What can DC/WB do now to move forward? Is there hope? - Part 1

[honestbharani]

I honestly genuinely think Shazam will be the move that will save this franchise. WW was really good but I feel, just based on the twitter stuff of that director, that Shazam will be something else and will actually create overall goodwill for WB/DC across the GA. Really looking forward to it, Zach Levy is a great casting choice as well. Still holding out hope we get cameos by both Cavill and The Rock in there.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I honestly genuinely think Shazam will be the move that will save this franchise. WW was really good but I feel, just based on the twitter stuff of that director, that Shazam will be something else and will actually create overall goodwill for WB/DC across the GA. Really looking forward to it, Zach Levy is a great casting choice as well. Still holding out hope we get cameos by both Cavill and The Rock in there.

I guess that's possible. Who would have put money on Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel Shazam being being the front-runners of a DC cinematic universe?

 

[The Guard]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I'm fairly certain the plan is to develop this universe in such a way that ANY of these characters can "take point" depending on market response, actor/actress success, etc. They have, to date, given Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman a similar amount of development. They seem to be doing the same thing with Aquaman in a "second phase" sense, and that appears to be the plan for The Flash as well.

These are all fantastic characters, and no one character needs to be the "face" of the universe.

 

[STARMAN]

We've seen many times now where secondary comic book characters have been very successful and become a foundation player for a particular universe.

 

[jmc]

I still think people are putting way too much stock in Shazam. Could be wrong because the premise is something of a kids dream. The only logic I can see behind why WB ok’d it was because they essentially had a second Superman-type character up their sleeve and it gives them a chance to have a do over.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I have to be honest, I was amazed at how much love he gets around here and how much excitement there is for the Shazam movie. The character's never really engaged me.

 

[flickchick85]

I have to be honest, I was amazed at how much love he gets around here and how much excitement there is for the Shazam movie. The character's never really engaged me.

Me neither. I'm a huge DC fan but Shazam/Captain Marvel has always been one of my biggest blind spots in that regard. The casting of Levi was the first thing about that movie that's gotten my interest.

 

[DrCosmic]

We've seen many times now where secondary comic book characters have been very successful and become a foundation player for a particular universe.

Once?

 

[STARMAN]

Once?

Only Iron Man may technically be a foundation player of a universe but Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool and possibly Black Panther are also secondary characters that show they can be a major franchise.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

We've seen many times now where secondary comic book characters have been very successful and become a foundation player for a particular universe.

True, but in this case the giant albatross that is the DCEU presents a major obstacle. It is relatively easy for Marvel to sell a movie on Doctor Strange because they are a known, popular brand with a good reputation. Just advertise Doctor Strange as MCU #14 and people will go at this point. WB on the other hand is going to have to do the opposite. Downplay the connections to the DCEU and try to convince audiences that it isn't like those other crappy films they have released over the last several years. That's a much harder sell.

 

[Boy Scout]

Me neither. I'm a huge DC fan but Shazam/Captain Marvel has always been one of my biggest blind spots in that regard. The casting of Levi was the first thing about that movie that's gotten my interest.

CM has never interested in me and I don’t really see that changing in the near future.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

CM has never interested in me and I don’t really see that changing in the near future.

Even Levi's casting hasn't grabbed me. I was surprised, sure. I liked him in Chuck but that doesn't make me keen to see it. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I will see it at some point, but it won't be a high priority for me. I certainly won't see it in the cinema.

 

[jmc]

Shazam's popularity peak in the 40's if memory serves me correct. He was at one point a bigger name than Superman. This is why it's just strange to me why WB ok'd this. I do think this has potential to appeal to kids in a big why, so maybe that's why they did it.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Yes, I remember reading that at one point way back he was outselling Superman.

 

[honestbharani]

Its not just about the kids though. It can help them make that tonal shift that will finally give the confidence to the GA that their movies will not be like MoS or BvS and then we end up getting the JL that we did. I think that will be what helps them out in the long run.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I didn't have any problem with the tone of either MoS or BvS. There were issues but tone wasn't one of them for me.

 

[DrCosmic]

Only Iron Man may technically be a foundation player of a universe but Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool and possibly Black Panther are also secondary characters that show they can be a major franchise.

Ah, yeah, those guys could in theory be foundational, it's just that you can't lay a foundation on a house that's already standing. I personally would love a universe that dealt with Black Panther the way the MCU deals with Iron Man. In fact, I might just lose my mind if so.

I think they could have done a great restart on the DCEU using Wonder Woman as the foundation. That would have been pretty much their best path forward. Even though IMHO, Wonder Woman as a film is no Iron Man, the appeal of the movie is similar.

 

[RomanticPenguin]

i think some people misconstrue the tone criticisms of BvS with the criticism of tone with certain characters still

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

i think some people misconstrue the tone criticisms of BvS with the criticism of tone with certain characters still

I'd agree with that. I have no problem with the tone of BvS (or MoS). I do have a problem with some characterisations (or at least certain aspects of them).

 

[RealWaveProd]

Here's how those DC meetings probably go down
[YT]https://youtu.be/UVcr-N6zU5U[/YT]

 

[blackdragon6]

i think some people misconstrue the tone criticisms of BvS with the criticism of tone with certain characters still

TBH a lot of the complaints was a whole lot of both, albeit from different groups of people. One thing DC CANT do, and that's try to please everyone.

 

[Thör-El]

I think the DCEU is past saving. It looks like they're losing Affleck and in my mind they ought to recast Superman, Flash, Luther and Joker whilst they're at it. They've made Batman a killer who's already getting old and can't keep up with his superpowered allies using wits/skill/gadgets/badassery, they've killed and resurrected Supes within the first 3 films and they've wasted the potential wow moments of a live action Dark Knight Returns fight and a first Justice League film.

I think their best move is to switch Snyder for a better director, do a soft reboot and open with a new universe where the Justice League already exists and there's no need to retell their origin stories. They could keep Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and any other good casting from earlier films but needn't treat the DCEU as canon.

Alternatively they can give up on trying to compete with the MCU on having a huge coherent shared universe. That wouldn't have to mean isolated solo films, they could do elseworlds style stories using the same cast across multiple universes.

 

[Matleo]

more humor and gags, action and more villians and devolopment of characters and showing their uniq powers , skills and weaknesses and cooporation with other heroes.
I would put cyborg into some of their solo movies as a helper and sidekick.

Spoiler

Batman would need more tech to show. armor, vehicles, invisibility and so on.
Flash more show of the powers.
Superman more better villians and cryptonite uses also more battle of him with the justice league memebers by using a comic book moment like change of characteror manipulation by blue cryptonite.
Wonderwoman , i would like her to use that move with bracelets in a other way to hit superman faster then he can block her. From the down side not upside.
Aquaman could use his weapon better and show how magic can hurt superman.


the lex-brainiac fussion aqrmor and a Legion of doom made of supervillians would be a good plot twist of a second justice league movie then what they planed for the part 2. Apocolypse and Darkseid would make a good third part.

 

[unholyrevenger]

They've made Batman a killer

This doesn't mean anything. George Clooney is the only Live action Batman with out a kill count, yes even Adam West has Kill

 

[Thör-El]

This doesn't mean anything. George Clooney is the only Live action Batman with out a kill count, yes even Adam West has Kill

That's fair. BvS Batman's kill count is well into double figures though and the deadly ultraviolence towards street thugs seemed really out of character.

And then Justice League Batman started going around admitting he was out of his league/relying totally on his tech which again seemed out of character.