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Tag: dc studios

  • James Gunn Shares First Look at DC Studios ‘Superman’ as Production Gets Underway

    James Gunn Shares First Look at DC Studios ‘Superman’ as Production Gets Underway

    On Superman’s birthday, DC Studios co-chair James Gunn gave fans of the Man of Steel a present. Via Instagram, Gunn revealed both the first look at the design for the new film’s crest of the House of El and a title change. Originally known as Superman: Legacy, the film is now simply titled Superman.

    A silver and black version of the logo, inspired by Mark Waid and Alex Ross‘ limited DC comic book series Kingdom Come, was first seen following a table read but Gunn has given fans a full color view of the crest.

    Gunn released the look from an undisclosed location and indicated that production on the film had begun. Given the snow sprinkled over the crest, it’s possible Gunn is also teasing a trip to the Fortress of Solitude. If that’s the case, production may well have begun in Hell, Norway as we indicated previously.

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  • ‘Superman: Legacy’: New House of El Crest Possibly Revealed

    ‘Superman: Legacy’: New House of El Crest Possibly Revealed

    As the cast of James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy assembled in Atlanta for a table read ahead of the start of production, a couple of photos posted by stars who participated in the read may have given fans the first look at the all-new DCU’s crest of the House of El.

    Both Isabela Merced, who will play Hawkgirl in the film, and Sara Sampaio, who will play Eve Teschmacher, posted photos of their nameplates to social media, providing a look at what just might be the new design for the Kryptonian symbol of hope that star David Corenswet will bear on his chest in Superman: Legacy.

    The logo is clearly inspired by the DC Elseworlds tale Kingdom Come, a four-issue limited series by Mark Waid and Alex Ross that was published in 1996. Following the death of Lois Lane and the public’s acceptance of a new hero willing to kill, Superman spends a decade in the Fortress of Solitude before returning to a world that’s become increasingly short on old-fashioned values. Parts of the story were adapted in the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths in which Superman Returns star Brandon Routh sported the black and red crest on his chest.

    With our stories, we want to take it away from good guy vs. bad guy. There are really good—almost saintly—people and Superman is among them. There are really terrible villains like Gorilla Grodd or the Joker. And then there’s everybody in between them, so there are all these shades of gray which allow us to tell complex stories.

    James Gunn on Superman

    While it seems unlikely that Gunn will be adapting Kingdom Come for Superman: Legacy (it seems far too dour of a story for the film set to launch the DCU and Gunn’s project seems to have taken a fair bit of inspiration from Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman), the idea of the Kryptonian hero existing “in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned,” as explained by Gunn, does reverberate with one of the themes of Kingdom Come. Returning from his self-imposed exile, Kal-El found the world greatly changed and its heroes no longer embracing “goodness” as a core value. It’s possible that theme will carry over into Superman: Legacy with a younger Kal-El serving as an example of all that is good for heroes like Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, a Green Lantern who is often depicted as a prick.

    Production on Superman: Legacy is expected to kick off in March in Hell, Norway before returning to America to film in Cleveland and Atlanta. The film is currently expected to be in theaters on July 11, 2025.

  • And Then There Were Two: A Pair of Front Runners Emerge in the Race to Be the DCU’s Supergirl

    And Then There Were Two: A Pair of Front Runners Emerge in the Race to Be the DCU’s Supergirl

    Before James Gunn gets to work on the first film of the all-new, all-different DCU, he has at least one more major decision to make about the cast of Superman: Legacy…and now it sounds like that he’s one step closer to making it.

    According to THR’s Borys Kit, Gunn and DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran have narrowed the field of actresses up for the role of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, down to two: Milly Alcock and Meg Donnelly.

    Alcock and Donnelly were first linked to the role in early January 2024 when it was reported that they, along with Emilia Jones would be screen testing for the role of Supergirl. Kit’s report indicated that Jones, along with Cailee Spaeny, have been eliminated from contention for the role and that it seems as though Gunn and Safran will be choosing either Alcock or Donnelly relatively soon.

    The plan, according to Kit, is for Supergirl to appear in 2025’s Superman: Legacy, setting the stage for the as-yet-undated Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film. That film, based on author Tom King’s acclaimed comic book run, is being written by Ana Nogueira and was one of the first projects announced as part of the DCU’s Chapter One-Gods and Monsters arc.

    Source: THR

  • Trio of Actresses Set to Screen Test to Be the DCU’s Supergirl

    Trio of Actresses Set to Screen Test to Be the DCU’s Supergirl

    DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn recently indicated that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was on deck to begin production following Superman: Legacy. Now a trade report has revealed three potential front runners for the coveted role of Kara Zor-El.

    According to Deadline, Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon), Meg Donnelly, who voiced the character in the 2023 animated film Legion of Super-Heroes, and Emilia Jones (Netflix’s Locke and Key) are expected to screen test for the role in the next month.

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  • Sean Gunn Lands a Major Role in the New DCU

    Sean Gunn Lands a Major Role in the New DCU

    With Superman: Legacy having significantly rounded out its cast over the past several weeks, director and DC Studios co-chair James Gunn has turned his attention to some major world-building for the new DC Universe. According to a trade report, Gunn has cast his brother, Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1-3), as one of DC Comics more intriguing supervillains.

    Deadline reports that the actor is set to portray Maxwell Lord, a one-time ally of the Justice League turned nemesis, who first appeared in 1987’s Justice League #1. If the character sounds familiar, it’s because he was recently played by Pedro Pascal in 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984. Additionally, Lord appeared on the small screen in both Smallville and Supergirl.

    According to Deadline’s sources, Lord will be referenced in Superman: Legacy but is not expected to appear on screen. With the streaming series Waller set to debut ahead of Superman: Legacy and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and The Brave and the Bold up next on the theatrical slate, it looks like Gunn’s been cast for the long haul. It’s entirely possible that Lord shows up in multiple projects in Gods and Monsters: Chapter One and could even be the driving force behind the formation of the DCU’s Justice League.

    Source: Deadline

  • Miss Teschmacher!! Sara Sampaio Joins ‘Superman: Legacy’ Cast

    Miss Teschmacher!! Sara Sampaio Joins ‘Superman: Legacy’ Cast

    Ahead of an expected January start of production, DC Studios’ Superman: Legacy continues to add to its cast. According to a trade report, Portuguese model Sara Sampaio has signed on to play the role of Eve Teschmacher.

    First introduced in Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman where the character was played by Valerie Perrine, Eve Teschmacher is an ally and possible love interest of Lex Luthor. Luthor will be played by Nicholas Hoult, who recently landed the role after months of speculation.

    Superman: Legacy has been described as the “launch of the DCU” and, according to DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran, will be centered “on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.” The film was written and will be directed by Safran’s partner James Gunn who explained that Superman, played by David Corenswet, “is for everyone. [Superman] four-quadrant film that should speak to everyone in the world,” explained Gunn. “With our stories, we want to take it away from good guy vs. bad guy. There are really good—almost saintly—people and Superman is among them,” added the director.

    Gunn’s saintly take on Kal-El is slated to hit theaters on July 11th, 2025.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Superman: Legacy’ Finds Its Jimmy Olsen

    ‘Superman: Legacy’ Finds Its Jimmy Olsen

    The Righteous Gemstones and Santa Clarita Diet actor Skyler Gisondo has landed a key role in James Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy. Gisondo will play cub reporter, photojournalist and–most importantly–Superman’s pal in the 2025 film.

    After the character was rumored to be part of the Man of Steel’s latest theatrical reboot, Gunn–as is his way–confirmed the speculation on Twitter earlier this year. Multiple actors have brought Olsen to life over the years with Gisondo set to be the ninth live-action version of the character. Given his acting resume, Gisondo seems very likely to be much more in line with the “Jeepers Mr. Kent” version of the character than the Snyderverse’s version played by Michael Cassidy.

    Gisondo joins new Kal-El David Corenswet, new Lois Lane Rachel Brosnahan along with Nathan Fillion, Isabel Merced, Anthony Carrigan, Edi Gathegi and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Superman: Legacy is slated to start production early in 2024 ahead of a July 11, 2025 release.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Early Projections Heading for a $17M Opening Weekend

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Early Projections Heading for a $17M Opening Weekend

    Yeah, you read that right. Things are not looking good for Blue Beetle. The next installment in the DC(E)U is only a few weeks away from hitting theaters. yet, there’s a noticeable lack in marketing for the latest addition that’ll explore the story of young Jamie Reyes as he becomes the iconic hero. Sadly, Warner Bros. Discovery is not going all out to market the film and the fangs of The Flash’s slip is showing.

    Superhero films have become a dime a dozen, so audiences (especially this year) are more selective about what they want to watch and what not. It’s why we had a surprisingly brutal summer box office with very few real “winners” out there. While some films are managing to leg out, it’s not really rosy for the “big return” of the summer box office.

    As such, the film is currently projected to open to $12M to $17M. Yes, that is what it’ll likely make over its entire opening weekend with a total range not going any higher than $55M. While we don’t know the budget of the film, it’s still a worse performance than Shazam! Fury of the Gods earlier this year.

    While some talk a lot about superhero fatigue, it’s just a blockbuster fatigue overall and people are more selective on what they watch in theaters. Prices are skyrocketing so the expectation on what a film can do is higher than ever before. Blue Beetle was barely marketed and the last two DC films fell flat on their noses. So, it’s just looking like people don’t truly trust the brand enough for it to be worth their money.

    Source: BoxOffice Pro

  • ‘Aquaman’ Sequel’ Third Reshoots Scrap All Batman Cameo

    ‘Aquaman’ Sequel’ Third Reshoots Scrap All Batman Cameo

    Does Warner Bros. have another The Flash on their hands? The last time the production studio was all-in on a DC Studios project from the former era did not end as they hoped. After becoming one of the biggest bombs of the studio’s 100-year history, even performing worse than Green Lantern, they are quite nervous that the next project sticks the landing. While there is little advertising going around for Blue Beetle, which is set to release in only a few weeks, Warner Bros. may once again be too focused on the future.

    Their next big hope is the release of James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is riding on the potential of the first film’s $1 billion holiday release. The only issue is that the film is seemingly sinking in one way or another. The film has undergone three reshoots by now, which is not something you normally want to hear about a film. One or two reshoots are pretty common nowadays, but the problem seems to stem from the film going through countless test screenings.

    During one round, the new Warner film heads, Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, got involved; the latter got involved in the editing process. That led to the film scoring even lower and ended up going through another round of reshoots. Supposedly, the story clarity is an issue for viewers of The Lost Kingdom. Plus, now one can add the fact that the second reshoots including Ben Affleck, who was set to replace Michael Keaton’s character after his originally planned return at the end of The Flash, is now also scrapped by DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

    They are pointing to the overworked visual effects houses as one reason, but they have affected many other films ever since the pandemic started. It seems like too many cooks were involved and the film has likely gone even further over its initially planned budget of $205M. So, the film would have to do a lot of heavy lifting to make its money back. Oddly, Black Adam remains the highest earner at the box office for DC since the pandemic started and Dwayne Johnson may have held is promise after all.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Superman: Legacy’ Narrowing Down its Leading Duo & Lex Luthor

    ‘Superman: Legacy’ Narrowing Down its Leading Duo & Lex Luthor

    It looks like James Gunn is still busy trying to find the next Superman and Lois Lane for his next film Superman Legacy. In its second week of screen testings, it seems that he may be slowly narrowing down who he wants in the role, while also potentially reaching out to who would take on the iconic villainous role of Lex Luthor in his newly established DC Cinematic Universe.

    In a new entry of the Heat Vision newsletter from The Hollywood Reporter, they reveal that they have now paired up the potential cast members. Gunn has been busy casting for the feature film with the following pairings: Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan, David Corenswet with Emma Mackey, as well as Tom Brittney and Phoebe Dynevor.

    Seems they were given several scenes in makeup and wardrobe as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, but also in costumes as the iconic superhero. He’s trying to make sure that they nail this casting, as their future development for the franchise may hinge on this very development. Surprisingly, this isn’t too dissimilar from how Ryan Reynolds‘ casting as Green Lantern went back in 2011.

    That isn’t all, as it seems he’s also already looking to cast the villainous Lex Luthor for his film. At the moment, it seems that two brothers are being eyed, Alexander and Bill Skarsgard. Even Nicholas Hoult supposedly put himself at one point in the running before fully embracing a chance as Superman, but if he doesn’t get cast there’s still a chance. Gunn is currently hoping to start filming in early 2024.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter