In this edition of The Week in Spandex, we look at Justice League, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Gotham, Powerless, LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Cosmic Clash, Batman: The Killing Joke, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Daredevil, The Punisher, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s Most Wanted, Deadpool, X-Force, X-Men: Apocalypse, Legion, Heroes Reborn and more…
Last week it was rumoured that Warner Bros. was concerned about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and could push back Justice League as a result, as well as removing Zack Snyder from the director’s chair. Well, turns out that report was a load of old rubbish, as the studio officially announced that production on Justice League Part One and Justice League Part Two will get underway on April 11th, with Zack Snyder in the director’s chair. Speaking about the big announcement, Snyder stated that: “The idea that we could begin to boot up a Justice League concept was a cool thing.It was a little bit of an ‘about time’ moment, and I don’t blame [the studio] for feeling that way, because it’s a long time coming,. But I do feel like it’s a little bit of a creative hurdle. It seems like an easy thing to do at first glance, the idea that, ‘Oh, we just get the rest of the superheroes in there.’ But you have to [establish] a world where they can exist.” Meanwhile, Snyder also tweeted a behind-the-scenes photo from pre-production of himself and Jason Momoa, which also gave us a glimpse at the costumes for Aquaman, The Flash and Mera…
…Before we get to Justice League, there is of course the small matter of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and this week brought us news that Warner Bros. intended to release an ‘Ultimate Edition’ of the movie on Blu-ray and DVD, which has been rated R my the MPAA, as well as confirmation that the running time for the theatrical version of the movie is 151 minutes and rumours that Ben Affleck spent time sitting around on set in his Batsuit reworking the script. Meanwhile, tickets go on sale this coming Monday, February 29th, while latest projections for the film’s box office are suggesting a domestic opening weekend of between $100 million and $140 million, which is likely to have been plucked out of thin air given the track record for box office predictions…
…As you’d expect with less than a month to go, we’ve been inundated with Batman v Superman marketing and promotional material this week. Ready? Then check out a Superman promo image [see here], a Batman promo image [see here], a Superman and Batman promo image [see here], a ‘God vs. Man’ TV spot [watch it here], Lois Lane and Alfred Pennyworth character posters [see here], a Lex Luthor character poster [see here], a new sample from the musical score [listen here], a Jeep commercial / promo featuring new footage of Bruce Wayne during the Battle of Metropolis from Man of Steel [watch it here], Flickering Myth TV’s super-edit of all the footage we’ve seen so far in chronological order (or our best guess) [watch it here], Prime 1 Studio’s 1:2 scale Batman and Superman collectibles [see here], Build-A-Bear Workshop’s Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman bears [see here], details on the ‘Future Showdown Batman’ action figure [see here], and a preview of Doritos’ one-shot prequel comic book [see here]…
…Jesse Eisenberg has been speaking about his role as the villainous Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: “He has a kind of charming public persona, and then a deeply private rage. And this is not only interesting as an actor to play, but I would say more realistic to how extroverted people like this, who are kind of leaders of big organizations, probably feel. You have to kind of put on a public front that appears genial and appears accessible, but you’re likely — if you’re very ambitious — harboring feelings of competitiveness, envy, and all these other things we try to avoid in public. So stuff like that was very interesting as an actor to explore. And then kind of coloring in that framework is somebody who’s also very clever and funny and emotional and vengeful…”
…In other DC Extended Universe news, this week has brought us an update on the rat which Jared Leto gave to Margot Robbie on the set of Suicide Squad (it’s living with Guillermo del Toro! It’s got a huge nutsack!), while some set photos from Wonder Woman arrived online, showing Gal Gadot filming scenes as Diana Prince in London’s Trafalgar Square, in what looks to be celebrations marking the end of the Great War…
…Smallville’s Laura Vandervoort makes a guest appearance in Supergirl this Monday where she’ll take on the role of Mystique Indigo in episode fifteen ‘Solitude’; check out a promo for the episode here, along with a batch of images here and three clips here…
…This week also brought us some set photos from the upcoming crossover between Supergirl and The Flash featuring Melissa Benoist’s Kara, Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen, Brit Morgan’s Livewire and Italia Ricci’s Silver Banshee, while Arrow star Stephen Amell has revealed that he’d like to make a guest appearance in the CBS show: “In this iteration of the DC Universe, the ‘Television Universe’ as it were, I’m the guy that’s been around the longest, so I always feel — whether I’m on a show or I’m not on a show — I always feel as though I can in some way, shape or form represent them, and I always want them to be wildly successful and last for many more years than we end up lasting, because I just want to see people have success. So I would love to go over to Supergirl. That would be a blast, if for no other reason than I miss shooting in Los Angeles…”
…King Shark returned to The Flash this past Tuesday, and you can see a poster for the episode here, along with a couple of clips here and Jessie Robertson’s review here. The series is now on a break until March 22nd but you can take a look at a trailer and promo for the next episode ‘Trajectory’ here, and we’ve also got some concept art featuring Jay Garrick, Geomancer and Doctor Light here…
…Stephen Amell sent fans of Olicity into a frenzy this week by releasing a promo image featuring what appears to be the wedding of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak; Arrow is also now on a break until March 23rd, and you can take a look at a trailer and promo for the next episode ‘Broken Hearts’ here…
…Amell also made a guest appearance in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow as the team headed to Star City 2046 ; Amell released a behind-the-scenes image of himself in his aged make-up, and you can watch a clip featuring his introduction here, along with some concept art of the future Oliver Queen and Connor Hawke here. Meanwhile, you can check out a trailer, promo and images for Thursday’s upcoming episode ‘Marooned’ here…
…Having made his debut in the Arrowverse this week, Joseph David-Jones has revealed that he’s hopeful of future appearances for Connor Hawke: “I think there is a strong possibility. I’m talking to the writers about what they plan on doing as far as bringing me back as potentially a series regular or recurring for the show. Nothing has been decided. It’s all so up in the air, but I know they do plan on cycling different heroes onto the ship, so we’ll have to see. I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll see Connor Hawke…”
…Gotham makes its return this Monday, and you can take a look at a promo for the midseason premiere ‘Mr. Freeze’ here, along with a batch of images from the following episode ‘A Dead Man Feels No Cold’ here, and be sure to listen to the Gotham TV Podcast review of ‘Mommy’s Little Monster’ here…
…This week has brought news on casting on the DC workplace comedy pilot Powerless, with Vanessa Hudgens (Grease Live) securing the lead role of “Emily Locke, a claims adjuster who loves her job because she gets to help people, but who is increasingly exasperated by the disruptive antics of the various Super Heroes that proliferate in her city.” Hudgens is set to be joined in the cast of the pilot by Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Danny Pudi (Community) and Christina Kirk (A to Z) and you can find out details on their respective characters here…
…Ahead of its release this coming Tuesday, Warner Bros. has debuted a new clip from LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Cosmic Clash, which sees Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern confronting Brainiac; check it out here…
…In other DC animated news, we know that an adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke is set to arrive later this year, but illustrator Phil Bourassa has revealed that he was working on designs for an R-rated animated movie for Bruce Timm back in 2009, before Warner Bros. pulled the plug: “In 2009 I started working on an animated adaptation of The Killing Joke under the supervision of legendary Animation artist Bruce Timm. Two weeks into the project we were told to stop development because Watchmen had under performed at the box office and WB had lost faith in R rated superhero movies. Happy to say that you guys are gonna finally get your animated Killing Joke adaptation in 2016. Apparently enough money has been made from superhero movies and adaptations of comics of every stripe that it now transcends the previously assumed limitations of the genre. It’s a good time to be a comic geek!” Check out some of Bourassa’s designs for The Joker here…
…Click below to continue on for Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Daredevil, The Punisher, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s Most Wanted, Deadpool, X-Force, X-Men: Apocalypse, Legion, Heroes Reborn and more…
