In this edition of The Week in Spandex, we look at The Joker, Joker and Harley Quinn, The Batman, Justice League, Justice League Dark, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Titans, Supergirl, Batman and Harley Quinn, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, Avengers 4, Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Defenders, The Punisher, Iron Fist, Inhumans, New Warriors, Deadpool 2, Gambit, Silver & Black, Hellboy and more…
Some big news for Joker fans this week, with Warner Bros. announcing not one but two movies based upon the Clown Prince of Crime! First up came the news that Warner is venturing beyond the DC Extended Universe to launch a new division of DC projects, complete with different actors, and beginning with an 80-set crime thriller exploring the origins of Batman’s arch-enemy. The movie is set to be directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover), with Martin Scorsese producing, and is said to be “a gritty and grounded hard-boiled crime film set in early-’80s Gotham City that isn’t meant to feel like a DC movie as much as one of Scorsese’s films from that era, like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull or The King Of Comedy.” Anghus Houvouras wasn’t a fan of the news – check out his feature ‘The Joker doesn’t need an origin story (or a solo movie)” – but Samuel Brace thinks that ‘If DC Wants to Make Standalone Movies, We Should Cheer‘…
…Following hot on the heels of the Joker origin movie news came word that Warner Bros. regulars Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, best known for Crazy, Stupid, Love and This Is Us, are set to write and direct a new DCEU movie based around Jared Leto’s Joker and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. There’s been conflicting reports, with claims that the movie is replacing Gotham City Sirens (and that David Ayer is out), as well as talk that it will be in addition to the female-led spinoff, which remains a priority for the studio. Either way, Jared Leto dismissed any speculation about his continued involvement in the DCEU, seemingly confirming that he’ll be back as the Clown Prince of Crime…
…An interview with The Batman director Matt Reeves surfaced online this week, where he seemingly suggested that the Dark Knight solo movie would be “standalone” and “not part of the DC Extended Universe”. Naturally this sparked speculation that The Batman could be part of this new non-DCEU division at Warner’s, with Ben Affleck set to be recast in the role; however, Reeves quickly cleared up the confusion, stating that he “was talking about The Batman being a story specifically about Batman [and] not the others in the Universe. That it wouldn’t be filled with cameos servicing other stories – that it would be a Batman story…”
…Having handed over the reins to Joss Whedon following the tragic death of his daughter earlier this year, it’s now been rumoured that Zack Snyder is gearing up to return to work on Justice League to put the finishing touches to the project ahead of its release this November. The news remains unconfirmed at present, but Snyder has been active on his Vero account, sharing behind-the-scenes images of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and an Amazonian warrior. Meanwhile, rumours are suggesting that Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor has been cut from the film during the reshoots, and Medicom gave us a look at some promotional images for their upcoming MAFEX Justice League action figures for Batman, Superman, and The Flash [check them out here]…
…From one seemingly troubled Justice League project to another now, and it’s been reported this week that Warner Bros. is struggling in its search to find a replacement for director Doug Liman on Justice League Dark, with studio execs left underwhelmed by recent director pitches. Warner is said to have gone back to the drawing board on the supernatural DC ensemble, with Jon Spaihts (Doctor Strange) rumoured to be penning a new draft, and Safe House and Life helmer Daniel Espinosa and New Zealand filmmaker Gerard Johnstone, director of the 2014 horror-comedy Housebound, said to be among the candidates in contention for the film…
…Wonder Woman celebrated another couple of box office milestones this week, crossing $800 million worldwide, and overtaking Spider-Man’s $403 million domestic haul to become North America’s highest-grossing superhero origin film. Meanwhile, director Patty Jenkins spoke about what she’d change about the movie given the opportunity, as well as responding to James Cameron’s criticisms of the film, with the Avatar filmmaker having stated that: ““All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female…”
…We’ve got a couple of pieces of casting for two DC TV projects this week: first up, former Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff has been cast in the fourth season of The Flash as the DC villain Blacksmith, who is described as “a steely and badass boss of an underground black market for supervillains. Amunet uses every means possible, including the long list of metahumans under her thumb, to ensure her illicit enterprise thrives”; meanwhile, the live-action Teen Titans series Titans has found its second cast member, with Anna Diop (24: Legacy) set to play Koriand’r, a.k.a. Starfire. Her character description calls her: “an alien princess from a warrior planet who seeks asylum on Earth. A no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners stranger on our world, she has the ability to shoot energy bolts and fly. Searching for her place on Earth, she’ll come into contact with the Titans…”
…Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has sparked speculation about a potential crossover between the Archie show and The CW’s DC Comics series Supergirl , sharing an image of Melissa Benoist’s Kara Danvers in full costume sitting with Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) in a booth on the Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe set; take a look at the set photos here…
…In animated DC news, we’ve got a competition for our UK readers to win a copy of the new DC Universe Animated Original Movies release Batman and Harley Quinn [enter the competition here], while Warner Bros.’ has also released a first-look sneak peek featurette for its next release, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, which you can watch here…
…Click below to continue on for Avengers 4, Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Defenders, The Punisher, Iron Fist, Inhumans, New Warriors, Deadpool 2, Gambit, Silver & Black, Hellboy and more…
