Originally published October 16, 2017. Updated December 18, 2019.
If there is any man who could be considered the ultimate authority on comic books, it would be Kevin Smith. It was Smith, you may recall, that got the very first look at Ben Affleck as Batman from Zack Snyder himself. For a while, Smith’s description of the suit was all we had to go by. Clearly the man’s opinion has some weight to it when it comes to anyone wearing tights, and a cape.
So what does Smith think of the current state of the DC Extended Universe (or as they prefer to be called: ‘DC Films’)? Speaking to Screen Rant, the Clerks director seems optimistic about the future:
“I’m a forty-seven-year-old man, so I grew up in an era where there were no comic book movies. And then every once in awhile you’d get one, and it was like water in a desert. You’d get Batman in 1989, or Blade or something like that. So now, we live in an era where they’re like, ‘Hey, we’re not even gonna do an interconnected DC universe. We’re just gonna let Martin Scorsese produce a flick where Leonardo DiCaprio might play the Joker.’ That’s exciting. So, to me, I’m like, the more the merrier… I know they’re deviating from the Marvel template of, like, ‘We’ll make a bunch of characters, and then a reunion movie. Buncha characters, reunion movie.’ Instead, Warner Bros. seem to be going with, ‘Well, we tried that, and we’re gonna keep doing it on the side, but we’re not gonna limit ourselves. We’re gonna do a bunch of other interesting things.’ They’re trying to forge their way in the superhero space. So I think it’s interesting, I’m not against that at all.”
His optimism is a bit refreshing in the current comic climate. Everything the DCEU announces these days is met with a heavy dose of skepticism — which isn’t exactly the wrong feeling to have — but perhaps we should try to emulate Kevin Smith on this one. With luck, the DC Extended Universe will be in full upswing with the upcoming Justice League, and beyond. Perhaps DC Films will finally find its groove with interesting standalone films?
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Justice League will reunite Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta and Robin Wright as General Antiope alongside J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as Commissioner Gordon, Amber Heard (The Danish Girl) as Mera, Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) as Vulko, Kiersey Clemons (Dope) as Iris West, Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones) as Steppenwolf, and Julian Lewis Jones (Stella) and Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
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