Umberto “El Mayimbe” Gonzalez (@elmayimbe):
You’re a controversial figure to some fanboys. The editors or news-compilers here take your scoops seriously and post them regularly. The trades cite your scoops when they pan out and you have the trust of most of the well-known film blogs. Let's keep score a little bit. Here’s a list of your recent scoops, starting with the big one:
1. Bradley Cooper offered the Rocket Raccoon voice role – true.
2. Detroit and Morocco being scouted for Superman/Batman film –
true/tbd. Detroit was confirmed, Morocco has not been officially mentioned.
3. Grant Gustin, Matt Barr, James Mackay up for Barry Allen/Flash TV role –
true, though we haven’t heard about Barr/Mackay officially, you got the big one.
4. Michael B. Jordan and David Oyelowo went in for Star Wars meetings –
true, Jordan admitted this himself and Oyelowo
is in talks as one of the lead voice roles in an animated series.
5. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be a villain in the Avatar movies –
denied by the studio.
6. Dominic Cooper circling Freddie Mercury biopic – remains to be seen.
7. Aaron Johnson officially cast as Quicksilver –
true, though many could take credit for this one, in my opinion.
8. Ben Kingsley’s secret Marvel project will be a one-shot with the real Mandarin – remains to be seen, but
denied by IM3 scribe Drew Pearce.
9. Dick Grayson/”young John Hawkes type” will be in the Superman/Batman film –
seemingly true, backed by The Wrap.
Not bad. Not bad at all. You’ve gotten some wrong recently. You’ve gotten some wrong in the past. Like any journalist in this business knows, deals come and go, while ideas and desires change. And as the reputable Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter says, “There have been plenty of instances where agency and studio denials have proven false as parties try to keep a lid on plot details or sensitive negotiations.” Despite backing from the trades and blogs, many vocal people here on comicbookmovie.com and superherohype.com insist on calling your work a sham, that nothing you say is true, that you’re too stupid to know when your source is feeding you bullshit or that you’re a broken clock that happens to be right twice a day. You and I both know that these some of these folks exhibit a lack of basic intelligence; this is an unfortunate shortcoming of many raised in the high-speed internet age. After your recent scoops, Heath Ledger as the Joker, Brandon Routh as Superman, you’d think these people would know by now you’re not pulling this stuff out of your ass. Your sources clearly exist. At the same time, you often don’t help your own cause. Here’s my advice to you.
to “retweet for yes” or to help you reach x amount of followers before dropping a scoop. I understand you want to generate some buzz before you drop the information. But it’s not a good look. No other online publication that I know of asks its readers to jump through these kinds of hoops before releasing information. If you are in the business of “hunting the big game” before your competitors, it seems to me like it is both your job and in your best interest to publish news when it’s ready to go, not after prodding from your audience.
Step outside of the fanboy news game more often. More stuff like the Dominic Cooper for Freddie Mercury, Oscar Isaac dropping the Pablo Escobar biopic (which wasn't you) and Cillian Murphy being cast in Transcendence. It will only boost your credibility.
As much as possible, avoid painting stories of “we know who ____ wants for _____” as really significant information so early. Chadwick Boseman is a popular name, so naturally Marvel would have him on a list for Black Panther. But it's a little misleading, because there are a lot of names on those lists when it’s so early in the game.
Lastly, don't let the trolls get to you. Don’t give them the attention they want. I realize that sounds hypocritical, coming from me and within this article, but I do mean it. Don’t respond to those who want to ignore the facts, randomly decide to feed you false information or don’t understand the business. Especially don’t call them out by name/e-mail on your Twitter page in an effort to “expose” them. It’s a no-win situation. I remember you said this yourself on the Schmoes Know Podcast, when Kristian Harloff asked how you deal with the bloodsuckers. It’s tempting, but don’t do it.
Some of us do appreciate getting the next nerd-worthy tidbits of news well before the trades report on them or the studios decide to disclose the information officially. I just think you can improve how you go about your business.
Thanks for reading and happy hunting.