While the Super Bowl, traditionally a place where movie studios look to hype their new releases with teasing trailers and TV spots, is just around the corner, Warner Bros. and DC got a head start by releasing a combo video featuring their upcoming slate of superhero movies.
Titled ‘The World Needs Heroes’, the one-minute clip collection boasts footage from ‘The Batman’, ‘Black Adam’, The Flash’ and ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’.
‘Black Adam’, which stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular hero was perhaps the most intriguing, because this is the largest amount of footage we’ve seen to date.
cAKImAUxggIpR5ZyKNuIz5Included in that were first looks at Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman (both in full costume), plus a small moment between
Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, though those two were in more civilian clothing until a couple of small closing shots.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, (who worked with The Rock on last year’s ‘Jungle Cruise’), ‘Black Adam’ is the story of Johnson’s character Teth Adam, who was bestowed with the powers of the Egyptian gods nearly 5,000 years ago — and imprisoned just as quickly. He’s freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. Traditionally, he shares similar powers with Shazam (played in his own film by Zachary Levi) and has been a villain for that hero. More recently, though, he’s evolved into more of an antihero, and that appears to be the conflicted character Johnson’s bringing to life.
Dr. Fate (who is best described as a sort of DC Doctor Strange, albeit introduced 20 years before the Marvel magician) and the others, meanwhile, are part of the Justice Society (which pre-dates the League, fact fans) and will likely both clash with and work together with Adam, since their attitudes to the word “justice” differ from his punch-first-ask-questions-maybe style.
There’s also a small mention of Black Adams’ son “saving” him and given the presence of Uli Latukefu, who plays one of the young Rocks in, er, ‘Young Rock’, allow us to slap on the hat of wild speculation and say he’s either playing a young Adam or his child.
Sarah Shahi, James Cusati-Moyer, ‘Aladdin’s Marwan Kenzari, Bodhi Sabongui and Mo Amer round out the main cast for the movie, due in theaters on July 29.
Next up, we have ‘The Flash’, which finally gives Ezra Miller’s big-screen Scarlet Speedster his solo outing (even if he does have to share it with Michael Keaton’s Batman, Ben Affleck’s Batman, and some alternate versions of himself).
The story for the movie, which has ‘It’s Andy Muschietti directing, is that Barry Allen tries to use his powers to save his mother, who died when he was young, and his father, who was framed for the killing and ended up in jail. But Barry’s attempts end up causing fractures in the multiverse, which explains the appearance of Keaton and more.
The latter only shows up via voice-over in the clips, asking Barry why, if he can go to any timeline or universe, why he’s fighting to save this one? You’ve got to wonder why Bruce Wayne, of anyone, would question trying to save someone’s parents.
And while the TV version of ‘The Flash’ has explored the famous comic book storyline known as ‘Flashpoint’, the new movie looks to be going all-in on the idea; between this and the likes of Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ alternate realities are big this year.
Kiersey Clemons is reprising her ‘Justice League’ role as Iris West (Barry’s soulmate), Ron Livingston takes over the role of Barry’s Dad Henry from Billy Crudup, and Sasha Calle will show up as a new big-screen Supergirl. They, along with Temuera Morrison reprising his ‘Aquaman‘ role as Tom Curry, and ‘Man of Steel’s Michael Shannon and Antje Traue are all in the movie, which runs to theaters on November 4.
GqvjtiR1Skzdp96PgxYKv5‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, meanwhile, returns Jason Momoa to screens as Arthur Curry, wrangling with his status as ruler of Atlantis. The sequel to the hit 2018 movie is once again directed by James Wan and while the storyline is mostly a mystery, we do know it’ll see Momoa’s hero teaming up with an unlikely alley (possibly Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master, the villain of the original) to face a big new threat. Because, let’s face it, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Goldfish’ just wouldn’t have the same impact.
Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman all return from the first movie. Little was revealed about this new adventure (unlike the others, there wasn’t as much footage, which likely points to it having finished shooting later and having fewer shots finished) but there’s plenty of time as it doesn’t swim into theaters until December 16.
P2exSCX0ptrrjAuoGkjtn2And though ‘The Batman’ got first position because it’ll be out in less than a month (March 4, to be exact), it’s less exciting simply because we’ve seen almost everything presented here in previous trailers.
Still, the movie, directed by Matt Reeves, stars Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, and John Turturro, is looking very good – dark, gritty (well, it is cinematic Batman, after all) and stylish. Skipping the usual origin story (as far as we know), Reeves’ movie is instead a detective story about Bruce Wayne’s relatively early days as the Caped Crusader, investigating a dangerous new enemy in Dano’s The Riddler, who is himself digging into all of Gotham City’s secrets – including those of the Wayne family.
Perhaps most remarkable about this is that final, bold “Only In Theaters” tag, which almost sounds like it should come with a smaller, “Sorry to the makers of last year’s movies about the whole day-and-date HBO Max thing. Our bad!” But it’s certainly a statement of intent, a setting out of DC’s stall that it still means to compete with Disney and Marvel.
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