With any announcement of a big comic book movie, there’s always intense excitement and skepticism. Warner Brothers’ release schedule for their upcoming DC films will certainly evoke both feelings in people who read it. After thinking long and hard about it though, I’ve realized there are some notably positive things to take away from this announcement, and what Warner Bros. possibly has planned for their DC cinematic universe.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” directed by Zack Snyder (2016)
“Suicide Squad,” directed by David Ayer (2016)
“Wonder Woman,” starring Gal Gadot (2017)
“Justice League Part One,” directed by Zack Snyder, with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017)
“The Flash,” starring Ezra Miller (2018)
“Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa (2018)
“Shazam” (2019)
“Justice League Part Two,” directed by Zack Snyder (2019)
“Cyborg,” starring Ray Fisher (2020)
“Green Lantern” (2020)
First of all, it’s nice to see that DC/Warner Bros. has presented a schedule for their upcoming projects. For the first time, there’s actually a game plan of sorts. While not following the Marvel formula of releasing a series of solo films that culminate in a big team-up movie, Warner Bros. is looking to introduce as many of their biggest heroes all at once. It’s definitely a risk, but with so many of these iconic characters already in the public consciousness, its lessened to a degree. Plus, as many of us have already seen with Guardians of the Galaxy, you don’t necessarily need a ton of backstory to make one hell of a badass superhero team-up movie.
In terms of diversity, Warner Bros. doesn’t seem to be bothered by the prospect of having their leads be something other than white males. With Wonder Woman in 2017 and the surprising announcement of Cyborg for 2020, DC/Warner Bros. is clearly looking to capitalize on Marvel’s unwillingness to cast a female, or an actor of a different race/ethnicity to headline their films.
While Marvel has had numerous critical and commercial successes with their past films, you’ll notice that most of their movies haven’t exactly ventured away from their white-male characters. Sure, Anthony Mackie’s debut as Falcon certainly left many people impressed, and to a much lesser extent, Don Cheadle’s Rhodey Rhodes. However, the two actors play second-fiddle to their white co-stars. It’s also worth noting that Marvel has always dogged questions about a possible solo Black Widow movie. Not only that, but the supposedly gestating Black Panther film seems to never escape from just being a rumor. While the quality of Wonder Woman and Cyborg are obviously unknown, it’s nice to see a studio like Warner Bros. willing to cast actors of various races and genders for their comic book adaptations.
Finally, the talent behind some of the upcoming films can be a good indicator of what to expect. The announcement of Suicide Squad certainly has me excited. For those who are unfamiliar with the comic, Suicide Squad follows a team of villains forced by the federal government to complete the most dangerous of missions. Past team members have included Deathstroke, Poison Ivy, Bane, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Black Manta and Captain Boomerang. Director David Ayer (Fury) will helm the picture. While not all of his work has been enormously successful (I try to forget about Sabotage too), Ayer is the guy who wrote Training Day, and directed the critically underrated thriller, End of Watch. If he can apply the same level of gritty urban violence to this DC project, then I think Suicide Squad could be one of the most original comic book films in the last few years.
Of course, not everyone on OneOfUs.net has such a sunny disposition to this recent news. I know that my fellow colleagues have more than a few concerns about these recent announcements. I’m certain you’ll hear from them soon.
What about you reader? Are you excited by any of these movies announced by Warner Bros.? Concerned? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Business Wire
If you have a few extra dimes to spare, please help us help a fan in need. Thank you!