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Warner Bros has tapped The Conjuring director James Wan to helm it's upcoming movie Aquaman starring Jason Mamoa (Game Of Thrones). Source: Variety
Wan is a solid director who just made his action bones with Furious 7. Add that to his extensive horror experience and one could imagine he could construct some terrifying looking monsters from the Trench. Thanks for reading! And check out my ideas for an Aquaman movie by clicking here. What do you think of James Wan? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for our weekly Arrow,Flash, and Daredevilreviews.
What is the Justice League?: DC's greatest superheroes came together to form The Justice League in order to protect the Earth from threats that were too great to take on individually. Created in 1960 by Gardner Fox, the League has had many iconic tales told over it's 50 year history battling the likes of Darkseid and The Injustice Gang.
Director: Zack Snyder (Man Of Steel)
Why?: By 2019 Zack Snyder will have dedicated the last ten years of his life to DC comic movies. He will have directed Watchmen, Man Of Steel, Batman V Superman, and Justice League Pt.1. Tell me any director with a more impressive comic resume than that? You can't. Watchmen was a superhero ensemble film and personally I think Zack did an amazing job with that story. He will be able to put the group's dynamics on full display while providing us with captivating action sequences.
Proposed Story:AfterBrainiac has weakened the world's defenses in Justice League Pt. 1, Lex Luthor forms the Legion Of Doom (or Injustice Gang either name works) to counteract the Justice League and destroy his Kryptonian enemy once and for all. Inspired By:This film should be inspired by Justice League and Justice League Unlimited's episodes "Injustice For All" Pt. 1+2, "Secret Society" Pt. 1+2, and "I am Legion". Also throw in a dash of Grant Morrison's JLA storyline "Rock Of Ages" for good measure.
This was the most badass use of any song ever
Lead Characters (Cast):Our heroes remain the same all while a team of their arch-nemisises are just beginning to form. 1. Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill)
Why?: He is the Team Leader/ Resident Boy Scout. Cavill is a beefcake.
2. Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck)
Why?: Batfleck will have graced the silver screen two times by the release this film. If all goes well he could be the definitive version of Batman. He is the team's tactician and greatest mind.
3. Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot)
Why?: Wonder Woman is one of my favorite characters. She will have appeared 3 times in the DCU already. She is a expert fighter and part of the Holy Trinity.
4. The Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller)
Why?: Grant Gustin is killin' it on The Flash TV show, so let's hope Ezra Miller can do the same in the movie-verse. He definitely has the acting chops to do so.
5. Green Lantern/Hal Jordan (Jensen Ackles)
Why?: Hal and Barry's friendship will have become stronger by this movie and be integral to both their story lines.
6. Cyborg/Victor Stone (Ray Fisher)
Why?: Vic Stone is the tech guy. He also can beat ass if need be.
7. Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Mamoa)
Why?: The Justice League needs the ocean on their side and Aquaman is the king of the Seven Seas. Mamoa is a physical specimen and hopefully will have displayed how cool this character is by the time this movie rolls around.
Legion Of Doom
1. Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg)
Why?: Eisenberg will have played Luthor twice by now (In BVS and SS) so the general audience should really know what makes him tick. He wants to be the most powerful man on Earth so he is making one final effort to destroy his alien foe by bringing together the world's strongest villains.
2. The Joker (Jared Leto)
Why?: Joker would be the uninvited member of the team much like he was in "Injustice For All". My guess is that Lex and Joker will have had met before in Suicide Squad and because of events that took place Lex wants nothing to do with the crazy clown. So what makes Lex let Mr. J join the team? Well, because Ben Affleck is playing an older Batman it should be expected that he has faced off against the Joker before (perhaps many times). And because of this he will prove his worth to the team with of his extensive knowledge of the knowing the way the Bat thinks.
Leto has been rumored for the Clown Prince of Crime and I'm a big fan of it. His Joker should be more unpredictable and comedic than Ledger's chaotic interpretation.
3. Black Manta (Will Smith)
Why?: All the biggest guns from the Justice League's rogues gallery will be on hand and it's not a party without Black Manta. He adds the water angle and he fucking despises Aquaman. Enough said.
4. Captain Cold (Gabriel Macht)
Why?: Flash's biggest baddie should be invited to join the Legion. He will have been previously introduced in The Flash. Maybe at this point he even has cold powers and not just a gun.
5. Bizzaro (Henry Cavill)
Why?: Lex Luthor creates Bizarro from DNA obtained from General Zod's corpse and Superman. His relationship to Luthor should be modeled after Geoff John's "Forever Evil" run. In which Bizarro is a loyal yet simple-minded protector of Lex, who Lex actually grows to care about.
6. Cheetah (Maggie Q)
Why?: Cheetah like Joker will have fought her arch foe Wonder Woman before. Her backstory and hatred for WW are not too complex to introduce into this story.
7. Deathstroke (Manu Bennet)
Why?: I love Deathstroke. You love Deathstroke. We all love Deathstroke. Lex surely has the capital to secure DC's most ruthless assassin for his new squad.
8. Sinestro (Daniel Craig)
Why?: Sinestro was Hal Jordan's mentor who later became his greatest enemy. He has his yellow ring that controls fear, but has yet to form his Sinestro Corps. His introduction here provides a great lead-in for the new Green Lantern movie if WB chooses to adapt "The Sinestro Corp War". Craig is an outside the box choice, but he has done well portraying villainous characters before in Road To Perdition and Layer Cake.
Cameo: A fun little teaser for a potential Justice League Pt. 3.
Darkseid (Michael Ironside)
Why?: Teasing Darkseid and his Parademons as the villains of a potential sequel. Ironside has voiced Darkseid in various DC animation and I would love to see him continue to do so in the movies.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article check out all our other articles on the DCCU by clicking the links below. And make sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or follow me @cstrand73 for all comic book news.
Who is Aquaman?: Arthur Curry was born on the surface world and later became King of Atlantis. Half-human and half-Atlantean, he struggles to choose between his two homelands. His powers are often misunderstood by the general public making them think of him as a joke, but in reality Arthur is anything but.
Director: Matt Reeves (Dawn Of the Planet of the Apes) Why?: Atlantis needs to be fully realized. It should be beautiful. In his last film, Matt Reeves created a beautiful world for his ape characters to live in. I think he can do the same for the Atlanteans. He has extensive work with special effects and knows how to tell a good story while maintaining character development. I mean his lead character in Dawn was an ape (Ceasar) who only spoke a few words at a time, but you entirely sympathize and understood Ceasar's character because of the way Reeves told the story. He is a craftsman and DC should have him onboard for at least one of their films.
Proposed Story:Arthur Curry must choose between living on the surface world or return to Atlantis and rule as their king. He is greatly distressed by the harsh treatment given to the oceans during his time as ruler of Atlantis (World Engine in Indian Ocean?), and he deciding whether to give up the Atlantean throne or return to full-time heroics. However, he now struggles with his lack of reputation with the greater public on land, which views him as a lesser superhero with less impressive powers than those of his peers like Superman. Meanwhile Aquaman's arch nemesis Black Manta breaks open a deep trench on the ocean floor releasing a horde of fish monsters called "The Trench". Aquaman must stop "The Trench" from destroying the surface world before he loses his birth home. All while Manta and his crew infiltrate Atlantis in hopes to destroy the other home of his hated enemy.
Inspired By:Once again a Geoff Johns storyline should inspire another DCCU film. This time John's The Trench written back in 2011 is the main influence on the overall story and treatment of the main characters.
Lead Characters (Cast):
1. Aquaman/ Arthur Curry (Jason Mamoa)
Why?: Arthur should be a man torn between two worlds. Now with the casting of Jason Mamoa, I'm scared that his personality will be "Conan under water" like on Justice League: The Animated Series. That Aquaman was a badass, but not as compelling or interesting as the Arthur from comics. I want that Arthur. I also want to see people make fun of Aquaman's powers right to his face and then have Jason Mamoa shut them all up by displaying badassery.
2. Mera (Eva Green)
Why?: Mera may be Aquaman's girlfriend (or wife depending on continuity), but she is a strong independent woman in her own right. With her power to control water and her fiery attitude she can more than take care of herself. I picked Eva Green (Penny Dreadful) because she is a chameleon of an actress and is known for playing strong female roles.
Villains (Cast)
1. Black Manta (Will Smith)
Why?: I casted Smith in my recent Suicide Squad write-up (click link at bottom of article to read), so I decided to keep continuity and have him remain as Manta. He is the big bad and his vendetta against Arthur can be revealed throughout the movie. (There are many versions for why he hates Aquaman. Pick any one)
I want Manta's raid to be like his one on the Young Justice episode "Downtime". Replace Kaldur with Arthur though of course.
2. Orm/Ocean Master (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau)
Why?: Aquaman's half-brother and the man who told Black Manta about the trench. Orm is seen as a good brother throughout the movie until the end when it is revealed to the audience that he helped plan the attack on Atlantis in order to show Arthur as an incompetent leader. Leading Arthur to be removed from the throne, so that Orm can take his place. I chose Jamie Lannister as Orm because he can play both good (Jamie seasons 3-4) and bad (Jamie Season 1-2) sides of characters.
3. The Trench (CGI)
Why?: The Trench don't speak English, but often yell in their own language (Mostly about food). They will all be CGI and any voice actor can speak their fairy tale language.
The 12 days of Editorials continues tomorrow with a write-up on Batman! Be sure to check back here then to see it for yourself! And read our first 3 articles on the DCCU by clicking the links below.
It took all my strength not to include Aqualad (Kaldur'am) and Topo in this movie because I love those characters. Perhaps they could be seen in a sequel. By the way if you haven't seen Geoff John's revamp of Topo, here it is in all it's glory.
What is the Suicide Squad?: The Suicide Squad (created by John Ostrander and Ryan Scott) is an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-riskblack ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. The group operates out of Belle Reve Penitentiary, under the directorship of Dr. Amanda Waller. (Thank you for explaining that so eloquently Wikipedia!)
Director: David Ayer (Fury)
Why?: Last month rumors of a David Ayer helmed Suicide Squad movie hit the internet. Immediately I became excited about the prospects of such a film. David Ayer is known for dark and gritty movies like End of Watch and Training Day. The man even created Denzel Washington's best character Alonzo Harris. That's right he wrote the line "King Kong ain't got shit on me!" and now he'll be directing some of DC's best villains. What's not to love about that? But on a more serious note, Ayer has recently worked on a more ensemble drama titled Fury about a tank crew in Nazi Germany. The flick and especially it's ensemble cast are getting rave reviews (I haven't seen it yet, but I have heard). Suicide Squad is completely dependent around a director who can lead an ensemble cast to an interesting dynamic and with his resume I think David Ayer fits the bill.
Proposed Story:Amanda Waller assembles Task Force X to retrieve the body of alien invader General Zod from Lexcorp. (Rumor is Lex has Zod's body and it will play a role in Batman V Superman)
Inspired By:Batman: Assault on Arkham includes several of the members I will suggest and is a fun heist movie while still remaining considerably dark. I feel that tone matches the Squad and it's members perfectly.
Squad Members (Cast): The Suicide Squad has had many different villains fill it's ranks over the years. Personally I think picking the Squad's roster is most important component of this movie. Ayer can't just throw absolute nobodies out there like Guardians of the Galaxy did. DC films haven't yet earn the credibility Marvel movies have so there is less room for error. Recently Latino Review's El Mayimbe released a list of 7 squad members he saw in one draft of a Squad script. Not gonna lie, the list is rough. (Mindblogger and Jaculi? Are you serious?) Yes it takes influence from the John Ostrander days and thats cool and all, but this movie needs more DC firepower. Especially because it is connected to the greater universe. Instead it could be a great time to introduce some high profile villains before they debut in other heroes' flicks. Then throw in a few low end villains that you can kill off because remember people always die on these missions. (Ain't called the Suicide Squad for nothing). I also decided to leave Rick Flag Jr. out of the mix. I prefer our villains to have a bit more freedom when they are on the mission and Rick brings more order to the crew. Finally, I incorporated actors who are rumored to be in talks to join the movie (Tom Hardy, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling) and used them to cast the main four roles. The I will provide a grab bag of other of my favorite potential members.
1. Deadshot/Floyd Lawton (Gosling, Hardy, or Smith)
I've been leading this team all night ya douchbag!
Why?: Deadshot is a mainstay in the Squad and their most consistent leader. It ain't Task Force X without him. He will be the main character of this flick and is why I believe that the movie should use his origin that includes a daughter. This will make him a bit more sympathetic, but of course won't affect the fact that he is a badass hired assassin.
Now any of the actors above could knock this role out of the park. Some people believe Will Smith (Hancock) will be Floyd because he always plays the "good guy" and Deadshot is the closet thing to it in this movie. I think Smith would bring the character justice, but I would prefer Tom Hardy (Warrior) play him. Hardy recently excelled in a similar role in The Drop, playing Bob Saginowski. In the end though if Ryan Gosling (Drive) signs on he will be the lead. Just a feeling I have. People love that guy.
2. Harley Quinn/Harleen Quninzel (Margot Robbie)
"Don't you wanna rev your Harley?"
Why?: Harley's inclusion into the Squad has divided comic fans, but I believe she is needed. She is a valuable commodity. She brings diversity and popularity to the team while simultaneously letting the general audience know that the Joker (another fan favorite character) exists in this universe. Her personality also allows for moments of hilarity and flashes of ultra-violence that create fun interplay with her other teammates. That is something neither of the supposed female leads, Vixen and Mindblogger, can provide. Not to mention that her popularity among comics fans is ready to break into the mainstream and this film is the perfect opportunity.
Peanut Butter is meant to go with jelly, the sky is meant to be blue, and Margot Robbie is destined to play Harley Quinn. I didn't think of it before she was rumored last week, but nothing in life has ever made more sense. Robbie burst onto the scene in last year's The Wolf of Wall Street as Leo Dicaprio's wife Naomi. She held her own alongside a star studded cast and even nailed a Brooklyn accent (a key component to Harley). Robbie is a no brainer to portray Harley Quinn.
3. Black Manta (Will Smith)
"Aquaman is MINE!!"
Why?: Manta is Aquaman's arch nemesis and will most likely factor into the King of Atlantis' solo movie in 2018. So I see this film as a perfect opportunity to set up the character for that outing. He was just very recently added to the Suicide Squad's roster so it's not a completely out of the box pick. He also possesses an unique skill set to add to the team. (Underwater shit, son)
Like I said before Will Smith usually plays good guys, but this is his chance to break that trend. He hasn't had a hit in quite some time so maybe it's time to do something different. It's time to embrace the evil Will.
4. Captain Boomerang/George Harkness (Hardy)
"Hoist a pint with us, mate"
Why?: Boomer is a member of Flash's Rogues and also a frequent inclusion into the Squad. I mainly want him to be involved because his attitude (occasional racist and frequent pain in the ass) leads him to bumps heads with his teammates. Friction among the team always makes for a much more interesting story. And once again this could set up his character for a future appearance. Such as in 2018's The Flash movie if need be.
Hardy is extremely versatile and could nail the part of this annoying Aussie. He will most likely be Deadshot if Gosling doesn't sign on, but if pretty boy does nut up and join, Boomer is a fun part that Hardy could do a lot with.
5+6+7. (Pick Any 3)
Vixen: Usually a hero she was forced into the Squad, she has a necklace that can mimic the powers of any animal on Earth.
King Shark: Could definitely add muscle, this cannibal is a fun (and expendable) addition to the Squad.
The Clock King: Tockman was once part of the team, but so was fellow Clock King Temple Fugate (The DC animated version). Fugate's job was to keep the team on a precision schedule and help set up the plans.
Black Spider: Many incarnations. Could use any. Could kill off easily.
Plastique: Can make shit explode. Adds another female member and is a good candidate to betray the team.
Bronze Tiger: Used to butt heads with Boomerang. Provides more muscle.
Killer Frost: Kept her out of the main cast because I wanted to save ice powers (or guns) for Captain Cold or Mr. Freeze, but any incarnation of her brings a cold blooded killer who shows absolutely no mercy.
Antagonists/Villains
1. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis)
"No one messes with the Wall!"
Why?:Waller is of course in command of the Squad. Her mission is to retrieve Zod's body which Cadmus will be using to find Superman's weaknesses. I want our audience cheering against her and cheering for our villainous squad to fuck her over.
Davis is a strong actress who character in How To Get Away With Murder reminds me a bit of Waller.
2. Deathstroke/Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett)
"I made you a promise kid"
Why?: Slade's popularity has soared after appearing on Arrow and in the video games Arkham Origins and Injustice: Gods Among Us. It's time to cash in now. Slade could be working security for Luthor by protecting the body of the Kryptonian. Imagine a fight of the Squad vs Slade. Who doesn't want to see that?
Casted Manu Bennett because at this point who is gonna play Slade better?
3. Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg)
"Krypton sucks"
Why?: It would be a small appearance because since the team is breaking into his company it would make sense. His appearance would a show a pre-established character and future show the cohesiveness of DC's cinematic universe.
Eisenberg has already been chosen as Lex and I hope he does a wonderful job with the character in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
Thanks for reading! Those are my thoughts on Suicide Squad. What is your Squad lineup? What's their mission? Sound off in the comments.
Make sure to check out the next 11 days of Exploring the DC Cinematic Universe. A different DC movie each day. Next up is Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. You can also check out our entire schedule by clicking here.
Some interesting new title launches this week. Miguel O'Hara gets his own series. The Suicide Squad gets a roster update that includes Deathstroke and Black Manta. And lastly the first issue of Grayson will be hitting shelves. I despise the idea of Dick Grayson becoming a secret agent. That being said I still will be picking up Agents of D.I.C.K. (as I like to call it) this week to support the character.
1. New Suicide Squad #1 (DC)
2. Spiderman 2099 #1 (Marvel)
3. Amazing X-Men #9 (Marvel)
4. Detective Comics #33 (DC)
5. Grayson #1 (DC)
Christian's Extra Pick: Deadpool #31 (Marvel)
Way too excited for this new Suicide Squad roster. Can't wait to read this new team dynamic. Deathstroke doesn't seem too keen on being a team player. Thanks for reading and make sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73 to stay up to date on all comic news.
With all this talk of a Jason Momoa Aquaman, it is high time we started talking about the potential for Aquaman villains. Admittedly, with no Aquaman-centric film on the horizon, the potential for this is relatively low, but one can dream of a world where the King of Atlantis and Black Manta duke it out on the silver screen.
Enter Djimon Hounsou. He is an incredibly talented actor who is known for his strong supporting characters in movies like Blood Diamond and In America. His ability to portray complicated characters makes him a perfect candidate for Aquaman's arch-nemesis, who usually comes with a tragic childhood backstory. Whether we are talking about the tragic autism origin story, or the incredibly dark sexual abuse origin story, I fully trust that Hounsou would be able to convey the inner turmoil and emotions that make Black Manta the great villain that he is.
Hounsou isn't a stranger to the superhero community either. He will be playing Korath the Pursuer in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie and he has personally expressed interest in portraying Black Panther. I say DC scoops him up quick before Marvel fully capitalizes on this man's talent. Plus, if we get a Black Manta, maybe we can get a certain child of Black Manta? It is all very exciting to think about. Now get pumped about this improbable outcome with some classic Black Manta moments.
