Masters operatives: Michael Sheen, Carrie-Anne Moss
Old blues guitarist: Bernie Casey
A.R.G.U.S. operative: Cindy Crawford
A.R.G.U.S. technician: Kevin Dillon
Homo Magi leader: Klaus Maria Brandauer
Nightclub singer: Madonna
Checkmate agent: Jason Patric
Limbo Town warrior: Michael Paré
Checkmate soldiers: Matthew Fox, Natasha Henstridge, Vinnie Jones
Task Force X leader: Tom Sizemore

Great cast and a great , epic ,story !:applaud.

There are alot of interesting characters that I've never heard of before . My knowledge of DC doesn't go that deep beyond the members of the Justice League so several of the characters are new to me.

The villians and the heroes are both very interesting . I googled alot of them , and some of them I've seen before but didn't know their names.

I guess I have to expand my palette beyond just Batman, Superman, Flash and Wonder Woman:funny:.

Do you see this as a one film or as a miniseries event?
 
Great cast and a great , epic ,story !:applaud.

There are alot of interesting characters that I've never heard of before . My knowledge of DC doesn't go that deep beyond the members of the Justice League so several of the characters are new to me.

The villians and the heroes are both very interesting . I googled alot of them , and some of them I've seen before but didn't know their names.

I guess I have to expand my palette beyond just Batman, Superman, Flash and Wonder Woman:funny:.

Do you see this as a one film or as a miniseries event?
Thank you!!! It was the hardest of them all. A lot of blood, sweat and tears.

Among the new cast members, I had to look up a lot of actor pics to find the right ones. It went back and forth for weeks, lol.
Kodi Smit-McPhee was chosen because of his his appearance in the film Dead Europe, and of course his talent.
Brandon Routh, because he could pass for an adult superhero version of Kodi.
Ricky Schroder for his former fame, and his likeness to Anthony Michael Hall.

It's easy to miss but all the good guys have been in my earlier films (some even with the same actors). :)
Klarion has also appeared before.
This team film is what my long-going DC vision has been built up to. It's all part of the big plan :)
And this was just the beginning... !

I know it's a lot of characters here and much to deal with in terms of the story. It could actually be expanded into a whole season of a CW series, lol.
But no, it's a film. I trust the writers to handle it and cram it together into a 3h (or so) adventure.

I would like to ask you something. Did you ever think the heroes would have any chance against Black Adam?
 
Thank you!!! It was the hardest of them all. A lot of blood, sweat and tears.

Among the new cast members, I had to look up a lot of actor pics to find the right ones. It went back and forth for weeks, lol.
Kodi Smit-McPhee was chosen because of his his appearance in the film Dead Europe, and of course his talent.
Brandon Routh, because he could pass for an adult superhero version of Kodi.
Ricky Schroder for his former fame, and his likeness to Anthony Michael Hall.

It's easy to miss but all the good guys have been in my earlier films (some even with the same actors). :)
Klarion has also appeared before.
This team film is what my long-going DC vision has been built up to. It's all part of the big plan :)
And this was just the beginning... !

I know it's a lot of characters here and much to deal with in terms of the story. It could actually be expanded into a whole season of a CW series, lol.
But no, it's a film. I trust the writers to handle it and cram it together into a 3h (or so) adventure.

I would like to ask you something. Did you ever think the heroes would have any chance against Black Adam?

Well, I don't know much about Black Adam, but from what I've seen and the little I've read, I knew it was gonna be pretty tough to take him down, even with several super powered beings working together.

Seeing Josh Brolin in the part totally fits and makes sense.
The swagger, the charisma, the pressence, I could see Brolin pulling off in his sleep.
josh-brolin-20171008-hair-beard-styles.jpg

dc_comics_alex_ross_black_adam_desktop_1024x768_hd-wallpaper-559085-h_2017.jpg


And Routh would make the perfect counter balance as Marvelous
brandon_routh___captain_marvel_by_armyofdeathchickens_d30ne3d-fullview.jpg

68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f54314d70725a525a625432326a513d3d2d3536393134323038352e313532616235393233343966656164633137313534393430303033372e676966
 
Well, I don't know much about Black Adam, but from what I've seen and the little I've read, I knew it was gonna be pretty tough to take him down, even with several super powered beings working together.

Seeing Josh Brolin in the part totally fits and makes sense.
The swagger, the charisma, the pressence, I could see Brolin pulling off in his sleep.
josh-brolin-20171008-hair-beard-styles.jpg

dc_comics_alex_ross_black_adam_desktop_1024x768_hd-wallpaper-559085-h_2017.jpg


And Routh would make the perfect counter balance as Marvelous
brandon_routh___captain_marvel_by_armyofdeathchickens_d30ne3d-fullview.jpg

68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f54314d70725a525a625432326a513d3d2d3536393134323038352e313532616235393233343966656164633137313534393430303033372e676966
I too had a problem to make the heroes being able to fight Black Adam. But I solved it similar to what happened in the comics once.

Kodi is a more vulnerable Billy Batson. This was also before he became as tall as today.
Routh looks heroic. Brolin has a very menacing appearance. Both are perfect for their roles.
But I bet you didn't know that Bruce Campbell was the first choice for the villain. The actor himself really wanted to do it because it would be so fun to play such an evil and powerful character, and do it straight-faced.
But he read the script and decided to drop out. The reason is that it's a very strong sequence in the film but the audience won't take Black Adam seriously if he plays him. The film has already a number of amusing lines/scenes.
People will think that "Bruce Campbell Black Adam" is one of those. Never mind how threatening/dangerous the villain is. And he didn't want to destroy the cinematic experience for us. It was his own choice to leave. Brolin got in as his replacement. It does makes sense :)
Still, very interesting to think about.

I'm very satisfied with my cast.
Cosby's wife is Cindy Crawford's boss, lol
Kreuk easily passes for Zatanna (in my reality, Smallville never happened).
Wonder Twins is pure gold with just these two actors.
Nobody can play Maxwell as Rob Lowe does.
Jake T Austin IS Jaime Reyes!
Uriah Shelton is believable as a middle-eastern kid in ancient times.
(Aman has a connection to Billy. Compare him to Billy.)

Not to forget Klarion:

upload_2021-9-10_11-29-47.jpeg
 
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Totally.:yay:
The guy fits the role to a T.

1851909-jl_gl_01002.jpg
:up:

He's also charismatic and would knock his scenes out of the park.

Now I want to sum up the box office of the year 2012
(I have changed a couple important details in Interplanetary Valiants, btw. For crew and cast. It's in red)

1. Skyfall
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
3. Ice Age: Continental Drift
4. Justice: The Beginning
5. Robin - The Boy Wonder
6. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
7. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
8. The Hunger Games
9. Interplanetary Valiants
10. Men in Black 3

11. Life of Pi
12. Ted
13. Brave
14. The Star-Spangled Kid, and Stripesy
15. Spaceman
16. Wreck-It Ralph
17. Les Misérables
18. Django Unchained
19. Prometheus
20. Snow White and the Huntsman

21. Black Canary

A CRISIS IN THE GENRE!!!!
Is there a superero fatigue?
It was problematic that most of the films tried to have either a more grounded OR a contemporary feel.
Leaning less on the retro, but a more modern kind of story-telling.
The choice of directors was different than before. The goal was to upgrade the cinematic DC universe.
Some characters suffered because of this. The *Star heroes* didn't have a big part in general people's awareness. It affected the outcome.
Black Canary was a huge flop, according to the studio. One explanation could be that the plot was really complicated. Too many characters were crammed in. It was too hard to follow for the general audience. Didn't matter that the script was very cleverly written. Maybe the best "solo CBM" of the year? But it still made around $376 000 000 worldwide. Not really bad after all!!
Robin, on the other hand, benefitted from the little change in the superhero approach. He became a major character in the genre.
Its amazing cast also helped.

Interplanetary Valiants was a risk. It's been 6 years since we saw Martian Manhunter on the big screen. Could he possibly still draw people to the cinemas?
Character-wise, Mon-El was the advantage here. And by having the greatest cast the world have ever seen. Not typical movie stars, but "character actors"who are known for being serious.
It was icing on the cake to have Denzel Washington, the only big Hollywood star here, in one of the leads.

The team film beat the rest of DC.
How incredible wasn't it to see all the logos appear on the screen, even MGM, before it started? It went on forever, lol.
The reason is to show how big of an event that Justice: The Beginning is.
But from now on, all these studios are a part of DC Film.

3 films in top 10! No, there isn't any crisis!!!!
 
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Do you remember the first Batman film in my alternate reality?
Before Bruce lost his parents, the Wayne family had seen a cinematic adaption of Lee Falk’s The Phantom.
Did you ever wonder what that film was like?
Warner Brothers did!
The studio decided to bring the character to the bring screen. It may be close to what Bruce and his parents saw, or it may not.
What we can be sure of is that much more effort was put into it, compared to the 1996 version. The origin is longer too. About 35-40 minutes (of a 2,5h film). It’s quite dramatic with the pirates and what follows when a man and his son is washed up on a beach.
This is a temporarily step away from DC that still deserves to be mentioned. It ties into the cast of my 2003 Batman.

In present day, Phantom lives in Bangalla, Africa. He opposes the Sengh Corporation, as they’re called here.
Pretty much the ordinary stuff. However, a few new characters are created for the film.

Phantom also takes care of the orphan Rex King which is a forgotten but important part of the comic books. In this film, the kid would likely have been the next in line to don the suit if it wasn’t revealed he’s of royal blood.
Phantom gets his own kids towards the end of the film anyway.
The end scene is set years later, and it’s revealed that Kit is telling the film’s plot to his daughter Heloise. He explains that she and her twin brother will continue the Phantom legacy together.

Don’t worry about the costume! It’s of a really really dark shade, somewhere on the blue-purple spectrum. The one that Billy Zane had wasn’t dark enough, and it had too much red-purple.

What is The Phantom character really? One way to describe him is “Tarzan in tights”. The film will use that to an extent.
It draws mainly from Christopher Lambert’s Greystoke, Indiana Jones and Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond
On a lesser scale, the film mimics older actioners Road House and Showdown in Little Tokyo.
We can also put the James Bond films For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy into the blend.
To handle the hero in a darker way, there must be another angle than just action.
The film has something that recognizes you of Dario Argento’s two classics Deep Red and Opera, together with David Lynch’s Blue Velvet.

Thematically, it honors older directors Don Siegel and John Cassavetes.

The script feels like Clive Cussler and Sidney Sheldon had collaborated in the writing, and that they had looked at Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice and Strindberg’s two dramas The Father and The Ghost Sonata.
So yeah, very heavy for a film in the “superhero genre”.

Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks (Warner Bros, 2013)
filmed in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Hong Kong and Cleveland

Directed by Roger Donaldson
Produced by Roger Spottiswoode, Simon West, Robert Lieberman, Mira Nair
Written by Michael Colleary, Fung Lam, R.J. Stewart, Kevin Grevioux, Zack Stentz

Set design: Sonja Klaus, Malcolm Stone, Shirley Inget, Philippa Hart
Costume design: Tom Cruise, Nancy Bryant, Maurizio Millenotti

Music by Michel Legrand and Danny Elfman
incl Phantom theme

Cast - present day
Kit Walker/Phantom: Joey Lawrence
Diana Palmer: Rachel Weisz
Kabai Sengh: Ken Watanabe
Holly Spencer: Geena Davis
Guran: Martin Lawrence
Rex King: Devon Gearhart
Kevin Hill: Logan Lerman
Terry Grey: Charlie Rowe
Tom-Tom: Jaden Smith

Cast - year 1536
Christopher Walker: Bill Paxton
Christopher Walker jr: Zachary Gordon

Cameos
Pirate captain: Ed O’Neill
Young pirate: Martin Spanjers

UN workers: Robin Williams, Julie Hagerty, Ian Hart
Retired professors: David Hedison, Jean Rochefort
Holly’s son: Jean-Luc Bilodeau
Art collector: Johnny Depp
Nameless muscleman: Djimon Hounsou
Heloise Walker: Elle Fanning
 
Do you remember the first Batman film in my alternate reality?
Before Bruce lost his parents, the Wayne family had seen a cinematic adaption of Lee Falk’s The Phantom.
Did you ever wonder what that film was like?
Warner Brothers did!
The studio decided to bring the character to the bring screen. It may be close to what Bruce and his parents saw, or it may not.
What we can be sure of is that much more effort was put into it, compared to the 1996 version. The origin is longer too. About 35-40 minutes (of a 2,5h film). It’s quite dramatic with the pirates and what follows when a man and his son is washed up on a beach.
This is a temporarily step away from DC that still deserves to be mentioned. It ties into the cast of my 2003 Batman.

In present day, Phantom lives in Bangalla, Africa. He opposes the Sengh Corporation, as they’re called here.
Pretty much the ordinary stuff. However, a few new characters are created for the film.

Phantom also takes care of the orphan Rex King which is a forgotten but important part of the comic books. In this film, the kid would likely have been the next in line to don the suit if it wasn’t revealed he’s of royal blood.
Phantom gets his own kids towards the end of the film anyway.
The end scene is set years later, and it’s revealed that Kit is telling the film’s plot to his daughter Heloise. He explains that she and her twin brother will continue the Phantom legacy together.

Don’t worry about the costume! It’s of a really really dark shade, somewhere on the blue-purple spectrum. The one that Billy Zane had wasn’t dark enough, and it had too much red-purple.

What is The Phantom character really? One way to describe him is “Tarzan in tights”. The film will use that to an extent.
It draws mainly from Christopher Lambert’s Greystoke, Indiana Jones and Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond
On a lesser scale, the film mimics older actioners Road House and Showdown in Little Tokyo.
We can also put the James Bond films For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy into the blend.
To handle the hero in a darker way, there must be another angle than just action.
The film has something that recognizes you of Dario Argento’s two classics Deep Red and Opera, together with David Lynch’s Blue Velvet.

Thematically, it honors older directors Don Siegel and John Cassavetes.

The script feels like Clive Cussler and Sidney Sheldon had collaborated in the writing, and that they had looked at Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice and Strindberg’s two dramas The Father and The Ghost Sonata.
So yeah, very heavy for a film in the “superhero genre”.

Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks (Warner Bros, 2013)
filmed in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Hong Kong and Cleveland

Directed by Roger Donaldson
Produced by Roger Spottiswoode, Simon West, Robert Lieberman, Mira Nair
Written by Michael Colleary, Fung Lam, R.J. Stewart, Kevin Grevioux, Zack Stentz

Set design: Sonja Klaus, Malcolm Stone, Shirley Inget, Philippa Hart
Costume design: Tom Cruise, Nancy Bryant, Maurizio Millenotti

Music by Michel Legrand and Danny Elfman
incl Phantom theme

Cast - present day
Kit Walker/Phantom: Joey Lawrence
Diana Palmer: Rachel Weisz
Kabai Sengh: Ken Watanabe
Holly Spencer: Geena Davis
Guran: Martin Lawrence
Rex King: Devon Gearhart
Kevin Hill: Logan Lerman
Terry Grey: Charlie Rowe
Tom-Tom: Jaden Smith

Cast - year 1536
Christopher Walker: Bill Paxton
Christopher Walker jr: Zachary Gordon

Cameos
Pirate captain: Ed O’Neill
Young pirate: Martin Spanjers

UN workers: Robin Williams, Julie Hagerty, Ian Hart
Retired professors: David Hedison, Jean Rochefort
Holly’s son: Jean-Luc Bilodeau
Art collector: Johnny Depp
Nameless muscleman: Djimon Hounsou
Heloise Walker: Elle Fanning

Awesome.:yay:
I'd love to see an updated version of the Phantom with more expansion on the lore and the myths.
d57f7129a976c9b58fc77405529d82c3.jpg
 
Awesome.:yay:
I'd love to see an updated version of the Phantom with more expansion on the lore and the myths.
d57f7129a976c9b58fc77405529d82c3.jpg
Me too!!! I'm waiting for it too happen :)
Warner Brothers have the rights. The color of the suit will be a problem though.

I like your cover. He looks extremely strong just like he should be. But the shade could be darker, I think

Some people didn't like the age difference between Lawrence and Weisz. Silly sexism!
Why can't a man be with an woman that's some years older?
If he was right for playing the hero is another question. Well, he had muscles... lol

It's interesting that Bill Paxton was the very first Phantom after he swore the oath by the skull.
He was not really young anymore. Imagine him wearing the tights!
I decided to go the same route as in Martin Campbell's Zorro, where it opened with Anthony Hopkins as the hero.
 
It's best for the sake of the thread to head back to DC Comics

We pay Sylvester Pemberton a visit.
It takes place in 2014, one year in the future.
He's grown taller and is now on the brink of becoming a young man. He plans to attend Yale University.
(count each year from his age in 2008, you’ll understand)
The film opens with him taking down his enemy Dr Weerd again. It doesn’t matter that the villain can increase his strength.
Ted Knight has trained our guy well!

When Sylvester is not a superhero, he’s a semi-professional basketball player. His good friend Jacques is on the team too. During the film, they will become even closer.
Sylvester is also a part-time teacher’s assistant on his old school. There are many bright students there, for example Jan Arrah the prodigy in advanced chemistry. And Erich Donnerstein, the genius who’s a prodigy in pretty much everything.

A child psychologist reaches out to the hero. He has a young patient named Jed who’s suffering from unnaturally terrible nightmares. As if some external force is behind them. The boy’s life could be in danger.
It might have something to do with the moon? Or not?
But the nightmares get worse when there are no clouds that hinder the moonlight.

The supernatural isn’t something Sylvester has dealt with for a couple years. He tries to help anyway, and agrees to be present at one of the therapy sessions.
It's then he will face something he’s never seen before. After Jed has been put to sleep, the psychologist gets drawn inside the dream realm. (And later on, given the role of the mythological Sandman. The actual one with the dream powder.)
Sylvester is a little shocked by witnessing this happen right in front of him.
He asks detectives for help. He meets with spiritual people. It’s a new evil lurking out there.

The force behind this is the very powerful and corrupted William Zard. He’s originally a Homo Magi but the tribe kicked him out a long time ago. He started to deal with demons in the past and became The Nightmare Wizard. Now he specializes in giving children intense nightmares. This risk killing them. He’s grown a particular interest in Jed. Because there’s something special about him.
Sandman will become his personal protector though. Jed must live.
But is there something going on with his sister too?

Sylvester should be lucky that other heroic people step in to assist him. Because more troubles will arise.
A couple even come from one of the so-called “other Earths”. Suddenly, they’re just there.
Those people are brought here for a reason that nobody really understand. Like some god is using heroes as chess pieces.

But what are the troubles I mentioned?
A renegade from another planet calls himself Evil Star. He isn’t allowed to go back to his home planet after he nearly destroyed it with chaos. Now he and his close companion Xotar, a master in weapons, arrive at Earth to do the same. At first, they work behind the curtains.
When the convicted murderer Jake Simmons, (who was tracked down by Skyman) breaks out of prison and steals a plane, the aliens manage to give him powers.
And chaos there will be!!!
Just for fun, they decide to also wake up the man that was murdered. The body of Cyrus Gold has already started to decompose. Now he will be a hulking brute.

These plans clash with those of The Nightmare Wizard. He goes against the aliens.
But not himself, no. He makes sure to use pawns for that.
The first is Johnny Chambers. A news photographer who’s willing to do almost anything to get what he wants. Doesn’t matter if people get hurt in the process.
When he’s given a written formula that will make him powerful, he decides to not run anyone else’s errands. And with that, he changes and starts a heroic journey.

The Donnerstein boy is the next pawn. The smartest kid on the planet.
With his intellect, the aliens will get something to chew on. The dark wizard drives the boy a long way and makes a supervillain out of him. But his magical influence on the young human is too strong. The kid gets a deadly disease and must use a chamber to recharge.

The story takes heroes outside of USA and to Europe. Just to make the scope bigger.

The script writers stole from Roger Moore’s The Saint series, 70s live action Spider-Man, Dario Argento’s Inferno and David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone.

The film also mixes the trademarks of directors Robert Wise and Mike Nichols.

Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is imitated too. Not much, but little.

An experiment was made here. For the first time, a villain was going to be an infusion of two actors. It’s Nightmare Wizard.
In his case, there’s an aura of Christopher Plummer and Basil Rathbone

The easter eggs are
Jonah Hex
Lady Shiva
Static Shock
Kamandi The Last Boy on Earth
Red Devil
The two Endless characters Desire and Dream/Morpheus


Skyman (Yle/DC Films, 2013)
filmed in Washington DC, Helsinki, Lisbon

Directed by Michael Apted

Produced by Michael Apted, Geoffrey Sax, Gilliam Armstrong, Iain Softley, Clive Barker
Co-produced by Dave McKean, Peter Cattaneo, John Woo, Wes Craven (update)

Written by Anthony Horowitz, Gavin Scott, Bob Schooley, Ari Schlossberg, Chi-Keung Fung, Clive Barker
Costume design by Joseph A. Porro, Carla Hetland, Mark Zunino

Music by: John Debney
incl re-arr of Dennis McCarthy’s Skyman theme, John Powell’s Invisible Boy theme,
and Ennio Morricone’s theme for Constantine
Incl a new Sandman theme
Incl themes for Elemental Lad, Johnny Quick and Shado

Cast
Sylvester Pemberton/Skyman: Freddie Highmore
Jacques Foccart/Invisible Kid II: Alfred Enoch
Garrett Sanford/Sandman: Martin Freeman
William Zard/Nightmare Wizard: Vincent Gallo
Evil Star: Kevin Bacon
Xotar/Weapons Master: Rufus Sewell
Jake Simmons/Deathbolt: Daniel Cudmore
Cyrus Gold/Solomon Grundy: Brendan Gleeson
Johnny Chambers/Johnny Quick: Zac Efron
Tubby Watts: Jonah Hill
Erich Donnerstein/Lord Dynamo: Jake Short
Jan Arrah/Elemental Lad: Guillermo Campra
Detective Antonio: Harvey Keitel
Detective Miguel: Robert Davi
Shado: Devon Aoki
John Constantine: Tom Sturridge
Jed Walker: Dakota Goyo
Rose Walker: Elle Fanning
Brute: Scott Glenn (voice)
Glob: Craig T Nelson (voice)
James Stanton/Dr Weerd: Rob Schneider

Cameos and minor roles
Newspaper reporter: Lucy Lawless
Basketball player: Taylor Lautner
Teachers: Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Gandolfini
Old man on bench: Geoffrey Holder
Tarot reader: Katey Segal
Wall painter: John Heder
Jazz guitarist: Jerry Stiller
Womanizer: Joseph Fiennes
Lord Dynamo’s robots: Grace Jones, Milla Jovovich
Maxwell Lord: Rob Lowe
 
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450


The Bat-family gets bigger!!!

Before I start: Barbara is Gordon’s niece. Not his daughter.

Here we modernize the extremely old-fashioned detective-story influence used in the Batman films, with an upgrade to Agatha Christie.
Well, that’s not really something new and fresh.
But it is, compared to Arthur Conan Doyle lol
Batman got stuck in the way he solved crimes. Despite everything else changing, despite the amount of action. The part of him that’s a detective was always like a Sherlock Holmes in modern day.

The script writers took stuff from Easy Rider, Milos Forman’s Hair (without music), Toxic Avenger, Twin Peaks series,
Friday the 13th films, Frankenheimer's Ronin, Liam Neeson's Michael Collins, and put it in here.

Strindberg’s play Miss Julie did inspire some of what’s seen and played out on-screen.

A goal was also to copy the works of directors Alan J. Pakula and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Richard Donner is an honorary co-producer. John Williams provides the music.
It’s quite interesting. The last time they did something together in the CBM genre, it was about a man. Now it’s a young female instead.
To further mark the difference, Superman and the Batfamily are literary opposites on the character spectrum.

Bryan Singer is involved in the production.
Don’t worry! In my vision, he’s only known for The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil and Valkyrie. Not a single superhero. Those films never happened.

But Airwings, can you please reveal some of the plot?
Ok, if you wish

Batgirl goes against Hush and Harley Quinn.
Sadly for fans, Joker doesn’t appear nor is he mentioned by name.
(No, Bats isn’t seen either. Neither is Batcave used)

There are more threats. Eddie Earhart is an eco-activist that causes troubles with his actions. He and his pack of followers are about to become terrorists.
A collage student, Ronnie Raymond, is part of Eddie’s gang. He’s off-track in life.

Scientist couple Alexander and Linda Olsen have improved the forensic investigations that Gotham PD deals with. They’re also colleagues with renowned physicist (and professor in higher academic studies) Martin Stein.
Olsens’ assistant Damian Ridge is jealous. He’s in love with Linda. A murder will be committed.

Firestorm and Swamp Thing are “born” because of what happens during the film.

We meet the immortal anti-hero Jason Blood who’s a half-demon. Which means the supernatural is present. It’s a special vibe in Gotham.

Someone, who doesn’t belong in this reality, shows up.
Katana with her soul sword!!!
Her weapon doesn’t seem to work the same way as it does back home.

In the middle of all this heroism, crime and violence, there’s still time to have another character, a boy.

Easter eggs:
Jack Knight/Spaceman
Plastic Man
Victor Sono/Starman
Rick Tyler/Hourman
The Endless character called Destiny

Batgirl (Warner Bros, 2013)
shot in Chicago, Belfast and Cologne

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Produced by Kathryn Bigelow, Bryan Singer, Karyn Kusama, Gerald McMorrow
Co-produced by Richard Donner, John Woo, Wes Craven (update)

Written by Bryan Singer, Stephen Sommers, Lem Dobbs, John Zinman, Danny McBride, Sandy Shaw, Vladimir Neklyudov
Additional writing: Kathryn Bigelow, Karyn Kusama, Gerald McMorrow

Costume design: Liz Keogh, Gabriella Pescucci, Mayes C. Rubeo
Set design: George Liddle, Bruton Jones, Cindy Carr

Music by: John Williams
Incl a Batgirl theme
Incl themes for Firestorm, Swamp Thing and Etrigan the Demon
Incl a new version of Ennio Morricone’s Katana Theme

Cast
Barbara Gordon/Batgirl: Teresa Palmer
Tommy Elliot/Hush: Ben Mendelsohn
Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn: Ali Larter
Eddie Earhart: Zach Galifianakis
Ronnie Raymond: Ryan Kelley
Martin Stein: David Morse
Jason Bard: Scott Mechlowicz
Alexander Olsen/Swamp Thing: James McAvoy
Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana: Michelle Yeoh
Benjamin Hope: Chandler Canterbury
Jason Blood/Etrigan The Demon: Lambert Wilson
Linda Olsen: Rachel McAdams
Damian Ridge: Ben Foster
Roger Gordon: Denis Leary
Thelma Gordon: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Cameos and minor roles
Cops: Casey Affleck, Lena Headey
Chief of police: Ray Winstone
College professors: Billy Connolly, JoBeth Williams
Major of Gotham: Beau Bridges
Librarians: Melanie Griffith, Eric Roberts
Criminal investigators: Miranda Richardson, Dave Spade
Forensic scientist: Bill Hader
Activists: David Faustino, Eddie Kaye Thomas
Criminal behavioral analyst: Benicio del Toro
Private detective: Danny Trejo
Boy with apple: Christian Martyn
James Gordon: Viggo Mortensen
Chief O’Hara: Bill Pullman
 
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The Bat-family gets bigger!!!

Before I start: Barbara is Gordon’s niece. Not his daughter.

Here we modernize the extremely old-fashioned detective-story influence used in the Batman films, with an upgrade to Agatha Christie.
Well, that’s not really something new and fresh.
But it is, compared to Arthur Conan Doyle lol
Batman got stuck in the way he solved crimes. Despite everything else changing, despite the amount of action. The part of him that’s a detective was always like a Sherlock Holmes in modern day.

The script writers took stuff from Easy Rider, Milos Forman’s Hair (without music), Toxic Avenger, Twin Peaks series,
Friday the 13th films, Frankenheimer's Ronin, Liam Neeson's Michael Collins, and put it in here.

Strindberg’s play Miss Julie did inspire some of what’s seen and played out on-screen.

A goal was also to copy the works of directors Alan J. Pakula and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Richard Donner is an honorary co-producer. John Williams provides the music.
It’s quite interesting. The last time they did something together in the CBM genre, it was about a man. Now it’s a young female instead.
To further mark the difference, Superman and the Batfamily are literary opposites on the character spectrum.

Bryan Singer is involved in the production.
Don’t worry! In my vision, he’s only known for The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil and Valkyrie. Not a single superhero. Those films never happened.

But Airwings, can you please reveal some of the plot?
Ok, if you wish

Batgirl goes against Hush and Harley Quinn.
Sadly for fans, Joker doesn’t appear nor is he mentioned by name.
(No, Bats isn’t seen either. Neither is Batcave used)

There are more threats. Eddie Earhart is an eco-activist that causes troubles with his actions. He and his pack of followers are about to become a terrorists.
A collage student, Ronnie Raymond, is part of Eddie’s gang. He’s off-track in life.

Scientist couple Alexander and Linda Olsen have improved the forensic investigations that Gotham PD deals with. They’re also colleagues with renowned physicist (and professor in higher academic studies) Martin Stein.
Olsens’ assistant Damian Ridge is jealous. He’s in love with Linda. A murder will be committed.

Firestorm and Swamp Thing are “born” because of what happens during the film.

We meet the immortal anti-hero Jason Blood who’s a half-demon. Which means the supernatural is present. It’s a special vibe in Gotham.

Someone, who doesn’t belong in this reality, shows up.
Katana with her soul sword!!!
Her weapon doesn’t seem to work the same way as it does back home.

In the middle of all this heroism, crime and violence, there’s still time to have another character, a boy.

Easter eggs:
Jack Knight/Spaceman
Plastic Man
Victor Sono/Starman
Rick Tyler/Hourman
The Endless character called Destiny

Batgirl (Warner Bros, 2013)
shot in Chicago, Belfast and Cologne

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Produced by Kathryn Bigelow, Bryan Singer, Karyn Kusama, Gerald McMorrow
Co-produced by Richard Donner

Written by Bryan Singer, Stephen Sommers, Lem Dobbs, John Zinman, Danny McBride, Sandy Shaw, Vladimir Neklyudov
Additional writing: Kathryn Bigelow, Karyn Kusama, Gerald McMorrow

Costume design: Liz Keogh, Gabriella Pescucci, Mayes C. Rubeo
Set design: George Liddle, Bruton Jones, Cindy Carr

Music by: John Williams
Incl a Batgirl theme
Incl themes for Firestorm, Swamp Thing and Etrigan the Demon
Incl a new version of Ennio Morricone’s Katana Theme

Cast
Barbara Gordon/Batgirl: Teresa Palmer
Tommy Elliot/Hush: Ben Mendelsohn
Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn: Ali Larter
Eddie Earhart: Zach Galifianakis
Ronnie Raymond: Ryan Kelley
Martin Stein: David Morse
Jason Bard: Scott Mechlowicz
Alexander Olsen/Swamp Thing: James McAvoy
Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana: Michelle Yeoh
Benjamin Hope: Chandler Canterbury
Jason Blood/Etrigan The Demon: Lambert Wilson
Linda Olsen: Rachel McAdams
Damian Ridge: Ben Foster
Roger Gordon: Denis Leary
Thelma Gordon: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Cameos and minor roles
Cops: Casey Affleck, Lena Headey
Chief of police: Ray Winstone
College professors: Billy Connolly, JoBeth Williams
Major of Gotham: Beau Bridges
Librarians: Melanie Griffith, Eric Roberts
Criminal investigators: Miranda Richardson, Dave Spade
Forensic scientist: Bill Hader
Activists: David Faustino, Eddie Kaye Thomas
Criminal behavioral analyst: Benicio del Toro
Private detective: Danny Trejo
Boy with apple: Christian Martyn
James Gordon: Viggo Mortensen
Chief O’Hara: Bill Pullman

Teresa Palmer certainly has the Barbara Gordon vibe going, and Ali Later could certainly play an over the edge and dangerous Harley Quinn.:yay:.
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Teresa Palmer certainly has the Barbara Gordon vibe going, and Ali Later could certainly play an over the edge and dangerous Harley Quinn.:yay:.
d7z6g6d-8a105b02-688c-4833-8435-17ca50500fdb.jpg
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image
Thanks mate! These two actors are the absolut best for the characters. Without a single doubt.
Palmer turned down the role of Supergirl to play Barbara instead. Wise choice, because she can be tough
At first, a more soft actress was considered. An actual red-head. But that one will show up in another film later.

There were other candidates for Harley.
Ali Larter, one of the youngest, beat them all.
She will put our reality's Margot Robbie to shame.
In my Batgirl, Harley is bigger than just a fun and sexy popculture icon for young men.
Ali's version is no joke, she's dangerous for real. The director will make it so.

I like that Bigelow got helm this. Her old cop flic Blue Steele by itself makes her a good choice. Then add her later works and she's fantastic.
(I can reveal that Donaldson was offered Batgirl but he made The Phantom instead)

I hope you liked the Skyman film too, Frodo :)

In 2012, we saw a little reinventing of the whole CBM genre. Symbolically enouch, it was Martin Campbell who took the first new step. He had done the same for James Bond TWICE.
The DC films were modernized. This journey countinues now in 2013.

Not that I want to throw garbage on horror-Batman or bombastic films about Atlantis or greek gods. But it was a vibe that needed to change while the genre was at its top, before the films started to be uninteresting.
Also, "new" characters had to be adapted. The genre can't live forever on sequels to the old ones.
 
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Here comes the next Star-Spangled Kid.

Several directors were offered to helm this.
Bille August has directed child actors several times before. He did some family films before he moved to more serious projects. Some of them are costume dramas.
How could they possibly imagine that HE would be interested in doing a CBM?
Rob Reiner is known for lighter relationship-flics. But he actually directed Stand By Me and went serious in courtroom drama A Few Good Men
These two only wanted to consult on the script and how to get good performances from kids. As if the chosen director didn’t already know that.
August and Reiner didn’t think it necessary to be credited.

Shailene Woodley and Abigail Breslin have played the girl hero before.
Who's landning the role in the character's first solo flic?
Maisie Williams was approached about the role during the second season of GoT.
But she didn’t have time for any big role other than Arya.

The story takes place in 2014.
Courtney Whitmore is a quite good baseball player in the Little League.
She hasn’t been a superhero that long because of her young age.
When fighting crimes, her stepfather Pat Dugan is her heroic partner in a robot suit.

There isn’t really an arch nemesis or any typical villain. The superhero duo has to deal with non-powered bad guys created for the film alone. It’s a little different for a CBM.
Criminals are popping up almost out of nowhere.
Art dealers, television executives, cops… you name it. Villains can be found everywhere.
What’s going on?
It's more behind this than what we would have guessed.

On the right saw of the law, we find a criminal investigator and a British nobleman.

A vigilante of the night arrives from another realm. Can he still see in the dark here?

Ted Knight’s son David has grown older since the year 2008.
He's taken over the Spaceman role after his father, wearing a similar suit.

And then it’s this little fella
252906-137970-kid-devil.jpg


Courtney’s classmate Eddie Bloomberg is a nerdy boy who’s into comic books and so much wants to be a superhero. Sounds a bit like Sylvester Pemberton, doesn’t it?
Eddie makes himself a devil outfit and spear, to scare criminals.
It's hard though, without any powers.
One day, he receives black candle….

College student Garth Ranzz develops the same powers as Black Lightning, but he’s the more powerful one between the two.

Mariah McCabe is the new, more evolved, Vixen. She’s the daughter of the original.

Maxwell Lord is very willing to assist the heroes in every way. It's good to be backed up by him.

Boston Brand is a celebrated circus acrobat who gets killed, only to get ghost powers.

Another Courtney Whitmore shows up. Where is she from? Another dimension?
There will be homesickness and tears before the two Courtneys become close.
It's nice to go shopping clothes with your BFF, isn’t it?
Of course there is going to be TWO girl superheroes running around. It will be proved wise when taking on a very skilled fighter.

The demon lord Neron makes deals with humans. He wishes to corrupt them.
So there IS a supervillain after all?

There could be a scene somewhere involving a nightclub. Star-Spangled Kid goes there to look for something. The guard refuses to the let the hero inside. Because she’s underage.
Pat Dugan has to do it instead.

I can describe the film as carnivalesque-toned
Here you can find such films:
Grotesque, Carnivalesque, Decadence – Movie List

I think the film will remind you of 70s Wonder Woman series, Cronenberg’s Videodrome and The Naked Gun films, all together.

Neron has a vibe of Terence Stamp and Robert Mitchum to him

Easter eggs:
Hector Hall/Sandman
Mikaal Thomas/Starman
Vibe
Wallace Johnson/The God-Boy
The Endless character named Delirium

STARS & S.T.R.I.P.E. (DC Films, 2013)
filming locations
Washington DC
Oslo, Norway
Pisa, Italy

Directed by Mike Newell
Produced by McG, Gil Kenan, Andy Fickman, Eli Roth, Uwe Boll
Co-produced by Dave McKean, Peter Cattaneo, John Woo, Wes Craven

Written by Caroline Thompson, Mark Bomback, Matt Manfredi, Adam Rifkin, Kan-Cheung Tsang, Rostislav Krivitskiy, Eli Roth

Music by Randy Edelman
incl re-arr of Dennis McCarthy’s themes for Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E, and Spaceman
Incl themes for Kid Devil, Lightning Lad, Deadman
Incl re-arr of Ennio Morricone’s Dr Mid-Nite theme and Bill Conti’s Vixen theme

Costume design by Ruth Myers, Beatrix Aruna Pasztor, Christopher Hargadon

CAST
Courtney Whitmore/Star-Spangled Kid II: Kiernan Shipka
Pat Dugan/S.T.R.I.P.E: Nathan Fillion
Rupert London: Alan Cumming
Elizabeth Moore: Lori Singer
David Knight/Spaceman II: Chris Evans
Baron Philip Sinclair: Jonathan Pryce
Helen Brown: Rebecca Romijn
Thomas Carter: Aaron Ashmore
Daniel Gibson: Taylor Kitsch
Eddie Bloomberg/Kid Devil: Thomas Horn
Cliff Haley: Colin Salmon
Garth Ranzz/Lightning Lad: Lucas Till
Barbara Whitmore: Keri Russell
Maxwell Lord: Rob Lowe
Mariah McCabe/Vixen II: Rosario Dawson
Boston Brand/Deadman: Ashton Kutcher
Neron: John Hannah
Charles McNider/Dr Mid-Nite: Steven Mackintosh
Courtney Whitmore from another Earth: Joey King
Johnny Last: Ian Somerhalder

Cameos and minor roles
Courtney’s teacher: Oliver Platt
Pop singer: Drew Barrymore
Mail man: Nathan Lane
Baseball player: Maisie Williams
Maxwell Lord.s economic analyst: Claudia Schiffer
Noisy woman in mall: Joan Cusack
Warehouse worker: Russell Brand
Jazz clarinetist: Wayne Knight
Crystal ball gazer: Wesley Snipes
Costume designer: Beverly D’Angelo
Henchman fighter: Summer Glau
 
After Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E., time for a new chapter in my huge DC vision.

The choice of leading hero(es) in this film is somewhat unexpected.
But now it happens. 13 years after Gregory Smith and Mila Kunis were the first actors to don the purple tights in a relatively small NBC series, the Wonder Twins get their own motion picture.
Why shouldn’t they get one too? The world is ready for that!

The story will follow the tradition of expanding the comic book universe. Every film does!
We have come a long way since the year 2000.
It may be a farewell to Zan and Jayna? Who knows? They’ve been seen a couple of times over the years.
More and more powered heroes are showing up in every film. We have gotten to the obscure DC stuff. Should we say goodbye to some old characters and let others take their spotlight?

The secrecy surrounding the DC films is higher for every year. There can’t be any major leaks. Trailers can’t reveal much of the plot either. They should just tease the audience and make us buy tickets. Then we’ll get a hell of a ride, lol.

What kind of vision should they go for with Wonder Twins? It was a struggle.
In an early stage, a question was raised. “What if Ed Wood made a big budget studio film?
Would that approach be something that could suit the heroes?
When everybody had agreed about the big threat, some people wanted to go the Ray Harryhausen route. But with cgi instead of stop-motion.
During the making of the storyboards, it became clear that who was the one to direct the film. Something about it screamed Wes Anderson.
There was one problem though. He hadn’t been asked.
The director was happy to be offered the project but it was too late to get him.
1. One of his conditions was to be a part of the writer’s team. They would have to throw the half-finished script out the window and start from scratch. The same had to be done with every visual idea.
2. He was busy with his biggest project to date. If the studio really wanted him, the Wonder Twins film will have to be postponed to 2015. But that was not an option. The film had to be made NOW.
Wes went “Alright!” and asked for 2 days to look at what they’ve come up with so far. Then he will be able to give a few suggestions.
The final product is more fast-paced than all of his previous work.
A little part of it is like an action film made by Wes Anderson. The rest is something else.

The cinematic Wonder Twins adventure is half space opera / half sci fi, and switches between Earth and another planet.
Well, actually several different planets.
There’s an attempt to explain things in a more scientific way here. To just say “it’s magic” is the easy way out.

A known actress provides the voice-over during the opening credits.
Is this the first of my DC films that has a narrator?

Everything from the comics is turned upside down. The source material is twisted for the sake of the film.
For the first time, we get to see Exxor, the home planet of Wonder Twins.
They have actually a mother and father, and a younger brother too.
There’s some typical family life played out on screen. Not that unlike Earth families.

A fun little detail:
The first series was first meant to have a Zan with long hair. The idea is finally happening when both he and his father go for that.
Then add the fact that the parents are also played by the very same actors that NBC had wanted for the twin heroes all those years ago.
Those things together close the circle in a perfect way, when we perhaps see Wonder Twins for the last time.

The Exxorian world is shown as a peaceful technological civilization. It’s lush, it’s slightly whimsical, it’s even more solarpunk than Booster Gold’s future. We may get an explanation to why the siblings and their race ages so slowly.
I think that weird rituals such as this “thunderlust” thing could be mentioned. It’s something that’s related to weather.
Storms will occur elsewhere too. I’ll get back to that.

The story includes many things, like Wonder Twins’ touring with the Trans-World circus (for the last time). They look back at many years. Why not have them casually mention that they have performed for the Jovians in the past? That would be so fun!
The tour takes them to the ecopunk planet Rann, home to a race of pacifists. They’re advanced and focus on science only. Capitalism and crime don’t exist.
It's in a way similar to Exxon, but with a bit more atompunk aesthetics.
Both planets are rich on resources.
Zan and Jayna are really interested in studying technology in their spare-time. They enjoy to visit planets that have something to offer in that field.

On Rann, they’re surprised to find an Earthling who regularly goes there.
Adam Strange is an archeology student who was first beamed to Rann by accident.
He found himself in an amazing world, with technology beyond reason.
He also fell in love with the local Alanna.
This time, he’s brought a bright scientist with him from Earth, to show how advanced this civilization is.

Rann has started to have problems with tornados.
The earthly scientist, named something amusing as T.O. Morrow, wants to study it more closely. With the human way of looking at things, he notices that the storms are actually two wind entities that clash for dominion. One wants order, the other chaos.
These were in union before but something seems to have separated them.
Morrow comes up with the idea of fusing them together in an artificial body.
It won’t be long before it’s revealed that he's actually a mad scientist who’s been assigned, by someone, to take all superheroes down.
Guess who hired him!!
Red Flag!!!
It's true! Red Flag from the first Wonder Twins series returns. He’s been biding his time all these years, keeping track on all the good people with powers. He hates Wonder Twins the most.
Why?
Because Jayna didn’t want to go on a date with him. Well, some people can’t really move on, lol
Now there’s a weapon powerful enough to kill the siblings.
It can be hilarious when they meet again. Wonder Twins still look like teens while Red Flag has become much older.

What was causing the wind entities to separate in the first place?
It's because of Grax, an alien traveler who specializes in stealing tech and riches from highly developed worlds. When the different advanced technologies are brought together, it can be used to alter the laws of physics in the universe. This has led to very unnatural occurrences.
The winds on Rann splitting into separate beings, is a side effect of Grax’s doings.
One of the latest things the alien bandit has done is worse than before. He managed to manipulate dark matter. With that, he “created” something that can’t really exist.
A cloud of darkness starts to move through cosmos.
Grax usually gets what he wants. We have to ask ourselves: is the villain in control of the power he’s unleashed? Or has he bitten off more than he can chew???

We head to Earth, or Tellus as Wonder Twins call it.
Native American Gar Logan suffers from a rare illness, soon to be revealed as a very different variant of lycanthropy. He will transform into a feline beast. We all know who he really is.

Zan and Jayna travel here.
To go undercover, they use the aliases Marvin and Wendy, which is a nice nod to the DC characters that was replaced by the twins.
They change their names to not draw attention to them, but lay low.
Morrow & Red Flag and their “tornado weapon” must be stopped. I doubt it can be done without wrecking a little havoc, lol
Morrow’s “spinning robot” isn’t what it’s expected to be, though.
This is where Adam Strange raises up to be a true superhero, with the help of Rann technology.
Wonder Twins themselves seem to be more powerful than before too.
However, none of that will be really enough for what’s coming…!

The dark cloud is closing in on our solar system. It seems to be radioactive. There are flashes of lightening in several colors.
Is something moving inside it? Does it even have a “language”?
Will our planetary neighborhood be in danger?
It’s disturbing to find out how the radiation will affect marine life. Something will wash up on beaches.
Our planet could end up being mind-controlled by the cloud’s “offspring”.
The more wet planet Venus, where species live in perfect symbiosis, could also be under threat.
The ruler Queen Desira must be notified. Her ability to perform astral projection, along with Venusian technology, can come in handy.
Oh, did you just say that there’s life on Venus?
Yes, what’s strange about that???

Regarding the cosmic danger, cops in films are usually quite dumb and the first ones to fall, lol
It won’t take long before human society could be overtaken.
Wonder Twins reach out to war veterans. A bunch of old people will have one last battle.

The DC character Saturn Girl shows up. Her telepathy and her illusions will become useful too.
But this danger is bigger than just our solar system.
A nearby star has the world Rimbor in its planetary orbit. In some ways the opposite of Exxor and Rann. The gang member Jo Nah lives there. He’s recently been exposed to radiation before. Ironically enough also linked to sea life. It was one of the weirdest things in existence, a giant radioactive cosmic whale. That gave him superpowers.
But is the thug willing, or even ready, to be a superhero?

What can all the heroes do against the powerful sentient being that is called STARRO?

How to describe this film?
A weird collection of adventure, sci fi, comedy, horror, and war film!!!

It follows the same concept from the all the different adaptions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Along with a feeling of:
70s Buck Rogers series
80s Defenders of the Earth animation series,
Twister (1996)
Airplane 1-2
80s V series
Star Trek: The Voyage Home (1986)
The Longest Day (1962)
Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
David Cronenberg’s Shivers
John Carpenter’s They Live
The Blob (1988)

Have you heard about Swedish House Mafia? They were popular around 2012-13.
The studio talked them into making a song for the film.

Easter eggs
Adam Blake/Captain Comet
Phantom Girl
Farris Knight/Starman
Animal Man
Sun Boy
The Endless character Despair (first version)


Wonder Twins: The Movie (DC Films, 2013)
filming locations used:
Nashville
Atlantic City
Puerto Rico
Hawaii
Rio de Janeiro

Directed by Lee Tamahori
Produced by Andrew Niccol, Antoine Fuqua, Ronny Yu, Marco Brambilla, Alejandro Jodorowsky
Co-produced by Timur Bekmambetov

Written by Andrew Niccol, Brett Matthews, Phil Hay, David Lindsay-Abaire, Vincent Kok, Dmitriy Aleynikov
Additional writing by Alejandro Jodorowsky

Costume design by Jill M. Ohanneson, Rita Ryack, Angus Strathie, Mary Matthews
Production/set design: Tom Cruise, Walter P. Martishius, Michael Joy, Bernhard Henrich, Clive Thomasson

Music by: Alexandre Desplat
incl re arr of Shuki Levy’s Wonder Twins Theme
incl themes for Adam Strange, Red Tornado, Beast Boy, Saturn Girl, Ultra Boy


Cast:
Zan: Dylan Minnette
Jayna: Hailee Steinfeld
Adam Strange: William Moseley
Alanna: Ellen Page
Sardath: Jason Alexander
T.O. Morrow: David Arquette
Red Flag: Devon Sawa
Grax: Shaquille O'Neal
Red Tornado: Austin O’ Brien (mo-cap)
Dentwil: Stephen Fry
Gar Logan/Beast Boy: Booboo Stewart
Queen Desira: Dee Wallace
Imra Ardeen/Saturn Girl: Sapphire Blossom / Sapphire Boyce (same actress)
Jo Nah/Ultra Boy: Joel Courtney
Marie Logan: Kimberly Guerrero
Starro the conquerer: Sam Elliott (voice)

Narrator: Pam Grier (voice)

Cameos and minor roles
Zan & Jayna’s family: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Isaac Hempstead-Wright
Exxor citizens: Lily Tomlin, Emily Watson, Moisés Arias,
Circus performers: Tilda Swinton, Megan Fox, Noah Ringer
Rannian scientists: Minnie Driver, Marisa Tomei

Supermarket customer: Greg Germann
Elderly lady: Joan Plowright
Carpenter/Starro victim: Samuel L Jackson

Queen Desira’s royal advisor: Vivica A. Fox
Imra Ardeen’s sister: Piper Perabo
Jo Nah’s father: Jack Black

Smart cop: Jennifer Lopez
Biologist: Oprah Winfrey
War veterans: Carl Weathers, Robert Vaughn, Patrick Bergin, John Nettles
 
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Here comes the next Star-Spangled Kid.

Several directors were offered to helm this.
Bille August has directed child actors several times before. He did some family films before he moved to more serious projects. Some of them are costume dramas.
How could they possibly imagine that HE would be interested in doing a CBM?
Rob Reiner is known for lighter relationship-flics. But he actually directed Stand By Me and went serious in courtroom drama A Few Good Men
These two only wanted to consult on the script and how to get good performances from kids. As if the chosen director didn’t already know that.
August and Reiner didn’t think it necessary to be credited.

Shailene Woodley and Abigail Breslin have played the girl hero before.
Who's landning the role in the character's first solo flic?
Maisie Williams was approached about the role during the second season of GoT.
But she didn’t have time for any big role other than Arya.

The story takes place in 2014.
Courtney Whitmore is a quite good baseball player in the Little League.
She hasn’t been a superhero that long because of her young age.
When fighting crimes, her stepfather Pat Dugan is her heroic partner in a robot suit.

There isn’t really an arch nemesis or any typical villain. The superhero duo has to deal with non-powered bad guys created for the film alone. It’s a little different for a CBM.
Criminals are popping up almost out of nowhere.
Art dealers, television executives, cops… you name it. Villains can be found everywhere.
What’s going on?
It's more behind this than what we would have guessed.

On the right saw of the law, we find a criminal investigator and a British nobleman.

A vigilante of the night arrives from another realm. Can he still see in the dark here?

Ted Knight’s son David has grown older since the year 2008.
He's taken over the Spaceman role after his father, wearing a similar suit.

And then it’s this little fella
252906-137970-kid-devil.jpg


Courtney’s classmate Eddie Bloomberg is a nerdy boy who’s into comic books and so much wants to be a superhero. Sounds a bit like Sylvester Pemberton, doesn’t it?
Eddie makes himself a devil outfit and spear, to scare criminals.
It's hard though, without any powers.
One day, he receives black candle….

College student Garth Ranzz develops the same powers as Black Lightning, but he’s the more powerful one between the two.

Mariah McCabe is the new, more evolved, Vixen. She’s the daughter of the original.

Maxwell Lord is very willing to assist the heroes in every way. It's good to be backed up by him.

Boston Brand is a celebrated circus acrobat who gets killed, only to get ghost powers.

Another Courtney Whitmore shows up. Where is she from? Another dimension?
There will be homesickness and tears before the two Courtneys become close.
It's nice to go shopping clothes with your BFF, isn’t it?
Of course there is going to be TWO girl superheroes running around. It will be proved wise when taking on a very skilled fighter.

The demon lord Neron makes deals with humans. He wishes to corrupt them.
So there IS a supervillain after all?

There could be a scene somewhere involving a nightclub. Star-Spangled Kid goes there to look for something. The guard refuses to the let the hero inside. Because she’s underage.
Pat Dugan has to do it instead.

I can describe the film as carnivalesque-toned
Here you can find such films:
Grotesque, Carnivalesque, Decadence – Movie List

I think the film will remind you of 70s Wonder Woman series, Cronenberg’s Videodrome and The Naked Gun films, all together.

Neron has a vibe of Terence Stamp and Robert Mitchum to him

Easter eggs:
Hector Hall/Sandman
Mikaal Thomas/Starman
Vibe
Wallace Johnson/The God-Boy
The Endless character named Delirium

STARS & S.T.R.I.P.E. (DC Films, 2013)
filming locations
Washington DC
Oslo, Norway
Pisa, Italy

Directed by Mike Newell
Produced by McG, Gil Kenan, Andy Fickman, Eli Roth, Uwe Boll
Co-produced by Dave McKean, Peter Cattaneo, John Woo, Wes Craven

Written by Caroline Thompson, Mark Bomback, Matt Manfredi, Adam Rifkin, Kan-Cheung Tsang, Rostislav Krivitskiy, Eli Roth

Music by Randy Edelman
incl re-arr of Dennis McCarthy’s themes for Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E, and Spaceman
Incl themes for Kid Devil, Lightning Lad, Deadman
Incl re-arr of Ennio Morricone’s Dr Mid-Nite theme and Bill Conti’s Vixen theme

Costume design by Ruth Myers, Beatrix Aruna Pasztor, Christopher Hargadon

CAST
Courtney Whitmore/Star-Spangled Kid II: Kiernan Shipka
Pat Dugan/S.T.R.I.P.E: Nathan Fillion
Rupert London: Alan Cumming
Elizabeth Moore: Lori Singer
David Knight/Spaceman II: Chris Evans
Baron Philip Sinclair: Jonathan Pryce
Helen Brown: Rebecca Romijn
Thomas Carter: Aaron Ashmore
Daniel Gibson: Taylor Kitsch
Eddie Bloomberg/Kid Devil: Thomas Horn
Cliff Haley: Colin Salmon
Garth Ranzz/Lightning Lad: Lucas Till
Barbara Whitmore: Keri Russell
Maxwell Lord: Rob Lowe
Mariah McCabe/Vixen II: Rosario Dawson
Boston Brand/Deadman: Ashton Kutcher
Neron: John Hannah
Charles McNider/Dr Mid-Nite: Steven Mackintosh
Courtney Whitmore from another Earth: Joey King
Johnny Last: Ian Somerhalder

Cameos and minor roles
Courtney’s teacher: Oliver Platt
Pop singer: Drew Barrymore
Mail man: Nathan Lane
Baseball player: Maisie Williams
Maxwell Lord.s economic analyst: Claudia Schiffer
Noisy woman in mall: Joan Cusack
Warehouse worker: Russell Brand
Jazz clarinetist: Wayne Knight
Crystal ball gazer: Wesley Snipes
Costume designer: Beverly D’Angelo
Henchman fighter: Summer Glau

Cool :word:.
I'm getting more and more into Stargirl i.e. The Star Spangled Kid do to the tv show .
Kiernan Shipka and Nathan Fillion make a great Courtney and Pat combo.

14849.png

RESIZED.fillionJA.jpg
 
Cool :word:.
I'm getting more and more into Stargirl i.e. The Star Spangled Kid do to the tv show .
Kiernan Shipka and Nathan Fillion make a great Courtney and Pat combo.

14849.png

RESIZED.fillionJA.jpg
Thanks!!
I tried to get a really good cast. With more known actors than the cw show :)
I will soon take a look at it.

The interesting thing with this film is that Courtney hasn't really become Stargirl yet. Her previous time as a hero, with another alias, is in focus. She was pretty much a kid then.
We get a second Courtney here too. They team up.
Isn't it fun with this "alternate Earth" matter? :p

A pic from the post has disappeared. I want to show you which one it was.
upload_2021-9-23_20-1-31.jpeg

I see now that I hadn't edited my Wonder Twins film. My personal notes are still there. How could I have missed that when reading through it many times? I deserve a punch in the face.
Because I also forgot to add details about the music.
It's corrected now :)

I want to add a pic for that film too, to show you a feeling I had in mind for part of it.
And by the way, with Jodorowsky involved, isn't it great that he finally could make "his" long-time planned sci fi epic?
It's not Dune, but still...!
Here's the pic! With good imagination, it looks like Ming has four arms, like Grax, lol
The dragon's tail can be Starro's tentacle, haha

cuRklKSdUyQOSI9WR2BxAkRylAf.jpg
 

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