2 years ago
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On January 30, James Gunn and Peter Safran, the caller architects of the DC Universe successful movie and television, announced the archetypal 10 projects for the brand-new DC Studios. There had been a batch of speculation starring up to this announcement, fixed DC’s heavy catalog of characters and their accordant nonaccomplishment to, um, marque bully worldly with them.
Some of the announcements are unsurprising; immoderate are exciting; immoderate are baffling. So I’m present to interruption down “Gods and Monsters,” a.k.a. “the archetypal portion of Chapter 1 of the DCU” into 3 categories: the Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre. (Actually, “the archetypal portion of Chapter 1 of the DCU” goes into “bizarre.” This is ten movies and TV shows! How agelong are these chapters??)
Two things to enactment earlier we get started:
1. This does not impact projects extracurricular of the halfway DCU, specified arsenic this year’s Shazam!, Flash, and Aquaman movies; the sequels to The Batman and Joker; oregon the Ta-Nehisi Coates-penned/J.J. Abrams-produced Superman movie that is inactive successful development.
2. I’d, uh, instrumentality each of this with a atom of salt, considering this is the 3rd large overhaul of DC’s strategy since 2014, and a batch of these characters person had projects announced and canceled already, immoderate aggregate times.
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The Good
Superman: Legacy:
Slated for July 11, 2025, this movie volition footwear disconnected the DCU, but it volition not beryllium an root story. Honestly, I’m conscionable gladsome they’re making different effort astatine Superman, fixed however severely they’ve flubbed him successful the past and however small Hollywood seems to similar oregon recognize the character. And I similar that Safran called Superman “kindness successful a satellite that thinks of kindness arsenic old-fashioned.” I’m not definite Gunn’s cynical attack to screenwriting volition seizure Clark Kent’s earnestness, but I’m choosing to beryllium cautiously optimistic here.
The Authority:
I’m not ace acquainted with the Authority, but their edgy, “not your grandma’s superheroes” vibe should construe precise good to what we usually extremity up getting retired of WB. It’s a astute prime to prime heroes that lucifer their preferred code to statesman with, alternatively than their accustomed attack of destroying my beloved heroes earlier my eyes. Also, Apollo and Midnighter are immoderate of the astir groundbreaking queer characters successful comics, and it would beryllium large to spot them header a movie. Come on, WB! You tin yet bushed Marvel to the punch connected something!
The Brave and the Bold:
A Batman and Robin movie! Robin is yet returning to the large screen! And it’s Damian Wayne, Batman’s spoiled, murderous small nugget of a son! I emotion Damian to pieces and cannot hold to spot this nightmare babe terrorizing Gotham with a sword. *blows him a kiss*
Waller:
Sorry, Peacemaker fans, but Season 2 has been enactment connected clasp portion Gunn writes Superman: Legacy. In the meantime, we’re getting this spinoff, with Viola Davis reprising her relation from assorted Suicide Squad-related projects arsenic the merciless shadiness authorities cause Amanda Waller. I don’t love the DCEU’s instrumentality connected Waller — I similar the aged schoolhouse comics mentation of her arsenic ruthless but not actively evil — but Davis is of people a powerhouse truthful this should inactive beryllium a amusive watch.
Booster Gold:
This is the movie I’d beryllium astir excited for if I had immoderate religion it would really get made. Time-traveling showboater Booster Gold is 1 of my all-time favourite characters, and his grandstanding narcissism is cleanable for Gunn’s marque of humor. My lone hesitation is that WB has been promising america immoderate signifier of Booster Gold task since 2011, and nary person materialized. Still, miracles tin happen! We are yet getting a Blue Beetle movie, aft all.
The Bad
Supergirl: The Woman of Tomorrow:
The caller miniseries this volition beryllium based connected is an workout successful bleakness, ignoring sixty years of canon successful favour of a Supergirl who is simply a miserable, aggravated drunk. Gunn excitedly described this instrumentality connected Supergirl arsenic “hardcore,” “harsh,” and “fucked up.” You know, the quality created specifically to entreaty to small girls. Who astir apt won’t beryllium capable to spot this movie, since it’ll person excessively precocious of a rating, but who cares? Some grown men volition yet find Supergirl worthwhile!
Supergirl is my implicit favourite superhero, and yet I find myself praying that this movie ne'er gets made and ruins the nationalist cognition of her for decades. DC virtually canceled a Supergirl movie little than a twelvemonth ago, truthful there’s hope!
Paradise Lost:
This prequel TV amusement volition beryllium acceptable connected Themyscira earlier Wonder Woman is born. Safran describes it arsenic “Game of Thrones-ish,” and Gunn says it volition exposure the “ugly truths” down the island. You know, conscionable successful lawsuit I needed much of a crushed not to privation to spot 2 dudes’ instrumentality connected a utopian feminist fantasy. I mean, there’s missing the point, and past there’s immoderate this is.
The Bizarre
Swamp Thing:
He’s a guy! He’s a swamp! He’s both! Honestly, Swamp Thing is simply a ace absorbing quality and a fearfulness instrumentality connected him makes full sense, but this movie has to spell successful the bizarre conception because…he’s Swamp Thing. Fun fact! DC canceled the 2019 Swamp Thing amusement little than 2 months aft it premiered, truthful lord lone knows however acold this movie volition get.
Lanterns:
The Green Lantern franchise is tricky — truthful tricky that WB canceled a planned amusement conscionable past year! First of all, determination are ten, number ‘em, ten Earth-based Lanterns to take from erstwhile picking a protagonist, and Lantern fans person historically been highly not mean astir their faves. Second, bash you archer a regular superhero movie, oregon a abstraction opera? The 2011 movie starring Ryan Reynolds tried to person it some ways, and failed miserably. Gunn and Safran person decided to eschew some approaches, and alternatively are going for thing person to…True Detective? Uh, okay. Pairing up Hal Jordan and John Stewart arsenic buddy cops is simply a astute determination that volition apt quiescent astir of the arguments implicit Which Green Lantern Deserves A Movie, but this premise seems to connote that Hal Jordan has a brain, and I’ve been laughing astir that since I archetypal work the announcement.
Creature Commandos:
And for the eventual successful bonkers, we person this team, featuring Universal movie-style monsters — a Frankenstein! a vampire! a werewolf! a gorgon! — joining the subject and going connected concealed missions. It’s the benignant of gleefully silly conception comics bash best, and translating it to animation is inspired. Way to deliberation extracurricular the container connected this one, Gunn and Safran.
Which of these are you astir excited about? Or volition DC softly cancel 80% of them, past hitch the slate cleanable again 3 years from present with different expansive plan? Let america cognize your thoughts connected societal media!
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