DC ELSEWORLDS: Reimagining Keaton Sequels & DC Films that Never Were

[FrankenCastle]

(Sorry for the AI, I couldn't find any comic cover from that time period featuring the three characters above)

Toyed with some other concepts I imagined, not gonna lie, I like what I'm seeing so far , AI will never replace man-made art of course, but it gets pretty damn close to what I have in mind.

 

[Frodo]

THE WONDER WOMAN ANTHOLOGY ( 1987-1993)

The Cast

Franchise History

A decade after the original TV series goes off of the air , Warner Brothers decides to greenlight a film revival in the vein of The Star Trek fiims featuring the original series cast.

While the idea of a full on reboot with a young actress is briefly considered , the studio feels that it's better to bank on a known iteration of the character than to make a risky gamble with a new continuity and an unproven lead actress .


Unlike the television series , the films would be big budget and sprawling epics featuring big name actors staring along Lynda Carter who decides to return to the role of Wonder Woman.


Joining her as a new love interest is Tom Selleck , in addition to a regular supporting cast with Olympia Dukakis and a then unknown Sarah Jessica Parker .


Meanwhile series regular Lyle Waggoner would return as President Steve Trevor and the now famous ,Debra Winger ,would return as Donna Troy .


What results are a trilogy of films spanning from the late 1980s into the Early 1990s which delve more into the characters comic roots and exploited her comicbook rogues gallery , largely absent from the 1970s series .



Top Gun director Tony Scott helms all three films

WONDER WOMAN RETURNS ( 1987)
Director : Tony Scott



Wonder Woman / Diana Prince : Lynda Carter
Antiope : Vanessa Redgrave
Phil Darnell : Tom Selleck
Donna Troy : Debra Winger
Julia Kapatelis : Olympia Dukakis
Vanessa Kapatelis : Sarah Jessica Parker
Artemis : Bridgette Nielson
Clea : Grace Jones
President Steve Trevor Jr. : Lyle Waggoner
Hippolyta : Cloris Leachman

Plot : Wonder Woman returns to save world after radical Amazonians come to Earth ,seeking it's conquest.



WONDER WOMAN : GODS OF WAR ( 1990)
Director : Tony Scott

The Cast


Wonder Woman / Diana Prince : Lynda Carter
Maxwell Lord : Richard Gere
Phil Darnell : Tom Selleck
Ares : Clancy Brown
Cheetah / Barbara Minerva : Joanna Cassidy
Dr. Poison : Isabella Rossellini
Julia Kapatelis : Olympia Dukakis
Vanessa Kapatelis : Sarah Jessica Parker
President Steve Trevor Jr. : Lyle Waggoner

Plot : The God Ares and Maxwell Lord conspire to start World War III



WONDER WOMAN : WOMAN OF TOMORROW ( 1993)
Director : Tony Scott


The Cast

Wonder Woman / Diana Prince : Lynda Carter
Veronica Cale : Sharon Stone
Phil Darnell : Tom Selleck
Silver Swan : Sarah Jessica Parker
Julia Kapatelis : Olympia Dukakis
Vanessa Kapatelis : Sarah Jessica Parker
President Steve Trevor Jr. : Lyle Waggoner

Plot : The past comes back to haunt Diana as she faces off against a friend, and a CEO whose the granddaughter of The Baroness .

 

[FrankenCastle]

Jack Cross (2008)


Based on the 2005 Warren Ellis 100-page comic.

Plot :

Jack Cross, freelance counter-terror operative and peace activist in his spare time, is tasked by Amanda Waller to track a rogue terrorist network threatening to destabilize America from within by manufacturing terror.

Jack traces the operation to Sarge Steel, a ruthless government hardliner. Who's now running black-site experiments in Guantánamo Bay, using its most dangerous detainees as pawns to fabricate “terror cells” and stage evidence to justify more crackdowns at home and wars abroad.
Behind Steel stands General Wade Eiling, who sees the War on Terror as a tool to secure permanent military supremacy.

As Cross plunges deeper into a labyrinth of black sites, conspiracies, and secrets too dangerous to expose, he realizes he's just another cog in the machine, sent to clean up the mess. The only choice left: play the government’s game, or burn the whole table down.


Directed by: Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Olympus Has Fallen)
Written by: David Mamet (The Untouchables, Spartan, Ronin)

Cast:

Jack Cross: Gerard Butler


Amanda Waller: CCH Pounder


Sarge Steel: Jon Voight


General Wade Eiling: Keith David

 

[Frodo]

SPIDER-MAN MEETS SUPERMAN ( 2016)
Director : JJ Abrams
Producers : Amy Pascal , Charles Roven,
Executive Producers : Kevin Feige, Avi Arad, Christopher Nolan
Story by : David Goyer
Screenplay : Alex Kutzman and Roberto Ocri
Music :

Project History
In a universe where two studios are desperate to boost their flagship characters into the stratosphere after lack luster films , unlikely partnerships are possible.

With Sony Pictures reeling from various scandals and the under performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , and with Warner Brothers facing backlash for Man Of Steel , both studios find themselves at a crossroads .

Sony and DC both want an MCU style shared universe and an Avengers like mega hit , yet both studios have internal disagreements about how to get there .

Ultimately, in a strange turn of events , The Dark Knight trilogy writer David Goyer toys with the idea of adapting the 1980s Superman meets Spiderman crossover comic.

Though Goyer knows it would be a logistical nightmare, and feels the idea may get shot down , Goyer, nevertheless , pleads his case to the top execs at Warner Brothers .

Surprisingly , Warner seems intrigued by the far out idea , and Producer Charles Roven makes overtures to Amy Pascal and Avi Arad at Sony .

However , the powers at be at Sony are split on the idea , feeling that Batman would be a better crossover than Superman .

WB, on the other hand, is still wary about pulling the Batman card , not wanting to potentially irk Christopher Nolan, with his series having just ended .

Superman feels like a much safer bet , and despite Christopher Nolan's involvement with Man Of Steel , and his preference for a closed off film universe, Nolan ultimately doesn't stand in the way of a Superman and Spiderman crossover , event film .

Ultimately after some back and forth , and with Sony still unwilling to incorporate Spiderman into the MCU , the two studios agree that a crossover, which could boost both franchises fortunes , was worth the shot.

Production
As the historical crossover deal comes to pass both studios agree that neither Webb nor Snyder would be entrusted to produce the crossover , given their polarizing adaptations.

Warner and Sony , are instead, Keen on JJ Abrams who had successfully rebooted Star Wars and Star Trek , and whose lean into upbeat nostalgia made him the perfect choice to bring these two color characters together for the first time in live action.

Abrams, like a kid in the candy store jumps at the chance to direct the film , while Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci develop Goyers idea's into an upbeat , lighthearted , Superhero rollercaster .

With Andrew Garfield and Henry Cavill returning as Spiderman and Superman , Fandom and the entertainment media is stunned and polarized by the announcement of Spiderman meets Superman.

Screenplay
The new film would be much more along the lines of Abrams Star Trek films in terms of tone and would take place two years after the events of Amazing Spiderman 2 and Man Of Steel , with the two heroes teaming up to defeat the combined forces of Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus .

Though filled with quips and humor , Peter would still be mourning Gwen while Superman serves as a source of inspiration to Peter to remain a symbol of hope even in the darkest times.

On Superman's end , the controversial events of Man Of Steel would all but be ignored in favor of a more Silver Age era, style Superman story with Superman a world wide powerful figure and a mad scientist Lex Luthor stopping at nothing to discredit him .

As Lex , and the already established Doc Ock unite their combined egos and briallence to take down The Webhead and The Man Of Steel , the two heroes must join forces in a buddy cop style fashion .

Making her debut in the story is Peter's classmate , Mary Jane Watson who feels Parker is much more than meets the eye .



The Cast



Spiderman / Peter Parker : Andrew Garfirled



Superman / Clark Kent : Henry Cavill

Doctor Octopus : Javier Bardem

Lex Luthor : Bryan Cranston



Lois Lane : Amy Adams

Mary Jane Watson : Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Aunt May : Sally Field
Martha Kent : Diane Lane
Perry White : Laurence Fishburne
J. Jonah Jameson : JK Simmons

 

[FrankenCastle]

I'm adamant we'll get this kind of crossovers in the future, I'd say give it at least 15-20 years between seeing Spidey & Superman and Iron Man & Batman meeting on the big screen. It's the only logical step after the Multiverse Saga, the Omniverse Saga.

 

[Spider-Fan83]

probably not til the characters start going to public domain....

 

[Frodo]

SHADOW OF THE BAT ( 1976- 1979 )

Series History
In the aftermath of the cancellation of Batman in 1968 , CBS agrees to pick up the tv show to produce a 4th season , but plans to continue the Adam West series ultimately, fall through.

However, by the mid 1970s , plans are underway at NBC, to produce a new, Mystery and suspense Batman TV series, that would take the character back to it's roots, and would reflect the dark cynicism of the 1970s .

Producers of the new series envision a younger Batman , with no Robin present , thus, West and Ward are not asked to return, and instead a new , younger actor would wear the cape and cowl.

The hour long episodes would utilize many of The Dark Knights early rogues gallery and more recent characters absent from the 1960s series .

Characters such as Ras Al Ghul, Hugo Strange, the Scarecrow, Man-Bat, and Two Face would make appearances in the much darker themed series.

At the same time , The Joker would go back to being the psychotic menace of the 1940s, Catwoman would be a constant and unstable temptation for Batman, and the Riddler would be more akin to the zodiac than hyper active villain of the 60s show.

Meanwhile , Bruce would be a 20 something playboy , spending his time in disco-techs and romancing some of the world's great beauties .

His alter ego Batman, would be the mysterious avenger taking on organized crime, super natural foes, and costumed villains .

The show was notable for featuring other DC comics heroes Such as The Green Arrow , though characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman were absent and off limits to the series .

The series ran from 1976-1979 , and becomes part of the NBC mystery movie block and alternates between series such as Columbo , McMillan and Wife, and McCloud.

The new series was quite a shock to those who had been used to the "pow" and "biff" color campy series a decade early .

However , the show did devolp a steady following and was one of the first adaptations to take the source material , seriously



The Main / Recurring Cast

Batman / Bruce Wayne : Frank Langella


Alfred Pennyworth : Peter Cushing


James Gordon : John Forsyte

Vicki Vale : Diahann Cannon

Leslie Thompkins : Barbara Stanwyck


Thomas Wayne in Flashbacks : Richard Anderson

Julie Madison : Leigh Taylor-Young



The Villians

Ras Al Ghul : Christopher Lee


Talia Al Ghul : Olivia Hussey


Joker : Tim Curry


The Cat / Selina Kyle : Joanna Cassidy


Scarecrow : Anthony Perkins


Two Face / Harvey Dent : John Saxon


Hugo Strange : Donald Pleasence


The Gentleman Ghost : Nichol Williamson


Poison Ivy : Karen Black


Man Bat / Kirk Langstrom : Robert Foxworth


Mr. Freeze : Max Von Sydow


Riddler : Andrew Robinson


The Mad Monk : Reggie Nadler


Rupert Thorne : George Kennedy


The Penguin : Robert Vaughn


Dr. Phosphorus : Martin Landau


Clayface/ Basil Karlo : Michael Jayston


Green Arrow / Oliver Queen : Christopher Stone


Black Canary / Dinah Lance : Lonnie Anderson

 

[FrankenCastle]

Richard Dragon (1992)


Directed by: Sheldon Lettich (Lionheart, Double Impact, Only the Strong)


Plot:

In a world drowning in chaos, the immortal warlord Vandal Savage has struck from the shadows, kidnapping the legendary master O-Sensei, forcing him to unlock the secrets of the Dragon’s Claw. With the power of the amulet, Savage is about to become an unstoppable force of evil.

Richard Dragon. Once a thief, now the greatest martial artist on the planet, will fight through the belly of the beast to save his teacher and stop Savage from unleashing an unspeakable reign of terror.

From the gritty back alleys to the blood-soaked rooftops of Hong Kong, Dragon unleashes his fury against gangs, mercenaries, and killers-for-hire. Every punch, every kick, drives him closer to his master and closer to the monster who’s cheated death for centuries.

When chaos rules the streets. Rage drives him. Discipline shapes him. Honor defines him: his name, Richard Dragon.

Cast:

Richard Dragon: Jean Claude Van Damme


O-Sensei: Mako


Vandal Savage: James Earl Jones

 

[Frodo]

THE WORLD'S FINEST ( 2005)
Director : Martin Campbell

Story
As Three young heroes struggle to find their identities , and to their voice,
They're plunged into the chaos and mayhem of a Second World War .

The Caped Crusader, meant to inspire fear in the hearts of criminals, finds himself the front line of defense , as Nazi sympathizers have infiltrate the highest levels of Gotham's infrastructure , and secretly collude with the Axis powers.

An Amazon lends her hands to the allied powers in Europe, as she searches for Commander Steve Trevor, held captive behind enemy lies in Normandy .

The Man Of Steel , a symbol of Truth , Justice, and The American Way, must search for mad scientist, Lex Luthor, before The Axis Powers reach him to create a device , which could prove decisive, in the outcome of the war.

The three heroes, despite their differences , must work together to emerge as The World's Finest Heroes.

But as their lives begin to intertwine , the interpersonal dynamics between them complicate their mission.


The Cast



Superman / Clark Kent : Josh Hartnett


Batman / Bruce Wayne : Colin Farrell

Wonder Woman / Diana Prince : Kate Beckinsale

Lex Luthor : Matt Damon

Steve Trevor : Jude Law

Catwoman / Selina Kyle : Angelina Jolie

Lois Lane : Jennifer Connelly

Baroness Von Gunther : Cate Blanchett


Rupert Thorne : Michael Gambon
Alfred Pennyworth : Pete Postawaithe
James Gordon : William H Macy

 

[Frodo]

THE LEAGUE ( 2007)
Director : Martin Campbell




Story
Nearly Decade after a World War ,
and at the beginning of a Cold War ,
The trinity find themselves facing forces from within ,
which threaten to end their missions and leave Earth at risk.

As the ambitious Senator Maxwell Lord , using the new medium called Television,
leads The House On Un-American Activities Committee,
he takes aims at what he calls , " The Meta Human Menace " .

Superman finds his loyalties questioned by a Nation he's helped to protect,
while Lois is thrown in jail for not giving up her source .

Batman and his sidekick Robin, face pressure from The Federal government to reveal their true identities register as agents ,
Or they'll be apprehended and imprisoned as vigilantes and subversives.

Diana too , sees the coming storm as Steve , is also under investigation by Senator Lord ,
with Lord wanting to know the coordinates to Paradise Island.

With America seemingly facing an internal cold war ,
an all too powerful foe,
from the depths of space is
on a collision course with Earth hoping to add it to his collection.

Now , Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman must unite to form a league of heroes great enough to beat back this coming threat .

But with the Government pressuring heroes out of existence, and with the East and The West a hair trigger away from Nuclear war ,
can the heroes save the world from Brainiac, in time ?


The Cast

Superman / Clark Kent : Josh Hartnett

Batman / Bruce Wayne : Colin Farrell

Wonder Woman / Diana Prince : Kate Beckinsale

Brainiac : Jason Isaacs

Maxwell Lord : Toby Stephens

Flash / Barry Allen : Ryan Gosling

Green Lantern/ Hal Jordan : James Marsden

Robin / Dick Grayson : Tyler Hoechlin

Steve Trevor : Jude Law
Alfred Pennyworth : Pete Postawaithe
James Gordon : William H Macy

 

[Frodo]

GODS OF WAR ( 2009)
Director : Martin Campbell







Story
As the turmoil of the late 1960s and early 1970s , ravage America with Protests, Riots, Vietnam, and Social unrest, The Trinity find themselves at a crossroads.

Superman , representing the establishment to many, tries to heal the divides in The United States, but finds himself also questioning his own role and relevance , in the world.

Batman, once again operating alone , must confront accusations that he's gotten "soft " in middle age , ,as DA turned criminal ,Two Face , operates as a "Dirty Harry" like Vigilante .

Diana, meanwhile, fights for Women's rights and is a vocal opponent to the Vietnam War , yet , like Superman , she's criticized for not using her abilities directly to stop the War.

With the League disbanded due to differing ideologies , three tyrants seek to fill a vaccum and bring " order" to Earth.

The First, is a General from Krypton's past ,with ties to Kal El .

The second , is a God Of War who forces Diana to confront her own origins , and the truth behind her birth.

The third is a Terrorist, who leads a shadowy organization , whose taken a great interest in the Dark Knight .

As the three Gods of War descend on The United States, Clark, Bruce, and Diana must put aside old wounds to once again save the world

The Cast

Superman / Clark Kent : Josh Hartnett

Batman / Bruce Wayne : Colin Farrell

Wonder Woman / Diana Prince : Kate Beckinsale


Ras Al Ghul : Viggo Mortensen

Two Face : Dominic West

Ares : Mads Mikkelson

General Zod : Rufus Sewell