In this edition of The Week in Spandex, we look at The Batman, The LEGO Batman Movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Suicide Squad, Green Lantern Corps, Powerless, Gotham, Supergirl, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Black Lightning, Logan, Deadpool 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Doctor Strange 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Cloak and Dagger, Runaways, Iron Fist, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Underpants and more…
It’s starting to become a bit of a trend for Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe to lose its directors; first up was Michelle MacLaren on Wonder Woman, followed by Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa on The Flash, and now we can add Ben Affleck to that list. Yes, after weeks of suggesting he may not direct The Batman unless he was certain he could make it great, Batfleck has now vacated the director’s chair on the Dark Knight solo movie, releasing an official statement which reads: “There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions. Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require. Together with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world…”
…Within seconds of the announcement, the rumour mill began churning out potential candidates for Affleck’s replacement, with Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes), Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant), Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic) and – yep, you guessed it – George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) all said to be in the frame. Of course, whether there’s any truth in those names remains to be seen – as does the claim that Affleck may actually bail on the film, and the DCEU, entirely. One piece of genuine news however is that Argo, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League screenwriter Chris Terrio has been revising Affleck and Geoff Johns’ screenplay…
…For a detailed rundown of entire The Batman saga, be sure to read Luke Owen’s in-depth article ‘Ben Affleck’s Batman: The Already Troubled History of The Batman’, along with Tai Freligh’s feature ‘5 Directors Who Could Replace Ben Affleck on The Batman’…
…The Batman may be in disarray, but the Caped Crusader is back on the big screen this coming week (and this weekend, thanks to preview screenings) with the release of The LEGO Batman Movie. We’ve got an exclusive interview with director Chris McKay and producer Dan Lin which you can read here, as well as a giveaway to win some rather fantastic Bat-merchandise [enter here – although it’s UK only]. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. has released a host of new clips [see here and here], along with a ‘Gotham Cribs’ featurette [watch it here], ten new images [see here] and details of the official soundtrack [see here], while LEGO has also unveiled the next wave of its tie-in sets [take a look at the official images here]…
…Michael Keaton’s Batsuit from 1992’s Batman Returns was up for auction this week, fetching a tidy sum of $41,250…
…In other Bat-related news, we got a look at the above concept art from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice featuring the Bat-creature from Bruce Wayne’s nightmare sequence, while Sideshow also unveiled promo images for its upcoming Wonder Woman Premium Format Figure from last year’s DC team-up [take a look here]…
…That leads us nicely onto this year’s Wonder Woman movie, and Gal Gadot has shared a new image of Diana ready for battle [see here], while some first-look images of the action figure tie-in line seemingly confirm the rumours about the film’s main villain [see here, at the risk of being spoiled]. Meanwhile, T2 Trainspotting star Ewen Bremner also spoke briefly about his role in the film, revealing that: “I play a character who’s enlisted by Wonder Woman to help save the world as part of a small, unlikely band. He’s a shellshocked soldier who’s been discharged from the war and is brought back to help on a secret mission…”
…James Wan’s Aquaman has fleshed out its cast this week, with Nicole Kidman (Batman Forever) and Temuera Morrison (Green Lantern) both looking set for a return to the DC universe as Arthur Curry’s (Jason Momoa) parents Atlanna and Tom Curry, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Get Down) is also in talks to play the villainous Black Manta. Should the deals all come together, they’ll join a cast that also includes Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, and Willem Dafoe as Dr. Vulko…
…In other news from the DCEU, some new Suicide Squad concept art has surfaced online this week featuring The Joker, Harley Quinn and Deadshot [check it out here], and Common has expressed his interest in a return to the DCEU following his brief role in Suicide Squad, throwing his hat into the ring to play John Stewart in Green Lantern Corps. And, in the wake of the recent news of a page one rewrite, Flickering Myth’s Henry Bevan has asked ‘Should We Be Worried About The Flash Movie?‘…
Turning to the small screen now and Warner Bros.’ latest DC TV venture – the workplace comedy Powerless – premiered on NBC this past Thursday, with the first episode ‘Wayne or Lose’ pulling in a less than stellar 3.1 million viewers and a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demo; be sure to read Rachel Bellwoar’s review of the premiere here, and check out a batch of promo images for the second episode ‘Wayne Dream Team here’…
…Fox aired the winter finale of Gotham this past Monday, and you can read Martin Carr’s review of ‘The Gentle Art of Making Enemies’ here, while we’ve also got a promo for April’s next episode ‘How The Riddler Got His Name’, which you can watch here…
…Supergirl has added another DC veteran to its cast, with news this week that former Lois Lane Teri Hatcher is set to play a “major” villain in the second season, as is fellow new addition Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys). Read Martin Carr’s review of this past Monday’s episode ‘We Can Be Heroes’ here, and be sure to check out a trailer, promo, poster and images for this week’s ‘The Martian Chronicles’ [see here, here and here], along with the official synopsis for the upcoming thirteenth episode ‘Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk’ [see here]…
…You can read Jessie Robertson’s review of Tuesday’s eleventh episode of The Flash ‘Dead or Alive’ here, and The CW has also released a trailer, promo and images for this coming week’s ‘Untouchable’ [see here and here], along with a synopsis for the following week’s ‘Attack on Gorilla City’ [see here] and a new poster featuring Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen and Keiynan Lonsdale’s Wally West [see here]…
…Check out Jessie’s review of Tuesday’s episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow ‘The Legion of Doom’ here, and take a look at a trailer, promo and images for the next episode ‘Turncoat’ here and here, along with a synopsis for the twelfth episode ‘Camelot/3000’ here…
…And be sure to take a look at Jessie’s review of Arrow’s eleventh episode ‘Second Chances’, along with a trailer and promo for the twelfth episode ‘Bratva’ [see here] and a synopsis for the fourteenth episode ‘The Sin-Eater’ [see here]…
…It looks like we may soon be able to add another DC show to The CW’s schedule, as the network has officially ordered a pilot for Black Lightning from executive producer Greg Berlanti and the husband and wide writing team of Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil. The CW has stepped in to pick up the pilot after Fox passed, feeling that the project would not fit its current stable of dramas, which includes Gotham, Lucifer and the upcoming X-Men pilot from Bryan Singer…
…Click below to continue on for Logan, Deadpool 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Doctor Strange 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Cloak and Dagger, Runaways, Iron Fist, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Underpants and more…
