…Shifting to the DC Cinematic Universe now following the first-look character image last week, Jason Momoa has been speaking about his upcoming role as Aquaman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Warner Bros.’ subsequent DC slate: “It’s Batman and Superman. It’s not my movie. It’s the first time in history to have them both on the screen together, and I’m just excited to see those two up there… Justice League is still quite a ways away. But I’m looking forward to it. Henry’s a sweetheart, Ben is a badass, so I’m really looking forward to when we all shoot Justice League. There’s definitely a plan in this whole universe that [Zack Snyder] is designing…..and it’s amazing to be a part of it. I think everything that you see that is building, there’s a purpose behind the whole plan… What’s great about this is Zack, man. We don’t want to just reinvent it, but he’s a got a whole idea of what Aquaman should be and I’m really honored to be playing it. I’m excited for the world to see it.” Read more of Momoa’s comments here…
…In other Batman v Superman news, Hans Zimmer has briefly spoken about his work on the DC ensemble, revealing that he intends to compose individual themes for each of the DC heroes (barring Batman, who’s being handled by Junkie XL): “I’m trying, I’ll put it that way. We’re in early days. But yes, of course, ideally [individual themes are] what you want to do.” Asked if Warner had spoken to him about working on future DC movies, Zimmer then responded: “Look, the studio is going to hedge its bet, if I ruin this one…. And at the same time you have to remember I come from ten years of doing Batman, so it’s really important to me not to betray the work we did with [Christopher Nolan]…”
…Margot Robbie has been doing a lot of talking about her upcoming role as Harley Quinn in next year’s Suicide Squad on the promotional trail for her latest film Focus this week, stating that she’s signed on for ten years as the character, as well as speaking about the tone of the movie: “I think on a scale of like, The Dark Knight is here and The Avengers is here, I think it’s more on the Dark Knight side of things…”
…DC fans desperate to see Dwayne Johnson taking on the role of Black Adam in Warner’s Shazam movie may not have to wait until its previously announced 2019 release date, with The Rock hinting at the Oscars that the movie could arrive earlier than expected: “It may happen a little earlier than what has been predicted. The script is coming in, it’s great, and the support from the studio has just been great. [It’s] a great opportunity, especially with Black Adam where you can take a guy who starts off as a bad guy turns into an anti-hero. We can make it vicious, with a little bit of winking charm…”
…On the small screen it has been announced that The CW is expanding its DC output with a spin-off from Arrow and The Flash from producers Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg which will focus on fan favourites The Atom (Brandon Routh), Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Caity Lotz, who may or may not be returning as the Canary. Victor Garber will also feature, meaning that it’s likely Robbie Amell will appear as the other half of Firestorm, while three other “major” DC superheroes will reportedly make their debut in the CW’s DC universe…
…As with The Flash, Arrow is now on hiatus until mid-March, but you can check out a synopsis, trailer and promo for the next episode – which will see the debut of the DC supervillain Murmur – here…
…Over at CBS and casting has picked up steam on the upcoming Supergirl pilot, with Chyler Leigh (Grey’s Anatomy) and David Harewood (Homeland) set to play Alex Danvers and Hank Henshaw, a.k.a. Cyborg Superman [see here], and former Kryptonians Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Helen Slater (Supergirl) signing on for as yet unrevealed roles [see here]. Meanwhile, a casting call has been issued which confirms that Superman will make an appearance in the show…
…As the pilot gears up for production, Melissa Benoist has spoken about her excitement to take on the role of Kara Zor-El: “What’s so wonderful about her is that she is such a relatable character, amongst her powers. What I’m most excited about is telling a story about a human being really realizing their potential and strength, and I think that’s something that everyone will root for and want in their own lives – I’m really excited about that. It’s a little daunting. It’s daunting, but that’s good. I like being pushed. I work well under pressure. I think if you told my five-year-old self that all this would be happening in this period of time, I would not have believed you! Because it’s been really wonderful. I feel so privileged to be working and doing what I’ve always loved to do since I was four years old…I’m a little overwhelmed by it, to be honest…”
…FOX has released a promo for Monday’s episode of Gotham, entitled ‘Everyone Has a Cobblepot’, which sees the introduction of Dr. Dulmacher, a.k.a. The Dollmaker, played by Colm Feore (Thor). Take a look here…
…Meanwhile, FOX’s other potential DC series Lucifer has took a step forward this week with the news that Tom Ellis (Rush) has secured the lead role in the upcoming pilot, which is being directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld) from a script by showrunner Tom Kapinos (Californication)…
…Following some mockery and criticism aimed towards superhero movies – including some jokes from Jack Black during the Oscars and remakes from Nightcrawler writer-director Dan Gilroy at the Independent Spirit Awards – Guardians of the Galaxy helmer James Gunn has spoken out in defence of the genre: “I didn’t really find the Jack Black superhero jokes offensive, did you guys? It was, like, a joke. I’m not sure if you guys noticed, but the writing on the Oscars didn’t seem to be all that well thought out. As far as Dan Gilroy saying that attendees of the Independent Spirit Awards have survived against a ‘tsunami of superhero films’ – well it seems a bit weird coming from a guy whose wife has acted in two Thor films – really, that seems like you’ve drowned horribly in that tsunami. But I know I just kind of make up stuff as I go along on these awards shows, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. I’ve made B-movies, independent films, children’s movies, horror films, and gigantic spectacles. I find there are plenty of people everywhere making movies for a buck or to feed their own vanity. And then there are people who do what they do because they love story-telling, they love cinema, and they want to add back to the world some of the same magic they’ve taken from the works of others. In all honesty, I do not find a strikingly different percentage of those with integrity and those without working within any of these fields of film. I’ve made B-movies, independent films, children’s movies, horror films, and gigantic spectacles. I find there are plenty of people everywhere making movies for a buck or to feed their own vanity. And then there are people who do what they do because they love story-telling, they love cinema, and they want to add back to the world some of the same magic they’ve taken from the works of others. In all honesty, I do not find a strikingly different percentage of those with integrity and those without working within any of these fields of film.” So there…
…Ahead of the arrival of the first three episodes of Sony’s PlayStation Network next month, Brian Michael Bendis has shared the first TV spot for the adaptation of his comic book series Powers, which you can see here. The episodes premiere on March 10th, and features a cast that includes Michelle Forbes (Retro Girl), Sharlto Copley (Christian Walker), Susan Heyward (Deena Pilgrim), Olesya Rulin (Calista), Eddie Izzard (Wolfe) and Noah Taylor (Johnny Royale)…
…And finally, we’ve had a couple of superhero-related op-eds on Flickering Myth this week, so be sure to take a look at Anthony Stokes’ How X-Men: Days of Future Past Derailed the X-Men Franchise and Pim Razenberg’s Avengers: Infinity War – An Accumulation, or Continuation?.
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
Originally published February 28, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
