By Pat French
The other day Nikki Finke broke the scoop that Warner Bros has an ambitious 3-year schedule to follow up on the now-titled Superman V Batman: Dawn of Justice (which… just… ugh). According to Finke’s sources, Warner Bros as planning this announcement for this summer’s San Diego Comic Con. A lot of this we already knew about, but the rapid release schedule is compelling and new. Here’s the list:
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
That’s right, the actual man of Steel sequel will be coming out 5 years after the original. It almost feels like an afterthought, doesn’t it? I’m feeling much more confident in my earlier assessment of Batman v Superman being WB’s Iron Man 2. It appears they’re going to be cramming a lot of universe-building in that story. Also, what the crap is with that “v”? It makes it look like Batman is suing Supes. I mean, I’D watch that movie, but I don’t think it would make the kind of money Warner Bros is looking for.
This, to my knowledge, is the first solid indication of the much-rumored Shazam film (featuring -allegedly- Rock “The Dwayne” Johnson) going forward. Wonder Woman, Justice League, and Sandman were all previously announced. I imagine Sandman will have very little interaction with the rest of this world, although a dreaming Batman cameo would hardly be unwelcome. Man of Steel 2 seems obvious, although it is interesting that it will be 5 years after the original. Presumably this means they’re going to move his story forward in BvS and Justice League. I assume the whole Destroying-half-of-Metropolis-then-giving-the-military-the-finger storyline will feature prominently in those films.
Most interesting to me, is the Green Lantern/Flash project. The die-hard comic nerd in me wants WB to call this movie The Brave and The Bold, but I hold little hope for that. It’s probably going to be called Speed of Justice or some crap. Still though, I’m really warming up to this whole Team-Up vibe they’re going for. Also the question arises (Hey! That could be the title of a Vic Sage movie! Haha, I kill me), will this be the same Flash as in the upcoming CW show? I surely don’t know, and I’m not positive that WB knows either. It’s been stated by representatives of the Company, that the Television and Film Divisions have little communication with each other. Finke’s article mentions Flash appearing in BvS, so I guess that’s when we’ll find out whether or not the Films exist in the same universe as the TV shows. I will admit, I’m a big supporter of them bringing Stephen Amell into the Justice League as Arrow (even just as a cameo. I want to see him and Bats trade jibes on voice-modulation), but I realize that it’s an unlikely dream.
Speaking of Justice League… Based on Finke’s article, and what’s been reported in the past few months, we can be assured that the League will be composed of (at least) the following members: Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Aquaman, and Cyborg. That’s seven members, which is a good number for a balanced ensemble story. That’s the basic composition of the Avengers (counting Nick Fury), which seems to have worked out pretty well.
This leaves us Die-Hard fans with one big question: What’s the situation with Martian Manhunter? Is he not coming to screen? DC’s screenwriting-guru David Goyer has indicated a lack of love for the character (as well as a profoundly disturbing interpretation of She-Hulk http://www.themarysue.com/david-goyer-calls-she-hulk-sex-fantasy/ ). Manhunter has also been retconned out of the League in the New 52 (I’m a bit behind, but as far as I’ve read, he’s still not in the league). Some newer readers might not care about good ol’ J’onn J’onnz, but I grew up with the post-crisis League -of which he was almost always a member- so I’ll be kind of bummed if they drop him from their cinematic projects.
Suspiciously missing from this list are the previously announced Metal Men, Suicide Squad, and Justice League Dark. This isn’t too surprising. The Suicide Squad has been used in Arrow, so I imagine that concept will stay on TV (As well it should, It’s honestly a much smarter spin-off idea than Flash). Metal Men could be compared to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from a marketing standpoint. It’s an interesting concept, but it would be a standalone property that did little to connect their universe. Still a good idea, but not the kind of movie they want to focus on right now.
As for Justice League Dark (Working title “Heaven Sent”), a project that got a lot of attention when it was announced that Guillermo Del Toro was connected to it, I’m honestly not sure. Del Toro announced in October of 2013 that the project was still active, and that it would tie in with the Constantine TV series (which begs the question, where the heck does that fit in with the movies and CW shows?). Its possible that some of the concepts of the movie are being segued into the TV show and/or the Sandman film. Del Toro was developing the Hobbit films for years before dropping out, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this project has a similar fate. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few years down the line we’re comparing this project to Ant-Man.
Anyhoo, there’s your DC Cinematic Universe update. Still mostly rumors, but fairly believable ones at least. Chasing that Marvel success like a rocket-powered coyote to a Road Runner. Hopefully they didn’t order their tech from those scam artists at Acme…