…And so we come to Warner Bros.’ DC Cinematic Universe, and this week has given us some rather exciting images from the set of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice showing the new-look Batmobile in action on the streets of Detroit (or Gotham, or Metropolis…), while Ben Affleck shared a few words about his upcoming role as The Dark Knight in the Zack Snyder-directed DC ensemble, stating that Batman will be full of “rage”…
…We know that the Dwayne Johnson-starring Shazam movie will occupy one of Warner Bros.’ as-yet-unrevealed DC release dates between now and 2020, and it seems we can add another title to that last now, with news breaking this week that the studio is eyeing Sabotage and End of Watch director David Ayer to helm a Suicide Squad feature. No further details are available, but could this be the “other plans” that Arrow executive producer Andrew Kreisberg suggested Warner Bros. had for Harley Quinn that would likely prevent another appearance on the CW show..?
…Before he returns to the DC universe for his role as Ray Palmer – a.k.a. The Atom – in the third season of Arrow, Brandon Routh has taken a moment to reflect on his time as the Man of Steel in 2006’s Superman Returns, and specifically the negative reaction towards the Bryan Singer-directed movie. Saying that “no one has had the balls” to criticise it to his face, he then went on to state that: “If they have those feelings or misgivings they vent them on the internet, which I have definitely read over the years. I don’t shy away from that. I like to hear what people really think. And there’s truth to everything that people say negatively. They have their own opinions about what they wanted to see. It doesn’t weigh on me and never really did. I took the job knowing full well that was going to be something that was going to be part of my life probably forever. Thankfully it’s in a good way. I’m proud of the movie and a lot of people enjoyed it so that helps, I guess. And having it be such an inspirational, iconic role, that’s a nice thing to carry with me and have it be part of who people see me as…”
…With Gotham set to premiere this coming week, FOX has ramped up the publicity for the Batman prequel series with a whole host of promotional material, including a new poster, cast image, sneak peek preview, TV spots, Barbara Kean promo and six clips. The pilot episode will air on FOX on Monday (September 22nd); here’s the official episode description: “Gotham follows one cop, destined for greatness, as he navigates a dangerously corrupt city teetering between good and evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time in the all-new Pilot Series Premiere episode of Gotham…”
…FOX has also given us a taste of the second episode of Gotham, entitled ‘Selina Kyle’, by releasing an official synopsis and cast list along with a batch of images, while it has been revealed that the third episode will feature a guest appearance from a little known Metal Men villain, with Ben McKenzie stating that: “Tthe third introduces Balloon Man, a killer who ties his victims to hundreds of balloons and sets them aloft. The crime is big and weird and eccentric and often has a lot of dark humor in it…”
…Next up for DC Entertainment on the small screen is The CW’s superhero double bill of The Flash and Arrow, and this week we’ve seen episode descriptions for both shows, along with two posters and a batch of images for Arrow’s season 3 premiere [see here and here], and some video interviews [see here], images [see here, here and here], and TV spots [see here] for the upcoming spin-off show The Flash. Meanwhile, it has also been announced that Nick Tarabay (Spartacus) is set to appear in the seventh episode of Arrow season three as Flash supervillain Captain Boomerang, leading into the big crossover event in episode eight of both shows, while Amanda Pays – star of the original 90s Flash TV show – is set to reprise the role of Dr. Tina McGee in the CW’s rebooted series. The Flash gets underway on October 7th, followed by the third season of Arrow the following day…
…Not to be left out, NBC has also released a couple of images from its own upcoming DC television show Constantine, which gives us a new look at Matt Ryan’s supernatural detective, as well as series regular Charles Halford and guest star Laura Regan. Constantine is set to premiere on NBC on October 4th…
…Two weeks ago it was revealed that Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash) and Ali Adler (No Ordinary Family) were developing a live-action Supergirl series, and now it has been announced that the show has received a series commitment from CBS. The official logline for Supergirl states that we’ll see 24-year-old Kara Zor-El embracing the powers she shares with her famous cousin and become the hero she was meant to be, having hidden her abilities since escaping Krypton amid its destruction.
…It looks like Warner Bros. is also looking to expand the supernatural side of the DC universe on the small screen, with a report this week that Californication creator Tom Kapinos is set to write and produce an adaptation of Lucifer, based upon the character who debuted in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman before getting his own series. The project has a pilot commitment at Fox, and will follow Lucifer as he abandons Hell for the “gorgeous, shimmering insanity of Los Angeles, where he opens an exclusive piano bar called Lux…”
…Ahead of its long-awaited home-entertainment release in November, Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for the Blu-ray box set of Batman: The Complete Television Series, which you can check out here…
…During the San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Bruce Timm will be returning to the DC animated universe for the original direct-to-video feature Justice League: Gods and Monsters, and now it has also been announced that Machinima will air a three-part digital animated series next year entitled Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles. The series will see Timm linking up with fellow Batman: The Animated Series producer Alan Burnett, and is set in an alternative where Justice League members Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are much darker versions of the Super Heroes that we’re accustomed too…
…It’s not just DC and Marvel getting in on the small screen superhero act, as Sony Television is busy prepping an adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming’s Powers for Playstation Network, and this week has given us the first image from the show, which features Sharlto Copley (District 9) as Detective Christian Walker and Susan Heyward (The Following) as his partner Deena Pilgrim…
…And finally, we’ve had a few superhero-related op-eds on Flickering Myth this week which may be of interest – check out Luke Owen’s Is a Venom Movie Without Spider-Man Pointless?, and Thomas Roach’s 5 Marvel Characters Who Should Get Their Own Netflix Series, Could Avengers 3 Follow the Civil War Storyline?, and Is Comic Book Movie Competition Bad For the Industry?.
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.
