Over the span of five years, Marvel Studios brought to fruition a cinematic universe shared between the franchises of several of its most recognizable characters. This marvelous feat culminated in the unprecedented assemblage of those very characters in the highest grossing film to date in the comic book movie genre:
The Avengers. The fact that DC failed to reciprocate puts it miles behind Marvel. No need to fret, though, as DC now has the opportunity to begin anew. With
Man of Steel on its way and Christopher Nolan's telling of the Dark Knight legend coming to an end, DC can soon initiate phase one of their own cinematic universe.
Firstly, before DC launches the principal phase of operations, it would be wise to take a cue from Marvel and create a subsidiary company, namely "DC Studios," which would not only be responsible for producing films based on their own respective characters but also for the daunting task of actualizing a film in which those characters unite against a common threat.
Man of Steel would be the first in a line of movies to bear the DC Studios imprint. The imprint would be the external factor linking those movies together, while an internal factor (i.e., a secondary character) would link the protagonists of each individual franchise together. Secondly, after
The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of Nolan's acclaimed saga, hits theaters, DC can appropriately reinvent the franchise in order to associate the Caped Crusader with the new continuity. Lastly, 2011 saw a new DC character take flight on the big screen in the sub-par
Green Lantern. Hal Jordan is an important character in comic book lore, and a proper film adaptation must be constructed in order for moviegoers to fully appreciate the character. With that in mind, DC has two options: develop a sequel and rectify the mistakes of the first, or reboot the franchise altogether. Seeing as how Ryan Reynolds' comedic portrayal is cemented in the minds of the general public, the latter looks the better of the two. Whatever the decision, DC should be advised that a film of this nature does not belong in the comedy genre.
And then there were four. As of now, four of the seven founding members of the League have never made a theatrical appearance: Aquaman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman. It is a wonder why DC has thus far been incapable of producing a movie centered on any one of the aforesaid characters. But, if DC can get its act together, there should be no added difficulty in producing character-accurate, story-driven films about any of its iconic characters.