How to use this Page

With just over a month to go, we get one more look at what's coming on 3/25

Over the next eight weeks, you can expect a cavalcade of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice promos and interviews and articles and whatever else the internet is able to throw at you. I’ll surely ignore most of it after this point, as I think often movie marketing hits the point of negative returns after […]

While much of America was watching its favorite Winter pastime, they got a glimpse of what may have been their first real look at Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (unless they saw trailer #2 in front of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I know I didn’t.) Here are the two new tv spots for […]

Just a few days after Warner Bros began to rope in Amber Heard to play Mera in Justice League and Aquaman, the studio has now found their mother of Wonder Woman. THR reports that Connie Nielsen (Gladiator, The Good Wife) has joined the cast of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman in the role of Hippolyta, the […]

Funny timing, given the debut of Jessica Jones yesterday and the fact that releasing news on Saturday morning seems odd, but WB just released details on the cast of Wonder Woman. Here is the full release: BURBANK, Calif.— Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman feature film, the highly anticipated action adventure from director […]

According to the folks at JoBlo, they’re hearing from their sources that the still not yet actually announced solo Batman film (that is reportedly co-written by Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns, with Affleck in place to direct), will center on The Red Hood: The basic plotline of Affleck’s solo Batfilm is that Jason Todd has […]

Get a look at what will be gracing bookstore magazine shelves this December

Well, this is a little unexpected… While it was known that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (they of The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street) were writing a treatment for the Ezra Miller starring Flash feature film, once they had signed on for one of the “Stars Wars Story” films, WB was left to look […]

I might get a little spoiler-y here, perhaps, so steer clear if you want to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with fresh eyes. If you saw the trailer for the film that was released at SDCC, you’ll notice one detail that caught some by surprise was the inclusion of Michael Shannon‘s Zod being […]

Per the big cover story in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, we now know just when Wonder Woman and Justice League, the two 2017 entries that will follow Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad will begin filming. According to the magazine, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins is currently in London prepping […]

In news that will surely be discussed at some length this Saturday at Warner Bros’ expected to be massive Hall H panel, it has been reported that Ben Affleck will become the first Batman actor to write and direct the feature in which he is starring.

As a long time fan of his Best Picture-winning Argo (and my co-editor, Hannah, enjoying Gone Baby Gone), this is very welcome news. When I watch an Affleck-directed feature, I’m often reminded of Robert Redford in how gracefully his films unfurl on screen, and after the heavily stylized work, yet also grounded work of Christopher Nolan, I look forward to seeing what approach Affleck will take with the project.

Joining him to co-write is DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, who in his current role has overseen the development of the entire slate of DC-related programming on television and now looks to be moving into the film space to a greater degree. According to Deadline, the story that Affleck and Johns have cracked together has them working “in sync” and they may have their script turned in before the end of the Summer.

I for one enjoyed Johns’ take on the Batman mythos in the “Earth One” line, at least as a fairly straight-forward early Caped Crusader tale with exceptional Gary Frank art. This film is expected to begin production after Affleck’s adaptation of Live by Night.

We’ll see if this gets confirmed come Saturday, along with hopefully a few other announcements that will win over the weekend.

Creating a shared universe on-screen is tough work, especially if you’re starting at the ground-level like Warner Bros is doing with their DC Comics properties.

Currently the studio has nine films currently either in production or in pre-production stages, which are slated to establish the DC Cinematic Universe (The Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, etc…).

With all that in mind, it left many to wonder about the status of films like Sandman and Guillermo Del Toro‘s long simmering Dark Universe. According to THR, the former, and most other Vertigo adaptations, will now be handled by WB’s sister arm New Line, which they absorbed many a moon ago.

Strangely, Dark Universe will remain at Warner Bros, and will conceivably continue to be attached to the DC properties that surround it. The bad news? Del Toro is off the project, which sadly, is not a new feeling where he’s concerned. On the other hand, Shazam! will continue to be developed by New Line, meaning much like the Vertigo properties they’re working on, Shazam! may very well not be connected to the DC Cinematic Universe either.

You get all that? In summary: all of Warner Bros. superhero movies except Shazam! will be developed by WB, all Vertigo movies except Dark Universe will be developed by New Line. I’m getting a headache just thinking about it.

Up to this point we at least have some idea for what the majority of DC’s future cinematic output is going to look like. While the 2016 films (Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad) are totally on the books and are either done filming or getting there, later year films like Wonder Woman, Justice League Parts 1 and 2, Aquaman, Shazam, and The Flash all have stars attached, and writers or directors. Even Cyborg already has its lead.

The one wild card here in the rebooted Green Lantern. Nary a peep has been whispered about it in recent months other than a casting rumor here and there, and Tyrese Gibson going on a promotional crusade to get the part.

But now, thanks to Collider, we finally at least have a rumor to chew on.

According to their report, they’ve heard that the new Green Lantern film will not just star Hal Jordan or John Stewart, but both of them, and potentially Guy Gardner as well. Going further, they state that the Green Lantern franchise from that point will never focus on just one Green Lantern, but the entire Corps. Matt over at Collider also surmises that we may end up meeting the new Green Lanterns (at least John and Hal) at SDCC during Warner Bros’ sure to be massive Hall H presentation.

Collider isn’t generally in the business of breaking unfounded rumors, and Latino-Review is hearing basically the same thing. So while it’s still a rumor, and even they admit things could still change for a film that’s years down the line in the production cycle (2020), it’s probably the most promising idea I’ve heard regarding this franchise in some time.

Toss this into the “no duh” pile, but it’s good to get confirmation about Warner Bros’ plans for SDCC.

Speaking to the folks at Collider regarding his upcoming road-trip drama The End of the Tour (which looks promising, by the way), our newest Lex Luthor, Jesse Eisenberg confirmed that he will indeed be at the mega-event in just a few weeks, and he plans to spend a significant amount of time in Hall H:

I’ll be there…I think I’m there for the hour I’m on the stage.

Eisenberg also had further praise for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice screenwriter Chris Terrio, who jumped onto the project after Ben Affleck was cast as Batman and completely rewrote the existing script:

I like what this writer does, this guy Chris Terrio. He wrote this movie we did and I just think he’s so great. He’s such a good writer. I like what he does with characters, I like what he does with wordplay and cleverness. I like anything he writes.

I’m certain that given Marvel Studios not appearing in San Diego this year, that the Warner Bros panel will indeed be the talk of the entire Con. Here’s hoping whatever they show, a full trailer seems almost a certainty, gets released online right away and not in some lower quality bootleg form first.

We’re only a few weeks away, it should be a madhouse!

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, for such a massive movie, is surprisingly something we don’t know that much about. We’ve gotten teaser photos, a trailer, and posters; but strangely we’ve yet to actually get a synopsis detailing what’s going to happen on screen.

Until today that is, per Collider just ahead of this year’s Licensing Expo:

Fearing the actions of a god-like super hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs.  And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.   

I guess Zod and his fellow Kryptonians invading and tearing up a huge hole in Metropolis was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the danger that the DC Universe is about to face. There have been rumors about what this will entail, but I’m not going to relay them here for fear of spoiling something. I’m sure Jesse Eisenberg‘s Lex Luthor will probably be at the center of it.

Though I can’t help but wonder: where does Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman fit into all of this? Or how about the expected appearances of Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg? Quick cameos at best for the latter three?

I remain intrigued, mainly due to the fact that I have no idea what to really expect out of Oscar-winner Chris Terrio‘s take on the DC universe and what Zack Snyder will produce without the Christopher Nolan-factor.

T-minus 9 months (and some change) and counting. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice releases on March 26, 2016.

Making the announcement today, Warner Bros has unveiled that James Wan, whose Furious 7 has grossed over a billion and a half dollars worldwide, will be directing the Jason Momoa starring Aquaman.

Warner’s film chief Greg Silverman, who was the focus of Heidi’s post on DC films just a bit earlier today, had this to say about the new addition to the DC Cinematic line-up:

We’ve been so lucky to have worked with James, first on New Line’s ‘The Conjuring’ and now on their upcoming ‘The Conjuring 2 and are thrilled to have him on board as we continue to expand our DC slate. The ‘Aquaman’ film will be a major tentpole picture for us and James’s span of work has proven him able to take on any manner of project, bringing his incredible creative talent and unique voice to the material.

Producer Charles Roven added:

James is not only a great storyteller but can make action truly explode on the big screen and Jason has a dynamic presence that commands your attention. Together, they will bring an undeniable vitality and energy to this character as he headlines his first feature film.

Roven will produce alongside Deborah Snyder and Zack Snyder from a script by Kurt Johnstad (300: Rise of an Empire), which means that, sadly, the Jeff Nichols script won’t see the light of day; but Wan is a terrific addition to a group of filmmakers that thus far includes: the above mentioned Snyder (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League), David Ayer (Suicide Squad), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), and some writing involvement at the very least by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Flash).

Momoa’s Aquaman will first appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice next year. Here’s how the press release describes the upcoming Aquaman:

An icon for over 70 years, Aquaman is the King of the Seven Seas. This reluctant ruler of Atlantis, caught between a surface world constantly ravaging the sea and Atlanteans looking to lash out in revolt, is committed to protecting the entire globe.

Variety just broke the news, and it looks as though the new Captain Kirk is about to suit up for a DC Comics based role.

According to their report, Chris Pine (Star Trek, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) has entered negotiations with Warner Bros to play Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster).

Trevor is the long-time love interest of the title character, played by Gal Gadot. His current iteration in the New 52 relaunched DC Universe posits him as Wonder Woman’s U.S. Government liaison and the head of A.R.G.U.S. where he was seen in titles like Team 7 and Justice League of America.

Originally, there were rumors that Scott Eastwood would be taking on the role, but the trade also addressed that issue, stating that Eastwood had to choose between testing for Trevor or taking a guaranteed supporting role in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad. Obviously, he ended up taking the latter option, though what role he landed on is unknown.

It seems likely that Warner Bros scoring an actor of Pine’s profile means that he’ll be signing on for a multiple picture appearance, which will surely include the first part of Zack Snyder‘s Justice League, set to release in 2017 along with Wonder Woman.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller, after having a number of smash hits like The Lego Movie and the 21 Jump Street franchise under their belts, have become among the most desired screenwriters in Hollywood. Currently, they’re working on both a Spider-Man animated feature for Sony and Warner Bros’ big screen version of The Flash, starring Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being A Wallflower).

Given that there’s already a pretty popular television series starring Grant Gustin on The CW as the Barry Allen version of The Flash, there’s been some question as to which iteration Miller might play, even though the movies will not be connected to the television series as part of any shared universe.

Lord was recently a guest on the Hippojuice podcast (via /Film) where he gave an update on the film:

We’re trying to break a story. It’s interesting, because there’s a really popular TV show out there, and we’re trying to carve out space for the movie that’s apart from that. I think we’re doing alright. … I believe [our Flash] is going to be Barry Allen. … It’s going to be its own [thing, apart from the TV show] — we’re more trying to stick with the cinematic universe… it really is its own thing, and kind of a stand-alone movie. We’re just trying to think of the best story. I think you guys will like it, it’s kind of a different take on superhero stuff.

This basically confirms that we’ll have both a television and film version of the same character. Honestly though, I don’t see this as a terribly big deal. On average about 3-4 million viewers watch The Flash, and I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt that any confusion for that relatively modest audience (in comparison to the audience that will reach a feature film) will be limited.

More importantly, in a somewhat chaotic DC film slate that reportedly has five screenwriters assigned to Wonder Woman and at least three on Aquaman, the fact that The Flash‘s script situation is being approached in a much more stable manner is reassuring.

But only time will tell. The Flash is expected to see release in 2018.

Tweeted out by director David Ayer this evening, here’s your full cast photo of the Suicide Squad (in costume)…

From the photo, you have your first glimpse of Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn, Will Smith‘s Deadshot, Karen Fukuhara‘s Katana (there’s a surprise development!), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje‘s Killer Croc, Jai Courtney‘s Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman‘s Rick Flagg and more that we haven’t gotten confirmation on.

Hit me with your thoughts!

Suicide Squad releases on August 5, 2016.

For weeks and weeks, we kept getting teases about Jared Leto‘s hair, his voice, and any other scrap of information that the internet could pull together about what his Joker looks like in David Ayer‘s upcoming Suicide Squad.

The wait is over folks, as Ayer has tweeted out the first official Joker photo in honor of the Joker’s 75th anniversary:

Not sure how I feel about the grille, and some of the tattoos (though they line up pretty well with the rumors that this Joker would look a bit like Jim Lee‘s from All Star Batman and Robin), but there’s something really unsettling about Leto’s appearance here…dare I say, it captures the kind of manic energy I was hoping we’d see in our next on-screen Joker. I’m rather creeped out looking at him, and that may be just the desired effect that Ayer and his team are going for.

Also, while I know that’s a riff on the whole “tear on the face” prison tattoo bit he has going on there…is that maybe a “J” for Jason Todd? Possibly a stretch, but we did apparently see a Robin costume in that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer.

I’m sure this totally won’t dominate the weekend at all.

It’s time to hop in the “Way Way Back Machine”, all the way to 2007 when Mad Max mastermind George Miller had lined up his cast for Warner Bros’ first attempt at a big screen interpretation of the Justice League. Entitled Justice League: Mortal, Miller’s film would have seen new versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, and Green Lantern team up to take on Max Lord. The important part of the tale: in the role of Green Lantern was Hip Hop Artist Common, who at the time only had one film and a few television appearances to his credit.

Justice League: Mortal died on the vine after entering pre-production, being tabled due to shooting location tax issues and poor buzz surrounding the script. Once The Dark Knight happened, it was all basically forgotten anyway.

Common went on to become an Oscar winning songwriter and appear in a number of films since, as well as having a starring role in the AMC drama Hell on Wheels. But, as Henry Cavill learned when he was cast as Superman after losing out on the role the first time to Brandon Routh, if a studio is hot on you, there’s always a chance they’ll find another spot.

Thusly, THR is reporting that Common has been cast in Suicide Squad in an undisclosed role. Production has already begun on the picture in Toronto, and the cast had their initial table read of the script already, so it’s possible that his role is not a particularly large one (for this film anyway) or the script is being rewritten to accommodate him. Who really knows? Bronze Tiger has been the popular guess among the superhero movie beat, but that seems like too easy a guess.

Perhaps John Stewart is making a pre-Justice League appearance? Wouldn’t that be funny?

Suicide Squad opens on August 5, 2016. Common is repped by CAA and Myman Greenspan.

Last night, Zack Snyder unleashed the latest marketing volley in the growing behemoth that is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice by tweeting out the posters that will likely adorn theater walls this year in promotion of the 2016 effort.

In short? They’re surprisingly well done. Unlike most movie posters which go the boring floating head route, or crowd characters into every possible inch of the landscape, this actually takes a bit of a pop art edge and displays a modicum of creativity.

So, bravo marketing team at Warners! You win this round for sure.

As one female-fronted superhero film begins to get its building blocks into place, another one hits a big snag.

In the first of two reports from THR, Marvel Studios is negotiating with screenwriters Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) to pair up for their 2018 release Captain Marvel.

Perlman became a hot name in Hollywood after the massive success of Guardians, and holds the distinction of being Marvel’s first female screenwriter. LeFauve’s Inside Out is also being held as the next great hope in reviving the somewhat sagging critical response that Pixar films have received in the past few years.

Apparently, they had two different takes on Carol Danvers big debut, but Kevin Feige was so taken with them both that he thought they should team up on the final script. No director has been attached as of yet, but Marvel has been making a concerted effort to find a female filmmaker.

Perlman is repped by CAA and Management 360, LeFauve by Verve. Captain Marvel is scheduled to be released on July 6, 2018.

Sadly, it isn’t all good news this evening, as it was just announced that Michelle MacLaren (Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones) has left Wonder Woman over “creative differences”.

MacLaren’s involvement was easily one of the more exciting developments of the Warner Bros/DC film slate. The film is still scheduled to be released in 2017, so there’s still time to get another filmmaker in place, but it’s hard to not be reminded of the Patti Jenkins situation with Thor: The Dark World and the poor results that eventually produced with Alan Taylor at the helm.

Hopefully Warner Bros will be able to course correct. Some have suggested that perhaps MacLaren should jump ship and helm Captain Marvel, but the truth of the matter is, a filmmaker looking for creative freedom probably should avoid big tentpole superhero films altogether.

After raking in $392 million worldwide with Furious 7, James Wan is now Warner Bros front-runner to direct Aquaman.

The film, which already has Jason Momoa (The Red Road, Game of Thrones) in place to star, has been a topic of rumor for a few months now. Names like Jeff Nichols and Noam Murro had been discussed by the studio according to sources, but with Wan’s big splash over the weekend (no pun intended) it seems he has skyrocketed back up Warner Bros’ radar.

According to THR, there’s no offer yet in place and talks are just in the preliminary stage, but this is certainly one of the more promising developments to surface regarding the film.

Aquaman is still in a bit of a weird situation where it’s being developed in two separate tracks, with scripts being written by both Will Beall (Gangster Squad) and Kurt Johnstad (300: Rise of an Empire). Beall wrote a Justice League script for the studio a few years back that was rumored to be “terrible” and before Warner Bros had its current plan in place.

The biggest obstacle other than nailing down a solid script? Wan still has an option with Universal for the next Fast and Furious movie. Wan isn’t expected to return, but Universal could very well exercise their option with him, and the scheduling would surely knock him out of contention.

With both Aquaman and The Flash looking at 2018 release dates, I don’t expect news to come around immediately, but there may be a big SDCC announcement brewing at the very least.

In a report that hit last night via The Wrap, it looks as though the much in demand team behind The Lego Movie and the 21 Jump Street film franchise may have finally landed on a new tent-pole project.

According to their sources, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who are one of the hottest tickets in Hollywood right now, have signed on to write a treatment for Warner Bros’ The Flash. While they haven’t agreed to direct yet, their current task is to “flesh out the story” before making any further commitment.

Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is currently set to star as the title character, though whether this will be another iteration of Barry Allen (as seen on the CW series The Flash) or perhaps Wally West is unknown at this time. Miller is expected to make his debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Lord and Miller, were they to sign on to direct the film, would join a line-up of filmmakers that includes Zack Snyder (who will direct Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and both Justice League films), David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and Michelle MacLaren (Wonder Woman). Additionally, rumored names like James Wan (for Shazam), Jeff Nichols, and Noam Murro (both have been connected to Aquaman) continue to make the rounds.

Lord and Miller are represented by UTA.

The Flash is expected to be released in 2018.

Update: And now Warner Bros is looking at James Wan for Aquaman.