Is the future of movies really streaming? It's certainly beginning to feel like things are heading in that direction, something which is evident from news shared by The Hollywood Reporter today.
Buoyed by a distribution deal with Roku and the Christmas Day release of Wonder Woman 1984, HBO Max ended 2020 with 17.12 million "activated" users (that refers to those who have downloaded and "activated" the streaming service's app). Now, HBO Max has 37.665 million total subscribers in the U.S., and an increase from the 28.7 million subscribers at the end of last September.
"The release of Wonder Woman 1984 helped drive our domestic HBO Max and HBO subscribers to more than 41 million, a full two years faster than our initial forecast," AT&T CEO John Stankey said today.
It's not an easy road for HBO Max, and 4K content is still hard to find on the service (the revolving door of movies also doesn't help). Regardless, WarnerMedia is now one step closer to hitting its planned 50 million - 55 million subscribers by 2025, and it appears the addition of blockbusters, like Wonder Woman 1984, have helped bring a lot of new eyes to the streaming platform.
That promises to continue being the case throughout the rest of 2021 thanks to titles like Zack Snyder's Justice League, Godzilla vs. Kong, The Suicide Squad, and The Matrix 4. Warner Bros. has insisted this is a one-year only deal, but of the box office doesn't rebound, and more money can be made in streaming, this could become the norm for movies released through the studio.
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and rumoured characters in Zack Snyder's Justice League!
12. Ryan Choi
Ryan Choi's name might not ring a bell if you don't know your comics, but he's the current holder of the Atom moniker.
A gifted student of Ray Palmer on the page, he took over the role after his mentor vanished, and became one of the DC Universe's greatest superheroes in the process. Unfortunately, we're not banking on seeing the S.T.A.R. Labs scientist suit up at any point in Justice League.
His future as a superhero could still be teased, though.
On Vero, Snyder has said that Ryan is the "Director of nanotechnology [S.T.A.R. Labs]," and his involvement with the Mother Boxes could be what leads to his size-changing exploits. In Justice League, the character is set to be played by Orion Lee.
11. The Joker
One of the biggest surprises with Justice League's reshoots was the addition of Jared Leto's Joker. First reported by the trades, his role in the film was later confirmed by Snyder and the actor himself.
Everything that's been shared by the director has pointed to a Knightmare team-up, with Batman and The Joker forced to work alongside each other to combat Darkseid's forces. The Clown Prince of Crime has been described as "road-weary," and he'll likely be portrayed with long hair.
It's an intriguing addition, and could prove to be a highlight in the Snyder Cut.
Not everyone loved Leto's take on The Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad, so the actor has the chance to prove everyone wrong and exceed expectations with this project.
10. Mera
Amber Heard's very public legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp has seen fans turn against the actress, and demands for her to be fired from Aquaman 2 soon started going viral.
From what we know, that's not the plan for the DC Comics sequel, though there are claims she will have a limited role. Only time will tell whether that's true, but it has been confirmed that Heard was part of the reshoots for Snyder's Justice League last year.
We can only hope those cringe-worthy underwater bubble scenes have been removed, though we know from stills shared on Vero that Mera also appears on land at some point.
Not everyone will be happy about Mera being here, but it's happening, folks!
9. Martian Manhunter
You might remember Lois Lane meeting with Martha Kent in Justice League, mostly thanks to a ludicrous, "funny" news report playing in the background about a woman's husband going missing.
Snyder, however, had a very different idea for how this meeting would end.
As Martha got up to leave, she was to be shown transforming into Martian Manhunter on the other side of the door before becoming Man of Steel's General Swanwick. The idea was that Swanwick had always been a superhero in disguise, keeping an eye on Superman to make sure the Kryptonian wasn't a threat to the world at large.
Harry Lennix has confirmed he'll be in the Snyder Cut, but we have no clue whether the actor will have more to do than just this scene.
8. Black Suit Superman
Is a new suit a character? No, but seeing as all but a few seconds of Henry Cavill's scenes in Justice League were from reshoots, everything from the method of his resurrection to what state he's in upon returning is bound to be different in Snyder's film.
Whedon's goal was to deliver a Superman more in line with his hopeful, happy comic book counterpart. Snyder has his own ideas for the Man of Steel, however, and seemingly believes he needs to be put through a traumatic experience before becoming that Superman.
Not only will fans get to see the "Black Suit Superman" from the comics, but also a Man of Steel who potentially has a very different personality and outlook.
This is exciting, but might not resonate with every fan.
7. Cyborg's Mom
Whedon's Justice League made vague mention of a car crash which resulted in the death of Cyborg's mom, but Snyder's cut looks set to clear things up with Victor Stone's origin story.
In the comics, she was a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who died while trying to save her son alongside her husband Silas (a scene fans caught a glimpse of in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice).
We don't know how much of that will make it into the Snyder Cut, but images shared by Snyder have confirmed that Cyborg's mother will appear both in flashbacks and a dream sequence when the Mother Boxes combine, and Darkseid offers Vic the normal life he so desperately desires.
It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.
6. Vulko
We were introduced to Willem Dafoe's Vulko in Aquaman, but that wasn't always the first DC film he was supposed to appear in.
Instead, Snyder planned to introduce Arthur Curry's Atleantean advisor in Justice League, with Vulko presenting the trident to him (which would have greatly altered what we saw in 2019's Aquaman).
It's likely the film will now spend more time explaining why Arthur chose to help his fellow heroes defeat Steppenwolf, and after Vulko's introduction was rewritten for Aquaman, Snyder looks set to deliver a completely different interpretation of the Atlantean in his cut.
The photos shared to Vero have pointed to a new look for the character as well.
5. Darkseid
Uxas, Darkseid's earlier incarnation, will be part of the film's flashback scenes, but there are plans for Darkseid, too.
The much older version of the Apokolips ruler is only expected to play a relatively minor role in Justice League, but it's still something comic book fans are getting hugely excited about.
As well as appearing in a vision tempting Cyborg to come over to his side, he'll be shown standing in a Boom Tube staring down the team after they send Steppenwolf packing (minus his head). Those are the only two semi-confirmed sequences, though we'd be surprised if Darkseid doesn't also show up in any Knightmare scenes.
We just hope this lives up to the lofty expectations of fans.
4. Deathstroke
Joe Manganiello had a minor role in the theatrical cut of Justice League as Slade Wilson, and was portrayed as someone Lex Luthor hoped to recruit for his "Injustice League."
Snyder's plan, however, was to set up Ben Affleck's The Batman, with Luthor tasking Deathstroke with killing the Dark Knight (revenge for his time spent in Arkham Asylum). That film didn't happen, and it's now unclear how the filmmaker intends to deal with that in his HBO Max cut.
It's been strongly hinted that Deathstroke will be part of any Knightmare scenes, so perhaps he goes gunning for Batman in the distant future instead?
Whatever the case may be, we know Manganiello has shot additional footage for the Snyder Cut.
3. Robin
Snyder maintains that he'd like to tell the story of The Joker killing Robin one day, and has even hinted it might be in the form of a comic book pencilled by Jim Lee.
However, as Jared Leto was on set for Knightmare scenes, we can't help but wonder if the filmmaker took this opportunity to film that iconic moment for a flashback. It would be a major missed opportunity not to have done so, especially as fans are beyond desperate to see this in live-action.
Who could play Robin?
Once upon a time, it was rumored that Snyder's son had been cast as Dick Grayson for these scenes, so keep everything crossed that he got the chance to do so for this cut of Justice League.
2. Lex Luthor
In a deleted scene from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Lex Luthor was shown communicating with Steppenwolf. The takeaway is that it was Luthor who told him of the Man of Steel's demise, convincing the alien to come to a defenceless Earth to retrieve the Mother Boxes.
It's illogical to think Luthor wouldn't have a role to play in Steppenwolf's invasion, so we're fully expecting him to have a much larger part than the vague Arkham Asylum escape in Whedon's cut.
This hasn't been confirmed, but it is strongly rumored, and we'd be shocked not to see more of Jesse Eisenberg's villain.
If nothing else, we can look forward to an extended version of his scenes with Deathstroke, and perhaps even an appearance in the film's Knightmare scenes.
1. Green Lantern
In the theatrical cut of Justice League, a Green Lantern is briefly seen being cut down by Steppenwolf before his ring flies away to find another host. That was Yalan Gur, a character it's been claimed will have a more significant role in the Snyder Cut.
So, there's a Green Lantern confirmed, but what about the rumored one?
There has been chatter online for years that Snyder intended to introduce a human member of the Green Lantern Corps, and it makes zero sense that one of Sector 2814's protectors wouldn't come to Earth when Steppenwolf and Darkseid attack in the present day.
It's possible Ryan Reynolds will return as Hal Jordan, though we'd expect a lesser known actor to play him if a cameo is in the cards.