Under the ruthless eye of David Zaslav, Warner Bros. recently went through a massive change internally. Projects were canceled without hesitation, departments were dismantled, and the future seemed bleak for the legacy company. One of the departments that got the shaft was animation. DC, in particular, saw the axing of the Bruce Timm-led animated series Batman: Caped Crusader in the HBO Max slate.
Succeeding reports pointed to Warner Bros. being open to selling the animated series to other services but until now, there hasn’t been any clear plan as to what the show’s fate was. CEO of the TV division at Warner Bros., Channing Dungey, revealed that the company is close to striking a deal with Amazon for all future animated DC content.
Unless this deal magically goes awry in the next few weeks, it seems evident that the home for all animated DC properties moving forward will be on Amazon Prime. Fans are intensely anticipating the new Batman show not only for Timm and Matt Reeves‘ vision but also for what might be the final performance of the legendary Kevin Conroy. Amazon Prime being the new home for DC cartoons is a hopeful sign of what’s to come.
For those outside of the know, visionary director James Gunn is now in the driver’s seat at DC Films, alongside co-leader Peter Safran, and he’s not afraid to clear things up when the internet gets them wrong. A recent online rumor claimed British star Henry Cavill, who has portrayed Superman in the DCEU since 2013’s Man of Steel, had signed a new contract with the company that included the potential for television appearances. While Gunn has not yet fully denied this, he did take to Twitter to clarify that no current reports on the matter come from anyone with actual knowledge on the situation.
I’m not sure if you’re purposely lying or being taken advantage of by someone lying to you, but, as I’ve stated on here before, NO ONE knows what’s happening at DC Studios right now other than me & Peter. That would include writing up any new contracts for anyone at this point.
Cavill made a grand return to his iconic role in last month’s Black Adam, while Gunn has been hard at work revitalizing DC’s television slate since the release of The Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker earlier this year on HBO Max. The return of Cavill to playing Superman after several years away from the superheroic spotlight has gotten audiences very excited, and reports like the one Gunn has shot down are likely to be plentiful. However, no official announcements have been made regarding what’s next for DC Films now that Gunn and Safran are in charge. Luckily for fans, the duo’s track record indicates they might have a lot to be hopeful about. A dedicated comic book fan and proven filmmaker, Gunn is slated to head the creative aspect of DC’s cinematic future while Safran handles the business side. When the pair are ready, there’s a good chance the DC fandom gets quite a bit of thrilling news. Until then, it appears reports about Superman and his fellow Justice Leaguers should be taken with a grain of salt.
Henry Cavill just recently made his long-awaited return as Superman in the Black adam post-credit sequence. while it was exactly what Dwayne Johnson hyped up during his press tour, there still were many questions if this was a one-off event or if Warner Bros. Discovery has bigger plans moving forward. Naturally, it seemed clear they wanted to have the actor back for more adventures as the Man of Steel, but it seems those plans are currently being stalled going to a new report by The Wrap.
It seems that the project has lost all momentum moving forward, as they are still looking for a writer and director for a potential Man of Steel sequel, and they still haven’t made a formal deal with Henry Cavill to join the franchise. A big factor seems to be the fact that James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s recent addition as co-CEOs of DC Studios may be delaying things, as they map out the long-range plan for the DC Cinematic Universe.
There was the assumption that he has joined WB’s plans for the character after exiting The Witcher series after being its main lead for three seasons, but it seems more and more evident that this was mostly due to the way the project was developing. For now, we shouldn’t expect a return anytime soon and it’s unclear if Johnson gets his way of just turning the sequel for Black Adam into a Superman showdown.
Welcome to the first edition of the Murphy’s Multiverse Sunday Paper, where the biggest news of the past week is brought to you all in one place. Sit back, relax, and catch up before you have to deal with whatever the upcoming week has to offer. This past week had some pretty big news across the board, so let’s break it down by subject.
Marvel Studios
The Marvel Cinematic Universe had an active news week with multiple trailer drops and marketing for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in full swing. First, plenty of new footage and promos for Wakanda Forever have been released (check some out here and here), and critic reactions came out after press premieres this week (check out MM’s Hunter Radesi’s reaction here.) While the film does not hit theaters for another couple of weeks, you can listen to Rihanna’s first song in six years made for the film.
Marvel Studios
The first teaser trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also dropped this week, and William Jackson Harper has joined the cast. (Read more here). Marvel also released the film’s official synopsis:
“In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang. Director Peyton Reed returns to direct the film; Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard produce.”
Marvel Studios
That didn’t stop Marvel Studios from releasing a trailer for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, set to hit Disney+ on November 25, 2022. It looks like Kevin Bacon will appear as himself, Cosmo the Space Dog will make her first appearance since the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and Michael Rooker will even likely make an appearance of some sort.
Marvel Studios
It was also confirmed this week that Marvel Studios is developing a WandaVision spinoff titled Vision Quest, in which we will follow Vision on his path to regaining his memories and humanity, and it’s possible the Scarlet Witch makes an appearance. (Read more here.) Speaking of WandaVision spinoffs, Agatha: Coven of Chaos has a bit of news of its own. WandaVision staff writer Megan McDonnell is among the team of writers working on the upcoming Disney+ streaming series Agatha: Coven of Chaos, (read more here) and a recent rumor suggests that the series may be adapting the Scarlet Witch-related Children’s Crusade comic book arc. (Read more here.)
We’ve also gotten a better look at Ironheart this week as set photos offer a look at Anthony Ramos’ villain the Hood (see it here), and a wrap gift teases Ironheart’s new armor’s faceplate (see it here). After not appearing in the Thunderboltspromotion at D23, Baron Zemo actor Daniel Brühl teased the return of his character (read more here), and Charlize Theron also teased Clea’s return to the MCU. (Read more here). Speaking of teases, Hugh Jackman discussed his return as Wolverine and a likely title change for Deadpool 3. (Read more here.)
Lastly, there are a few more rumors making the rounds. Blade may have found its new director in Elegance Bratton, a relatively new director. (Read more here.) Believe it or not (it is a rumor after all), Dr. Doom may not be the main villain of the upcoming Fantastic Four film (read it here), and an official Disney site listed Emilia Clarke’s character in Secret Invasion as Abigail Brand, though the Skrull possibilities are endless. (Read more here.)
Star Wars
If a new rumor proves true, Ezra Bridger, the beloved protagonist of Disney XD’s animated Star Wars: Rebels, may receive a solo live-action series after the character’s appearance in the upcoming Disney+ series Ashoka. It is unclear clear if the rumored solo series, led by actor Eman Esfandi will be a direct sequel to Rebels or not. (Read more here.)
Oscar Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who recently directed a couple of episodes of Ms. Marvel, has been chosen to direct what’s being described as a “secret” Star Wars film based on a script from Damon Lindelof and an as yet unnamed co-writer. Though the film is still in the early stages of development, the report indicates that it has gained steam at Lucasfilm and is among its top priorities on its theatrical slate (Read more here.) The Star Wars film is also apparently set to take place after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and could possibly bring back some of the sequel trilogy’s characters. (Read more here.)
Last but not least, a teaser trailer for Tales of the Jedi dropped. (Watch it here.)
DC
While Black Adam flew through its first full week in theaters with strong box office numbers, DC has a much bigger week in the news than anyone would have predicted. Of course, the Superman cameo in the film was turning heads before it was even released. However, Henry Cavill himself on Monday took to social media to confirm his return as Superman. He posted a video for his fans along with the caption, “A very small taste of what’s to come, my friends. The dawn of hope renewed. Thank you for your patience, it will be rewarded. #Superman.” (Read more and check out his full Instagram post here).
In fact, this week seemed to signal a new era for DC Entertainment on an even bigger scale, as it looks like Warner Bros. has finally found its Kevin Feige(s). In a surprising announcement, James Gunn and Peter Safran have been tapped to lead the DC’s future film, TV, and animation slates. They will act as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, which was recently led by Walter Hamada under the title of DC Films. (Read more here.)
DC also left bits and pieces of news floating around throughout the week, though perhaps less exciting than the big hitters above. Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019’s Joker, is reportedly set to start production soon. According to cinematographer Lawrence Sher, the film will begin filming “in five- or six-weeks’ time.” Additionally, the film will “largely be shot in sound stages in Los Angeles, as well as on location in New York, where the project is set.” (Read more here.) On the other hand, The Batman 2 won’t be headed to theaters until 2025 at the earliest. (Read more here.) However, it looks like the film will not be associated with the new DC Studios, and it is unclear if The Batman franchise will be either. (Read more here.) In other words, DC’s universe will still remain, to some extent, in its oddly organized, splintered form we all know and love.
Speaking of the Wild West of DC, there is more. The Batman universe untitled Arkham Asylum spin-off series is finally moving forward. Variety has shared that the creator of The Staircase, Antonio Campos, has joined the production as its showrunner. (Read more here.) Set photos from the filming of The Flash’s ninth and final season have seemingly confirmed that actress Javicia Leslie—who previously played an original character on Batwoman–will return to The CW as the multiversal villain Red Death, (read more here), and actor Elijah Rashad is set to join Doom Patrol’s fourth season. (Read more here.)
HBO Max is looking to redevelop its previously announced Green Lantern series. The show, which hailed from producer Greg Berlanti and writer Seth Grahame-Smith, was originally set to star Finn Wittrock (Ratched) and Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) as the respective Green Lanterns. Reportedly, the new series will instead turn the focus over to John Stewart, one of DC’s first black superheroes. (Read more here.)
In Other News
Some other news worth noting—Henry Cavill is departing The Witcher, with Liam Hemsworth to take on the role. (Read more here.) Andy Serkis apparently will not be back to direct Venom 3 and writer Kelly Marcel will helm the film instead. (Read more here.) Avatar: The Way of the Water might have a whopping 3 hours and 10 minutes run time, and House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condol discussed the season finale and about the direction the series will take in the future. (Read more here.)
With the continued expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC properties, more and more superhero movie and television content is being pumped into screens almost non-stop. New genres and formats are being explored and countless characters are being brought into live-action. So, we should be at the peak of the age of superhero movies, right? Unfortunately, it seems we have sailed right on through the Golden Age of Superhero Movies that took place in the 2010s.
This feature could not function without describing the massive and crucial impact that Marvel Studios and the MCU had on the superhero genre. However, other films began paving a path before 2008’s Iron Man. DC had been producing films, particularly based on Batman and Superman properties, for decades that had a clear cultural impact. Marvel, through Sony or Fox, had major hits like the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises. While the superhero movie genre had been present for some time, the MCU was the undeniable spark that caused the concept of the superhero movie to explode.
While Iron Man was the first of now many films in what became the MCU, the whole franchise did not pick up an insane amount of steam for several years. The early Phase One movies were—overall—OK. They existed as origin stories, but the superhero origin story had already been done nearly 3,333 times before. Everything changed when Avengers was released in 2012.
The crossover aspect is undeniably one of the key (if not the key) components that changed the way audiences engaged with the genre. While other superhero movies still trickled out around this time, no other franchise was combining four other franchises into one mega-franchise. The MCU was surely not the first to invoke the crossover strategy, but it certainly was the first to employ it on such a large scale. And luckily, Avengers was a smash hit and will remain one of the most culturally significant films of the early 21st century. Movies stopped becoming just movies—they were entire events and spectacles that transcended just a single film. At this point, “franchise” became the business term while “universe” because the one fans experienced.
The Infinity Saga experience, frankly, cannot be surpassed. The post-Avengers excitement leading the Avengers: Endgame was the definitive Golden Age of Superhero Movies. During this time, millions and millions of fans waited feverishly for the one or two movies the MCU dropped each year. Easter eggs and cameos felt like invaluable treasures as people started to stitch together this rich, magical fictional universe that entertained them like no other. The promise of some ultimate “finale” to the saga being lived through buoyed even some of the weaker installments. And, boy, was that finale spectacular.
At this point, there is no reason to overanalyze Avengers: Infinity Waror Endgame anymore. Regardless of contemporary or retrospective reviews or criticisms, virtually everyone who was a fan during that time can tell you those films were the hype of all hype. The iconic moments from those films we still conjure up frequently were the fruition of 11 years of storytelling, and every bit of the event was stylized as the definitive and ultimate moment of the unprecedented sensation that was the MCU.
Of course, the MCU did not stop. In fact, it is producing content at a rate that would even a 2018 fan would never believe. More characters that comic book fans never thought would ever make it to live-action are now here, living amongst the universe we feel we grew up or grew old in. There is something to be said, though, about the onslaught of content. The ever-warned-of “superhero fatigue” that some spoke of a decade ago may actually be creeping in. With often little to no chance to take a breath between MCU projects, each one has the potential to feel less and less special. The anticipation for the next project has weaned. Now, it is difficult to take in the entire MCU given how many hours of content exist. A casual fan may very well be overwhelmed, and new fans may have no idea how to actually get involved. Old fans may have had to abandon their annual MCU rewatch.
But Phase Four—and beyond—content has also produced some phenomenal projects. Many would agree that Spider-Man: No Way Home, Werewolf By Night, and She-Hulk are all gifts in their respective formats. But even with quality new projects, the expectations are clearly higher than they once were. Part of it is the high of Infinity Saga that so many keep chasing. However, the toxic online culture surrounding film discourse—particularly in the comic book genre—has felt out of hand since Phase Four began. Surely the Golden Age would not include thousands of people trash-talking every frame of a film, leading robust campaigns centered around hating women, and whining, complaining, and arguing about rumored post-credits scenes for much more important films that have not been released yet.
And while the MCU can now tell bigger and more fantastic stories with an increasing range of characters, it is almost inevitable that the overarching plot will be Marvel Studios’ answer to: “How do we go bigger and better than Endgame?” The infinite possibilities, cameos, and combinations of Avengers: Secret Wars will almost certainly be a proper answer to that question and the payoff will almost certainly be astronomical. But it will not be able to live up to the Infinity Saga finale. While the story is presumably unique and the cheer-worthy moments will be plenty, at the end of the day the MCU has already taken us through that journey. The build-up and surprises are expected, and the energy will never match that of 2018 and 2019.
This article focuses on the MCU for obvious reasons, but DC and the DCEU shot their own shots, though it was generally fumbled. So far in the post-Endgame time period, we have seen a DC that is fractured, confused, disorganized, chaotic, repetitive, and often mediocre. There are no doubt some standouts, including The Suicide Squad, Joker, and The Batman. But the fact that they remain as separate isolated incidents keep the DC Universe from thriving in the way that it could. Black Adam’s insistence that this is all set to change is empty until it happens. To be fair, the recent news that James Gunn and Peter Safran will lead a new “DC Studios” is something to keep an eye on. But either way, DC really missed the Golden Age boat at this point, unless they can turn it around and do something extraordinarily special.
After being announced over a decade ago, Black Adam has finally had its theatrical release. With that, director Jaume Collet-Serra has spoken about the creative process behind making the film and the collaborative process with Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson. While in the process of making last year’s Jungle Cruise with the A-lister, Collet-Serra was quickly brought on board by Johnson and his team to helm the anti-hero project before the pandemic slightly slowed down the production process. From there continued the impassioned working relationship between the actor and director in the former’s passion project. This is what the director had to say about how he was brought onto the film and his process of familiarizing himself with the character.
I mean it was towards the end of Jungle Cruise. I would hear it sort of in the background, like they would be working on what the angle was of the script and the story for a long time. So, until they were satisfied with the story they wanted to tell, they didn’t bring me in. You know what I’m saying? I mean, that’s like finally when there was a script that they were ready to share then they gave it to me and they asked me what I thought. I basically said, “I think this has a lot of potential, but do I need to read every comic book ever written about Black Adam?” It’s almost like I read the script first and then I needed to learn about [the character], and then obviously I did.
Jaume Collet-Serra
The notion of deeply immersing himself into the character certainly provides a strong passion that had the potential to match that of Johnson’s. It isn’t necessarily surprising with the high praise the star actor has given to Jaume Collet-Serra as a creative partner. In the interview with Deadline, Collet-Serra also took some time to talk about the professional chemistry he was able to develop and using that to enhance Black Adam.
There was a synergy between me and DJ (Dwayne Johnson)during Jungle Cruise. When you’re in sync, you just feel it. I got to know him as a person, which I think it gives me the tools as a director to be able to bring out some aspects into the Black Adam world. As a director, you normally meet an actor or you go to have a coffee, lunch. You agree to work together, but you’re really meeting the person during the process. At the end of the day, you cannot separate the actor from the person, so you have to use the person as a tool as well.
Jaume Collet-Serra
After watching the film, one of the major takeaways is how Dwayne Johnson feels very in control of the character he’s spent over a decade developing. While many can debate if the end-product of Black Adam was the strongest film it could have been, it likely can’t be denied Collet-Serra successfully played into the best strengths of its lead actors.
Black Adam currently is playing exclusively in movie theaters.
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.
UPDATE – $7.6M THU pre-show launch for #BlackAdam. By comparison, #Shazam had pre-shows of $9.2M ($5.9M THU + $3.3M special Fandango preview). OCT comic hits Venom 1 & 2 were bigger at $10M/$11.6M THU pre-shows. Opening wknd #boxoffice for #BlackAdamMovie may hit mid $50M range.
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.
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.
According to a report by THR’s Borys Kit, Warner Bros. expects a script treatment for Patty Jenkins’Wonder Woman 3 to be ready soon. Jenkins first brought the character to the big screen in 2017 and then again in 2020 and has been working to finish the script for the third film for the last year. At one point, it was expected that production on Wonder Woman 3 might kick off in 2023, but no updated timeline has been made available since the Warner Bros./Discovery merger.
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman has been one of the highlights of the DC Universe’s modern era and her character will be the first to complete a trilogy of films for the studio. She’s already appeared in 4 films and has an appearance the upcoming Shazam!: Fury of the Gods. With the news that Cavill is back as Superman, it would seem that it’s only a matter of time before the two reunite on screen…with Batman?
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