DC Cinematic Universe Movies Confirmed

In August DC and Warner Brothers released their movie dates for their cinematic universe of superheroes from DC comics. I got none of my guesses right... which goes to show just how much I know!!

Warner Brothers have finally got their act together. When they released their release dates back in August I was happy to see that they actually had formulated a plan that they were willing to execute. Now we have those dates filled with confirmed titles. They are as follows:


2016 - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

2016 - Suicide Squad

2017 - Wonder Woman

2017 - The Justice League: Part 1

2018 - The Flash

2018 - Aquaman

2019 - Shazam

2019 - The Justice League: Part 2

2020 - Cyborg

2020 - Green Lantern


Its important to note that this slate of movies does not contain The Sandman, which is currently in development with Joseph Gordon-Levitt attached to the project, or any stand alone Batman or Superman sequels which are also said to be in development. Also, this universe does not connect with the any of the DC television series airing right now including Arrow, Constantine, Gotham or The Flash.

Obviously I'm super excited for Batman v Superman and I'm eager to see what ramifications that film has for The Justice League movies and the other movies within the universe. But at the moment the film which makes me the most curious as of right now is Suicide Squad. The film is set to be directed by David Ayer and it may involve characters such as Harley Quinn and Deathstroke. If you don't know who they are, Harley is The Joker's bitch and Deathstroke is DC's Deadpool. According to Wikipedia, they are "an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences". I cannot wait to see how they fit this in with the other movies and I'm really looking forward to the casting choices as many A-list actors (Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Tom Hardy etc.) have been linked so far.

Gal Gadot will be Wonder Woman and DC will beat Marvel by putting out a female led superhero movie first. The Justice League movie has been split into 2 yet there are other movies that fit in-between. I'm thinking that they will be 2 separate stories but it could turn out that they feed directly off each other. Either way those 2 films allow DC to show off villains like Braniac and Doomsday so that really is something to be excited about.

 

The Flash film will have no relation to the TV series but will see Ezra Miller become the fastest man alive. I haven't really seen him in much but I do have faith that he can pull of superhero well. I'm not 100% sold on the decision but I'm hoping I will be before 2018, I'm secretly hoping he has a short cameo in Batman v Superman and a large role in Justice League Part 1.

Momoa has finally been confirmed as Aquaman, we'll see The Rock play Black Adam in Shazam and Ray Fisher play Cyborg in his own solo film as well. Finally, Green Lantern will be rebooted in 2020 and I'm hoping, like Flash, we'll see Hal Jordan in Batman v Superman and the 2 Justice League films before this feature. This film is not a sequel to the 2011 Green Lantern, which is not a bad thing at all!

For me this news is pretty darn special and I don't really have any complaints with it at all. However there are still superheroes who haven't been cast and now confirmation on how this overall story will pan out and what villains we will see our favourite superheroes come up against. To see DC assembling their own universe makes me so happy and I'm really anticipating the head-to-head of DC vs. Marvel that's going to develop from 2016 onwards.

So those are my quick thoughts on DC's movie slate. I'm finding it quite hard to think right now as this news has melted my brain a little bit.


Thanks for reading,
Matt

DC Cinematic Universe Release Dates Revealed - My Predictions

A few days ago Warner Brothers announced that between March 2016 and June 2020, we will be treated to 9 DC comic book movies which will expand their cinematic universe. A few titles are expected to be announced soon, and before they are I'm going to try (and probably fail) to guess the film slate.

I've already talked before about how this is a massive financial gamble for DC/Warner Brothers but to me it sounds as if the studio not only has a long, thought-out plan, but confidence in it. We know for sure that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will kick off this slate of movies, but it will be doing it a lot sooner than we all expected. Warner Brother's decided that they did not want to financially compete against Marvel and Captain America 3, thus they moved the release date forward to March 25th 2016 as opposed to May 6th 2016. While that showdown would've been fascinating, both movies would have taken a hit financially and it was only a matter of time before one of them moved.

The other releases are a mystery, and I'm going to try and predict them:


March 25th 2016 - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

August 8th 2016 - The Sandman

June 23rd 2017 - The Justice League

November 17th 2017 - Shazam

March 23rd 2018 - Wonder Woman

July 27th 2018 - Flash/Green Lantern team up

April 5th 2019 - Man of Steel 2

June 14th 2019 - The Batman

April 3rd 2020 - Sequel to The Batman, Man of Steel 2, Wonder Woman or Flash/Green Lantern (I can't decide)

June 19th 2020 - The Justice League sequel



So I think that the other DC film that'll come out in 2016 will be The Sandman. The project has a writer in David S. Goyer and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is involved as well. I believe that Batman v Superman will primarily act as a conflict movie between Batman and Superman before becoming a direct lead in to The Justice League, hence the title "Dawn of Justice". The Sandman will be separate from the Cinematic Universe so I think it would make sense to release it in between Batman v Superman and The Justice League.

For months now Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has teased at a role within a DC movie. Many speculate that to be either Shazam (Captain Marvel) or Black Adam, Shazam's nemesis. I think the Shazam movie will follow The Justice League in 2017 and "The Rock" will definitely be in it.

2018 will see the Wonder Woman solo movie and the Flash/Green Lantern team up movie. I think it would be wise for Warner Brothers to put these movies here because audiences will only want to see these movies if they like them in Batman v Superman or The Justice League.

Moving on to 2019 and we have 2 huge movies. I think it'll open up with the long-awaited Man of Steel 2, an ACTUAL sequel to Man of Steel and that'll be followed up by a solo Batman movie, with Ben Affleck wearing the cape and cowl.

The first release date of 2020 was the only one I couldn't firmly predict. I think The Justice League 2 will come out in 2020 but before that we could see a movie which directly ties into it, like Man of Steel 3 or The Batman 2. Or it could be a Wonder Woman or Flash/Green Lantern sequel, if those movies are financially successful. I have no doubts thought that we will see a sequel to the Justice League in June of 2020.

However those predictions I just made could be absolute crap! We could see 2 more Superman movies and 3 more Batman movies for all I know! I honestly don't know but if the slate turned out like the one I predicted, I would be very happy.

We still don't know what movies they'll be. We don't know the order, the villains, the people who'll play the villains as well as the people who'll play the superheroes. We don't really know who'll direct all of these films. But what we do know is that only time will tell.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Leaked footage for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) at SDCC

Do you remember a month ago when DC's supposed film slate was released online? Well it hasn't been confirmed so I am a little bit disappointed. Then I saw some leaked footage, and told my self to shut up.


http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/07/batman-v-superman-dawn-justice-sdcc-footage-leaks-online.html


San Diego Comic Con is seen a fair few announcements already. 2 monsters have been confirmed for Godzilla 2, which Gareth Edwards will direct after he's finished with the Star Wars spinoff, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has been announced for a July 28th 2017 release date, and we've seen various images from Batman v Superman, including Batfleck's new suit and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. But I just watched the leaked footage for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and wept fan boy tears.

The footage they chose was absolute perfection. Everything about it just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and it literally gave me goosebumps. Yeah I'm such a nerd if you haven't figured that one out.

The footage begins with some fantastic war drums beating away in the background and it added an incredible amount of tension and set up superbly what was about to come next. The footage is Gotham city at night. There's rain, thunder and lightning. Batman walks up to the bat signal and turns it on. The signal shines in the stormy sky.

The camera then pans up from behind Batman and we see the Bat logo in the sky. A bolt of lightning strikes and it changes to Superman floating in the air. He doesn't look happy! He's literally floating their menacingly and his eyes are glowing red. The camera then cuts back to Batman with his glowing white eyes, he grins a little and it cuts to the Batman v Superman logo.

Say what you like about the film but my word this footage was f*cking awesome! I know it doesn't mean that the movie is going to be amazing but everything about the footage impressed the hell out of me. I love the element of the war drums and the burning tension going on. I love the fantastic imagery. I love the way it sounds, the visual look to it and the tone of unease, tension and conflict which they were going for. It is incredibly reminiscent of The Dark Knight Returns and that is what I want from this movie. I can't wait to see it.


I don't have a question to ask rather a command: watch this footage right now!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Is "The Batman" coming in 2019?

Anything DC, Marvel or Star Wars related these days gives me an unstoppable urge to write one of these posts. The news today concerns a solo Batman movie which may come out in 2019...

 Less than a week ago a rumour surfaced that "The Batman" could it theatres in 2019. This film was not "confirmed" in Nikki Finke's DC film slate scoop but with a large cinematic universe very much on the cards for DC at the moment and with Batman being as popular as he is, people will want to see a solo outing for the caped crusader at some point. This news is merely a rumour and has not been confirmed by the studio so keep that in mind.

Firstly I think I need to mention what I think about Ben Affleck as Batman. I hope he crushes it. The more hate I see towards his casting on the Internet, the more I want him to succeed. If the script treats Batman well in a way which we haven't seen before (as an alternative to Nolan's ultra-realistic Batman) with good guidance from Zach Snyder, he can absolutely kill it at as Batman. So I literally have zero complaints and I'm praying he does a good job in Dawn of Justice (2016).

Secondly, do I think 2019 is a little late for that to be happening? Absolutely not. We have the Christopher Nolan Batman movies to enjoy from now until then plus Batman will definitely be in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (duh!) in 2016 and then The Justice League in 2017. So from my point of view there would be no point of getting impatient about it considering it may come out in 5 years time, and even then that is the absolute earliest.

Finally, who do I think should direct the movie? Well for me it's an absolute no brainer and I would like Batfleck himself to sit in the directors chair and be The Batman at the same time. By then he'll have (I hope) an in depth understanding of the Batman character, plus he's such a talented director. His filmography includes Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo; all very good movies which share a similar trait as they are all directed fantastically. Give Ben Affleck the directing job if a solo Batman film were to come out in 2019, it's the obvious choice and the right one for me!

This is where I get creative and make some wildly wrong predictions but I'm going to say what I would do if I was given the job to direct the rumoured Batman movie which may come out in 2019. Baring in mind Dawn of Justice and The Justice League would already have come out by then, I would aim to do something slightly new. I would do a film with The Riddler as the villain. No... not Jim Carrey in green, question mark pyjamas but a really cool, smart and methodical Riddler which can test Batman on a psychological level, you know like the one from The Batman Animated Series. Actually, re cast Lex Luthor and make Jesse Eisenberg the Riddler. To me that would be a casting which makes sense! I'm not the biggest fan of Eisenberg as Lex, but I will say he would make an awesome Riddler, especially the one I'm envisaging.


If this movie were to surface, who would you want to direct and what villain would you want to see in the movie?


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Ben Affleck will be Batman in Man of Steel sequel (2015)

Typical isn't it? I go on holiday for just 7 days and some of the biggest movie news of the year breaks out! Here is my take on it..

Warner Brothers have confirmed that Ben Affleck will play the Batman in the untitled Man of Steel sequel. It is believed that in the movie Batman will face off against Superman, played by Henry Cavill. A lot of people are sceptical about Warner Brother's choice, and for good reason.

Affleck has proven himself to now be a well established and talented director and a good actor as well. There are no problems on that side of the equation. However, did Warner Brother's pick the right man?

2 people which I thought would be good in the role were Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling. They both looked the part and I could buy the fact that they could portray the Batman character. I'm not saying they made the wrong choice; hopefully they thought long and hard about the decision and seriously considered the 2 I just mentioned.

This is probably the biggest casting choice the studio will make in terms of what they want to achieve with this franchise. Yes, Henry Cavill as Superman was huge, but back then I thought that it would just be a franchise dedicated to the world of Superman. However, with Batman in the sequel, a Justice League movie (rumoured to be out around 2017) is surely on the horizon. Affleck will have to seriously commit to the role.

In the past, Affleck has played a "caped crusader" in the movie Daredevil. That's probably all the credit he deserves from that movie. He even said himself that he was awful in it and the movie as a whole sucked. However, I have a lot of admiration for this guy's choice. Yes he had a shaky start, but now he is redeeming himself by making good movies (such as Argo) and is ready to take a gamble that could define his career. It's much like the Batman himself?

How will he play off with Cavill? I don't know, but that's not my concern.

I am sure that Ben Affleck will grasp the role as Bruce Wayne. He has a "rich Billionaire" look about it and he has the emotional range in his locker to portray the character. But what of the Batman? It's quite hard to see. Who knows? He could blow us all away with his performance. Only time will tell.

As for the Batman character himself, he can be done in 2 ways because he is so complex and interesting. The Dark Knight trilogy made the Batman a dark, gritty, realistic character who used stealth and ninja tactics to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. He was damaged and Bale did a super job.

However, the way I think they will go with this movie an older, more experienced Batman (which suits Affleck, him being 41 years of age) who has been there done that. I hope that instead of showing stealth and ninja stuff like they did in the Dark Knight films, they show that Batman can beat Superman through his intellect. Whether that's using gadgets, laying traps for Superman or just simply outsmarting him, he will have to be a suitable match for Superman if he is to beat him. I mean, Superman flattened half a city in Man of Steel, Batman will have to be pretty well prepared to fight him..

I don't know what they will do in this movie. However, I'm certain they will team up in the end and that Lex Luthor will be a villain. That might not even happen..

So, will Affleck be just as good at Batman as Christian Bale was? Did Warner Brothers make the right choice? I'd love to here someone else's opinion!

Thanks for reading, when more movie news breaks out I'll be there to tell you all about it.
Thanks again,
Matt

PS - 3 more movie reviews to come before August ends, plus and F1 race review and a BPL season preview! Stick around for that...