As Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy came to an end in 2012, Disney had already set about creating a connected universe on their Marvel properties (Iron Man, Thor and Captain America). The latter was ab old move that paid off with The Avengers releasing to the tune of one and a half billion dollars, which was almost half a billion more than The Dark Knight Rises. This was remarkable, considering Batman was a far better known quantity than the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk and Black Widow. Warner Bros. looked at Disney's success and knew they had to get in on the money and do it quick.
Rumours circulated on whether or not Nolan would return for a fourth Batman film, the director declined and then further rumours circulated on whether or not any future projects would be a continuation of Nolan's work or something new all together? Eventually, Warner Bros'. decided to go in a different direction and at first, it all sounded so promising. There would be a re-boot of Superman, which acquired David Goyer as screen writer. This would be a more "grounded", "gritty" and "dark" take on the Superman mythos (you see kids, all the studios not named Disney were going for that dark and gritty, Nolan-esque view of superheroes, including WB, as well as Sony with their Spider-Man reboot).
Whether or not this would work would be down to the film itself but WB's plans were far bigger than that. Batman would be re-booted alongside his red and blue friend, and eventually the studio would release movies for Wonder Woman, Aquaman and The Flash. These would all culminate in the Justice League cross over. Sound familiar? It was the exact same process that Disney had taken and it had worked perfectly. WB however, did not have the patience, the skill or the realisation for this vision.
As Man of Steel released to underwhelming reviews and box office receipts, Disney was forging ahead with phase 2 of the MCU, with ever bigger hits and new properties connecting with fans (remember this as the arrival of The Guardians of the Galaxy). WB got nervous, they got greedy and they rushed into development for Batman v Superman. As if combining the two biggest properties that DC had was not a big enough task, they wanted Snyder and everyone else involved to introduce Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman to an unknowing and possibly uncaring audience. Why should audiences care about characters they had yet to see on screen or know about? The MCUs success was not about getting as many superheroes on screen as possible, it was about making us care for them in the first place.
Batman v Superman crumpled under the weight of its own expectations, Snyder's inability to understand or care for either character and WB's greed. The movie did well at the box office but it was no run away success; it fared worse among critics. This was a sad, grey, dismal film and yet we still somehow had to watch as Justice League ambled onto our screens. Slowly, non-sensically, in a drab grey CGI world, it disappeared, swallowed by its own excesses and hubris. What WB did not understand was, even in this capitalist world, consumers care about where they spend their money.
For all intents and purposes, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, stand alone projects that appeared around Justice League, did well. Both were financial successes and both received favourable reviews. However rumours were already circulating that Batfleck's appearance Justice League and Suicide Squad film (a sorry, Guardians of the Galaxy, cash grab) would be his last. These rumours turned out to be true. Thus died the DCU...and did anyone care beyond a few, hardcore DC comic book fans?
The answer is likely no, it certainly was for me but after watching The Joker, I realised WBs may well have accidentally struck oil. The film is already a monster hit, has caused controversy, publicity and discussion on a number of topics and could earn its star an Oscar nod. Why? How did this come from the house that Warner built, the same house that gave us grey on grey in BvS and Justice League? The answer, partly, is down to this being a stand alone movie. It is not burdened with trying to replicate Disney's success, or to form a universe. It simply puts into motion a stand alone script. Who would have thought that could work?
Batman, DC and WB's biggest property is also getting a re-boot. No more Afleck, hello Pattinson. There is currently little or no talk about connecting this Batman to Wonder Woman or Aquaman...certainly no talk about connecting him to The Flash. WB are looking to build a stand alone Batman, which may one day feed into a shared universe but that is unlikely for now. The writers, directors and casts involved can work on projects that are built with a singular aim in mind, not a collection of "what ifs". This may just well work. Justice League may have killed the DCU and it may be the best thing to happen to DC, their characters and their ideas.
Rumours circulated on whether or not Nolan would return for a fourth Batman film, the director declined and then further rumours circulated on whether or not any future projects would be a continuation of Nolan's work or something new all together? Eventually, Warner Bros'. decided to go in a different direction and at first, it all sounded so promising. There would be a re-boot of Superman, which acquired David Goyer as screen writer. This would be a more "grounded", "gritty" and "dark" take on the Superman mythos (you see kids, all the studios not named Disney were going for that dark and gritty, Nolan-esque view of superheroes, including WB, as well as Sony with their Spider-Man reboot).
Whether or not this would work would be down to the film itself but WB's plans were far bigger than that. Batman would be re-booted alongside his red and blue friend, and eventually the studio would release movies for Wonder Woman, Aquaman and The Flash. These would all culminate in the Justice League cross over. Sound familiar? It was the exact same process that Disney had taken and it had worked perfectly. WB however, did not have the patience, the skill or the realisation for this vision.
As Man of Steel released to underwhelming reviews and box office receipts, Disney was forging ahead with phase 2 of the MCU, with ever bigger hits and new properties connecting with fans (remember this as the arrival of The Guardians of the Galaxy). WB got nervous, they got greedy and they rushed into development for Batman v Superman. As if combining the two biggest properties that DC had was not a big enough task, they wanted Snyder and everyone else involved to introduce Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman to an unknowing and possibly uncaring audience. Why should audiences care about characters they had yet to see on screen or know about? The MCUs success was not about getting as many superheroes on screen as possible, it was about making us care for them in the first place.
Batman v Superman crumpled under the weight of its own expectations, Snyder's inability to understand or care for either character and WB's greed. The movie did well at the box office but it was no run away success; it fared worse among critics. This was a sad, grey, dismal film and yet we still somehow had to watch as Justice League ambled onto our screens. Slowly, non-sensically, in a drab grey CGI world, it disappeared, swallowed by its own excesses and hubris. What WB did not understand was, even in this capitalist world, consumers care about where they spend their money.
For all intents and purposes, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, stand alone projects that appeared around Justice League, did well. Both were financial successes and both received favourable reviews. However rumours were already circulating that Batfleck's appearance Justice League and Suicide Squad film (a sorry, Guardians of the Galaxy, cash grab) would be his last. These rumours turned out to be true. Thus died the DCU...and did anyone care beyond a few, hardcore DC comic book fans?
The answer is likely no, it certainly was for me but after watching The Joker, I realised WBs may well have accidentally struck oil. The film is already a monster hit, has caused controversy, publicity and discussion on a number of topics and could earn its star an Oscar nod. Why? How did this come from the house that Warner built, the same house that gave us grey on grey in BvS and Justice League? The answer, partly, is down to this being a stand alone movie. It is not burdened with trying to replicate Disney's success, or to form a universe. It simply puts into motion a stand alone script. Who would have thought that could work?
Batman, DC and WB's biggest property is also getting a re-boot. No more Afleck, hello Pattinson. There is currently little or no talk about connecting this Batman to Wonder Woman or Aquaman...certainly no talk about connecting him to The Flash. WB are looking to build a stand alone Batman, which may one day feed into a shared universe but that is unlikely for now. The writers, directors and casts involved can work on projects that are built with a singular aim in mind, not a collection of "what ifs". This may just well work. Justice League may have killed the DCU and it may be the best thing to happen to DC, their characters and their ideas.
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"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"
"I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle"
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"
"I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle"