Hang with me and there’s a nice little surprise for you at the bottom of this one.
James Gunn, the head of DC Studios announced some of the planned film and tv projects yesterday.
In case you missed it:
It is entirely too early to judge these things. I generally try to avoid trailers when I can so I can walk into a movie as open to it as possible. That sometimes leads to awkward moments.
There was a joke in Infinity War that I howled at in the theater that no one else chuckled. The reason? It was the first time I had seen it and everyone else saw it dozens of times in a trailer I skipped.
Gunn announced some things I’m very interested in and some things I have no connection to. Just like Marvel stuff, Star Wars stuff, and the Oscar nominees, I’ll probably watch them all when I can.
One of the most hopeful things out of the slate is that Gunn is a guy who reads the comics, loves the comics, and will likely ask his collaborators true to the spirit of the books he is adapting. It’s one of the reasons I semi-seriously suggested he be DC’s Kevin Feige long before the announcement was made.
He also pointed out at least some of the comic creators who did the stories his team plans to adapt. He showed off comics like Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly’s Batman and Robin, the pair’s All-Star Superman and Tom King, and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
He’s already brought Tom King aboard, it seems like Morrison is working with the group as well and I suspect the Gail Simone announcement will happen sooner, rather than later.
I think it’s great that DC has a guy who is pointing to the source material as inspiration instead of people who always seemed embarrassed to be doing comic book movies. We all have to make a living but if you are gonna take that sweet comic book movie check please at least pretend for me that you care about the work other people did that gave you that opportunity.
Also, pay the writers and artists who supplied the vision that then turned into a billion-dollar blockbuster.
Gunn describes the other DC projects that he was left with — The Batman and Joker — sequels as Elseworlds. If you know DC comics you know those are sometimes fantastic (and sometimes not so fantastic) tales set in alternate universes.
Superman’s rocket lands in medieval England and he takes on evil nobleman Lex Luther. Or Superman’s rocket lands in England during the American Revolution and he crushes the rebellion. Or Superman’s rocket lands in Russia and he becomes a hero for the communists.
Yeah, a lot of them have to do with when and where Superman’s rocket lands.
I doubt Gunn would have gone with Elseworlds if he wasn’t already tied to two successful franchises but it does give the studio a chance to experiment with other things down the line. It’s not gonna happen but you could literally make everyone happy and give certain people their own little Elseworlds corner with the particular slate of actors and directors they want. I mean, I don’t know that you should … but you could.
There is no point, really, in arguing about these projects until some of them start releasing. This means some corners of the internet will debate them every day from now until they are released and continue to argue about them forever after.
Gunn has the keys to the car for now and it’s unclear how much leeway he has. Marvel became Marvel because the studio stayed with the plan despite setbacks. Will Warner Brothers Discovery tough it out if things get off to a slow or rocky start?
Anyway, I hope it works out. Cause if not I may have some explaining to do.
Dark Highways 
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