DC Films The DC Studios News and Discussion Thread

[Primal Slayer]

I am so sick of the whole “cannon” and shared universe fixation. It was a cool gimmick when Marvel first did it, but now it hamstrings all creativity. I really wish that DC would care more about making quality films than being beholden to a shared universe.

I mentioned this on another thread, but in my dream scenario, there would be room for small budget, standalone niche, period and/or genre DC films for characters like Christopher Chance, Richard Dragon and the Spectre.
But that is not likely at all as long as everything has to be in a shared universe so we can be just like Marvel.

It is a complete lack of innovation or imagination and really is disappointing.

How creative were Superhero (ie: Batman and Spider-Man) movies before shared universes became all the rage?

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

I am so sick of the whole “cannon” and shared universe fixation. It was a cool gimmick when Marvel first did it, but now it hamstrings all creativity. I really wish that DC would care more about making quality films than being beholden to a shared universe.

I mentioned this on another thread, but in my dream scenario, there would be room for small budget, standalone niche, period and/or genre DC films for characters like Christopher Chance, Richard Dragon and the Spectre.
But that is not likely at all as long as everything has to be in a shared universe so we can be just like Marvel.

It is a complete lack of innovation or imagination and really is disappointing.

I'd argue that's essentially what Joker is, not to mention Reeves Batman films. None of these studios honestly need to stick to the shared universe format anymore, but DC already could be doing standalones and what-offs and just that- if that's what they wanted. But if JL 2017 is any indication, they're still trying- and potentially failing again- to chase Marvel when they themselves are having their own issues.

 

[Lily Adler]

How creative were Superhero (ie: Batman and Spider-Man) movies before shared universes became all the rage?

The Amazing Spider-Man had an outdated stereotype of an incel from the 80's and Paul Giamatti doing a terrible accent! I'll have you know.

 

[dhandler01]

How creative were Superhero (ie: Batman and Spider-Man) movies before shared universes became all the rage?

The Dark Knight Trilogy was not part of a shared universe...is it your suggestion that it was not creative in any way?

 

[SwordOfMorning]

DC trying to launch another shared universe is pure definition of insanity energy. A venture that solely exists because they have all these IPs and need to look like they’re doing the biggest thing possible with them to shareholders. It’ll (probably) flame out and then, like clockwork, they’ll try again in a couple years.

 

[Venom 1988]

The Amazing Spider-Man had an outdated stereotype of an incel from the 80's and Paul Giamatti doing a terrible accent! I'll have you know.

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

DC trying to launch another shared universe is pure definition of insanity energy. A venture that solely exists because they have all these IPs and need to look like they’re doing the biggest thing possible with them to shareholders. It’ll (probably) flame out and then, like clockwork, they’ll try again in a couple years.

Bad decision making from Warner Bros., I would guess. If the studio wanted, it could just do standalones or one-offs like Joker or their animated projects without the need of a shared universe after poor leadership cut the legs off of the last one. I don't know if kicking the DCU into high gear so soon after the DCEU flamed out was a Zaslav move, one from De Luca and Abdy, or whoever, but even though the general audience probably can't tell an X-Man from a Peacemaker, it's still too early, I feel.

But who knows? Maybe Gunn will prove me wrong, but at the end of the day, his bosses are the higher-ups at WBD, and they've shown why we have no reason to trust them with the shared universe model.

 

[Primal Slayer]

The Dark Knight Trilogy was not part of a shared universe...is it your suggestion that it was not creative in any way?

It wasn't that much more creative than most superhero films.

We have:
7 Batman films not part of a larger franchise.
6 Xmen films not part of a larger franchise.
3 ff films
5 Superman

Not being part of a larger universe didn't make them all better than the current slate.

Black Panther, Winter Soldier, Civil War, Avengers, list goes on of films that are top tier.

A good movie is a good movie just as a bad one is a bad one. Imo.

 

[Bayne]

It wasn't that much more creative than most superhero films.

We have:
7 Batman films not part of a larger franchise.
6 Xmen films not part of a larger franchise.
3 ff films
5 Superman

Not being part of a larger universe didn't make them all better than the current slate.

Black Panther, Winter Soldier, Civil War, Avengers, list goes on of films that are top tier.

A good movie is a good movie just as a bad one is a bad one. Imo.

There were 7 X-men films, 3 Wolverine films, 2 Deadpool films and the New Mutants. They may not have had any other types of heroes other than mutants in the universe, but that's almost as many movies as the DCEU had spread across five different casts with dozens of characters. I don't think that really counts as 'not a cinematic universe'.

But I do agree this whole concept is weird to start with. People act like them being recently disappointed in shared universe films means stand-alone films were always great yet the vast majority of films we got before 2008 were stand-alone and the vast majority of them ranged from terrible to mediocre.

 

[emielaen]

They're just trying to make stuff. Idk if it being a universe or not matters. Superman is just one film.

 

[GreenKToo]

I am so sick of the whole “cannon” and shared universe fixation. It was a cool gimmick when Marvel first did it, but now it hamstrings all creativity. I really wish that DC would care more about making quality films than being beholden to a shared universe.

I mentioned this on another thread, but in my dream scenario, there would be room for small budget, standalone niche, period and/or genre DC films for characters like Christopher Chance, Richard Dragon and the Spectre.
But that is not likely at all as long as everything has to be in a shared universe so we can be just like Marvel.

It is a complete lack of innovation or imagination and really is disappointing.

I think that IF it's going to be a shared universe, they can't halfazz it with a lame villain.
It has to be a galactic threat ( I say galactic, because I hate it when they say "universal threat" because the universe is pretty much endless )

It has to be a villain that makes the villains on earth team up with the heroes to stop it/him/her. Self preservation is a powerful motivation.
Only a couple of big villains come to mind. Darkseid and the anti-monitor, or maybe trigon. So three.

Other than that, each film needs to be a self contained story, with a beginning and an end, with their own separate villain, but with a mention of the bigger threat that's coming.

 

[GreenKToo]

Bad decision making from Warner Bros., I would guess. If the studio wanted, it could just do standalones or one-offs like Joker or their animated projects without the need of a shared universe after poor leadership cut the legs off of the last one. I don't know if kicking the DCU into high gear so soon after the DCEU flamed out was a Zaslav move, one from De Luca and Abdy, or whoever, but even though the general audience probably can't tell an X-Man from a Peacemaker, it's still too early, I feel.

But who knows? Maybe Gunn will prove me wrong, but at the end of the day, his bosses are the higher-ups at WBD, and they've shown why we have no reason to trust them with the shared universe model.

If they leave him alone, he and we, will be fine, BUT, you just know one of those idiots is gonna want polar bears or giant spiders.

 

[Babillygunn]

I think that IF it's going to be a shared universe, they can't halfazz it with a lame villain.
It has to be a galactic threat ( I say galactic, because I hate it when they say "universal threat" because the universe is pretty much endless )

It has to be a villain that makes the villains on earth team up with the heroes to stop it/him/her. Self preservation is a powerful motivation.
Only a couple of big villains come to mind. Darkseid and the anti-monitor, or maybe trigon. So three.

Other than that, each film needs to be a self contained story, with a beginning and an end, with their own separate villain, but with a mention of the bigger threat that's coming.

My only concern is that “galactic threats” aren’t necessarily the best DC villains. The heavy hitters of DC villains are the scrappy villains who are more of a philosophical funhouse mirror to their nemesis hero. That’s why Joker, Luthor, Ocean Master and the Rogues are good villains for their heroes. But they aren’t “galactic threats.”

DC has done some good galactic threat stories, but those are few and far between. Crisis books at DC tend to be divisive and criticized and are seldom considered great.

 

[TheGDBatman]

According to Production Weekly, Booster Gold is going into production in 2025! Was not expecting that.

 

[GreenKToo]

I like booster gold.
Other obscure heroes I'd like to see on the big screen are...
Etrigan
Black canary
Captain atom
The question
Deadman
Dr midnite
Blue devil.

 

[dhandler01]

The Question needs to happen!