Warner Bros. dominated headlines this week with news of a Joker origin film, a Joker and Harley film, rumors of Elseworlds stories and a Titans cast update.
Here’s the thing about DC Comics properties: They never get old. They never fade from pop culture. Unlike obscure superheroes who didn’t become famous until they were thrust into the spotlight by perfectly cast and definitively chiseled movie stars, Superman and Batman can get a movie anytime someone walks into Warner Bros. with an idea. What do I mean by that? Well, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans made their respective Marvel superheroes household names, whereas Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill don’t necessarily do anything for the suit. Those capes sell themselves.
Even though people relentlessly trashed Batman v Superman, it still made $873 million worldwide and earned more money than Wonder Woman.
So nobody should be surprised that Warner Bros. will push these properties as much as possible.
Here are a few stories that have developed in the last few days:
The. Joker.
Image via DC Comics.
“When Harry Met Sally on Benzedrine”
The other day, we learned that Joker would get an origin film. While the possibility of Martin Scorsese producing certainly made people feel better about the standalone aspect of the film, many people didn’t understand how they could make a Joker movie without Jared Leto. Since Suicide Squad introduced him (sloppily) as the Clown Prince of Crime, it didn’t make sense until Warner Bros. decided they’d start making movies outside of the DCEU continuity.
Meanwhile, if you thought a Joker origin film would explore Mad Love, think again. No. For that, we will hop back over to the DCEU for a Leto/Margot Robbie movie from the guys who did Crazy, Stupid Love. Additionally, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa helm This is Us, so like, whoa. Is this going to be some sort of legitimate love story that doesn’t objectify Harley Quinn? It better be if it replaces Gotham City Sirens on the docket while Warner Bros. simultaneously fast-tracks Suicide Squad 2.
Starfire
Image via DC Comics
Starfire
Casting women in superhero movies or television shows can be really tricky. Especially when you have to cast someone who embodies the correct ideals but is also known for being a scantily-clad alien. While Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans and her comic-book romance with fan-favorite Nightwing bolstered Starfire’s popularity, you can see in the image above that she isn’t exactly Miss Conservative. Actually, that happens to be one of her more covered up looks.
Outfit notwithstanding, Warner Bros. and DC found their live-action Koriand’r to star in the Titans TV show. 24: Legacy‘s Anna Diop will join Tegan Croft’s Raven as a member of DC’s digital-only Titans team.
Of course, this marks a great win for Titans fans and diverse representation.
“Batman will be BATMAN”
So I was saying at the beginning, Batman sells. Picky any flavor, any actor, slap the bat-logo on it and people will watch.
Now, while we were all treating our whiplash wondering if Affleck will continue to portray Bruce Wayne, Matt Reeves’ comments about a standalone confused us all again.
From Entertainment Weekly:
"According to Reeves, the studio approached him with the promise of taking the character in a direction that could go outside the Justice League continuity. “When they approached me, what they said was, ‘Look, it’s a standalone, it’s not part of the extended universe’,” Reeves explained."
Depending on how you interpret “standalone,” that could simply mean the film will focus solely on Bruce Wayne/Batman. That way, Reeves doesn’t have to worry about shoehorning Justice League or Superman stuff into his two hours.
(My above interpretation was correct and clarified by Reeves himself this afternoon.)
In my comments from a while back about not being part of the DCEU, I was talking about The Batman being a story specifically about Batman...
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) August 24, 2017
Regardless, that still leaves us wondering a few things…
Could Warner Bros. do Elseworlds stories?
If Warner Bros. commits to “standalones,” they would be doing something closer to Lucasfilm’s A Star Wars Story or Fox’s Logan way of things and be giving directors the opportunity to make solo films with iconic characters and stories without necessarily adhering to the overarching mythology of the DCEU. Like they want to do with a Joker origin film.
Now, if this happens post-Flash’s Flashpoint movie, that probably means we could take a dive into Elseworlds territory, where Superman: Red Son and Kingdom Come could totally be a thing. What better way to entice talent than for Warner Bros. basically to say, “Come over here, you can adapt any comic book storyline you want!”
Related Story: Check out these remixed Justice League trailers
I think we’ll have a much better idea of what’s coming after Justice League. Otherwise, I just want to consume all the DC content possible.