So. I heard the news. I read the brief. Watched the clips etc.
James Gunn unveiled the new plans for DC on film/TV/games/cartoons etc.
The Good news: There is now a PLAN. Cohesive. Clear. Concrete.
Bad news: It is a BAD PLAN. IMHO. Or, at best, derivative, obvious and all bout ‘him’ as wannabe auteur Gunn, rather than some genuinely new or even fan led commercial and creative epiphany.
My concerns, as follows:
- If you got rid of Cavill as Superman, for whatever reason? Then WHY KEEP ANYONE OR ANYTHING FROM THE OLD CONTINUITY? It seems everything, except, um Cavill as Superman is still ‘there’?
- There are a load of obscure titles being made that nobody has ever heard of. That was fine when you launched a Gunn led GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. But that was five years into Marvel as they branched out on film. And Gunn was their director for hire, rather than running the whole Marvel brand.
- IE: Having a one off, even unique and fun vision at one stable, does not in itself, make you an ideal horse breeder in another.
- Indeed, Gunn’s own DC effort: THE SUICIDE SQUAD, hardly broke box office records. Pandemic yes yes. But it was an overlong, overstretched movie and for all its moments of anarchic wit, outstayed its welcome, rapidly.
- The proposed take on BATMAN is risky, at best. And in fact, leaves us with THREE BAT-MEN? Which is, ironically, what the whole reboot was designed to avoid?
- Calling certain projects ‘ELSEWORLDS’ is fine. Except that is not really a Gunn idea, is it? Every second podcaster has proposed that as a way to inject creative diversity into the brand, whilst preventing confusion.
- And if we ARE using an elseworlds pitch? THEN WHY COULD THEY NOT KEEP CAVILL AS SUPERMAN?? WHY NO KEATON STAND-ALONE BATMAN movie (with Tim Burton back on board, post WEDNESDAY success?).
- JASON MOMOA WAS BORN TO PLAY LOBO. And yet? No announcement. But hey, at least AQUAMAN 2 is still being relased sometime, underwater.
On the whole? Well, I could be wrong. And it IS, at least, a PLAN. I am just concerned that James Gunn is adding to rather than necessarily, truly solving every convolution in the DCEU. Time will tell. It always does. Good luck, Mr Gunn.
