Frustration with WB.

[Spider-Bat]

It's been brought up by others myself included about how DC has all these great comics to make movies from and yet they're doing nothing.

It's really getting on my nerves that Marvel has done all these movies for their characters and DC's done nothing but Batman Begins and a crap Superman movie.

You'd think after seeing the Harry Potter movies doing so well, they'd see if you make a movie faithful to the source material and make it well it would be wise to do the same with all the DC stuff they have the rights to!

Instead they do nothing.

At least they've started doing the direct to DVD movies which have been great and way better than what Marvel's done.

Superman/Doomsday was very good but, I think instead of a clone of Superman they should've made the evil Superman the Cyborg Supes, they could've pulled that off easily and it would have been closer to the comic book. But still very good.

And New Frontier was excellent!

But when it comes to live action big screen films they need to make a big budget faithful revamp of Superman, get away from Donner and Singer especially and do something like the modern comics,
And Green Lantern can be a big hit if done right, with Hal Jordon, and it could be as big as Starwars.

The Flash could be a fun movie. And Justice League should be done better than what they're planning now.

Sure they've done Vertigo stuff, but it is time to go to the main DC heroes and make big hit movies. It is time.

Revamp Superman, make Green Lantern, and ofcourse continue with the great new Batman movies, but it would be nice if they gave him a better suit.

WB get off your asses and make these movies! With the technology and all these days it wouldn't be hard.

They made The Lord of the Rings for goodness sake! Making Green Lantern wouldn't be hard!!!

I see all the Marvel heroes being brought to life and it ticks me off I'm still waiting for my fave DC heroes to be brought to life or done the right way.

Take a lesson from Marvel in this, they screwed up The Hulk big time so they have fixed it, redone it, so the same can be done with Superman.

Get started DC/WB, make these movies!

 

[Chris Wallace]

I think overall it's a lack of faith in the characters. And this is on Warner's part, not DC's. They chicken out on anything outside of Gotham or Metropolis, again & again & again.
Look at the monstrosity known as "Catwoman"; they severed all ties to the comic book & gave us an uninspired, watered-down mess.
I wouldn't be so quick to demand these projects, though; until WB takes the properties seriously we can expect to get a barrage of bad movies.

 

[Tojo]

To be honest who is going to see a Green Lantern movie? Apart from the fans. That's probably what WB are thinking. I wouldn't waste money on a film only a handful of people will watch.

Agree about Superman though. I think the whole Returns concept was great in theory(and from a marketing perspective) but cloning any director is a dumbass move, and copying someones performance is even worse(Routh). They should 're-boot' it. Get rid of Singer, Routh, Spacey and especially Bosworth(and her goddamn super-boy child), and just pretend the other one(s) doesn't exist. Have Lex create doomsday under the manipulation of Braniac or something i don't know just don't make it as crappy and stupid as the last one.

I think the best thing is to do a JL film but take time to get it right(which they won't) and then if it's popular they could make Flash/GL/Wonder Woman spin-offs. Personally i'd like to see a Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman film, or atleast for JL to revolve around them.

 

[Chris Wallace]

If you build it they will come. I'm not a DC fan but if a movie looks good I'll go see it. Blade made money & 2/3 of the people who went to see that had never heard of him. Iron Man's not that well-known, nor is Daredevil. Sometimes you have to gamble to get a project off the ground.

 

[Tojo]

that's a good point but Iron man has Robert Downey jr, Gwyeneth Paltrow in it, while Daredevil had Ben Affleck. Ok they are not major stars like Tom Cruise but you have to have respected and famous actors in my view. I still wouldn't go and see a GL or Flash movie, i have no interest in them outside of a JL premise.

 

[cronosred]

To be honest who is going to see a Green Lantern movie? Apart from the fans. That's probably what WB are thinking. I wouldn't waste money on a film only a handful of people will watch.

Agree about Superman though. I think the whole Returns concept was great in theory(and from a marketing perspective) but cloning any director is a dumbass move, and copying someones performance is even worse(Routh). They should 're-boot' it. Get rid of Singer, Routh, Spacey and especially Bosworth(and her goddamn super-boy child), and just pretend the other one(s) doesn't exist. Have Lex create doomsday under the manipulation of Braniac or something i don't know just don't make it as crappy and stupid as the last one.

I think the best thing is to do a JL film but take time to get it right(which they won't) and then if it's popular they could make Flash/GL/Wonder Woman spin-offs. Personally i'd like to see a Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman film, or atleast for JL to revolve around them.

They don't seem to have a problem making lesser known characters that people outside the comic boook world never heard of ( Constantine, Watchmen) so I don't see why they don't try their bigger comic properties. If a movie looks like a cool movie people will go regardless, if it is a cool movie they'll keep going but you have to take a chance and it's a shame that the WB doesn't.

 

[Chris Wallace]

V For Vendetta. No real star power behind it, a virtually unkown comic property & an excellent movie. I, for one, do not believe in star power. I think the people who go to see a movie strictly on the power of who's in it are few & diminishing.

 

[Binker]

This is basically what the JLA movie is suppose to change. Once JLA gets off the ground, we'll have Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. People want that reversed, but what they keep forgetting is that if this is the ONLY way to get those movies off the ground, and out of development hell, then they must make a Justice League movie.

And let's face it, if someone doesn't know who Green Lantern is, but the movie looks good or even great, they'll see it and in the process, know who Green Lantern is. It is not about star power, it was NEVER about star power, it was about presentation. Trailer kicking ass, infomation making you excited, anything would make anyone see a movie. And these superheroes movies are no different.

 

[Chris Wallace]

My point exactly.

 

[Binker]

BTW, I want to add that the DTVs will, if not already are helping. I mean we are going to get a Wonder Woman movie coming either the end of this, or the beginning of next, year. Despite being animated and a direct-to-video, the fact that its a movie still helps. Same goes for future DTVs such as Flash and Green Lantern.

I mean New Frontier was a success, so that's saying that the market is ready for a Justice League movie.

And WB not caring for DC movies that aren't Batman nor Superman isn't true AT ALL. If that was, why have a Justice League movie to begin with? Or an animated series, or these upcoming DTVs?

 

[Dr. Fate]

I pretty much agree with what you guys all said.

Bring on the non-Batman/non-Superman characters of DC!

 

[shadowforce420]

This is basically what the JLA movie is suppose to change. Once JLA gets off the ground, we'll have Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. People want that reversed, but what they keep forgetting is that if this is the ONLY way to get those movies off the ground, and out of development hell, then they must make a Justice League movie.

And let's face it, if someone doesn't know who Green Lantern is, but the movie looks good or even great, they'll see it and in the process, know who Green Lantern is. It is not about star power, it was NEVER about star power, it was about presentation. Trailer kicking ass, infomation making you excited, anything would make anyone see a movie. And these superheroes movies are no different.

That's a good point. I've never been a fan of Iron Man but I'll be seeing the movie because the made it look so cool. Take a Flash or GL and they could make a movie that would pull in alot of people because things like that haven't really been shown on the big screen before. Especially GL, I can't think of any movies that have been like a GL story before, it may have happened but if it has I never saw it.

 

[The Guard]

I understand wanting to see more superhero movies, but it's just not that simple.

WB is a corporation. They've got to make movies other than superhero ones, and even they don't have unlimited resources. I think they're doing a fairly solid job, considering. BATMAN BEGINS, CONSTANTINE, THE DARK KNIGHT, SUPERMAN RETURNS and WATCHMEN in the last few years. I'm more frustrated with the filmmakers then I am with WB. But even then my frustration is tempered by what they've gotten right.

 

[turtlefocker]

They should move forward immediately with that HIGHLY praise Wonder-woman script.

They should be making Flash and Green Lantern TOP priorities right now. Just use what Marvel is doing with Iron Man as the basis for those. A exciting director, a cool lead actor, a solid budget, and lots of comedy/action.

Instead they're twiddling their thumbs.

 

[The Guard]

They should move forward immediately with that HIGHLY praise Wonder-woman script.

From what I've heard, that script isn't really that good, it just features Wonder Woman and has big action sequences. It had some elements they really liked, but the meat of it apparently wasn't good enough.

THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN have been in development for years. When it comes to superhero movies, it's just not as simple as "let's make it". IRON MAN took something like seven years to be realized, DAREDEVIL nine, SPIDER-MAN eleven...you get the idea.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

To be honest who is going to see a Green Lantern movie? Apart from the fans. That's probably what WB are thinking. I wouldn't waste money on a film only a handful of people will watch.

Who is going to see an Iron Man movie?

Green Lantern is as well known, if not more well known (due to Superfriends) than Iron Man. And right now Iron Man is poised to be one of the biggest and most anticipated films of the summer.

Cast good, respectable actors. Respect the source material, and make the movie epic and exciting. Don't dumb it down. Release a kickass trailer. That's all you need to make a successful comic movie.

 

[turtlefocker]

Who is going to see an Iron Man movie?

Green Lantern is as well known, if not more well known (due to Superfriends) than Iron Man. And right now Iron Man is poised to be one of the biggest and most anticipated films of the summer.

Cast good, respectable actors. Respect the source material, and make the movie epic and exciting. Don't dumb it down. Release a kickass trailer. That's all you need to make a successful comic movie.

oh definitely, when making Green Lantern and flash WB needs to pay attention to what Marvel is doing with Iron Man

 

[Crook]

When it comes to superhero movies, it's just not as simple as "let's make it". IRON MAN took something like seven years to be realized, DAREDEVIL nine, SPIDER-MAN eleven...you get the idea.

Yes, but the ball got rolling quick after Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man.

 

[Batman]

That's because Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man were picked up and aqquired by more than one studio - New Line, Fox, and Sony, respectively. This allows for faster distribution of Marvel related projects, because more often than not, a single studio has the time to focus only on one superhero property per year.

And the reason The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man were so quick to get made was because of Marvel's rather recent movement to become their own independent movie studio. They can actually make the time to focus on their properties, because that's what they do: Make movies based off of their superheroes. (With a little help from Universal, of course)

Now, in DC's case, it goes back to distribution. They don't have the same options that Marvel has with their properties, because Warner Bros. owns every single property that DC has. Every single one. From Batman to Captain Marvel, all the way down to The Teen Titans. They own DC as a company, and thus, are the only studio allowed to option out and begin production on DC's properties. But given that Warners isn't strictly a DC Comic movie studio, and they make dozens of different productions every year, well... yeah, it's gonna take some time for them to get properties made. And if you had to weigh out options between... let's say, a first to second tier character like The Flash, and a mega-property like Superman, a character who's become an icon, you'd choose Superman if you wanted to make a substantial profit.

 

[Cosmic]

Nothing Marvel has released touches Batman Begins, or will touch TDK. Most Marvel movies consist of utter ****, like Elektra, Ghost Rider, FF 1&2, Blade 3...my god, it's horrible just thinking about it.

I'd rather wait until the time is right to release something really good (as I believe V for Vendetta was, and Watchmen will be) than to just throw **** on the pile, and slap the name brand on top, a la FF and Spider-Man 3. For now, I'm content to sit back and enjoy TDK, and hope that its success, along with Watchmen, will continue to show people what quality work can be done with the genre, instead of just cranking out trash, as Marvel has previously done.

 

[The Guard]

Yes, but the ball got rolling quick after Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man.

To a point. DAREDEVIL and SPIDER-MAN was actually a result of the success of X-MEN and BLADE's successes, however, that doesn't change the fact that they languished in development hell for years, along with The Hulk, Iron Man, and god knows how many other projects. Many of which, such as DEATHLOK and NAMOR, continue living in Development Hell.

That's because Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man were picked up and aqquired by more than one studio - New Line, Fox, and Sony, respectively. This allows for faster distribution of Marvel related projects, because more often than not, a single studio has the time to focus only on one superhero property per year.

Exactly.

And the reason The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man were so quick to get made was because of Marvel's rather recent movement to become their own independent movie studio. They can actually make the time to focus on their properties, because that's what they do: Make movies based off of their superheroes. (With a little help from Universal, of course)

And again, you simply cannot discount the fact that Iron Man has been in development for years before Marvel was even happy with the script and story. The Incredible Hulk took five years to happen after HULK. It's not like Marvel is just churning stuff out for the hell of it. The movies coming out now are the result of years of attempts.

Now, in DC's case, it goes back to distribution. They don't have the same options that Marvel has with their properties, because Warner Bros. owns every single property that DC has. Every single one. From Batman to Captain Marvel, all the way down to The Teen Titans. They own DC as a company, and thus, are the only studio allowed to option out and begin production on DC's properties. But given that Warners isn't strictly a DC Comic movie studio, and they make dozens of different productions every year, well... yeah, it's gonna take some time for them to get properties made. And if you had to weigh out options between... let's say, a first to second tier character like The Flash, and a mega-property like Superman, a character who's become an icon, you'd choose Superman if you wanted to make a substantial profit.

That pretty much sums it up. And you simply cannot ignore that SUPERMAN RETURNS didn't perform as WB had hoped. And you can make up all kinds of reasons why, but the bottom line is that a BIG BUDGET SUPERMAN MOVIE didn't perform well.

 

[Dr. Fate]

From what I've heard, that script isn't really that good, it just features Wonder Woman and has big action sequences. It had some elements they really liked, but the meat of it apparently wasn't good enough.

THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN have been in development for years. When it comes to superhero movies, it's just not as simple as "let's make it". IRON MAN took something like seven years to be realized, DAREDEVIL nine, SPIDER-MAN eleven...you get the idea.

We know it's tough for them Guard, getting the money alone is a pain in the ass, it's just we're frustrated with the lack of action for other DC characters. I mean, it's getting a little old just seeing Batman & Superman up there on the screen when there's an entire untapped universe of DC heroes who, with the right handling, could be just as successful if not more so.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

I think expectations is something else comic fans need to come under control about.

Flash, GL, WW probably won't make a great deal of money so you don't want to drop 150 million dollars on it. I know I wouldn't. 100 mill yes. If Iron Man does what I think it's going to do then hopefully fans will begin to realize that just because it looks cool and is a character we love, doesn't translate into huge box office. There are lots of factors into why Spidey did so well.

 

[The Major]

I think expectations is something else comic fans need to come under control about.

I think that has more to do with fans being burnt to much.

Expecting decent or excellent quality shouldn't be a bad thing no matter what the medium a property is in.

It's not like super-heroes have no potential. If that were true no adaption would be good or successful no matter how talented the film makers were.

All it requires is for Hollywood to understand and respect the material while making quality entertainment.

 

[GL's Light]

Frustration with WB is a natural part of being a DC fan. Yes, there are many DC characters and concepts which could be made into entertaining and successful films and TV series if made and marketed properly. But, as others have noted, WB is a big studio with a lot of filmmaking options. From their perspective they can take their sweet time in developing DC films, and they don't necessarily want to juggle a large number of superhero franchises simultaneously. Also bear in mind that the bigger the organization the more slowly the wheels tend to turn, and Time Warner is a massive corporation.

As for the final product when DC films do get made, well, WB has given us some of the very best comic book films and some of the very worst. Hopefully we'll get more high quality films as the genre continues to mature.

Anyway, live in hope fellow DCers, there a bunch of DC properties in development and we'll hopefully see at least a few of them escape from development hell and onto our screens over the next few years.