The DC Connected Universe (The Batman 2 Delayed a Full Year to October 2026)

Industry veterans James Gunn and Peter Safran have been appointed to the new roles of Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of DC Studios, overseeing the overall creative direction of the DC Universe across film, TV, and animation under a single banner. Gunn and Safran will report to David Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery, and will work closely with Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, Co-Chairpersons and CEOs of Warner Bros. Film Group. The appointments will be effective on November 1.

In their new roles, Gunn and Safran will spearhead the development and execution of a long-term plan for the many properties licensed from DC Comics, focused on continuing the tradition of high-quality storytelling for the DC Universe across audio-visual media, while building a sustainable growth business out of the iconic franchise. In addition to their executive responsibilities, Gunn and Safran will develop, direct, and produce projects. In their new roles, they will also work collaboratively with Channing Dungey, Chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group; Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content; Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group; Pam Lifford, President, Warner Bros. Discovery Consumer Products; and David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Both Gunn and Safran have extensive experience with the superhero genre having brought some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe’s most popular characters to life in hit films and series that include: Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, and DC’s highest grossing movie, Aquaman; Shazam!; The Suicide Squad; and the HBO Max original, live-action series Peacemaker.

Zaslav commented: “DC has among the most entertaining, powerful, and iconic characters in the world and I am thrilled to have the singular and complementary talents of James and Peter joining our world-class team and overseeing the creative direction of the storied DC Universe. Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling.”

Gunn and Safran commented: “We’re honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we’ve loved since we were children. We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors, and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved. Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent. We’re excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told. We’re especially enthusiastic about doing all of this with Mike, Pam, Casey, Channing, and the whole Warner Bros. Discovery team, and are grateful to David Zaslav, whose bold vision for the future of the franchise we share and allows for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Most of all, we can’t wait to bring you all into the story of the DCU.”

De Luca and Abdy said: “We could not be more excited to have James Gunn and Peter Safran join the team and assume the leadership of the DC Universe. James is a brilliant filmmaker and storyteller and Peter is a tremendously successful and prolific producer and to have them both committing to work together to forge this new era for DC is a literal dream come true. We all share a very similar sensibility and passion for this universe and the stars couldn’t have aligned any better. We can’t wait to get started, dig in, and collaborate with these unmatched creative minds.”  

Throughout his decades-long career, writer/director/producer James Gunn has been responsible for a vast portfolio of critically acclaimed films and series, including: Warner Bros. live-action movies, Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2; a remake of George A Romero’s Dawn of the Dead; the horror comedy Slither; the dark superhero comedy Super; the hugely successful Marvel films Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; DC’s The Suicide Squad and the spin-off series for HBO Max, Peacemaker. With the release of The Suicide Squad in 2021, Gunn became the first filmmaker to direct a movie for both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe.

Peter Safran has produced numerous films for Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, and other film studios, including: DC’s highest grossing movie, Aquaman and its upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom; Shazam and its upcoming sequel Shazam: Fury of the Gods; The Suicide Squad; Annabelle; and the entire Conjuring universe, the most successful horror franchise of all time at $2B+ in worldwide box office and counting. Safran’s production company, The Safran Company, recently re-upped its long-term production deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, and has four theatrical releases scheduled for 2023, including The Nun 2, which is the sequel to the highest grossing title in the Conjuring universe, The Nun. Prior to forming his own company, Safran was President of Brillstein-Grey Management, which represented some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

UltimateMarvel wrote:WTF?!!! This is a hell of a twist! From Marvel to getting fired to getting re-hired and now CEO of DC. He has to be the luckiest guy to ever live.

Good for him, he's done great with Marvel and I can't wait to see what he does with DC. Now I'm actually starting to believe that DC can make a comeback.

Tyger wrote:I mean it’s not bad news, but I definitely don’t take it as the good news that others do.

Snyder was supposed to be overseeing the DCEU and anything that he didn’t actually touch just didn’t really fit together. I don’t see this being any differently. For better or worse, Marvel thought about their overall brand/universe early on and their movies fit together.

HBO Max’s long-gestating Green Lantern TV series is changing gears.

The drama that has been in the works since late 2019 will now focus on John Stewart, one of DC’s first Black superheroes. The series, from exec producer Greg Berlanti, was to originally have revolved around Guy Gardner and Alan Scott and had already cast Finn Wittrock (Ratched) and Jeremy Irvine (Treadstone) as the respective Green Lanterns.

As part of the creative overhaul, writer and showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith has departed the series after completing scripts for a full season of eight episodes. Sources say Grahame-Smith, who signed on as writer and showrunner a year after Green Lantern was announced, chose to leave the project after weathering a number of regime changes at HBO Max, its parent company, producers Warner Bros. Television and now DC Comics.

The decision to refocus Green Lantern arrives at a pivotal time for DC. Sources say the character of John Stewart was off the table to producers who envisioned the show as focusing on the first Green Lantern, the openly gay Alan Scott, and Guy Gardner as well as a “multitude of other Lanterns — from comic book favorites to never-before-seen heroes.” With DC Comics topper Walter Hamada’s recent exit, a decision was made to start over and build the show around John Stewart, the character who first appeared in the early 1970s and was modeled after Sidney Poitier. It’s worth noting that the Green Lantern creative overhaul has nothing to do with news this week that James Gunn and Peter Safran have been tapped to lead film, TV and animation at DC Studios in a role similar to what Kevin Feige is doing at Marvel. (Gunn and Safran don’t start their new jobs until Nov. 1.)

Of the previous incarnation, only Berlanti and his Warner Bros. TV-based Berlanti Productions remain attached to Green Lantern. (Fellow exec producer Marc Guggenheim, who originally was poised to co-write the pilot alongside Grahame-Smith, was not recently involved with the show ahead of its retooling.)

When HBO Max announced plans for Green Lantern in October 2019, Berlanti described it as the “biggest DC show ever made,” with plans for the series to go to space. Insiders at the time said it was poised to be the most expensive show DC ever made and easily the largest for HBO Max with a budget estimated in the $120 million range. (House of the Dragon, by comparison, cost less than $200 million.)

The show’s budget going forward is expected to be significantly less as HBO Max, under David Zaslav’s combined Warner Bros. Discovery, is focusing on right-sizing its various assets. As part of the move to find an estimated $3 billion in cost savings, Zaslav and his division leaders have dropped a number of projects including Berlanti’s planned Strange Adventures anthology for HBO Max, J.J. Abrams’ HBO original series Demimonde and the already completed Batgirl feature film. (For Demimonde, HBO is said to have balked at Abrams’ request for a budget north of $200 million.)

WBD said in an SEC filing this week that it expects to take $2 billion to $2.5 billion in tax write-downs related to content. The eight previously completed Green Lantern scripts are expected to be included in those tax write-downs as sources maintain it wasn’t Grahame-Smith’s creative that ultimately doomed the first incarnation of the show but rather its price tag.

As for Wittrock and Irvine, neither remains signed on to Green Lantern. Sources indicate that Berlanti Productions is eager to work with both actors when and if the project, which currently has a script-to-series commitment, moves forward. In spring 2021, when Wittrock and Irvine were cast, the show was still being fast-tracked and was to begin shooting that same year. The project is now on a slower, more HBO-like, development track under Bloys and Warner Bros. TV topper Channing Dungey. A new logline for the series has not yet been determined as the project is back to being in early development.

Reps for HBO Max, Warners, Berlanti Productions and Grahame-Smith declined to comment.

The HBO Max take is Berlanti’s second stab at the world of Green Lantern. He previously penned the screenplay (alongside Michael Green, Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg) for the 2011 DC-produced Ryan Reynolds starrer. That movie was met with negative reviews and was considered a flop. It grossed $219 million vs. a budget of $200 million.

Source: THR

Margot Robbie is about to get a lot more creative freedom at the newly formed DC Studios, thanks to her former The Suicide Squad director, James Gunn. According to our trusted and proven sources, the positive work collaboration between Margot Robbie and James Gunn has resulted in the Amsterdam star being given a much freer hand in her DC projects, which makes sense considering her Harley Quinn character has been one of the few bright spots of Warner Bros. Discovery’s franchise. Additionally, it seems that Margot Robbie wants actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw to play a version of Batman villain Poison Ivy for the DC Universe.

Margot Robbie has been involved with the DC Universe of film since starring as Harley Quinn/Dr. Harleen Quinzel in the 2016 Suicide Squad film; while almost every other aspect of Suicide Squad was negatively reviewed, Robbie was the breakout star. Since then, Margot Robbie has reprised the character in both Birds of Prey in 2020 and The Suicide Squad in 2021, which was the film that brought James Gunn into the fold. While The Suicide Squad did not gross anything near to the first film (largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the movie being released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max), it was much more critically well-reviewed.

Since then, James Gunn was named co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios (along with producer Peter Safran), which will be in charge of all future DC projects except the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux. It seems Margot Robbie is going to have more of a creative hand in future DC projects, which also makes sense. Robbie has been increasingly moving into behind-the-scenes roles with her production company LuckyChap Entertainment, so it is only logical that she would do the same at Warner Bros. Discovery.

That Margot Robbie wants Gugu Mbatha-Raw (best known for Black Mirror and the Marvel series Loki) to join the DC Universe as Poison Ivy is a promising sign that more Harley Quinn projects are in development. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have frequently been paired together in various DC projects, as alternately criminal partners, friends, or romantic interests (and sometimes all three). On the HBO Max animated show Harley Quinn, the title character (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy aka Dr. Pamela Isley (voiced by Lake Bell) are essentially co-leads, which has led to strong fan loyalty to the series.

As such, it seems inevitable that we would eventually get Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn with a live-action Poison Ivy in some future DC projects. There have been persistent rumors of both a sequel to Birds of Prey and a potential Gotham Sirens project in the works (possibly with Olivia Wilde being brought in to direct), and it sounds like Robbie is getting increased authority to make it happen. In all the continual chaos that has been the modern DC Universe, Margot Robbie has been a consistent bright spot, so good on DC and James Gunn for letting her do her thing.

Source: GiantFreakinRobot

#TestScreening Alert!

- #BlueBeetle had its test screening at the WB lot y'day, and the immediate consensus was that the majority of the audience absolutely loved
@angelmanuelsoto's live-action version. Apparently @Xolo_Mariduena doesn't miss a beat, and absolutely kills it.

- The entire cast does an awesome job! Especially Xolo Mariduena & Belissa Escobedo, who plays Xolo's sis.

- The audience loved the sweet,comedy-filled family dynamic of the 'Reyes family'.

- Almost 30% of the film is in Spanish with subs.

- Susan Sarandon nails the villainous role as Victoria Kord.

- George Lopez as Uncle Rudy & Adriana Barraza as the Grandma have lot of great comedic scenes, which were loved.

Verdict: The audience totally loved DC's first Latino superhero.

Source: Undercover Audience on Twitter

UltimateMarvel wrote:DC is firing on all cylinders now! I'm not tired of seeing Margot as Harley yet, she's fucking great at it. Hopefully Beetle turns out great too.

joey con carne wrote:Completely forgot Black Adam came out last week. Read it was pretty good. Anyone here see it yet? I am waiting for it to hit HBO Max.

Cristin Milioti is joining Colin Farrell in “The Batman” spinoff series centered on The Penguin at HBO Max, Variety has learned.

Exact plot details for the series, which is currently titled “The Penguin,” are under wraps. It is believed to take place in the immediate aftermath of the events of “The Batman.” Farrell will reprise the role of the infamous Batman villain, whom he played in the film.

Milioti will star as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Gotham mob boss Carmine Falcone. John Turturro played Carmine in “The Batman,” with The Penguin serving as his right-hand man.

Sofia was originally introduced in the Batman comic books in the mid-1990s. Milioti will now be the second actress to portray Sofia in a live-action series, with Crystal Reed having played her in the Fox series “Gotham.”

This will now be the second HBO Max series in which Milioti has starred. She previously led the comedy series “Made for Love,” which was canceled after two seasons in June. She also recently starred in the critically-acclaimed Peacock series “The Resort” as well as the film “Palm Springs.” She is also known for starring in the “USS Callister” episode of “Black Mirror” and for her work on the stage.

Variety exclusively reported that Farrell had signed on to star in “The Penguin” in December 2021, with HBO Max officially ordering the show to series in March 2022. Lauren LeFranc serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner.

“The Batman” director Matt Reeves executive produces via 6th & Idaho, while Dylan Clark executive produces via Dylan Clark Productions. Farrell executive produces in addition to starring. Craig Zobel is executive producing and directing the first two episodes. 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer with Rafi Croh co-executive producing. Warner Bros. Television is the studio. 6th & Idaho is currently under an overall deal at WBTV. The series is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

“The Penguin” is one of three spinoffs of “The Batman” in the works at HBO Max at present. Variety exclusively reported that Antonio Campos is set to write a series set in Arkham Asylum, while a series set within the Gotham PD remains in development.

UltimateMarvel wrote:A little selfish to be honest. Give another actor the opportunity.

Call it DC Rebirth or DC: Genesis. Maybe call it Identity Crisis or Flashpoint. These titles of past DC comics event series aptly describe the state of Warner Bros.’ DC movies, which are on the cusp of a new era but not before a potentially messy transition period.

A cleaning of the slate is common when a new executive team is put in place to run a studio or division but there is likely little precedent for the amount of Clorox James Gunn and Peter Safran could spray as they prepare to launch DC Studios and guide superhero movies for the next half decade and beyond.

The duo in recent days flew back to Los Angeles from the snowy city of Aspen, Colorado, where they were huddled in deep planning, and now like holy figures coming down from the mountaintop, have sets of commandments or a DC Bible in hand. Or at least a working blueprint.

Gunn and Safran are expected to meet next week with David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO who is radically reshaping the media company and who hired the duo in October to lead a newly launched film and TV division. The pair will unveil to Zaslav a plan that is expected to lay out their vision. Although much of their plan, which insiders paint as still a work-in-progress and one that has yet to be approved, is being kept deep in the Batcave, details of several possible paths forward are trickling out. And at least one path not being taken has also been revealed.

Multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 is not moving forward and is considered dead in its current incarnation.

Sources say that Jenkins recently submitted her treatment, co-written with Geoff Johns, and that Gunn and Safran, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, broke the news to the filmmaker, telling her the project — as it stood — did not fit in with the new (but still unfolding) plans. Jenkins directed and co-wrote the previous two movies, starring Gal Gadot and released in 2017 and 2020. No decision has been made about next steps.

And while costs are not a factor — insiders say that DC Studios will not have any overburdensome financial restrictions — the studio could end up saving tens of millions of dollars by not making the third installment. Gadot, according to sources, was on track for a $20 million payday for Wonder Woman 3 while Jenkins would have received $12 million. Those figures don’t include any possible backend bonuses.

Warners had no comment.

It is unclear how any future Wonder Woman movie, and Gadot’s portrayal of the hero, would fit into the new DC plan. In a bit of head-scratching timing, Gadot tweeted out of the blue a thank you to fans on Tuesday, saying she was grateful to be allowed to play the heroine and role model, adding, “Can’t wait to share her next chapter with you.” It was unclear whether or not the actress knew the project was being toe-tagged.

The rest of the DC slate remains in flux, or at least being kept deep in a pocket of Gunn’s own utility belt but there are several rumors and possible scenarios to consider ahead of next week’s meeting.

The first, which builds on the shuttering of Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3, is the closing curtain of the Snyderverse, and the heroes cast by filmmaker Zack Snyder for his Justice League. This one sees the shutting down of Man of Steel 2, with a returning Henry Cavill, and having no more Aquaman, fronted by Jason Momoa.

These characters are to cameo in Flash, the highly-anticipated time travel adventure movie that is due to release June 16. Cavill shot his part of the cameo in September. But sources say there is a debate inside the studio as whether or not to keep the cameo and if its inclusion promises something that studio would have no plans on delivering.

A Warners insider cautions that no plans have been finalized and that Flash remains an unlocked picture.

The Cavill situation is a more than a little thorny as the actor made a cameo in Black Adam, the DC-centric movie released in October. The Monday after the movie opened, Cavill posted a video on Instagram where he announced, “I wanted to make it official — I am back as Superman.”

And at that time, he was not incorrect. Warner Bros. was indeed developing a sequel for 2013’s Man of Steel and actively meeting with writers. Andy Muschietti, who directed Flash, even expressed interest in sitting behind the camera for something that would have brought a tone similar to the hopeful and heroic colors of the 1978 movie directed by Richard Donner, considered a benchmark in comic book movies. In fact, the current leadership team at Warner Bros Pictures — Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy — did desire one more go-around of the Snyderverse heroes, possibly even having another Justice League movie with those actors.

But that was before Gunn and Safran began formulating their new (and still in flux) plan.

Also unlikely is a sequel to Black Adam. Despite the hype surrounding the movie of launching a new corner of DC, a lot of it led by star Dwayne Johnson, the movie has only grossed $385 million worldwide and insiders at the studio say the movie, which cost more than $190 million to produce (two sources peg the actual cost at $230 million, not including marketing), will be lucky to break even, even considering ancillary revenue. Even if the movie does eke out a minimal profit, any follow-up’s inherent rising costs dim the prospect of a sequel.

Johnson hoped to carve out his own piece of the DC pie, but multiple sources say his playing up of a returning Cavill and his own involvement with DC may not be endearing him to the new management. Johnson and Cavill are both managed by Dany Garcia, who is also Johnson’s producing partner. The perception of Adam turning a profit or not is a conflagration now being waged in public, with Johnson tweeting the movie would net over $50 million after a Variety story said the movie would lose over $50 million theatrically.

Momoa, meanwhile, could emerge as a pivotal figure into the new plans, according to several sources. In one scenario, the actor would wrap up his days as underwater hero Arthur Curry with Lost City, due out Dec. 25, 2023, which would be the final movie released that was made by the previous regime. But it would not spell the end of the actor’s involvement with DC, with sources saying the actor would lead another movie or franchise. The character of Lobo, a foul-mouthed cigar-chomping intergalactic bounty hunter, has been mentioned in connection with Momoa.

Whether or not Momoa does play everybody’s favorite bastich, Lobo emerging as a rising character early on in the conversation may point to the kinds of characters the Gunn-Safran team may be focusing on. The character is an outsider, an anti-hero, and is keeping in line with Gunn’s specialty of taking the off-beat and quirky and flipping it into crowd-pleasing fare.

Part of the plan could entail a truly fresh start and having no baggage from any previous regimes as they set about resetting how DC movies and shows are made. That, however, does not take into account the possible success of movies such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17, 2023), on which Safran is a producer, and Blue Beetle (Aug. 18, 2023). Would that plan include forging ahead without the actors who inhabit those characters and recast them even if those movies prove to be box office hits?

Observers are convinced the plan calls for an interconnected story universe and there is rumblings of the establishment of a creative brain trust. The brain trust may be already rolling in some capacity as sources say that Safran had in recent weeks been meeting with writers at his Los Angeles home in an effort to hone the presentation, gathering feedback and ideas for the plan.

One part that the Gunn-Safran agenda seems likely not to touch, at least for now, is the Matt Reeves Batman universe in which Robert Pattinson dons the cowl of the Caped Crusader. Reeves is writing the sequel to The Batman, which opened in March 4. The filmmaker is also overseeing the launch of two Batman series that spin out of his movie, including The Penguin.

Source: THR

The incoming James Gunn and Peter Safran team is resulting in a line wide reset of all DCU movies according to The Hollywood Reporter. Rumored to be canceled films include Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3, with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman coming to an end with next year’s movie. According to the report, there is only one small section of the DCU that is not being touched: Matt Reeves The Batman universe, which was never really connected to the rest of the DCU.

The Batman 2, written by Matt Reeves and still starring Robert Pattinson, is expected to continue moving forward as planned. Also going forward is the spin-off series, The Penguin, featuring Colin Farrell as the Gotham gangster. Though not directly connected to any of the other DCU films, The Joker sequel starring Lady Gaga is also still going forward under the new regime.

While fans were expecting a dramatic change following James Gunn being given the keys from Warner Bros. Discovery in October, canceling most of the in-production films and re-casting actors goes beyond what was expected. Gal Gadot’s time as Wonder Woman may be over, Henry Cavill may be done, again, as Superman, but just as when the DC Comics rebooted following The New 52, Batman is untouched. Given that Batman and Batman-adjacent films occupy four of the five top earning DC movies, with The Batman coming in at number three, as a pure business decision, leaving The Dark Knight to do his own thing has always paid off.

In the DCU, Ben Affleck portrayed an older, more grizzled Batman that had no qualms with using firearms. The recent Matt Reeves The Batman was a more understated film, going back to the basics of the character, boosted by Robert Pattinson’s acclaimed portrayal of Bruce Wayne. Zoe Kravitz, as Catwoman, and Paul Dano as The Riddler, rounded out the cast of characters, with each actor also garnering praise for their work.

The rumored plot of Man of Steel 2 was that the film would be a “back to basics” for Superman, bringing the DCU character more in line with his comic counterpart. Wonder Woman 3 meanwhile, was supposed to be a team up movie, though between which characters was never officially confirmed. By contrast, The Batman 2 was always expected to expand on the Gotham underworld and continue to shut out the superpowered heroes.

Exactly what James Gunn and Peter Safran have planned for the DCU is unknown, whether it includes a different Batman from Robert Pattinson is also unknown. The Batman corner of the DCU may be the cornerstone for the rest of the franchise moving forward, or it may not. Stephanie Brown may finally make it to the big screen, or she may not, right now, all theories are valid and nothing can be cast aside.

Except for a Black Adam sequel, the underperforming movie has been a historic bomb for Warner Bros. Discovery and so any Dwayne Johnson follow-up is dead in the water. Films scheduled to be released in the next year, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom are still, as of today, going to be coming out. The Batman 2 has no release date, but it is comics accurate that even if the entire universe is changing and falling apart around him, Batman is the one constant.

Source: The Batman, Wonder Woman 3, And Man Of Steel 2: Only One Is Still Happening

Wow, what a week for DC. Just wow.

When new heads are put into place of a studio or division, they will want to put their stamp on things. It's not just common, but expected. 

But DC isn’t just any old place. It’s a beloved universe of stories and characters with a rich history. And as opposed to other movie studios which have some movies or sequels in play on their slates, Warner Bros.’s DC slate is a living and breathing entity that has been evolving for over a decade.

Even through leadership changes, certain actors, characters and filmmakers have remained swirling around the Burbank lot.

But the arrival of James Gunn and Peter Safran as heads of DC Studios has upended all expectations. They are shaking DC all the way to its roots. And that has Hollywood, movie fans and DC fans in a tizzy.

This change is dramatic and the drama spilled into the open this week.

First was the public brouhaha over how much profit Warners and New Line's Black Adam will eke out. Variety said it would lose money theatrically, then star Dwayne Johnson hit back, touting a Deadline report saying “Wrong!” Rarely if ever has a star put themselves in this position. But then again, a franchise of sequels and TV spinoffs is at stake.

Then came Wonder Woman 3 not moving forward with Patty Jenkins . It had a host of other details and issues that were facing Gunn and Safran. More questions may have been raised than answered by that story, but soon more details followed.

Jenkins’ ability to take notes (or not) became a central focus, with The Wrap spilling the beans on a contentious back and forth between Jenkins and Warner’s Michael De Luca, with her sending him a Wikipedia link to the definition of “character arc.”

Also, where is Gal Gadot in all of this? Well, a day before THR’s story, she took to Twitter to thank her fans and then say, “Can’t wait to share her next chapter with you.” What timing!

On Thursday, Gunn weighed in on THR’s story, saying on Twitter, “some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true, & some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not.” He also acknowledged, “We know we are not going to make every single person happy every step of the way, but we can promise everything we do is done in the service of the STORY & in the service of the DC CHARACTERS we know you cherish and we have cherished our whole lives.”

We bet Warners and DC would like nothing more than to focus on next week — when Gunn and Safran will present their DC plan to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav — and we don’t blame them.

We just have a few of our own, ahem, notes to add, some additional details that we have unearthed… — Aaron Couch and Borys Kit

Man of Steel 2 has stalled out. It’s Kal-el with Kryptonite ankle bracelets at this point. Not going anywhere. But it was on the move ahead of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s arrival at DC, even though it’s unclear how far that specific incarnation would have gotten.

Sources tell us Steven Knight, the creator of TV series Peaky Blinders and See and writer of movies Spencer and Eastern Promises, penned a treatment for the project in the fall. Unfortunately, it didn’t thrill Warner executives, who gave notes. (There's that word again.)

Before things could go to the next level, which may or may not have included hiring another writer given Knight’s very busy schedule, Gunn and Safran were hired, and development promptly ended.

Crisis on Infinite Supermans

Just staying on topic of the dream to bring back Henry Cavill: Dwayne Johnson wasn’t the only one who had that idea. Former head of DC Films Walter Hamada was also working on a long-range plan to return Superman, and Cavill, to the DC cinematic fold.

Sources tell us that cameos in forthcoming DC movies of next year would have breadcrumbed to a giant tentpole movie inspired by the now-classic Crisis on Infinite Earth comics of the 1980s. That comics mini-series featured multiple timelines and heroes from other dimensional Earths and, just as the Flash movie was returning Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck in their Batman incarnations, this new movie project would have returned Cavill as Supes.

Johnson, however, had his own plans and muscled his own Cavill return.

The Great Beyond

In the aftermath of the news of Wonder Woman 3 hitting the skids, several items have popped up (here and here) about how there was a plan to spin off a Batman Beyond movie from Flash and that Christina Hodson, already in the (old) DC fold thanks to writing Batgirl and Flash, was penning it. Here are a few more details:

Hodson pitched her take, which had executives excited, and had actually commenced writing…when, about two weeks after the hires of Gunn and Safran, she was told to stop.

Some Batfans’s hearts may break when we tell them the project was looking to resuscitate a romance between a Michael Keaton Batman and Catwoman (would Michelle Pfeiffer have returned? Who knows?)

But as tough as some of this may sound to some fans, keep in mind that Gunn and Safran can and will resuscitate some of these heroes.

They know, and may even love, Terry McGinnis. They may bring back Deathstoke, who was a villain in the Ben Affleck-Geoff Johns-written Batman movie when Affleck was going to star and direct it.

Maybe a John Stewart Green Lantern movie will finally happen. And you know Superman and Wonder Woman will return in one shape or another. Whether Cavill and Gadot come back, however, will be up to Gunn and Safran.

Source: Heat Vision

#AquamanAndTheLostKingdom had a test screening last night



• Mera is still in the movie & her scenes remain unchanged



• Ben Affleck's #Batman is not in the movie



• Willem Dafoe's Vulko is also not in the movie

joey con carne wrote:Glad to hear Amber Heard's character is still in the film which paves the way perfectly for her upcoming spinoff films.

joey con carne wrote:DC still sucking balls when it comes to movies. Glad to hear nothing is changed so far. Looking forward to Mera’s upcoming spinoffs as well as an origin story movie for the Wonder Twins.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Here we go again! Just hit the reboot button with new actors, it would be easier.

WyldeMan wrote:James Gunn should just direct Swamp Thing, that feels like a movie perfectly suited for him.

But instead, he's already cancelled Batman Beyond which would have reunited Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer and cancelled Cavill's return because the Black Superman movie is a bigger priority and he's doing away with Snyder's entire Justice League too.

Gunn has been tweeting up a storm replying to fanboy questions but he never really says anything.

I'm not feeling nearly as optimistic as I was just one month ago.

joey con carne wrote:Thank you! Now we are talking. I need reboots of everything and we need to start off at the very beginning of their origins. I'm talking I want to see a significant portion of the film showing them go through their times before they even discover their powers/calling. Like my ideal Batman origin film would be his parents being killed at the end of the movie. Just focus two full hours on Bruce Wayne growing up in a life of luxury chillin' with his friends and family.

And Superman's origin should just be him being born at the end of his film. No word of the doom on Krypton at all. Maybe introduce the death of Krypton in the middle of the second film and then at the end of that one, have Clark just realize he can fly. But you don't actually see him fly or anything. He kind of just looks up and you see his sneakers lift off the ground a half centimeter and it slam cuts to black.

joey con carne wrote:Sounds like James Gunn is also scrapping any further Black Adam films, too, because it was a flop (moneywise). I guess Dwayne Johnson isn't the savior DC fans were hoping for and Cavill's cameo at the end of Black Adam is now going to be for nothing. I guess we won't be getting anything at all for at least ten more years because that's how long those retards take to come up with even a shitty idea.

joey con carne wrote:Thank you! Now we are talking. I need reboots of everything and we need to start off at the very beginning of their origins. I'm talking I want to see a significant portion of the film showing them go through their times before they even discover their powers/calling. Like my ideal Batman origin film would be his parents being killed at the end of the movie. Just focus two full hours on Bruce Wayne growing up in a life of luxury chillin' with his friends and family.

And Superman's origin should just be him being born at the end of his film. No word of the doom on Krypton at all. Maybe introduce the death of Krypton in the middle of the second film and then at the end of that one, have Clark just realize he can fly. But you don't actually see him fly or anything. He kind of just looks up and you see his sneakers lift off the ground a half centimeter and it slam cuts to black.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

joey con carne wrote:Thank you! Now we are talking. I need reboots of everything and we need to start off at the very beginning of their origins. I'm talking I want to see a significant portion of the film showing them go through their times before they even discover their powers/calling. Like my ideal Batman origin film would be his parents being killed at the end of the movie. Just focus two full hours on Bruce Wayne growing up in a life of luxury chillin' with his friends and family.

And Superman's origin should just be him being born at the end of his film. No word of the doom on Krypton at all. Maybe introduce the death of Krypton in the middle of the second film and then at the end of that one, have Clark just realize he can fly. But you don't actually see him fly or anything. He kind of just looks up and you see his sneakers lift off the ground a half centimeter and it slam cuts to black.

That sounds like torture but also would be an improvement of what they have now.

DC bosses Peter Safran and James Gunn tonight officially made known their plans for their first movie under their regime: It’s Superman, a script that the latter is currently writing about the Man of Steel’s early days. It’s not an origins story, but a new actor will be sought to play Superman.

As for Henry Cavill — while the DC bosses, would like to work with him, he’s been informed he’s not part of the next iteration of Superman given its new direction. The actor later confirmed that , saying, “My turn to wear the cape has passed.”

Meanwhile, we hear from sources familiar to the scene that Gunn and Safran are in talks with Ben Affleck to stay in the DC universe, but as a director. He is set to reprise his Batman role in The Flash, which opens on June 16.

Gunn and Safran plan to unveil their full DC plan in January but are taking meetings with various talent connected to the universe to share their vision as they sort out a more cohesive plan for the comic-book brand stretching across all mediums.

In a tweet tonight, Gunn writes:

“Peter and I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year.

“Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.

“But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.”

Superman has appeared in eight Warner Bros feature movies during the box office era going back to Richard Donner’s 1978 original starring Christopher Reeve. Together those pics, including Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, have grossed $3 billion at the global box office, unadjusted for inflation.  Studio insiders emphasized tonight that Cavill didn’t go rogue in posting in October about his return as the Man of Steel. It was a plan hatched by the previous regime before Safran and Gunn to their exec seats at DC. There still is a chance that Cavill could be involved in the DC universe.

The town was shaken up last week as news leaked that the new Safran-Gunn DC administration had thumbed down Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3. However, that decision was made in conjunction with other Warner execs who were providing notes to Jenkins. The Wonder Woman filmmaker tweeted Tuesday that she “never walked away” from the project.

“I was open to considering anything asked of me,” tweeted Jenkins. “It was my understanding there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time. DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”

Gunn replied on Twitter, “I can attest that all of Peter [Safran] and my interactions with you were only pleasant and professional.”

Source: Deadline

Moments after James Gunn informed that he’s penning a new Superman, set in the Man of Steel’s younger days, and that Henry Cavill won’t be playing him, Cavill confirmed the news.

“I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone,” writes Cavill, who recently announced his return to the cape after his cameo in Warner Bros/DC’s Black Adam.

“I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” he writes in an Instagram post — this despite Gunn teasing that the actor could be involved in another way in the DC universe. “My turn to wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will.”

“After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life,” writes the actor, who is also repped by Dwayne Johnson’s manager, Dany Garcia.

“The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that,” Cavill added. “James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”

His post already has gotten responses including from fellow DC players, Shazam‘s Zachary Levi (“Hope to catch you in another universe, sir”) and Aquaman‘s Jason Momoa (“love u brother”).

Cavill made his debut as Superman in Zack Snyder’s 2013 Man of Steel, which grossed over $668 million at the global box office. He reprised the caped guy in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, also directed by Snyder. Altogether, the three pics grossed close to $2.2 billion.

Source: Deadline

UltimateMarvel wrote:A fresh start with younger actors could be what DC needs. I hope this works out in the grand scheme of things. They really can't afford to fail again.

And I hope it goes without saying, Ezra is out too?

joey con carne wrote:Henry Cavill is ready and willing to work.

Henry Cavill may not be donning a red cape, but he does have a cool new gig.

The actor, who Wednesday officially hung up his Man of Steel cape after Warner Bros. announced it is going in a new Superman direction thanks to DC Studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, is attached to star and executive produce a series adaptation of Warhammer 40,000, the popular science-fiction fantasy miniature wargame that is set up at Amazon.

Amazon is in final talks for the rights to the game, produced by Games Workshop, after months of negotiations and fending off rival companies that also sought the rights.

No writers or showrunners are attached, although Vertigo Entertainment is attached to also executive produce.

Warhammer is akin to a Dungeons & Dragons — dice are involved in the playing — but also features intricate miniatures that players can place and move around a model-constructed battlefield or world. Games Workshop in the 1980s made miniatures for D&D and launched the game in 1987. It has grown to become the most popular miniature wargame in the world and spawned many imitators.

The game’s setting is 40,000 years into the future where things are dark indeed. Human civilization has stopped progressing and is in an unending war with aliens and magical beings, with gods and demons figuring into a theological class system.

The humans make up the Imperium of Man, who are militaristic. A race of skeleton-like androids are known as the Necron; there is an elvish race known as Aeldari as well as Orks; Tyranids are nasty aliens; and the T’au is a blue-skinned alien race that may offer some hope.

Cavill is known to be a Warhammer fan and paints figures. Because the project is in such early stages — to reiterate, Amazon has yet to close the deal — this is not the next gig for Cavill, who recently announced he was exiting his lead role in Netflix’s The Witcher.

But it is an ambitious move for Amazon and could deliver a show that is epic in scale as it combines the big genre elements of sci-fi and fantasy as well as a host of human and non-human characters.

joey con carne wrote:I saw a clip from Graham Norton show where Henry Cavill was saying how he missed the phone call from Zack Snyder telling him he was chosen for the role of Superman because he was playing World of Warcraft at the time. He saw the phone ringing but deliberately did not pick it up because the WoW dungeon he was raiding was more important. Love this guy.