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

Leaked Trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)?

A supposedly leaked trailer for Batman v Superman has been released on the Internet and here is what I have to say about it. To watch the trailer, click down below:

The Batman v Superman movie is honestly one of the reasons I am still alive at this point and is probably the thing I talk about the most. A few days ago this trailer was posted on YouTube and it claims to be a teaser trailer for the film, possibly one DC were planning to show at Comic Con.

First off, it is a 100% fake. It's a well made fake for sure but for 3 things give it away:


1) The Logos - As far as I know I don't think that Syncopy and Legendary are involved in the movie. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't they Christopher Nolan's companies? And if they are they wouldn't be on the trailer as he isn't involved in the movie. Sure he'll get noted as he helped to write Man of Steel, but he isn't really involved with this movie as far as I'm aware.

2) Batman's breathing - Batman looks a lot like he does in the Arkham games, which leads me to believe that they used the Arkham Batman while animating the trailer. That didn't really bug me at all as I knew it was fake but what did was how heavily Batman was breathing! Has he literally just beaten up a couple criminals, drove home in his Batmobile, ran down to the Batcave and switch on his monitors and at that precise time Zod's message was being broadcasted? I doubt it. He reminds me of when Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to take a free kick. I don't buy it at all!

3) That head turn though - It's pretty quick to say the least. No human being would dramatically turn their head as quickly as Batman does in this trailer!


I actually really like the trailer. I think it's a brilliantly constructed and edited trailer. My favourite thing about it is that it links together this movie and the events of Man of Steel, something I hope they link together well in the actual movie. I also like how it spoils absolutely nothing in terms of other characters and plot details.

So I'm not going to ask if you think the trailer is fake, but I will ask what do you want to see from DC at Comic Con? I want them to confirm their film slate, give us a few images of Wonder Woman and a small teaser trailer, something along the lines of this one.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Gal Gadot will be Wonder Woman in the Man of Steel Sequel (2015)

Its is admittedly a few days old, but I wanted some time to think about this new piece of news concerning the Man of Steel sequel, and the future of Warner Brother's DC adventure into the Justice League movie. Hopefully, this is short but sweet...

Warner Brothers recently announced that Wonder Woman will be appearing in the 2015 Man of Steel sequel, which further adds on to the returning Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, forming our superhero ensemble.

Naturally, I have my own opinion on this news so lets delve straight in...

Gal Gadot playing Wonder Woman does not bother me at all. All I am concerned with in terms of her is whether or not she can put in a good performance. Hopefully the script can be well handled enough so that she can play the head strong powerhouse that is Wonder Woman in a way where audience members can care about her and comic book buffs won't be disappointed.

It is well known in the movie industry that actors/actresses can change their bodies on a regular basis determined by the roles they are preparing for. The most drastic, and obvious, example is Christian Bale. Transforming from his dangerously skinny character from the Machinist into the big, bulky Bruce Wayne for Batman Begins shows that with enough determination and commitment, it can be done.

I have no qualms over Gal Gadot in terms of this area. It really is awful that we should judge actors/actresses by their physical appearance for the roles they'll play, but that is the harsh reality of it. Naturally she is a skinny person and will have to bulk up a fair bit to nail down the physical aspect of her much-loved character.

It isn't the casting choice that worries me, rather the casting itself!

Having Wonder Woman in this movie solidifies the fact that DC really want to get this Justice League movie out, and get it out as soon as they can. As a fan of comic book movies and a fan of good movies all together, for heaven's sake do not rush! The source material must be treated with care and if these 2 movies are put out before any real refining is done there could be a lot of trouble!

I have my own opinions on how the movie should be and I pray with all my heart that it is an excellent, memorable summer movie. But, currently I am slightly worried for DC and Warner Brothers. If they're getting these movies out quickly they'll inevitably send out a vibe of "desperation".

The guys at Disney and Marvel have their cinematic universe all planned out plus Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and The Avengers all made a stupid amount of money at the international box office. They're going along brilliantly.

DC, please take your time!!

However, if Wonder Woman must be in this movie then I would rather they handled it this way. Personally, I'm not really that interested in having a sole Wonder Woman movie. Yes I think that she is a complex and an interesting character who could do it, but I'm not that bothered to be honest.

If Wonder Woman must be put it, put her in it enough so that we can care about her without it becoming the Wonder Woman show. If she isn't in it enough, this'll all seem pointless! If it was my choice, I would have her in a "Black Widow/Iron Man 2" situation. That's probably not a good film to draw a comparison with, but I do want a similar situation with Wonder Woman. It could be that she is slightly involved with the Batman vs. Superman thing, but comes more to the forefront in future movies, which will 99% likely be the Justice League movie.

I hope DC handles this well, and the only way they can is to listen to the fans, respect the source material, take their time and produce a good script where our favourite comic book heroes can shine.

And yet again we have another reason to look forward to this movie and the 2015 year for movies in general. Hopefully we get a Lex Luthor announcement some time soon!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Man of Steel 2 News/Ideas

 

So Man of Steel 2 was announced at Comic Con a couple of days ago. I thought, this is the absolute perfect thing to do my first "film" post on. Let's just say that the news in the announcement made me cry a river of fan boy tears. Why? Type "Man of Steel 2" into YouTube and it should become fairly apparent. Apologies for no video clip, but it was causing issues so I had to remove it! Also, be aware that this post may contain Man of Steel spoilers so if you haven't seen it then I advise you do see it and then read on!

 

 



Man of Steel 2 Announcement (Comic Con 2013)

There you have it. Still can't believe it's happening! In Man of Steel 2, 2015, Superman will be accompanied by Batman on the silver screen for the very first time!

What is also quite surprising is that Batman will be squaring off with Superman, he is going to be a villain. This is going to be incredibly interesting to say the least! However, Zach Snyder must be very careful in how he handles this situation unless he wishes to "do an Iron Man 3" and seriously upset the fans of DC comic book lore. But, in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (particularly in the Dark Knight), Nolan played on the idea that Batman was not a hero, but rather a masked vigilante working above the law in order to stop the Joker. So, making a hero seem less heroic has been done before, but it has to be done with great care to pull it off well.

Lexcorp and Wayne Enterprises logos, both seen in Man of Steel

Before this news was announced we knew that Batman was in this cinematic universe. A "Wayne Enterprises" symbol is located on a satellite where Superman and Zod are having their final showdown. However, this Batman is different to the Christian Bale Batman portrayed in the Dark Knight trilogy which surely must mean that the Dark Knight trilogy is it's own thing. Batman will need a new actor to play him. If they hire George Clooney though I ain't gonna be too pleased! Personally, I'm not sure who should play him but what I am sure of is Zach Snyder will make his choice very carefully indeed.

Another Easter Egg in Man of Steel that many people noticed was a "Lexcorp" truck, again found in Superman and Zod's final showdown. Will he be in Man of Steel 2? Will Kryptonite be in the mix as well? I would like to think so as Kryptonite will inevitably pop up sooner or later. As for Lex, he is a business man like Bruce Wayne, could this see Batman possibly team up with Lex Luthor in an effort to bring down Superman? I could see that happening. Why? Because at the end of Man of Steel, one of the army Generals that Superman helped still questioned Superman's allegiances. Could the rest of Metropolis and the Earth think the same?

Lex Luthor, Superman's arch nemesis

Speaking of Metropolis, it gets annihilated. This must mean the death's of thousands and billions of dollars would be needed to repair all of the catastrophic damages. Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor are both fairly wealthy, could this be the reason they decided to team up, to rebuild the city?

Ultimately, I have no idea what is going to happen but at last we have a DC cinematic universe to compete alongside Marvel's. Hopefully, Batman and Superman could end the film as friends and Man of Steel 3 could see the addition of Wonderwoman to complete the Justice League Trinity. That movie could also see a cool Riddler as the villain (not Jim Carrey in tights) and then after that we could see a Justice League movie at last!

The 3 figurehead heroes of the Justice League

Those are just random thoughts of mine though. So, Man of Steel 2 is either gonna fail or be an unrivalled success! What do you guys think? What do you also hope for in this DC cinematic universe? Please comment and share your opinions..

Thanks for reading, any constructive criticism is also welcome.
Thanks again,
Matt