It's not hard to see why
Joker is receiving some serious awards attention, but it was also a far cry from a traditional comic book adaptation, and that was clearly a deliberate move from director Todd Phillips and cinematographer Lawrence Sher.
The question among many fans, though, is whether Sher will bring the same visual aesthetic to
Black Adam.
"The good news is we don’t shoot until July," he told
Observer when asked for an update on the project.
"So I’m just getting into the research and development phase of discovering how it will look. It’s super important to me because every time I set off to make a movie or a new project, I always feel as if I want it to be better than the last thing I worked on."
"I’m really excited about Black Adam," Sher continued,
"because it’s different than Joker in that it’s slightly more traditional insomuch as it’s really drawing from the comics."
This is going to be music to the ears of comic book fan,s and it makes sense for
Black Adam to be more along the lines of
Shazam! than
Joker seeing as a crossover between those two franchises is a certainty.
As Sher mentioned, shooting begins over the summer, and while footage being revealed at Comic-Con seems doubtful, we may end up getting some sort of sneak peek at the anti-hero.
Which long-delayed DC Comics adaptations could join Green
Lantern on HBO Max? Hit the "Next" button to find out!
Batgirl
Joss Whedon signed up to write and direct
Batgirl for Warner Bros. back in 2017, but his work on
Justice League (and backlash from fans wanting to see a female filmmaker at the helm) quickly ended that. He would also claim around a year later that he "didn't have a story" for the hero.
Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) was working on the script the last time we got an update on the movie, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast - much to the frustrations of comic book fans.
Just like Green Lantern Corps has become a TV series on HBO Max, exploring this character's origin story and adventures in Gotham City in a standalone show separate from The Batman would be a smart move. Barbara Gordon is someone with a lot of potential and you just know that anything related to DC's Dark Knight would definitely drive up interest in this new streaming service.
Justice League Dark
It's been one heck of a ride for
Justice League Dark. It all began when
Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro started writing a screenplay and it's since been through multiple filmmakers and, most recently, we heard that the plan was for the now cancelled
Swamp-Thing to eventually lead to the team coming together on the DC Universe streaming app.
While
Justice League may have hurt the brand somewhat, there's still a lot of interest in this supernatural team, and if it leads to a resurrection for DC Universe's Swamp-Thing, that would be a bonus.
Either way, this is an awesome team who could easily take centre stage in a low-budget horror film or a series which introduces these characters and opens the door to them later appearing elsewhere in the DC Extended Universe. Perhaps HBO Max could even convince del Toro to return?
Superman
The signs all appear to be pointing to Henry Cavill's time as the Man of Steel being at an end, and it's been reported by reliable sources that Warner Bros. now wants to prioritise Supergirl.
While The CW's version of the hero is getting his own series alongside Lois Lane on that network, there's still room for a
Superman movie of some sort, and if the studio is worried that there's no longer any interest in Clark Kent on the big screen, why not bring the iconic hero to HBO Max instead?
The budget for this would obviously have to be significant, but if a filmmaker like J.J. Abrams was attached and they're willing to spend the money needed on a film like this, Superman could not only lead to a huge spike in subscribers but also give the hero a new home as HBO Max's mascot.
The Trench
After
Aquaman exceeded expectations at the box office, Warner Bros. decided to move forward with a spinoff revolving around
The Trench. The plan is for it to delve into the origin story of those creatures with a lower budget and horror aesthetic, and there have even been rumours that Jason Momoa and Amber Heard will return as Arthur Curry and Mera.
With screenwriters Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald penning the script and Aquaman director James Wan serving as a producer, this project is probably further along than some of the others listed here. However, it's easy to imagine The Trench working as a TV series or a standalone, R-Rated film on HBO Max which brings in new subscribers thanks to the aforementioned cameos.
It's also hard to say how interested moviegoers would actually be in watching this in theaters, and releasing it on a streaming service negates the risk of hurting the Aquaman franchise with a flop spinoff.
Nightwing
Right now, Dick Grayson's story is playing out in
Titans on DC Universe and it's widely believed that the former Robin will soon adopt the "Nightwing" mantle. Before the show launched,
The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay was attached to direct a solo movie featuring the character with
The Judge's Bill Dubuque penning the screenplay.
The filmmaker teased the project months before it seemingly stalled, and he's now busy with everything from
Dungeons and Dragons to
Jonny Quest and Mark Millar's
Reborn adaptation.
Nightwing appears to be stuck in limbo, but a series featuring the character could definitely work on HBO Max, especially if it spins out of
Titans, attaches a solid creative team, and brings us an awesome, action-packed tale which delivers on what fans love about Batman's first sidekick.
Cyborg
Remember when Warner Bros. revealed that
Cyborg would be released in April 2020? That's obviously not going to happen, and with most of his
Justice League scenes left on the cutting room floor, Ray Fisher's future as Victor Stone remains unclear. He could, however, return on HBO Max.
Just like fans weren't convinced the hero could hold his own in a movie, it's still hard to say whether Cyborg would make for an effective lead in a film or TV series on this new streaming service.
It would be great seeing this iteration of the character again, though, and regardless of whether he's a supporting character in another series or film, or gets to have a starring role in his own standalone adventure, HBO Max could be an effective platform for Cyborg's story to finally be told after his 2017 debut.
Deathstroke
Joe Manganiello was cast as Deathstroke in Ben Affleck's
The Batman and Warner Bros. clearly had big plans for the character because they enlisted
The Raid's Gareth Evans for a solo film.
Now, it no longer it appears to be happening, and comments from Manganiello have seemingly confirmed that his time as the anti-hero is already at an end following his brief
Justice League appearance. Well, if HBO Max has any sense, they're resurrect this project and give Slade Wilson the attention he deserves, hopefully with a filmmaker like Evans at the helm.
With an R-Rating and incredible action scenes, this could wind up being one of the streaming service's biggest highlights and a fitting place to put a character who may not find box office success.
Gotham City Sirens
Despite interference from Warner Bros. which arguably ruined
Suicide Squad, director David Ayer still delivered a commercial hit which a lot of people enjoyed for a variety of reasons.
The cast has also had good things to say about him, so perhaps he'll finally get chance to bring
Gotham City Sirens to a live-action setting, reuniting with Margot Robbie in the process.
Keeping
Suicide Squad's darker tone and separating this from Harley's big screen adventures would be a smart move, and Jared Leto's Joker could even be brought back. Robbie has exactly the sort of star power HBO Max needs to ensure it puts itself on the map, even with a different director.
The Flash
The Flash has been stuck in developmental hell for pretty much as long as we can remember, but
IT: Chapter 2 director Andy Muschietti is now attached and it seems to be gaining momentum.
At this point, the smartest option might be to forget about having the Scarlet Speedster on the big screen and to just go the
Green Lantern route by delving into his world in a TV show. Now, there's obviously already a Flash series on The CW, but this would be a big budget effort which is a little more mature and considerably more epic in scale (how about finally adapting
Flashpoint?).
Whether it's a series or movie, bringing
The Flash to HBO Max would be a good way to make it clear that this streaming service is serious about making the DC Universe a priority for the platform.
"The Snyder Cut"
Look, the odds of Warner Bros. spending the money to actually finish the "Snyder Cut" of
Justice League are somewhere between slim and none, especially as it's a movie that sets up a sequel.
However, there are other ways it could live on whether that's as an unfinished film or even an animated adaptation directed by Zack Snyder. The HBO Max Twitter account was trolled by fans who want to see this version of
Justice League last night, and it's clear that there's a desire to see this happen.
If the hope is to bring the geek crowd to this streaming platform, highlighting the DC Extended Universe is a must and what better way to do that than finally delivering this fabled Director's Cut?
Which of these movies or TV shows would you most like to see on HBO Max? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and stay tuned for updates.