“I wanted to keep the story to the world of Aquaman and not have to worry about what other characters are doing in their films and how that would affect us,” Wan said. “I just thought the simplest way was to keep it clean — keep it simple and let it be an Aquaman story.”
It’s funny to hear him use the word “simple” to describe the upcoming movie (the first trailer shows its anything but that), but we get what he means. It can be fun to see a group of superhero come together, but following a single protagonist’s story is great, too. Aquaman has an exciting one, so we don’t think he needs any Justice League backup for now. There are always future DCEU movies for that.
“The Batman” is still out there, almost ready to emerge from his Batcave.
Ben Affleck was originally going to direct, star, and co-write “The Batman,” but now Matt Reeves has the directing job. He’s had the job for a while, but he just offered some updates during the TCAs, where Reeves was promoting his Fox show “The Passage.”
Reeves said (via /FILM) he was working on getting a script draft submitted in the next couple of weeks, with the hope to start filming this coming “spring or early summer, something like that.”
Reeves shot down any rumors of doing “Year One,” or any particular comic:
“We are definitely not doing Year One. It’s just exciting to be focused very specifically on a tale that is defining for him and very personal to him. Obviously we’re not doing an origin tale or anything like that. We’re doing a story that is definitively Batman, though, and trying to tell a story that’s emotional and yet is really about him being the world’s greatest detective and all the things that for me, since I was a kid, made me love Batman.”
Reeves emphasized that his film will be “a very point of view noir-driven definitive Batman story in which he is investigating a particular case and that takes us out into the world of Gotham.” In case you were delusional, he added, “There’s no continuation of the [Christopher] Nolan films. It’s very much trying to find a way to do this as something that for me is going to be definitively Batman and new and cool.”
There have been rumors that Ben Affleck won’t be returning as Batman. The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline both had reports in June about DC rebooting this story to focus on a young Caped Crusader. There was talk that “The Batman” might be a standalone with no connection to the DCEU.
However, Affleck had said he was looking for a “graceful and cool way to segue out” of playing Batman, to hand it off to the next actor. That may be why Reeves seemed to leave the door open Affleck to be involved:
“There are ways in which all of this connects to DC, to the DC universe as well. We’re one piece of many pieces so I don’t want to comment on that except to say that I’m focused very specifically on this aspect of the DC world.”
According to Deadline, Reeves added that Ben Affleck “is still involved” in the project, but it was too early to say more.
It’s possible, as /FILM speculated, that Ben Affleck could be involved in a bookend storyline, showing up at the beginning and the end of a feature more focused on a different Bruce Wayne.
But there are still a lot of question marks, and you can never be too sure what’s going to happen in the DC world until cameras start rolling. But as of now Reeves still plans to shoot the film in the first half of 2019. Best of luck with that.
Check the brooding, growling, and glaring at the door to “Shazam!”
The upcoming new entry to the DC Extended Universe will be bringing more, much needed lightness, following in the tonal footsteps of “Wonder Woman” and “Aquaman.”
The titular superhero starts off as ordinary 14-year-old Billy Batson, who can transform into an adult with super powers by saying “Shazam!”
“From my perspective, ‘Shazam!’ represents the next step in the evolution of the DC brand,” producer Peter Safran explained. “You had ‘Wonder Woman,’ then ‘Aquaman’ [opening Dec. 21] is another big step, then comes ‘Shazam!’ — all different movies, but all have a unique tone that moves away from the darkness of the prior DC movies.”
EW also unveiled a new image from the movie. Certainly, the pic featuring the superhero and friend Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) projects a sense of wonder and fun.
EW via Warner Bros.
“It’s complete wish-fulfillment — if you scour all of DC and Marvel there are very few characters that are actually stoked to be a superhero,” Levi added.
“They’re not brooding, they’re not put out, like ‘Oh dammit, I gotta save the world again!’ Billy Batson is like Peter Parker, they’re thrilled to have these powers and can’t wait to try them out.”
There’s still plenty of secrecy surrounding upcoming DC spinoff flick “Birds of Prey,” but a new report claims to shed some light on just who will be joining the titular gang of female heroes and villains.
TheWrap is reporting that it knows which characters from the comics will be appearing alongside Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn in the flick. According to the site, that lineup will include Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and Renee Montoya.
Here’s the breakdown of each character, per TheWrap’s report:
-Black Canary, aka Dinah Laurel, is a fantastic hand-to-hand combatant who comes from a family of crime fighters. Her father, Larry Lance, was a police officer, while her mother (also named Dinah) was the original Black Canary.
-Helena Bertinelli, aka Huntress, is a vigilante operating out of Gotham City.
-Cassandra Cain is one of the world’s greatest martial artists, and also a vigilante.
-Renee Montoya is a detective working for the Gotham City Police Department. Montoya is openly lesbian, and during The New 52 comics she takes on a costumed identity, becoming the Question.
Making the film as diverse as possible is an important goal of filmmakers, according to Robbie. In an interview earlier this month, the actress said that she wanted the onscreen characters to reflect the fact that “real life isn’t … one specific image.”
In addition to the lineup scoop, TheWrap is reporting that “Birds of Prey” will feature a villain from the “Batman” comics “who has never before appeared on the big screen.” (So, not the Penguin, then.) We’ll keep our fingers crossed that we get some more scoop about the flick during Comic-Con this weekend.
The filmmakers behind upcoming DCEU flick “Aquaman” have been teasing the movie’s impressive underwater effects for months, and now, fans have yet another look at some of those visuals with a new poster.
The one-sheet features the titular hero, played by Jason Momoa, perched on a rock in his vast below-surface kingdom. It’s a bit hard to make out exactly what that kingdom entails, though, because its buildings are almost entirely obscured by a gigantic, eclectic collection of aquatic life.
Warner Bros.
Dozens of great white sharks, hammerheads, killer whales, dolphins, manta rays, swordfish, and sea turtles are crammed into the frame, swirling around the mischievous-looking Aquaman. We think we even spy a couple humpback whales lurking in the distance. It’s clear that this hero is in control of his realm, and pretty pleased with himself over it.
That’s about to change, though, as the standalone flick explores new challenges Aquaman faces for his throne. We’ve already seen some photos teasing a battle that employs some of this poster’s great white sharks, and we imagine our hero has even more tricks up his sleeve when it comes to employing the ocean’s bounty.
The “Shazam!” star previously teased a look at his character in May, but now we have the first official photo.
Entertainment Weekly‘s image shows the full Shazam costume, with Levi alongside “It” star Jack Dylan Grazer. Grazer plays Freddy, best friend to Billy Baston (Asher Angel), the teen who can transform into an adult superhero by saying “Shazam.” Freddy is the only person who knows that Billy is Shazam.
Warner Bros., via EW
According to EW, in the DC Extended Universe film, orphaned 14-year-old Billy Batson befriends comic book superfan Freddy Freeman when he’s assigned to a new foster home. “One day, Billy’s subway ride is interrupted by a mysterious Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) whose been searching for ages to find the right successor to inherit his powers. He reveals the teen’s been selected to gain an assortment of abilities, and all it takes is for Billy to say ‘SHAZAM!’”
“Shazam!” is being directed by David F. Sandberg, and also stars Mark Strong, Grace Fulton, and Ian Chen. It’s currently scheduled for release in theaters on April 5th, 2019.
Joaquin Phoenix finalized his deal to play The Joker in DC’s upcoming origin story.
So it’s really happening.
With DC/Warner Bros. it’s rarely clear what’s official and what’s just rumored — especially with all of the back-and-forth reports about Jared Leto’s Joker vs. Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker.
But The Hollywood Reporter says Phoenix recently closed his deal, and filming on the origin story will begin in New York this September. There’s no release date yet, but THR speculated that Warner Bros. could put it on the release calendar as early as next year.
This Joker standalone — whose title has yet to be revealed –was co-written by Todd Phillips, who is also directing. The studio has apparently described it as an “exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.” It’s being compared to a crime drama.
A few months ago, sources told TheWrap this Joker movie would “portray Batman’s arch-nemesis as a failed 1980s comedian who becomes the clown prince of crime after bombing with audiences.”
This Joker movie is said to be separate from the DC Extended Universe of “Justice League” and Jared Leto’s Joker in “Suicide Squad.” THR said it’s meant to be more experimental in tone than the DCEU films, and also less expensive with a roughly $55 million budget.
Jared Leto still reportedly has that solo Joker movie in development, so as of now it doesn’t sound like Joaquin’s film will definitely replace Jared’s. Joker fatigue is a possibility for audiences, but it depends on how the films differentiate from each other, and when each one arrives in theaters. (If the Jared Leto one happens at all.)
Are you excited about this? Joaquin Phoenix is an exciting actor, and if he was intrigued enough to say yes to this project we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. For now.
People have been smitten with Gal Gadot since she made her debut as Wonder Woman in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and what she did Friday is only going to make them fall harder.
The “Wonder Woman” actress ended the week by being a hero: She visited patients at Inova Children’s Hospital in Annandale, Virginia, dressed as her iconic character, Variety reports. Some of the photos made their way to Twitter, and Gadot and everyone present looked like they had a wonderful time.
“Thank you @GalGadot for visiting us @InovaHealth Children’s Hospital,” wrote Dr. Lucas Collazo on Twitter. “You are a true Wonder Woman. The kids loved it…and so did the staff.”
Besides wearing her superhero outfit to the hospital, Gadot has recently been wearing it on set. “Wonder Woman: 1984” is filming in the Washington, D.C. area ahead of its November 2019 release date.
Margot Robbie has been instrumental in shepherding the upcoming DC spinoff flick “Birds of Prey” throughout its development process, and that’s going to continue in the casting of the film, too.
In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Robbie offered a few behind the scenes updates on the project, which sounds like it is still in its early stages. The flick recently secured its director, Cathy Yan, who is only the second woman — and first Asian woman — to helm a DC film.
Robbie advocated for hiring Yan, and she confirmed to Yahoo! that it was also a priority for her that the film be diverse in front of the camera, too.
” … [R]eal life isn’t so one specific image,” Robbie explained to the site. “We’ve got to reflect that onscreen.”
“Birds of Prey” is focused on the female villains of the DC-verse, and as the actress previously explained to Moviefone, it will be an “R-rated girl gang film.” Though the specific members of that gang are unknown right now, Robbie’s “Suicide Squad” breakout, Harley Quinn, will be front and center — and getting a makeover.
” … [T]he costumes haven’t been designed yet, but yes, she’ll have new looks,” the actress told Yahoo! of her onscreen alter ego. “There will be new Halloween costumes out there, one day.”
On the Superhero News Show, co-host Mark Hughes (who also writes about superhero movies for Forbes) said he thinks that the Leto solo Joker film is “not likely” because “we can’t use preexisting Jokers.” (Sorry, sir. You’re a preexisting Joker. You’re not covered under the current terms of the DCEU.”)
Also, Martin Scorsese‘s Joker movie might precede a new Batman film. Which would then make Phoenix, you guessed it, a “preexisting Joker” if he appears in any other DCEU movie.
Here’s Hughes’s far-from-firm take:
“I think Joaquin Phoenix is playing the Joker in a standalone film, that will possibly wind up not being standalone, as the situation evolved with the solo Batman movies and the future of the DCEU shapes up. I haven’t heard anything firm, but I’ve heard certainly whispers from several people that I’ve talked to about that project… so now it looks like there’s going to be that project and I have heard from a few people that there is talk of if [the Joker] movie is really going to go forward and if it’s really that good, if we’re rebooting Batman anyway, he’s going to need a Joker. We can’t use preexisting Jokers. So, we either have Jared Leto showing up as the Joker in some sort of sequel movie, and a Joaquin Phoenix solo Joker movie, and then we have to have another Joker. Wouldn’t it make more sense to take a Martin Scorsese-produced Joker with Joaquin Phoenix and wait and see if it works out, then just cross that and have that be the Joker for the new Batman?”
Warner Bros.
Are we going to get a 