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Starting this thread off with some big news (which I’m guessing some have heard by now):
DC Shocker: James Gunn, Peter Safran to Lead Film, TV and Animation Division
It’s an interesting move. Personally, I hope it works out.
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Looking at this a bit more, of course I was familiar with James Gunn. No worries there. He’s been pretty good with super hero movies/TV shows.
This Peter Safran I was unfamiliar with, but he seems somewhat impressive. He’s got a long history of representing big names in Hollywood, which gives him lots of connections. And he seems to have had a pretty good run as a producer as well. Seems like his biggest success is the “Conjuring Universe”, which has grossed over $2 billion. Not too shabby.
And the two of them have worked together before, so hopefully that translates into a good relationship.
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Looks like one of their first things is reworking the Green Lantern series on HBO max to focus on John Stewart
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Yeah, I saw the news about John Stewart. That got me interested, since he’s easily one of my favorite human Green Lanterns, along with Jordan and Rayner. If I had to rank, it’d probably be Jordan, Stewart, Rayner, with Gardner being a very distant fourth.
I think one of the things I like about him was his architectural skills, and how they influenced his constructs. I think they did that sometime in GL Volume 3, but I can’t remember who wrote
It. Maybe Marz, Winick, or Johns.
I remember one of the comics describing John's style as being very precise, with each construct being built in detail down to every bolt and screw and the artist was drawing his things like you might see on an engineering blueprint
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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This is good news. Also, I read that it's no longer the DCEU, but DC Universe (which I'm assuming everyone will just call DCU, even though they might be trying to use the full word Universe officially to avoid too much similarity with MCU).
The other interesting thing is that Gunn will still finish up Guardians of the Galaxy 3, including doing press for it, which will be all kinds of awkward. I've seen speculation that he might even continue to be involved with Marvel in some fashion, even if it's just exec producer or music consultant for future Guardians of the Galaxy. That would be pretty weird, but cool if the parent companies allow that.
This is pretty good, but I'm still a little leery given they still have to answer to David Zazlav, who as far as I can tell is Warner-Discovery's answer to Ike Perlmutter. Given Warner's long history of executive meddling ruining nearly anything good I am not going to get my hopes up too high.
But, still, this is better news than I was expecting when I saw the title "DCEU News" so that's good.
If they can push to bring back the Batgirl movie for HBOMax that Zazlav had canned just to get a tax break, then I'll really get hopeful.
I'm with DQ; Zazlav's involvement in ANYTHING DC might do is pretty...non-inspiring to say the least. Gunn aside, I'm going to hold off on wondering what's coming down the pike. For Gunn himself, I mean he's basically ready to write his own checks with all of his movie creds and hits.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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It all will depend if Zazlav steps back and lets them do their thing, now that his handpicked people are running DCU. He clearly didn't believe in the previous team and messed around (and while Batgirl may have been good, my opinion for DCEU has always been, it will likely suck, unless it's a rare exception, so I can't be that upset about the Batgirl movie).
I'm guessing that at the very least, Gunn was given assurances that Zazlav will stay away and let Gunn to his thing, since he certainly didn't need to take this job. If he was smart he even had something in his contract that if Zazlav interferes creatively, Gunn can walk away with tens of millions as a severance package.
My hope lies in what JoelF847 said. Gunn seems to like his independence, and he has no reason to take the job if he isn't going to have that. I don't actually love everything Gunn as done with DC, but I trust him to put people in place who will do good things, and keep things interesting overall.
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The other side of the equation, Peter Safran, gives me some hope for independence from Zaslav, as well as a bit of trepidation about what kind of movie universe he’ll push for.
On the one hand, he’s shown he’s not afraid to walk from a situation, and bring lots of people with him. That’s what he did when he started his own company (bringing his entire client list with him). On the other hand, his biggest successes as a producer seem to be Aquaman, Shazam, and the “Conjuring Universe”, which makes me worried he might continue with grim dark DCU.
Marvel shouldn't have fired Gunn.
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Well, they rehired him so that's water under the bridge. I expect this is just an offer too good to refuse.
Eh, at the risk of turning my flippant comment into a *thing*, it wouldn't surprise me if there's still some lingering feelings about that. But no, I don't think his firing by Marvel is a major factor in his decision to accept a great position at a competitor.
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Eh, at the risk of turning my flippant comment into a *thing*, it wouldn't surprise me if there's still some lingering feelings about that. But no, I don't think his firing by Marvel is a major factor in his decision to accept a great position at a competitor.
While Disney and Warner are and have always been major competitors, my sense is Gunn is a big fan of both Marvel and DC, and most of the creatives involved in either franchise generally root for the other. All are pro-fun superhero flicks. Could there be a bit of joy taking the finger to Disney overall? Sure, but I expect it was more, "Do you want to be the Kevin Feige to the Universe with Superman in it?" which I would think even the least fool would answer with a resounding yes.
And not trying to make a "thing," just discussing.
That is true, creative people within an industry tend to get along better with each other and support each other more then media (in all it's forms) would lead you to believe.
And not trying to make a "thing," just discussing.
My "thing" comment wasn't directed at you, just said in general.
My flippancy isn't serving me well here.
It's been a positive to me when I have to deal with life...but eh.
You could always just not be flippant at all moving forward.
I can’t think of a time when being flippant has ever been a positive thing to do …
It's great for breaking the tension whenever someone makes an honest mistake at work and takes it too hard.
You could always just not be flippant at all moving forward.
I can’t think of a time when being flippant has ever been a positive thing to do …
While I recognize the irony of my own statement, policing how people post on the boards, particularly when no harm is being done, isn't typically a positive thing to do either.
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While I recognize the irony of my own statement, policing how people post on the boards, particularly when no harm is being done, isn't typically a positive thing to do either.You could always just not be flippant at all moving forward.
I can’t think of a time when being flippant has ever been a positive thing to do …
I wasn’t aware that making a comment was considered policing now …
Marvel shouldn't have fired Gunn.
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Pure rumor, but I’m a Swamp Thing fan…..
Rumor: Warner Bros. Looking To Introduce Swamp Thing In Francis Lawrence’s ‘Constantine’ Sequel
I only recently (within the last month or so) watched the Keanu Reeves Constantine movie for the first time. It was an okay movie, and Reeves is one of my favorite actors, but he shouldn’t have been Constantine. That said, I’m cautiously optimistic for anything that brings Swamp Thing back to the big screen.
Now, if only HBOMax would upload all the other Swamp Thing movies and TV episodes for streaming…..
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Now, if only HBOMax would upload all the other Swamp Thing movies and TV episodes for streaming…..
If you're talking about the live action Swamp Thing TV series, it was really bad and painful to watch. I suffered through it nonetheless, and you're not missing much. It also was aired on the CW, so might be streaming on their CWSeed service, but with their acquisition recently, who knows.
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Marvel shouldn't have fired Gunn.
<nitpick>Disney fired Gunn. The subdivision that is Marvel Studios never wanted to do so; Feige in particular was pissed off about it, IIRC, and they are the ones who (successfully) pushed for his rehiring. Which is why we now have the Holiday Special and Guardians 3.</nitpick>
And I agree, it never should have happened. But I still also think the reason Gunn agreed to this job has nothing to do with what Disney did. If anything, the execs at WB, especially with Zaslav at the helm, are reputably even more irritating, controlling, and ignorant. But the job offer was also a chance of a lifetime.
As for the recent news, I'd be down to see some Swamp Thing done right. As in something slightly more than sad man in swamp covered in vines.
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Henry Cavill confirms Superman exit: 'It's been a fun ride with you all'
For me, this is sad news. It is what it is, however. And while I’m now less enthused for the future of DC cinema, I’ll wait to see what further developments are announced.
Apparently they want do a Younger Superman, which in and of itself has me rolling my eyes, but I guess wait and see
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And, of course, now there are reports of a petition to keep
Cavill and get rid of Gunn…..
I like Cavill. He’s one of my favorite young(ish) actors. And I would have loved to see him continue on as Superman. Seriously, though, a petition like that is just moronic. Zaslav put Safran and Gunn in charge of DC to make these decisions, because he thinks they’re better suited to do it than he is. He’s not going to step in just because of some cheesy petition.
Of course, it could be someone looking for attention. Or just trolling a bit.
Ultimately it means we are telling the Origin story again
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Reading Gunn's and Cavill's statements about the matter, where Gunn says he was excited about discussing possibilities for the future, and Cavill's wording says, "I will not return as Superman," makes me think they have plans to cast Cavill in a different role. Especially as likely he has a contract with WB they would either need to buy out or renegotiate in a way that makes Cavill happy.
I liked Cavill. And he had the capability to have been a much better Superman than writers and directors handed him. Heck, I loved him in Man of Steel and except for the stupid tornado scene I liked that movie (I didn't care about killing Zod; his alternative was to let innocents die and had he done so I would have found that far less forgivable). But otherwise I think Snyder had a very specific vision of Superman (Jesus-Superman) that never really quite worked, and I think Gunn is smart to do a hard reboot.
Moreover the Flash movie for whatever it's flaws is likely to pull in Flashpoint so pulling a new universal restart is even appropriate.
ETA: As for them wanting to do a younger Superman, I've seen speculation that it won't so much be another version of the origin story (nobody needs that and I expect James Gunn knows that) but more focusing on Superman's early life as Superman, i.e., something like around the time when he first moved to Metropolis and was establishing himself as Clark Kent the reporter, etc. I know we've often seen versions of that in his origin movies as well, but I wouldn't mind it seeing the movie start in Metropolis and really focus on his life at the Daily Planet while trying to save the city, woo Lois, etc
I'm curious about whether this means all of the main characters so far are going to be recast. I mean, yes, please get rid of Ezra Miller, for the love of God. But I don't really want to lose Jason Momoa or Gal Gadot. For some reason I've seen a lot of hate in particular for Gal in the internet fandumbs these days and I'm not sure why; is it because she complained about Joss Whedon's bad treatment of her? Do they blame her for the flaws that were clearly not her fault in WW84 (personally I blame Geoff Johns for those)? Is it because she's a woman? Was it that cringey but well-meaning Imagine thing a few years ago? I don't get it. Anyway I kind of want her to stay cast just to piss all those jerks off. It's going to be hard to find someone else who has the right level of warmth to play Diana.
Likewise Shazam cast was good.
I heard Momoa was going to switch from being Aquaman to Lobo.
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Yeah, I keep hearing that rumor as well. He’d certainly look the part, as far as the more modern interpretation of the character. And he’s a good enough actor to play the role (which isn’t really that complicated, I think).
My only concern would be could they actually build anything successful off the character. He’s not well known to the general movie-going audience. Still, the industry’s had success with “not well known” before…..
I heard Momoa was going to switch from being Aquaman to Lobo.
IIRC, that's speculation drawn from an article that just said he'd be really cool as Lobo, and some people on the Internet took it as fact.
I'm with DQ, I think that's more fan wishing/speculation than fact.
I will miss Cavill as Superman...but it's always been a rotating thing in my view. Much in the same way Batman has been of late. (Though I will fight to the death anyone that says Kevin Conroy isn't the best Batman of my generation.)
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He's not even the first actor cast as Superman who got screwed over by bad writing and executive shenanigans. Brandon Routh was a great Superman in a really awful movie.
Although I think my favorite Superman will always be Christopher Reeve.
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Well now... looks like Cavill is going to star in the Warhammer 40K series. He seems pretty excited about that
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I'm 100% behind this development. I like Henry Cavill - after all, he is ONE OF US! But his Superman and the entire Snyderverse and most of the other DC stuff was just bad with the standout exceptions being "decent to good" only (80% of Wonder Woman, Shazam, the Gunn Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker tv show.) The rest needed a hard reboot/restart with a coherent plan. Sucks that Cavill got dealt a bad Superman, but he's not exactly hurting for opportunities (like the literally next day Warhammer 40K - which he's a lifelong fan of as well, and will be an exec producer of in addition to staring in.)
I like the premise of Superman Year One, which hasn't actually been done too much, certainly not in the modern superhero era. It's also the smart way to start a full DCU reboot - start with the individual heroes in their own stories and organically build them towards a Justice League team up. Looking forward to DC stuff for the first time since the Dark Knight trilogy (with the exception of the completely separate TV stuff like Arrowverse, Titans, and Doom Patrol, but they were never part of the horrible DCEU).
Well now... looks like Cavill is going to star in the Warhammer 40K series. He seems pretty excited about that
Cool! I heard recently he was a big Warhammer fan. Looks like he is helping produce as well. Which gives me more confidence about what it might look like. 40K is pretty grimdark so finding the right focus is important.
Indeed, channel that rage my friend!
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Cool! I heard recently he was a big Warhammer fan. Looks like he is helping produce as well. Which gives me more confidence about what it might look like.
I heard a rumor that he actually, somehow, secured the rights to 40K before making a deal with Amazon. Which I’m guessing would give him more creative control. Considering it’s Amazon, that’s probably a good thing.
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I will miss Cavill as Superman...but it's always been a rotating thing in my view. Much in the same way Batman has been of late. (Though I will fight to the death anyone that says Kevin Conroy isn't the best Batman of my generation.)
The BEST Ever Batman is Adam West!!
Strongly disagree, Lord Fyre. It's clear Kevin.