New DCEU Details Reveal Matt Reeves' Plans For A Younger Batman, BACK TO THE FUTURE Style FLASH And More
The Hollywood Reporter has shared a wealth of new details about Warner Bros.' plans for the DC Extended Universe and as well as a new Batman, it sounds like that Joker spinoff will be made on the cheap...
In recent weeks, we've been subject to a lot of apparent DCEU leaks courtesy of Reddit but now a far more reliable source has weighed in on where things currently stand. As well as revealing what Walter Hamada has brought to the table since being appointed the head of the DC Films division (forget about a slate reveal at Comic-Con), we have news on a number of upcoming projects at Warner Bros.
Those include The Batman, The Flash, and The Joker, and the former is clearly going through some big changes as the chances of Ben Affleck returning as the Caped Crusader appear to be getting slimmer.
So, to check out all these new details - which come our way courtesy of THR - all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button below. These make for interesting reading and point to big changes coming to the DCEU so check them out and then let us know your thoughts in the usual place.
DC Dark Or DC Black Will Be The Label For Standalone Movies
Well, some fans are going to have a field day with this! We've known for a while now that Warner Bros. is launching a new label which will release lower budget, adult orientated DC Comics adaptations. That will start with The Joker, an 80s set origin story directed by Todd Phillips (we'll reveal more on that later in this post). Apparently, the current plan is for the studio to call this label "DC Dark" or "DC Black."
That's a little on the nose but works well enough and while an argument could be made that movies like Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad fit into the "DC Dark" name, it actually has some potential!
A Much Lighter Take On The Flash
While that new label is going to embrace darker stories, the rest of the DC movies will be moving away from that. The Flash, which the trades notes is set to begin production early next year, has reportedly abandoned the "somber themes" it was originally going to tackle. Now, with John Francis Daly and Jonathan Goldstein on board, the project is said to be using Back to the Future as a touchstone.
Whether or not that means time travel will still be involved obviously remains to be seen for now.
A Younger Batman
Batman's future has been in doubt for quite some time now and we've heard conflicting reports about what Matt Reeves has planned for the Caped Crusader. Well, the trade reveals that the filmmaker actually turned in the first act of a new screenplay during Memorial Day weekend (just the first act, mind you; he clearly has a very long way to go before The Batman's script is actually good to go).
Apparently, Reeves' movie focuses on a younger version of the Dark Knight and while the studio wouldn't respond to their requests for a comment, it's said that Ben Affleck is unlikely to return.
The Joker's Low Budget Origin Story
As you no doubt already know, there are plans in place for two different Joker movies. One will star Suicide Squad's Jared Leto's and the other will focus on a very different Clown Prince of Crime played by Joaquin Phoenix. The latter will reportedly have a budget of around $55 million, a sign that Warner Bros. clearly isn't going to be spending a lot of money on these darker, R-Rated standalone movies.
The Other DC Films In Development
The trade points out that a number of DC Films are now in development beyond next year's Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984 but the only two they share any firm details on are Birds of Prey and Batgirl.
Cathy Yan remains attached to direct the former (which will put the spotlight on Harley Quinn after Margot Robbie's breakout performance in Suicide Squad) and Bumblebee scribe Christina Hodson is currently hard at work penning Batgirl's screenplay after the movie lost writer/director Joss Whedon.
Walter Hamada's Big Plans For The DCEU
When Walter Hamada was appointed the new head of the DC Films Universe, he apparently inherited a slate that was in disarray and has spent months sorting things out. One insider even says that, "He walked into a sh**show, and he's trying to clean it up." He's now culled a number of projects, elevated others, and is keeping an eye on marquee heroes while developer lesser known ones too.
One thing Hamada won't be doing is assembling a writers room, an approach which a number of other studios have attempted with mixed results. Oh, and you can forget about a slate being revealed at Comic-Con. Neither he nor Toby Emmerich see dating titles in advance as a smart idea as it's hurt these movies in the past. "Walter has a specific design for the universe. He has a plan," claims an insider.