In this edition of The Week in Spandex, we look at Suicide Squad, Justice League, The Flash, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gotham, Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants, LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout, Teen Titans Go!, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Iron Man 3, Iron Fist, Gambit, Wolverine 3, Deadpool 2, Big Hero 6 and more…
It’s been a bit of quiet week in the world of screen superheroes, with the studios presumably looking towards the San Diego Comic-Con later this month to unload with both barrels. Nevertheless, we’ve still got a few juicy bits and pieces to tide us over, and with its release now less than month, Warner Bros.’ Suicide Squad is at the forefront of that, with the studio dropping a new banner for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn [see here], along with a batch of character portraits featuring Harley, The Joker (Jared Leto) and the rest of Task Force X [see here] and a bunch of new stills from the David Ayer-directed supervillain ensemble, as well as a detailed breakdown of the plot [see here]. And for the collectors out there, Hot Toys also debuted promo images for its 1/6th scale Arkham Asylum Joker figure, which you can see here…
…Looking further ahead in the DC Extended Universe, and J.K. Simmons has spoken about his role as Jim Gordon in next year’s Justice League, stating that he wants to see the “badass” side of Gotham’s Police Commissioner: “People of my generation remember Commissioner Gordon as this jolly, ineffectual Santa Claus type, and I think over the years in the comics there’s definitely much more of a badass side to him. One of the things that’s interesting to me is investigating hopefully a little bit more of that badass [side]…You’re living in a universe where it’s pretty tough to be a badass compared to somebody like Batman, but in the universe of non-superheroes I like the idea of Commissioner Gordon as a guy that can take care of himself, a guy that’s a real partner to Batman, not just a guy that turns on the bat signal and goes, ‘Help! Help, Batman!…”
…In other Justice League news, Welsh actor Julian Lewis Jones has revealed that he’s joined the cast of the DC team-up, although the Stella star wasn’t giving away any details about his role in the film. Meanwhile, on the rumour front it’s been claimed this week that Colin Farrell and Game of Thrones stars Charles Dance and Michiel Huisman are also on board, although the reports come by way of Twitter, and no reputable sites have come forward to corroborate their casting. Read into that what you will…
…Having signed on as director last month, it looks like Rick Famuyiwa is wasting little time in assembling the supporting cast alongside Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen for The Flash. According to reports, Dope star Kiersey Clemons is said to be front runner for the role of Iris West in the 2018 release, while Lucy Boynton (Sing Street) and singer Rita Ora (Southpaw) are also in contention for the part…
…A couple of interesting Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice supercuts have arrived online this week, the first of which tracks the kill count of Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight in the movie [watch it here], and the second edits together the footage from the opening sequence of the Battle of Metropolis with the same scenes from 2013’s Man of Steel [watch it here]. Meanwhile, stills photographer Clay Enos shared a behind-the-scenes image of the big fight between Batman and Superman [see here], as has Henry Cavill [see here], while Hot Toys also revealed promo images for its 1/6th scale Knightmare Batman [see here] and Batman Premium Format Figure [see here]…
…In a couple of bits of news from the small screen side of the DC universe, some set photos from Gotham season 3 have landed online showing Jamie Chung’s Valerie Vale alongside Ben McKenzie’s Jim Gordon, while The CW has announced that it will be airing Supergirl’s entire first season with a double-bill of episodes every Monday night through to the season two premiere on October 10th[check out a promo here], and John Barrowman has been upped to a series regular across Arrow, The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, signing a similar deal to that of Wentworth Miller…
…Ahead of its release later this month, Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for the hotly-anticipated DC Universe Animated Original Movies adaptation of Frank Miller and Brian Bolland’s Batman: The Killing Joke [watch it here], along with a clip that sees The Dark Knight taking a trip to Arkham to meet with ‘The Joker’ [watch it here]…
…We can add another animated adventure for the Caped Crusader to Warner’s upcoming slate, albeit one that’s a little more family friendly than the R-rated Killing Joke, with Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants set for release this September after debuting at the San Diego Comic-Con. Check out the trailer, artwork and synopsis for the straight-to-video release here…
…This coming Tuesday also brings another animated DC movie with the DVD and Blu-ray release of LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout, and a new clip has arrived online which sees Superman confronting the Joker; watch it here…
…New episodes of Teen Titans Go! will be unveiled at Comic-Con later this month, while fans will also be able to get their hands on three exclusive Funko Pop! Vinyl figures featuring Raven as Wonder Woman, Robin as Batman and Starfire as Flash…
…Click below to continue on for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Iron Man 3, Iron Fist, Gambit, Wolverine 3, Deadpool 2, Big Hero 6 and more…
Originally published July 9, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
