All Things DCEU News, Discussion, and Speculation - Part 4

[Deck Rickard]

They’ve sort of painted themselves into a corner though, thanks to Wonder Woman. Had the movie been terrible, then WB could have just axed the DCEU altogether and started from scratch. But since the movie was nearly universally praised, they need to continue Diana’s story (and rightfully so) while simultaneously course correcting the universe she exists in.

I’m encouraged that at least James Wan seems to be doing his own thing with Aquaman; the costumes for Arthur and Mera are different than what Snyder had them wearing. It’s a small detail but a sign that they are giving Wan some creative freedom and not just telling him to copy what has been a losing formula so far.

But then you have the “big guns” like Superman and Batman. Batman will likely always be a draw... IF the movie is good. That hasn’t been the case these last two times and JL’s box office is an indication that the public is not thrilled with this version of Batman, no matter how much fans might like that warehouse scene. But a recast and a solo film that looks drastically different could revitalize interest in the character rather quickly, even if he’s intended to be the same Batman that we’ve seen in BvS and JL.

Superman is a bit more complicated. Batman will always have that “cool” factor... something he even retained after Schumacher put nipples on his costume. And (even though the logic is faulty) people still view him as the classic “realistic” superhero since he has no superpowers.

In contrast, there are many who view Superman as unrelatable because he is such a Boy Scout, and many who don’t like him because he’s too powerful. The problem, I think, is that WB and Snyder tried to cater too much to those people instead of embracing the character for who he is and roping in fans in different ways. Back before Captain America came out, people were skeptical that such a character could resonate with today’s audiences because of the standing of the U.S. in the world at the time, and because Cap feels like a relic. Yet they pulled it off by embracing who the character is at his core while adding humor and real world elements like drone warfare to make the character more appealing.

Such an approach is what Superman requires. But I worry that they’ve done too much damage now. We’ve had FOUR staight Superman movies that had either divisive or outright bad reactions. I don’t know that there will be a fifth time for a while.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Oh god no. They already tried launching the DCEU with him and it failed.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

I find it harder and harder to care about these upcoming films as of late

 

[Boom]

If they hired Berlanti, I'd be out. I don't mind Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow for what they are: harmless, television melodrama. I have zero interest in seeing that sort of quality translate over to the film side of things.

 

[Gamma Goliath]

I find it harder and harder to care about these upcoming films as of late

I'm only interested in Batman at this point. Maybe mos2 if they cook up something nice there.

 

[Greens]

I find it harder and harder to care about these upcoming films as of late

Probably because you know most of them won't happen anyway.

Also, Berlanti's shows are trash.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I find it harder and harder to care about these upcoming films as of late

Loooool same. Pumped for Titans on tv though

 

[Boom]

Aquaman
Batgirl
Flashpoint
Green Lantern Corps
Justice League Dark
Shazam
Suicide Squad 2
The Batman
Wonder Woman 2

The only two I have a hard time getting excited about are Flashpoint and Suicide Squad 2. But take the others and add Nightwing to the mix? Hard to complain.

 

[Frodo]

Aquaman
Batgirl
Flashpoint
Green Lantern Corps
Justice League Dark
Shazam
Suicide Squad 2
The Batman
Wonder Woman 2

The only two I have a hard time getting excited about are Flashpoint and Suicide Squad 2. But take the others and add Nightwing to the mix? Hard to complain.

I agree. Flashpoint is a mistake given that we don't know all that much about this version of Barry Allen. I really doubt WB is ready to pull it off successfully, as usual, and it's likely gonna be another mess.

The difference is that this time, they won't be able to blame Snyder for it.

The others though,are a step in the right direction since they'll be their own thing as opposed to more failed attempts at world building.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Reports coming in that a Nightwing casting news spot could be in place for Feb 2018.

 

[WereCoyote]

The others though,are a step in the right direction since they'll be their own thing as opposed to more failed attempts at world building.

See I disagree with this, I would love to have a connected DC Universe, I just want it to draw from the actual source material, and have the tone of the comics, and not try to be dark and edgy when the source wasn't dark and edgy. The biggest problem with the DCEU, was when they made Superman go all dark and brooding, constantly questioning himself instead of being the beacon of hope he was created to be.

That and poor writing, poor casting choices, and just mismanagement of trying to catch up to 10 years of the MCU in 3-4 movies. Not the building of a world, the building of a bad world was the problem.

 

[Frodo]

See I disagree with this, I would love to have a connected DC Universe, I just want it to draw from the actual source material, and have the tone of the comics, and not try to be dark and edgy when the source wasn't dark and edgy. The biggest problem with the DCEU, was when they made Superman go all dark and brooding, constantly questioning himself instead of being the beacon of hope he was created to be.

That and poor writing, poor casting choices, and just mismanagement of trying to catch up to 10 years of the MCU in 3-4 movies. Not the building of a world, the building of a bad world was the problem.

Well, regardless of how the world was built, the best course imo is for WB to focus on solo films which strengthen the characters and not setting stuff up for some future film.

Do that competently first , then if they want to build up to a competently made team up/crossover film go ahead. Aside from that, i'm for putting the characters and their own individual stories first over placing focus of them all being connected.

That principle I firmly stand by , and any view that wants to put the idea of a shared universe first, I totally disagree with.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

And financially, that would be a very good move. The public like what Berlanti is selling. DCTV is kicking the movie division’s arse.

Because Berlanti cares about the character for what they are and isn't trying to re-invent them for the "modern" audience.

Also, Berlanti's shows are trash.

Disagree

Reports coming in that a Nightwing casting news spot could be in place for Feb 2018.

Suicide Squad 2 is set to start filming in October of next year.

 

[FunkMiller]

Also, Berlanti's shows are trash.

Perfectly valid opinion to hold, but those shows are very popular, and making a lot of money, and manage to present an inter-connected world very well. Berlanti has successfully steered a DC universe for six years. One that continues to grow and bring in the dollars. WB must be considering him as an option to come in and take over. Hell, he’s already working on a 52 multiverse. All of it could just be folded into one gigantic project.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

Probably because you know most of them won't happen anyway.

Also, Berlanti's shows are trash.

They are what they are and like it or not, the CWverse has been far more successful than DCEU. Hell, Crisis on Earth X was a far better Justice League movie than the actual Justice League movie. I think bringing in Berlanti is an incredibly smart decision if it were to happen.

 

[BestGirl]

If Berlanti runs the DC universe, I hope his movie scripts are tighter than what they are for his CW shows. I quit watching The Flash because it was such a mess. Maybe he'll do better with shorter plots and no freak-of-the-week limitations.

 

[Zant]

It wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being Greg Berlanti.

Hey man don't joke like that.. What a scary thought.

 

[The Guard]

Kevin Tsujihara deserves credit for wanting to make more non-Batman/Superman DC films at Warners. He greenlit Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam, for one. Jeff Robinov would've never have done that.

We can trash most of the DC films all day till the cows come home, but WW's success is enabling them to exploit their DC properties more fully.

Accurate. Kevin T inherited a lot of the situation, he isn't the cause of it. He's made some business decisions recently, which may well have been the right ones, from a financial standpoint.

 

[The Guard]

That and poor writing, poor casting choices, and just mismanagement of trying to catch up to 10 years of the MCU in 3-4 movies. Not the building of a world, the building of a bad world was the problem.

Where is there any indication that they were trying to catch up to where Marvel is at in 10 years in the span of 3-4 movies? They were trying to be where Marvel was with THE AVENGERS at this point, not to be where Marvel is at currently.

 

[The Guard]

Hey man don't joke like that.. What a scary thought.

It's not the worst idea in the world. For better or worse, the characters in his shows have connected with audiences. Even minor characters.

He's got some major producing and effects experience (I know, not on THIS level, but still, experience), knows how to handle a budget, and he's well versed in crossover type storytelling, which is basically what a shared universe is built on. He and Johns have already worked closely together.

This isn't a job a lot of people are neccessarily going to want at the moment, but I'd bet Berlanti might. Even then, his influence would be fairly limited, but might be enough to turn the tide, if he was given producer powers.

Not asking for him to write the scripts, but it's an option.

 

[Frodo]

The Berlanti team certainly gets and cares about the characters and make they myths accessible to non comic fans as well.

Frankly the films would benefit for characters in the vein of Benoist's Kara, Gustin's Barry, and Amell's Oliver , in addition to their supporting casts.

That's not even talking about how well they've handled villains like Reverse Flash, Zoom, Damien Dark, and Deathstroke,.

I doubt he's an option on the table, but it never hurts to ask for help or advice from someone in house, who's done it well.

 

[FunkMiller]

The Berlanti team certainly gets and cares about the characters and make they myths accessible to non comic fans as well.

Frankly the films would benefit for characters in the vein of Benoist's Kara, Gustin's Barry, and Amell's Oliver , in addition to their supporting casts.

That's not even talking about how well they've handled villains like Reverse Flash, Zoom, Damien Dark, and Deathstroke,.

I doubt he's an option on the table, but it never hurts to ask for help or advice from someone in house, who's done it well.

He’d do a better job than any of the people involved right now.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Eh... I liked the Reverse Flash a lot but I thought Zoom was terrible (the actor didn’t help), Damien Dark sucked (and that’s a shame because Neil McDonough can be great with good material), and Deathstroke was misused.

 

[FunkMiller]

Eh... I liked the Reverse Flash a lot but I thought Zoom was terrible (the actor didn’t help), Damien Dark sucked (and that’s a shame because Neil McDonough can be great with good material), and Deathstroke was misused.

Oh, a lot of it is absolute ****e to me.... but it’s bloody popular.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Because Berlanti cares about the character for what they are and isn't trying to re-invent them for the "modern" audience.

Really? We've gone through 3 Black Canaries in 5 years. Arrow just copied Batman in order to be a success, Wally West has been sidelined, Jimmy Olsen is barely recognizable and it isn't because he's black. Amanda Waller was practically a push over. Berlanti shows are decent but they hardly ever something to write home about.

Running a 23 episode tv series where you are able to flesh out the characters more is not that comparable to a movie where you have 2 hours tops.