DC Comics Cinematic Universe

[Zilcho]

The new Batsuit looks more comicbook like, rather than going for realism, could that be the direction the films are going now?

Hopefully. I think the comic style of the Marvel Universe is what has made it such a great success.

[Lord Rahl of Clannad]

The Batman suit may look more comic-like, but I can't bring myself to like the short ears or the unnecessarily fat Bat logo on the chest. I suppose it could have been done far, far worse though, so this isn't too bad. As for that Batmobile, I'm really liking the look of it. I'm glad that they're going for a more old-fashioned, less realistic look for the Batmobile this time; I like the Tumbler as much as the next guy but I much prefer a classic Batmobile look like this one to the semi-realistic approach of the Tumbler. Hopefully the design choices for Wonder Woman and Cyborg are of a similar quality as well.

[SandMirror38]

New Trailer for The Flash

[Lord Rahl of Clannad]

Wow. That trailer looks pretty epic, though I think that Flash's running effects look quite odd. Even so, I'm very excited, especially as Arrow is appearing in this as well. Does anyone know when this will start airing in the UK and if it will tie into the DCCU in any way?

[Faefrost]

I'm not real sure what to make of the Flash yet going by that trailer. I like the coloring and design of the costume, but it still looks a bit awkward, like it doesn't fit quite right. Too loose or baggy in places. I also can't quite get a handle on the tone they are going for. It seems lighter than Arrow, but with some much darker undercurrents. Hopefully it starts getting all dialed in a bit better by the time it airs. I think part of the problem is this hit within a few days of the Constantine trailer, which is just dead on perfect. Everything we could have asked for in a live action Hellblazer, save that it not be on ?NBC. The Flash does not feel perfectly refined yet.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Faefrost

[Dr Leg O Brick]

Personally, I think the new batsuit screams Year-One with the logo and the ears, but that may just be me.

[SandMirror38]

http://au.ign.com/articles/2014/05/21/man-of-steel-sequel-titled-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice

Title Confirmed:

Batman v Superman

Dawn of Justice

Confirms its basically a Justice League prequel...

[Faefrost]

The trailer just writes itself. batman! "V"! superman! See these two heroes go against each other in their greatest battle ever! CIVIL COURT PROCEEDINGS!

[rodiziorobs]

The title doesn't exactly thrill me, but it's not terrible either.

What worries me more is that they already went from a working title to an "official" title...but haven't started filming yet. The rumors of rewrites are none too inspiring either.

But the worst is David Goyer's recent statements where he reveals his ignorance about comics, and women, etc, and this is the guy who is bringing Wonder Woman to the screen?

I want to look forward to BvS:DoJ (what a mouthful), but WB isn't helping much.

[Lord Rahl of Clannad]

The title isn't too bad really; it certainly sounds more interesting than just Superman vs Batman at least. And is it really a surprise that filming hasn't started yet? This film is still almost two years away from release right now, so the fact that filming hasn't started shouldn't be too shocking. I do agree with the previous poster that I really want to be optimistic about this, but WB is making it very difficult to be optimistic.

[Sam892]

The title doesn't exactly thrill me, but it's not terrible either.

What worries me more is that they already went from a working title to an "official" title...but haven't started filming yet. The rumors of rewrites are none too inspiring either.

But the worst is David Goyer's recent statements where he reveals his ignorance about comics, and women, etc, and this is the guy who is bringing Wonder Woman to the screen?

I want to look forward to BvS:DoJ (what a mouthful), but WB isn't helping much.

Agreed DC need to get rid of Goyer, ever comic book movie he makes feels like it's apologising for the source material. The fact that he insulted both Martian Manhunter and such a strong female character like She hulk, kind of proved he shouldn't be in charge of JL.

[Moon_Knight]

Agreed DC need to get rid of Goyer, ever comic book movie he makes feels like it's apologising for the source material. The fact that he insulted both Martian Manhunter and such a strong female character like She hulk, kind of proved he shouldn't be in charge of JL.

I agree with you 100%. Goyer wrote an excellent Dark Knight trilogy but if we're getting into superheroes like Green Lantern and hopefully Martian Manhuter, let's get someone else. Goyer's a prick. Let's give Geoff Johns a go. He's an excellent writer and has collaborated with Dick Donner on several occasions. The guy interned for Donner and helped bring about the extended Superman 2 edition that had been lost. His New 52 JLA run has been excellent too.

I think Zack Snyer can direct an amazing JLA movie if he gets a good script. The guy can't write himself but his Watchmen and 300 movies have been some of the best comic book movies ever made IMO.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Moon_Knight

[adotnamedstud]

Well, I personally hope BvS gets scrapped and they just go off with taking a year or two to find a solid crew who will help create great movies. Then start their own movie business (like MCU). After that they may not have so much conflict as they have now. And if they do go Marvel's route I think they should steal do what they did by Phases and potentially tying in all the TV shows (except for Gotham, which I had hope for but it really seems un-needed to me.) Just go like

Incredible Hulk (2008) = Man of Steel (2013)

Iron-Man (2008) = Batman (2015)

Iron-Man 2 (2010) = World's Finest (2017)

Thor (2011) = Wonder Woman (2018)

Captain America (2011) = Martian Manhunter (2018)

- TV Shows cover Green Arrow and Flash -

Avengers (2012) = Justice League (2019)

Iron Man 3 (2013) = Green Arrow and Flash (2020)

Thor: The Dark World (2013) = Superman 2 (2020)

Captain America 2 (2014) = Stand Alone Arkham Movie (With Batman) (2021)

GotG (2014) = Birds of Prey (2021)

Age of Ultron (2015) = Justice League 2 (2022)

Ant-Man (2015) = Blue Beetle (2022)

Captain America 3 (2016) = Wonder Woman - Fall of the Amazons (2023)

All DC has to do is take their time and we'll have great movies to look forward to. And in the midst have great TV shows.

[Zilcho]

Oh wow, Goyer sounds like an absolute- ... This does not give me hope for the future of the DC cinematic universe... Someone create a petition to remove him!

[Faefrost]

I agree with you 100%. Goyer wrote an excellent Dark Knight trilogy but if we're getting into superheroes like Green Lantern and hopefully Martian Manhuter, let's get someone else. Goyer's a prick. Let's give Geoff Johns a go. He's an excellent writer and has collaborated with Dick Donner on several occasions. The guy interned for Donner and helped bring about the extended Superman 2 edition that had been lost. His New 52 JLA run has been excellent too.

I think Zack Snyer can direct an amazing JLA movie if he gets a good script. The guy can't write himself but his Watchmen and 300 movies have been some of the best comic book movies ever made IMO.

The Dark Knight was an amazing movie. A great piece of cinema. But to be honest it was really only a so so Batman movie. (My appologies if I don't seem to be making sense.) as someone else said Goyer tries to hard to hide from or be embarrassed by the source material. It might work on an individual case or two, but in the end it cripples any hope of actual world building and franchises. Marvel embraced their source material and got billion dollar movies out of it. WB's TV division saw the writing on the wall and quickly re aimed their Arrow series straight at the comics, and in return got one of the better shows on TV, with a rabid fan base. Goyer just comes off as a pretentious twit with no passion for or love of the materials he is working with.

His Martian Manhunter comments particularly bother me. You have an Alien police officer, sucked through time and space and trapped on earth. He is a shape shifter and a telepath. A true alien lost in our world but able to walk among us. You can safely discard his classic Silver Age Superman like powers. Just keep him with those two core abilities and maybe some strength. How would a writer seeking to bring these properties to screen not want to use him? Just the contrasts you could bring out between him and Superman. The child raised among humans vs the true alien among us? Heck just imagine the TV show you could build around him?

Now remind me why Goyer is getting paid for this and we aren't?

Zachary Snyder is perhaps the worlds best Second Team Director. He has this incredible eye for visuals, provided you can get him to hold the camera still. But his story and character work is iffy at best. If it is anything longer or more dramatic than a sound bite he kinda loses the mark.

[just2good]

Anybody think this is true?

May 2016 – Batman v Superman

July 2016 – Shazam

Xmas 2016 – Sandman

May 2017 – Justice League

July 2017 – Wonder Woman

Xmas 2017 – Flash and Green Lantern team-up

May 2018 – Man Of Steel 2

:drool"

[Zilcho]

Anybody think this is true?

May 2016 – Batman v Superman

July 2016 – Shazam

Xmas 2016 – Sandman

May 2017 – Justice League

July 2017 – Wonder Woman

Xmas 2017 – Flash and Green Lantern team-up

May 2018 – Man Of Steel 2

:drool"

That would be a nice line up but I'm pretty sure it's mostly fake.

I doubt DC would start with such obscure figures as Sandman (never even heard of him) and Shazam (who I doubt many people know). I suspect they will follow Marvels approach of introducing a core group of recognisable heroes (Batman, Superman, WW, GL, Aquaman and Cyborg) then add more obscure heroes as the universe proceeds (like how marvel is adding Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Antman). Also they are gonna have a hard time producing 3 films for one year.

We already know that almost every Justice League member will at least cameo in Batman vs Superman. If there really were 2 movies between BvS and JL then they would spread out the cameos across the movies.

[just2good]

I suspect they will follow Marvels approach of introducing a core group of recognisable heroes (Batman, Superman, WW, GL, Aquaman and Cyborg) then add more obscure heroes as the universe proceeds (like how marvel is adding Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Antman).

Eh, Marvel started with Iron Man, who could have been considered not the most recognizable character at the time. I never heard of him until the movie came out. But, you're right. It's most likely fake, especially since three films a year is a super hard feat.

[Ultron]

A sandman movie has already been announced actually. David S. Goyer will produce with joseph gordon-levitt and neil gaiman. Thomas Thorne will do the script. This was announced last year. I didn't think it was part of the DCCU though

[SoupOrFishOil]

That would be a nice line up but I'm pretty sure it's mostly fake.

I doubt DC would start with such obscure figures as Sandman (never even heard of him) and Shazam (who I doubt many people know). I suspect they will follow Marvels approach of introducing a core group of recognisable heroes (Batman, Superman, WW, GL, Aquaman and Cyborg) then add more obscure heroes as the universe proceeds (like how marvel is adding Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Antman). Also they are gonna have a hard time producing 3 films for one year.

Well, these movies are going to be made by Warner Bros, and not a DC Studios, so creating three movies a year in itself won't be much of a problem, but saturation would. I don't know much about Sandman, but he shouldn't be such a big deal since he isn't a traditional superhero nor does he need to be part of the universe. WB's new CEO has said he is interested in utilizing more DC properties, but I am still skeptical about the list, mostly because of how many they would be releasing a year. Maybe we will learn more at SDCC.

But whatever WB does in the future, I hope they keep Goyer far away....

Edited June 13, 2014 by Super Fish Oil

[Moon_Knight]

A sandman movie has already been announced actually. David S. Goyer will produce with joseph gordon-levitt and neil gaiman. Thomas Thorne will do the script. This was announced last year. I didn't think it was part of the DCCU though

JGL will also star as Morpheus/Dream/Oneiros/Sandman. It is also very a part of the DCCU. Morpheus hangs out with the JLA, Constantine, Metamorpho and even takes down Dr. Destiny in the comic.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Moon_Knight

[Sam892]

JGL will also star as Morpheus/Dream/Oneiros/Sandman. It is also very a part of the DCCU. Morpheus hangs out with the JLA, Constantine, Metamorpho and even takes down Dr. Destiny in the comic.

Yes but I doubt they will connect it to the DCCU. It seems like the type of thing they would keep seperate like Constantine or Fables. Plus the fact that JGL is in it might confuse the general audience, with him being in the last batman film.

[rodiziorobs]

But whatever WB does in the future, I hope they keep Goyer far away....

I completely agree.

[Faefrost]

That would be a nice line up but I'm pretty sure it's mostly fake.

I doubt DC would start with such obscure figures as Sandman (never even heard of him) and Shazam (who I doubt many people know). I suspect they will follow Marvels approach of introducing a core group of recognisable heroes (Batman, Superman, WW, GL, Aquaman and Cyborg) then add more obscure heroes as the universe proceeds (like how marvel is adding Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Antman). Also they are gonna have a hard time producing 3 films for one year.

We already know that almost every Justice League member will at least cameo in Batman vs Superman. If there really were 2 movies between BvS and JL then they would spread out the cameos across the movies.

Sandman is one of DC's all time greatest properties. It was the centerpiece of their more adult Vertigo line for over a decade. It was created and written by (now) best selling author Neil Gaiman. The collected trade paperbacks of the seventy some issues have been in continuous print since 1988. I think Watchmen and the Dark Knight returns are the only other collections to do that. (And Watchmen only does it as a screw you to Alan Moore.)

Sandman does technically exist in the regular DCU, but they do try to minimize this connection. Aside from John Constantine there are few connections. A brief Justice League tie in very early in the series and an Infinity inc. link near the end. It also ties directly in with a lot of old classic DC horror comics. House of Mysteries, House of Secrets, etc.

It will be unbelievably hard to bring Sandman to the screen. I'm actually surprised Gaiman would even be involved. More than any other book Sandman was trying to stretch what could be done with the comic medium itself. Not just in the stories it told, but how they were told. Framing sand structures and such. Much of it will be impossible to translate to live action without seeming stupid. It's something that might actually have worked much better as an animated feature. And I just can't seem to wrap my head around JGL as Morpheus. He's a great actor. But not really the role for him. Of current actors who might be able to pull off the strange cold aloof arrogance of Dream of the Endless, mixed with the underlying fascination with and slowly learned compassion for humanity? I'm not sure? Maybe Benedict Cumberbach? I could see him as the purveyor of dreams and nightmares. The final issue of the movie is the fact that it is a movie. It would take multiple movies to even begin to do it right. The story has a very set and definitive arc and a clear and unequivocal ending. It would be better in a longer form such as Game of Thrones or Walking Dead. Add to this that it is the polar opposite of everything that Nolan and Hoyer bring to their comic movies. We already saw their take on Dreams in Inception. That could not be in any way further from Morpheus and the Endless if they had actually tried. I don't think either man is wired for something like this.

So yeah, any movie they make of it will probably suck.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Faefrost

[Faefrost]

Yes but I doubt they will connect it to the DCCU. It seems like the type of thing they would keep seperate like Constantine or Fables. Plus the fact that JGL is in it might confuse the general audience, with him being in the last batman film.

Sandman connects smoothly to Constantine. I can see those working somewhat in tandem. But the JL stuff, not so much.