Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: DC Universe

  • A Brief History of James Gunn’s Love of Superman

    A Brief History of James Gunn’s Love of Superman

    Weeks after ascending to the top of DC Studios, James Gunn made a major statement about the future of the DC Universe when he announced that he was writing a treatment for an all-new Superman film. Gunn’s project, which he may ultimately direct, has no ties to Henry Cavill‘s Man of Steel or the Snyderverse and should be a signal to fans about the direction of the newly minted studio. Superman is a priority for DC Studios and by taking it on himself to write the script, Gunn is making sure his vision is the one that defines the character.

    Telling a good Superman story isn’t easy in the 2020s which means Gunn’s taking a lot of responsibility in his new role as co-chair. If fans don’t respond well to the new project, Gunn will take the heat. That’s a long way off, however, as the script is obviously just being developed now but that doesn’t mean that Gunn hasn’t had Superman on his mind for quite some time. In fact, he’s been very vocal about his love for and interest in the character over the last several years and has come close to either developing a Superman or Superman-adjacent property more than once! Here’s a look, albeit a brief one, at Gunn’s love of Superman.

    For Gunn, it likely all started in 1978 when, as a 12-year-old, he saw Richard Donner‘s Superman at a theater in Des Peres, Missourri. Gunn called Superman a “great movie” that “rivaled Star Wars” for him and, in a 2021 interview, credited it with getting him “really excited about the genre.”

    Before becoming the driving creative force behind Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn wrote and directed 2010’s Super, a black comedy about a hero with no super powers which may or may not be a part of a cinematic universe where the “evil Superman” character from Brightburn exists, but even while he was tied up at Marvel, he remained a fan of Superman. In a long Twitter thread from 2016, Gunn made it clear that he enjoyed 2013’s Man of Steel despite some of his criticism about how it portrayed the hero, citing a lack of empathy as an issue.

    Gunn has always kept up a major presence on social media and in 2016 during a live Facebook Q&A, he was asked who would win in a fight between Hulk and Superman. At the time, Gunn was very much believed to be one of the architects of the future of Marvel Studios, making his response a bit surprising.

    Hulk vs Superman, who wins? Probably Superman, right?“He’s much more powerful than Hulk.

    James Gunn via Radio Times

    In 2017, after congratulating Zachary Levi for landing the lead role in Shazam!, Gunn was besieged on social media by fans for even mentioning a DC property. His response was pretty epic as he urged fans to drop the “Marvel vs. DC” mentality.

    Every time I mention anything DC, no matter what, my feed becomes an endless screaming match about BvS. You guys are never going to convince each other – it’s just a bunch of wasted energy. At least when you’re screaming at each other about Trump, it’s something of international importance. But it’s a 2 year old movie that some people like and some people don’t. Why is someone else’s opinion so important to you? As Marvel and DC super fans you have way more in common with each other than you do with the rest of the world. So why do you spend so much time raging at each other? It’s silly. Please just stop it. Stop engaging in that way.

    James Gunn

    Less than a year later, Gunn had been fired from Marvel and hired by the old guard at DC to direct The Suicide Squad. Interestingly enough, before moving forward on The Suicide Squad, Gunn had his pick of projects including a Superman film that he turned down. Gunn also indicated that while he ultimately chose not to direct it, he briefly considered a project centered around Superman’s dog, Krypto. Though he passed on the Superman project, Gunn later revealed that he nearly ended up including the character in The Suicide Squad…as the bad guy until he settled on Starro.

    I thought that was a very interesting story. But when I came up with Starro…he’s a character I loved from the comics. I think he’s a perfect comic book character because he’s absolutely ludicrous, but he’s also very scary in his own way … He used to scare the crap out of me when I was a child, putting those facehuggers on Superman and Batman and stuff. So, I thought he was one of the major DC villains that was probably never gonna be put into another movie. And if they did, they would do it like the ‘black cloud’ version of Starro — not a giant, walking starfish that’s a kaiju, that is bright-pink and cerulean blue. Just a ridiculously bright bad guy.

    James Gunn via Script Apart Podcast

    It’s safe to say that Superman, and the state of DC’s films, has been on Gunn’s mind for some time now. In that sense, it’s no surprise that he’s decided to make the character a priority in his early days as the co-chair after seeing him mostly sidelined by the previous regime. It looks like Gunn is going all in on that character as one of the building blocks of the DC Universe and given his love for the character, fans should look for a return to the character’s roots as a symbol of pure goodness and hope.

    Sources: THR, HH, Radio Times, Deadline, SYFY, Flickering Myth, Script Apart

  • ‘The Batman 2’ Won’t Be in Theaters Any Time Soon

    ‘The Batman 2’ Won’t Be in Theaters Any Time Soon

    As news comes of Warner Bros. hiring of James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead the way for the newly-minted DC Studios, fans of Matt Reeves’ The Batman also received a disappointing update on the sequel to the 2022 film. According to Variety’s Zack Sharf, The Batman 2 won’t be headed to theaters for at least another 3 years.

    Sharf reported that the film, which Reeves began developing in April of 2022, is still without a complete script. The director had already been planning the sequel long before that, but is also involved in and overseeing the creation of several other projects based in and around the Gotham of his Batman Universe. Even with the shift to a DC Films DC Universe, the studio seems to remain committed to Reeves’ projects, though it’s unclear what, if any, connectivity they will share with the future DCU. At the moment, Reeves’ Gotham-verse looks to consist of the Colin Farrell-led HBO Max series, The Penguin, an Arkham Asylum series being developed by showrunner Antonio Campos, and multiple films focusing on Batman’s Rogues Gallery with characters such as Scarecrow, Clayface and Professor Pyg among those up for solo outings.

    With all that going on, it’s easy to see how Reeves may not have The Batman 2 out in theaters anytime soon. However, it’s clear that there’s both an audience for Reeves’ vision and support for it at DC Studios, so while fans will have a bit of a wait, at least it won’t be a stressful one.

  • ‘Black Adam’ Cinemascore Revealed

    ‘Black Adam’ Cinemascore Revealed

    If you haven’t heard, the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change. Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam finally hit theaters after 15 years in development and while its reaction with critics has been mixed, that doesn’t seem to be the case with fans. Following its Thursday and Friday night showings, the superhero film is boasting some pretty impressive fan metrics.

    Cinemascore, which polls movie audiences following their opening night experiences, has reported a B+ score for Black Adam while Rotten Tomatoes audience score is at an 89%, which is a stark contrast to the “rotten” 42% critics’ score. While we wait for Friday’s official box office numbers to come in (the film made $7.6M during its Thursday night preview screenings), it’s clear that audiences are enjoying the action-packed film.

    The B+ Cinemascore for Black Adam is very much in line with the last two theatrical releases for Warner Bros. DC films. Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which opened in March of 2022, was given an A- Cinemascore by moviegoers and James Gunn’s 2021 The Suicide Squad received the same B+ Cinemascore as Black Adam. Fans who enjoyed the direction of those projects have quite a bit to look forward to as a Black Adam sequel is expected to happen fairly quickly, Reeves is developing a whole universe of Gotham-based projects and Gunn has at least one new DC trick up his sleeve.

    Read our full review of Black Adam here.

  • Thursday Previews Box Office for ‘Black Adam’ Hint at a Disappointing Opening Weekend

    Thursday Previews Box Office for ‘Black Adam’ Hint at a Disappointing Opening Weekend

    Black Adam’s projected opening weekend domestic box office numbers continue along a disappointing downward trend. Dwayne Johnson’s anti-hero film, which has been in development for 15 years, was originally predicted to pull in $65M+ with some estimates as high as $75-80M. Now, after the numbers from the Thursday previews have arrived, it looks like it would take a pretty serious course correction to get to $60M.

    Gitesh Pandya of Box Office Guru shared the official box office take from Thursday’s showings which came in just under $8M.

    As Pandya points out, the Tom Hardy-led Venom films took in $10M and $11.6M, respectively, ahead of $80M and $90M opening weekends. DC’s last theatrical release, The Batman, opened to $134M when it opened in March of 2022.

    As of now, it looks like Black Adam’s box office has fallen victim to mixed reviews from the initial wave or critics who screened the film ahead of its wide release. Given Johnson’s star power and the less-than-secret return of Henry Cavill as Superman in a post-credit scene, it’s likely that DC Films was hoping the film would open between $80-100M. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set to follow Black Adam into theaters in just three weeks, it’s unlikely the latter will have legs making the first two weekends more significant than normal.

  • Turnaround to the ‘Black Adam’ Sequel “Will Be Fast”

    Turnaround to the ‘Black Adam’ Sequel “Will Be Fast”

    Black Adam hasn’t even fully opened in theaters across North America yet, but two of the DC Comics’ film’s producers already have their sights set on getting the sequel in theaters. Hiram Garcia, President of Production of Seven Bucks Productions, and Beau Flynn, who has worked as a producer on Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson’s films dating back to 2012’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, are ready to get to work on a follow-up.

    Speaking to Comic Book about the timeline for a potential sequel, Garcia said, “It’s not going to take that long. I can promise you that. We always hope the first domino’s the easy one. We’ll get cooking on it fast, that’s for sure.” As is often the case, it’s possible that plenty of ideas were tossed around for a sequel during development and production on the first film. Johnson is keen on seeing his character square off with Henry Cavill’s Superman, so keen in fact that he chose to spoil the character’s post-credit scene appearance a week before the film premiered.

    Whether the script features Superman, Shazam or something else entirely, Flynn backed up Garcia’s promise. “Don’t worry. This one will be fast,” said Flynn. “We will open up the magic wagon, we’ll have the script ready, pretty fast,” added the producer. Of course, a script doesn’t necessarily mean the film will be given the green light by Warner Bros. The company is still searching for a new figure atop DC Films following the exit of Walter Hamada and the projected box office for Black Adam slipped a bit this past week following a mixed reaction in its initial wave of reviews. However, with Johnson leading the charge to make Black Adam a key character in the future of the DC Universe, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be denied a sequel.

    Black Adam is now in theaters.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou Returning as the Wizard in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

    EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou Returning as the Wizard in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

    That’s right, you read that headline correctly. Djimon Hounsou and his character, the ancient Wizard Shazam, will return in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. While I’m sure the Shazam-Fam will welcome the return, this does come as a bit of a shock based on the fact that the Wizard disintegrated to dust in front of our very eyes in the first film and his magical staff was broken. It will be interesting to see how the sequel works around all of that. While a flashback is certainly possible, I’d say that it also seems likely that those powerful but villainous sisters, Hespera and Kalypso (played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu), could have something to do with his resurrection. But it won’t be out of the goodness of their hearts.

     

    Shazam! Fury of the Gods Djimon Hounsou's Wizard

     

    Hounsou is no stranger to comic book properties, appearing in both Shazam! and Captain Marvel in 2019. Before that, he was the voice of King Ricou in Aquaman (2018), appeared as Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and with Keanu Reeves in DC’s Constantine (2005). His voice work also includes a part in Amazon’s Invincible and a 2010 Black Panther animated series in which he played T’Challa. But his “nerd cred” goes back even further, with a part in Angelina Jolie’s game-based adventure film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life in 2003, and all the way back to 1994, when he appeared as Horus in the sci-fi cult classic Stargate. 

    Shazam! Fury of the Gods stars Zachary Levi as the superhero, and Asher Angel as his teenaged alter ego Billy Batson who was gifted a major “glow up” along with all of the amazing powers of the Wizard Shazam with the help of his magical staff. The DC comics film sequel, which is on the verge of commencing filming in Georgia alongside Black Adam, is scheduled to hit theaters on June 2nd, 2023.

  • Robert Pattinson’s Returns to ‘The Batman’ Set in BTS Photos

    Robert Pattinson’s Returns to ‘The Batman’ Set in BTS Photos

    The Batman was one of the first series to enter production after the pandemic has calmed down. It took some time but it seemed we were slowly returning to normalcy. We all knew there would always be the risk that the production set could be hit at any time. Suddenly, the news dropped that Robert Pattinson had been tested positive and the production shut down. Now, a month later we heard rumblings of the production slowly returning to normal. Now, we got our first look at the set that also includes the confirmation that Pattinson has returned to the set. The Daily Mail shared some photos from Liverpool’s George’s Hall. They confirmed that it will be used as Gotham’s City Hall, as a sign was sighted outside of the building.

    It is great to see that he is healthy again. It seems like they are filming a sequence we’ve already seen a part of from the first trailer that was released during DC FanDome. Pattison‘s suit seems to closely match what we’ve seen in that scene, especially the black tie. The scene they are filming seems to take place during the funeral scene where a man drives a car into the building. Gotham P.D. is on stand-by outside to keep the place safe. So, this could take place after the bomb threat, so that they can hold a public funeral. It could also be before the events from the trailer, as they might be making sure whoever killed him won’t strike again. If that is the case, they did not do a good job going by what follows in the film’s first trailer.

    There are also set photos from Twitter user @yassinfinite that may give us our first look at Riddler’s goons in the film. The dead giveaawy is the big question mark on their back.

    https://twitter.com/yassinfinite/status/1315602476570157056

    The set photos also give us a first look at Bruce’s vintage ride. The Daily Mail calls it a Batmobile, but it just seems like the car he uses for his day persona. In the past, we’ve seen Batman drive a lot of fancy modern vehicles, so this car highlights the gothic nature of this incarnation. Moreover, it may also be a tribute to the 60s vehicle as a nice Easter Egg for the film. I love the visual approach they are taking with this film. The film sadly was delayed, but it gives them enough time to shoot the footage they need without the worries of constant delays. We hope that everyone on set remains healthy and safe in these troubling times.

     

    Source: Daily Mail, Twitter

  • What Could Have Been: A Look at del Toro’s ‘JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARK’ Script

    Many have tried and each time the lights went out. Just like that, the Justice League went dark. Justice League Dark could quite possibly be the prime example of being trapped in development hell. Not even Constantine could fight through this hell. The earliest reports on the film began all the way back in 2012. Rumors began to swirl of Guillermo del Toro‘s possibly developing the film. It would bring together some of DC’s best and brightest supernatural characters. During an interview with Gizmodo, del Toro’s 2012 animated feature Rise of The Guardians, he confirmed the rumors that he was indeed talking to WB and DC about bringing these characters to the silver screen. As time went on, del Toro would drop updates here and there. At one point, he even confirmed his script was finished and would be turned in as soon as possible.

    Concept art by comic book artist Lee Bermejo for Doug Limans “Dark Universe” featuring Etrigans painful transformation

    Sadly, news broke in July of 2015 that Guillermo del Toro had departed the project but would remain as a producer. Shortly after, he commented on his departure

    Warners liked the script, they were very enthusiastic and wanted to greenlight it but they wanted it to coincide with Pacific Rim 2. I was put in a very difficult place facing a difficult choice, and I chose to do Pacific Rim 2.

    Concept Art by Esther Wu at Ironhead studios featuring Abby Arcane and Swamp-Thing

    Joseph Kahn, a long-time music video director, was the next to revive the project. He pitched the film along with concept art for the potential adaption. It was sure to hype up long-time fans who’d been waiting patiently to see the adaptation. The concept art for the film included the film’s main roster. It offered our first look at Kahn’s vision of how he would translate characters like Swamp Thing and Deadman to the silver screen.

    Suddenly in 2016, it was announced that Doug Liman would be leaving Fox’s Gambit in favor of directing DC’s Justice League Dark film. It would be written by Michael Gillio and was re-titled Dark Universe. This didn’t last long as Liman would end up departing the project in 2017 and move onto the yet-to-be-released YA novel adaption Chaos Walking. With Liman out, The search for a new director was on, with the studio eyeing Andy Muschietti, who would end up helming WB’s Flash project.

    Concept art of the team featuring potential actors from Joseph Kahns pitch

    Even among the many new directors, Del Toro‘s original vision remained constant. Constantine, tired of Shadowpact’s fame and flare, decided to get his own team together. His stubborn attitude certainly didn’t help in listening to orders, believing he himself would be a natural-born leader. As is typical for the supernatural detective, his past comes to haunt him during his journey. He ends up recruiting people he has wronged in the past to make up for it. They end out seeking the book of life and death to ensure they don’t land in the wrong hands. He is forced to learn he cannot do it all alone.

    They aren’t the only ones though. Dr. Jason Woodrue, also known as the Floronic Man is also on the hunt for the magical books of life and death. Woodrue was described as a villainous Johnny Appleseed. He is joined by Klarion, a small-blue-skinned boy, who’s followed by a cloud of flies, once an ally and informant to Constantine who went mad on astral energy. Throughout their journey, Jason is changing into a bark-clad beast as a result of a regenerative serum. He leaves behind seeds that sprout massive plant tendrils that destroy everything. An encounter in the Bayou with him also ends with him destroying Abby Arcanes bar and taking her as a prisoner, which results in Swamp-Thing having a sudden change of heart and joining the team

     

    Concept art of The Floronic Man by Ironklad Studios and Klarion by Houston Sharp

    A man known as Carl Carnahan has the books and is set to sell them to a mystery buyer. The thing is, Carl is dead and the safe requires his handprint. Constantine’s only hope was to recruit Boston Brand, who is better known as Deadman. He promises to resurrect him if he helps them get their hands on the book. We even get a showcase of his possession ability in a chase sequence that sees him traverse the everchanging landscape of a bustling city. This leads them to the morgue, a scene that survived almost every rewrite. There they are introduced to Carnahan’s mysterious business associate, Jason Blood.

    Blood and Constantine bicker over who will be taking the books home. Blood recommends they contact Doctor Face and the Shadowpact, which naturally doesn’t sit well with Constantine. Deadman also refuses to possess the dead body of Carl, as he fears getting stuck in a rotting husk. His refusal doesn’t last long though.

    Suddenly, they hear a giant fly in the room. Klarion makes his presence known and demands the key to the safe. Luckily, he has no idea that it is actually in the drawer in front of him. As he becomes impatient, he hexes the cadavers to make them his unwilling pawns. Their bodies become infused with flies as they stagger like flesh puppets, becoming the Invunche, overwhelming the trio. Constantine tries to transport them through his talisman but is facing some issues. Without much choice left, Blood transforms into Etrigan the demon. This transformation comes at a heavy price for the demonologist, as each time he turns, he loses more and more of his mortal life.

    Concept art by Lee Bermejo and Ironklad Studios featuring the Morgue Scene

    Once Constantine is finally able to rally them all to his cause, it’s revealed by Deadman that Constantine is dying from Lung Cancer. The team ends up at the Oblivion Bar, a watering-hole located in a pocket dimension. It is run by Edward Deacon, where we get cameos of various characters ranging from Detective Chimp, Shade, Animal Man, Dr. Occult, Night Nurse, and Shade. There they also run into Doctor Fate and the Shadowpact. Their members consist of Black Orchid, the Phantom Stranger, and Pandora, with the team being heralded as a supernatural Justice League.

    Later on, Deadman tries to possess the Floronic Man, failing he’s able to uncover his true plan. Within the mind of the Floronic Man, Deadman is reduced by Madame Xanadu, She shows him a puppet show of the Gilgamesh legend. This introduces viewers to Inanna, who was in love with king Gilgamesh and was jealous of his friendship with Enkidu. The pair were very close, fighting monsters across the world together. In a jealous rage, she summoned Gugalanna, a bull from heaven, described as a one-man rapture that could collapse civilizations. Still, it was defeated by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Its remains were hidden in the lost city of Eruk, located now in modern-day Iraq, The Floronic Man aims to sacrifice Abby Arcane to resurrect Gugalanna, and usher in a time before humans were nature thrived. The team follows him after losing one of the books in Zatanna’s bright-pink private jet. Swamp Thing refuses and simply gives them a leaf to water once they arrive.

    https://vimeo.com/176392452

    Once they arrive, Woodrue is drawing a blood sigil into the ground, chanting an ancient incantation. Deadman uses the chance to possess an unconscious Abby before she becomes a sacrifice. Still, Gugalanna’s revival is successful. Swamp Thing grows to colossal size to take him down while Zatanna harnesses the magic of the world. Yet, it was Constantine’s sacrifice that saves the world. As he was held in the grasp of the colossal Floronic Man, John realizes the amount of oxygen in the arm could seal the deal. Constantine reaches for his Zippo igniting it in an instant, Woodrue, Gugalanna, Klarion are reduced to seed, and not even Swamp Thing was safe, with only a seed left behind.

    Abby tears up after the loss of Swamp Thing. Luckily, as her tears drop to what’s left of Swamp Thing, he begins to sprout up once more, back to life as the eternal protector of the green. Sadly, the same can’t be said about John Constantine, At least the team believes so. The film ends in a dark room. We can hear a raspy cough before a blue glow illuminates the inside of a bomber plane. Remember the malfunctioning orb? Well, it managed to transport him the moment he set the Floronic Man on fire.

    The film ends with Deadman chasing a crook down a dark alley and questioning him about a man with a hook hand., a reference to the man that killed him, Hook. John steps out from the shadows much to Boston’s surprise and tells him he’s thinking about getting the band back together. Sadly, we will never know what the plans were for the future of this franchise. This film adaption has since been abandoned and will likely never see the light of day. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Bad Robot would be developing projects focused on the characters that made up the team of supernatural heroes. It was announced that a Justice League Dark project currently in the works at HBO Max. So maybe there is still some light in the dark after all.

    Source: Lee Bermejo, Ironklad Studios, Joseph Kahn, Houston Sharp