An Open Letter to Jeremy Latcham and DC Studios
Jeremy.
I know. Who am I to be telling you your business?
Between you and me, how many superhero cinematic universes have been created?
One.
Just one.
And that was you, not me. You helped create the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I’ve starred in a few community theater productions and had a minor role in a micro-budget horror comedy. So between the two of us, there’s experience.
Jeremy, I’m concerned.
But first, congratulations! Running DC Studios! Wow!
Back to my concerns.
Wait. Also, my condolences to James Gunn and Peter Safran, although from his post on Instagram, sounds like James Gunn isn’t too upset about leaving that job.
Right. My concerns.
The DCU. Man. Where do I start…? Again.
Speaking of. Is that what we’re doing? Again?
Because I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’ve got it in me. Don’t get me wrong, I love DC superheroes. I was eight when Superman: The Movie came out in 1978. It knocked Star Wars from the top spot in my brain for a few months. I watched The Devil and Max Devlin three times in the theater just to watch the trailer for Superman II, and that had Bill Cosby in it. (Ironically, he didn’t play the Devil.)
But DC has a longevity problem. Superman I and II? Good. Superman III and IV? Not good. Batman and Batman Returns? Good. Well… Okay, the first one feels like a Batman movie Tim Burton directed, and the second feels more like a Tim Burton movie with Batman in it, but it’s more good than bad. Batman Forever and Batman & Robin? You see where I’m going?
Even Christopher Nolan’s run slid off in quality a bit by The Dark Knight Rises.
There’s been a lot to like over the years, but there’s been a whole lot of close but not quites, and a few maybe nots.
Man of Steel, Superman Returns, Green Lantern, Black Adam, Shazam, all varying degrees of it.
I still love the first movies of the series in Superman and Batman, even though the lesser sequels exist. I'll never watch Superman Returns, Green Lantern, etc. again. I might watch Man of Steel, but not Batman v Superman. And Justice League? Forget about it!
I really liked James Gunn’s Superman. It felt goofy and hopeful. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was again, close but not quite.
Side note: Why is it Lex Luthor only has two plans? Land grabs or creating an evil, stronger version of Superman to kill him. And if that works, then what????¹
I was excited when James Gunn took over. He earned trust with Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. Peacemaker was far more good than bad, and only suffered from some of Gunn’s weird indulgences. (Did we really need that orgy scene?)
Gunn’s Superman was good, but not great. It felt crowded, had a super-powered dog whose need for rescue dominated the story in two movies, and minor characters who get spin-offs while we still don’t know who Batman is in the DCU.
I applaud Gunn and Safran for trying to do something different, but I feel like focusing so much on side dishes caused the main course to suffer.
And Man of Tomorrow looks to be a crowded affair again.
And Matt Reeves’ Batman is such a weird obstacle. I get it made Batman money and you're stuck with it. I’m not sure one can be stuck with a $772 million earner, but it really hurt the DCU’s ability to build a true Justice League, which we know is what WB wants.
Another side note: Why does The Batman get so much love? From a technical standpoint, movies don’t get any better. Stellar cast, very talented director, cinematographer, etc. But from a story standpoint? Yawn.
“It’s not year one! It’s year two!” says Matt Reeves. That’s just year one without an origin story. The less interesting year.
There were no cool gadgets. Oh look! That guy has a wingsuit he bought at REI and a Camaro! Weird helmet, though.
I think I’d rather watch Batman & Robin again than sit through that slog of a movie. B & R is bad, and incredibly stupid, but at least it has a personality.
Honestly, The Penguin show is the best thing about it. But I feel like Reeves is just trying to out-ground Nolan, and it's tiresome. If you ground Batman too much, he's just a dude with money using stuff he bought.
And Batman has never really been the detective he's supposed to be. That was the promise of Ben Affleck's solo outing he was supposed to direct. I feel cheated we never got that because, like Lex Luthor and real estate, WB had to do their cash grab.
Where was I? Oh yeah, close but not quite.
Jeremy, I read this morning that your priority is to get to Justice League.
Easy.
No, not “easy” like simple, “easy” like “slow your roll, son.”
Remember how that last one turned out?
I remember when Batman v Superman was announced. Nerds lost their shit hearing Harry Lennix read the famous, “I want you to remember, Clark…” line from The Dark Knight Returns. I get it. It was in Hall H. I forgive you.
My first thought was, we don’t even know who Batman is yet. I know it was Ben Affleck, I meant the character. We really don’t even know who Superman is yet. He needs another movie to solidify the character. Batman needs his own movie. If you’re trying to create a conflict like in The Dark Knight Returns, we need some history. We need to care about these characters and not want to see them fight.
It hadn’t been done before! Oh wait, yes it had. In the MCU. Captain America: Civil War was the culmination of SEVEN movies before it happened! Warner Bros. did it in two. It didn’t do as well because we the audience didn’t care yet. And it wasn't that good.
Marvel has declined in quality, but the goodwill they created by carefully building the foundation keeps me invested.
I barely knew who Iron Man was when the movie came out. By the time I was watching Civil War, I was invested. I hated seeing them fight! And I loved it! And spent my money to see it with all of my kids.
Marvel had to use their lesser characters because of rights issues. They would've started with Spider-Man and X-Men if they could have. DC doesn't have that problem. DC has no excuse.
Jeremy, I get this is a business. I get you need return on investment. So aim lower. Build the quality with known IP. Give us Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman. Then give us the team-up. Make me care.
I think the risk is too great that any goodwill that may exist with James Gunn's Superman would be lost with a reboot. I think this is the real superhero fatigue. You'd be asking me to invest in your newest scheme, and I've already lost money on the last two. It's like the relative who keeps joining MLMs. If you do reboot, it better be flawless.
I think it needs to be a hybrid approach. It'll change no matter what with different creative leadership, but I think you can keep the good and slowly throw out the bad. Although that feels so difficult. You've really inherited a corner to paint yourself out of here.
There is another fear: Man of Tomorrow becomes like The Flash or other movies where it's a holdover from the newly replaced regime. Like a lame-duck president. People will not want to invest if you're rebooting afterward.
If you’re going to start over, I guess, then start over. Build it. Don’t rush it. The turkey isn’t going to be ready sooner just because you turn up the heat. And it won’t be as good anyway. I know it’s a business. But it’s a business of art. And hastily thrown together art isn’t nearly as enduring.
¹ Lex Luthor's plans: Superman: The Movie: Destroy SoCal after buying up desert land that becomes beachfront property. Superman II: He wants Australia. Superman III: No Lex. Superman IV: Nuclear Man. (But we pretend 4 doesn't exist because it's horrendous.) Superman Returns: Create a new continent out of kryptonite Superman crystals. Superman: Create Luthoria from Jarhanpur land.
Now that I think about it, Nuclear Man was basically the prototype for Doomsday. Only Nuclear Man does it more fabulous. That hair, those nails, and girl, don't get me started on that golden outfit!