EDITORIAL: How The DC Extended Universe Should Have Made Its Movie Slate
DC has had a tough time getting consistent quality on film recently. Sure, Wonder Woman was good, but what about Batman V Superman? Suicide Squad? Here's how I would've planned DC's movies.
By KWilly -
Aug 04, 2018 04:08 PM EST
Think about it. Man of Steel came out in 2013, so Warner Bros has had plenty of time to establish their characters and set up a coherent universe. Yet, what have they given us? A messy Batman v Superman, an even worse Suicide Squad, and a decent but not great Justice League. Only Wonder Woman has been the true gem so far in the DCEU, and even that wasn't exactly incredible.
The point is, it feels like Warner Bros did not have a great feel of direction while making this blueprint. Instead of making us care for these characters, they just kind of throw stuff at the wall and sees what sticks. However, if I personally had the chance to rewind time, and do this movie slate all over again... Here's how it would go.
2013- Man Of Steel
So here, there obviously doesn't need to be a change. DC made the right move starting their cinematic universe with The Last Son of Krypton. Man of Steel gained mixed reviews across the board, so I wouldn't consider this a bad film at all. Room for improvement? Of course. Although, it was just a launching pad for what was to come, so it was good enough.
Now that Superman is in the books, DC should have went straight into introducing their next biggest hero of all time. And that's...
2014- The Batman
The Dark Knight himself, deserves all the attention and respect possible. So squeezing him in Batman v Superman wasn't the best idea. You have to distribute a huge character like this by himself, before he starts teaming up with anyone. Sure, it's quite close after The Dark Knight Rises, which came out in 2012. But the general audience isn't dumb. If they see a new actor playing Batman with a different setting, it's obviously a reboot.
Currently, The Batman won't be getting a film until at least 2020. Seems ridiculous for one of your biggest money makers to be put on the back burner, instead of front and center. Bottom line, DC should have displayed Batman way sooner than they did. That way, his transition into Batman v Superman would make sense and feel natural.
2015- Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman
I don't mind Wonder Woman being introduced through Batman v Superman. Just make sure you give her a solo film right after. At this point, three years would have passed by. And already, we would have thoroughly established DC's Trinity one by one. Lex Luthor could still be the villain (although played by another actor not named Jesse Eisenberg), Doomsday could still be the final battle piece, and Wonder Woman could still have her origin story later that year. But now that we got these three out the way, things are going to get real interesting.
2016- The Flash, Man of Steel 2
It still amazes me The Flash hasn't had his own film yet. There's no telling when he will ever have one either, considering his upcoming solo movie is still a mystery. It's even worse that Superman has still never got his sequel yet. Again, there's no telling when that will happen either. This is why both of these tasks should have been completed in 2016. No Suicide Squad, just forget about that project all together. Instead, give some story and development to the fastest man alive. It doesn't have to be an origin story, but it must be about the Flash being a rookie hero.
So for Man of Steel 2, it's the same thing. Give Superman more development, so his inclusion in Justice League is satisfying. Also, killing him off at the end of Batman v Superman was a mistake. So just pretend like that never happened here.
2017- Justice League, The Batman 2
Here's what we've all been waiting for. The big teamup. The get together of the century. In Justice League, you would have to introduce Aquaman and Cyborg. Two new characters the audience has never seen before. And that's okay, because we already know four members very well at this point. All Justice League would have to do is split the time between Aquaman and Cyborg in half, and then we have a film. Set Justice League around the early summer, and then release a Batman sequel by October or November.
2018- Aquaman, Wonder Woman 2
The King of the Sea still deserves his own film. Just not before Justice League. DC should make the audience want more of Aquaman after his debut from Justice League, and that's exactly what they're going to get. I wouldn't make it an origin film, but I would explain this character and his backstory in the beginning. After that exposition is over, just fast forward to the present day where he's already fought with the Justice League once. Wonder Woman should also be getting a sequel by this time as well. Can't forget about her.
2019- Shazam, The Flash 2
If you want to save the world, say the magic word. God, I love that tagline from the trailer. Anyway, Shazam being in the DCEU is definitely a good move, so nothing changes on that end. However, he shouldn't be the only DC hero gracing the screen that year. The Flash would be due for a sequel around this time.
Have it be a duo movie, where The Flash teams up with Cyborg. That way, since Cyborg may not get his once promised solo movie, he still gets to share the limelight with The Flash. There could be a potential friendship between the two "accidents".
2020- Green Lantern Corps, Justice League 2
Make that film good, and then you could easily slide Hal Jordan into the next Justice Legaue movie. The audience at this point would know each Justice League member very well, and would be in open arms for newbies like Shazam and Green Lantern. After this, DC would only then have the flexibility to do whatever they wanted.
Overall, this is my personal blueprint for the DCEU. These are all characters that should have proper guidance through film. So far in reality, they haven't done that well. Some say DC should do their own thing, and not follow the Marvel formula. However, it's the Marvel formula that is proven success. If I was DC, I'd learn from the best and try to make it better. Hopefully, the future for these DCEU films becomes bright down the road.