By Phil Pirrello & Jesse Schedeen
Superhero movies are big, big business these days, and neither Marvel nor DC are letting their respective franchises collect dust. Last week we presented our Marvel Movie Slate, which summarized the current state of more than a dozen Hollywood projects featuring the company's popular heroes.
This week it's DC's turn. While they certainly have plenty of projects in the works at Warners, the state of many of these films are less than clear. Anyone who has followed the long, tumultuous history of Wonder Woman knows these films can fall apart as quickly as they get started.
Still, with the recent formation of DC Entertainment, we're optimistic we'll be seeing a lot of DC heroes in theaters in the coming years. We're excluding Jonah Hex and The Losers from this list since they've now been filmed and just focus on those movies still in-development. For now, this is the lineup of current DC projects in alphabetical order:
Batman 3
Release Date: Unknown, possibly 2012
Development Status: Fans everywhere have been waiting for news on Christopher Nolan's third Batman film from about the first microsecond after The Dark Knight hit theaters. Sadly, the news has been less than forthcoming, and even more than a year later we know very little about the project.
It's not even clear whether Nolan himself will return to direct. The most recent word suggests that, while Nolan has developed story ideas, he's still reluctant to actually return to the franchise. On the other hand, Gary Oldman remains convinced that filming will begin within the next couple years.
It's expected that most of the main cast will return, including Christian Bale as Batman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, and Michael Caine as Alfred. No villains have been confirmed for the third movie, though plenty of casting rumors have swirled about. They range from the intriguing (Johnny Depp or David Tennant as Riddler) to the absurd (Cher as Catwoman). Michael Caine recently dispelled the Depp as Riddler rumor, and until the film begins true pre-production we don't imagine any announcements will be made.
For the moment, WB are giving Nolan time to finish work on his next film, Inception, and hoping he'll return for a third Batman movie. But given that The Dark Knight was one of the most financially successful movies of all time, we suspect they'll eventually move forward with or without Nolan.
Deadman
Release Date: Possibly 2011
Development Status: Deadman may not be DC's biggest A-List character, but this ghostly hero seems to be on the road to Hollywood stardom while most of the Justice League continue to drag their heels. It was announced several years ago that Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro would produce a live-action Deadman movie. Nothing much came from that announcement until recently.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Del Toro had selected Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel to direct Deadman, although sources close to the project have told IGN those reports were inaccurate. But if a director is attached (a screenwriter has already been hired) then it would appear this dead hero still has some life in him. Assuming the project doesn't stall like so many comic book movies before it, 2011 seems a reasonable expectation for a release date.
The Flash
Release Date: Unknown
Development Status: Naturally, there has been talk of a Flash movie for years, but little ever came of it. First Ryan Reynolds was rumored to be donning the red tights before moved onto the sunnier pastures of Deadpool and Green Lantern. Then The OC's Adam Brody was slated to take on the role in an ensemble JLA movie.
Little concrete news has surfaced in recent years until this summer. When The Hollywood Reporter gave an update on the DC-Warners film slate, Flash was among the franchises mentioned. It seems that popular Flash writer Geoff Johns was brought in to consult on a number of DC films, and has actually written a script treatment for Flash.
Although it wasn't listed among the current DC properties in development when DC Entertainment was announced earlier this month, it would seem likely that The Flash is very high on Warners' priority list. Of their major, A-List franchises, it's likely that Flash will be next out of the gate after Green Lantern hits in 2011.
Green Arrow/Super Max
Release Date: Unknown
Development Status: Whereas most heroes make their Hollywood debut with a traditional origin tale, Warners apparently wants to try something different with Green Arrow. As we first learned back in 2007, the Emerald Archer is slated to star in a prison drama called Super Max. In a hero's worst nightmare: he'll be locked inside a prison with many of the villains he helped put away.
David Goyer has been slated to direct Super Max and also collaborated with Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li writer Justin Marx on the script. Goyer has given sporadic status updates on the film, confirming it's still being worked on but not much else. With no real news on Super Max in the past year, many wondered if the film hadn't quietly been canned. The Hollywood Reporter later confirmed the movie is still in development, but it was not among the active projects listed by the studio in their recent announcement of the formation of DC Entertainment. Interestingly, it sounds as if Warners is also planning a separate Green Arrow origin movie. Whether the origin movie will take precedence over Super Max remains to be seen.
Green Lantern
Release Date: Second quarter of 2011
Development Status: Hal Jordan could do much worse than have the director of Casino Royale helming his first live-action movie. Director Martin Campbell and star Ryan Reynolds have kept their take pretty close to the vest, but a recent GL casting call announcement alludes that a Secret Origin storyline could be in the works. Fans can expect to see Sinestro and Hal team-up to investigate what lead Abin Sur to crash on Earth, hopefully setting the stage for a franchise that captures the current scope of the Green Lantern Universe.
Campbell's never ventured into epic sci-fi territory before, which is what the GLU becomes, so the verdict is still out on how he will handle the balance between story and special effects. But he did deliver one of the best origin stories ever with Royale. Maybe he can do the same for Jordan.
Justice League of America
Release Date: Unknown
Development Status: When it comes to showcasing entire superhero teams in film, the predominant question is whether to establish the heroes individually or begin with an ensemble film and move into individual franchise films from there. For several years, it looked as if Warners would take the latter path when it came to the Justice League.
The JLA movie was slated to star younger actors like Adam Brody as Flash and Common as Green Lantern (the John Stewart version). Mad Max director George Miller was slated to direct, and the film was even rumored to be a motion-capture CG project similar to Beowulf.
Unfortunately, the Writer's Guild strike in 2008 and various logistical problems prevented JLA from moving into full production. Buzz surrounding it eventually died down in the wake of The Dark Knight. Miller confirmed this past spring that JLA is still under way, but is now several years away from filming. This, coupled with announcements about a solo Green Lantern film, suggests that Warners will now wait to establish their individual heroes before attempting a team movie.
Lobo
Release Date: 2012
Development Status: Well this project came out of both left field and from the pits of development hell. Earlier in September 2009, the brothers Warner announced that Lobo and his unique sensibilities would be coming to the big screen, thanks in part to producer Joel Silver and director Guy Ritchie. According to the trades, the studio plans to ramp up production next year, with a PG-13 script from Don Payne (The Simpsons, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, My Super Ex-Girlfriend). Watchmen actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who is filming The Losers for Silver and Warners, has lobbied to play the title role.
So yes, Lobo has a movie in the works, and, yes, more is known about it than what is happening with the Superman franchise. Glad to see Warner Bros. has their priorities in order. What's next, a Booster Gold trilogy?
Shazam
Release Date: Unknown
Development Status: Shazam is another superhero movie with a lot of buzz that has, so far, amounted to little. Last year Peter Segal was announced to be directing the movie after handling the sequel to Get Smart. Rumors persisted that The Rock would star in the film. Whether he might play Captain Marvel, his nemesis Black Adam, or even both at once was never made clear.
Unfortunately, Shazam's screenwriter declared the movie to be dead in the water early this year. The combination of the writer's strike and The Dark Knight appeared to have claimed another victim. On the other hand, The Hollywood Reporter more recently suggested that Segal is still attached to the film, and we now know that a new writer has been brought in to tackle a Shazam script.
It's heartening to know the film isn't dead just yet, but at this point we're not expecting Shazam to drop until well into next decade.
Superman: Man of Steel
Release Date: Unknown
Development Status: A lot of rumors are circling about the Last Son of Krypton's next movie, and unfortunately none of them seem to gel into anything that says we can expect more Man of Steel on the big screen anytime soon.
Recently, Mark Millar revealed that he has never pitched his rumored take on Superman to the studio, as he never does pitch. And Diane Nelson, the new boss of DC Entertainment, "actually doesn't have any current plans for Superman." The Siegel estate recently won a court ruling giving them back ownership of the key elements of Supes' origin story, and now the clock is ticking on when Warners has to have a Superman movie in theatres before they lose the rights. If the studio doesn't get a movie into production by 2011, and figure out how to navigate telling a Superman story without at least giving lip service to his origin, Superman Returns will have to sustain our Clark Kent fix.
Wonder Woman
Release Date: Unknown
Development Status: Of all the movies on this list, Wonder Woman seemed to have had the best shot at making it into the shooting stage. In 2005, Joss Whedon was brought in to write and direct Wonder Woman. However, Whedon and the studio never seemed to agree on a story direction for the film, and Whedon finally left the project in 2007.
For a brief time, it appeared that Jessica Biel would star as the Amazonian heroine in the JLA movie, but that too fell through when the project stalled. Producer Joel Silver confirmed the film was in limbo in late 2007, and little seems to have changed since then.
This year, the news has been nothing but depressing for WW fans. First, Megan Fox retaliated against widespread rumors she would don the costume, doing nothing to hide her disdain for the character. And when The Hollywood Reporter gave readers an update on current DC projects, fans were not reassured. According to the story, Warners is finding it difficult to adapt the character to film in a way that they feel will appeal to modern viewers, and have all but given up for the time being.
Hopefully, the creation of DC Entertainment will mean Wonder Woman can finally be put on the fast track to production. (Rumor has it that, as a result of this corporate reorg, Silver is no longer involved with the project.) If not, Wonder Woman may be stuck on the sidelines with fellow JLA-ers like Aquaman and Martian Manhunter who probably won't debut on screen until the eventual JLA movie.
Y: The Last Man
Release Date: 2011 (rumored)
Development Status: This movie seemed to drop dead faster than the world's male population (see what we did thar?) Eagle Eye helmer DJ Caruso is attached to tell the story of Yorrick and his monkey Ampersand's journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland populated by women, but the project seems to have stalled recently. Caruso was courting his Eagle Eye star Shia LaBeouf to play the lead, but in June 2009 the actor said he is no longer interested in the part.
Without a bankable star in the title role and with a script in heavy rewrite status, Brian K. Vaughn's bold graphic novel, and our look at a live-action Agent 355, will remain on the back burner.
LEEE777 - Thanks again for the great info at ign.com from Phil Pirrello & Jesse Schedeen! I see there's no Suicide Squad or Teen Titans there yet so i presume they are futher away from seeing the light of day as yet.
Well guys hope you liked all these projects, let me know what you think below?
; )