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Forget Batman and Superman, the real greatest team up of all time is taking place behind the camera. Warner Bros has announced that Academy Award winning talent and current Batman, Ben Affleck (The Town), will be directing as well as starring in the next Batman solo film! So who did WB decide to team with their one man wrecking crew to write this bad boy? None other than their top DC comics writer, Geoff Johns (The Flash)! Holy shit, right? That is one hell of a tag team. Affleck is a life long fan of the character and Johns has written the Bat on multiple occasions. So expect the most comic accurate and badass Batman to date on the silver screen. The movie is expected to shoot after Affleck wraps up production on Dennis Lehane's Live By The Night. So a tentative mid 2017 release date sounds likely! Source: ComicBookMovie
What direction do you want Affleck+Johns to take Batman? Who should the villain(s) be? Sound off in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for all our TV + moviereviews. as well as our editorials.
Who is the Flash?: Barry Allen is a forensic scientist that works for the Central City police department. While working late one night, a lightning bolt shattered a case of chemicals in Allen's office which then proceeded to spill all over him. The electrically infused chemicals is what gave Barry his super speed, reflexes and metabolism. The Flash uses his powers to defend the citizens of Central City, and is one of the original members of The Justice League as well as one of its most consistent members.
Director: Greg Berlanti
Why?: Time for some real talk. Ever since people went nuts for Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, the DC cinematic universe has decided to embrace a darker, grittier take on some of our heroes. Just watch Snyder's Man of Steel and count how many times anyone smiled. Now I am in no way saying dark and gritty is a thing to be frowned upon. Some of the best stories come from that edgier material. However, Superman was portrayed as very broody in his most recent movie and that is what scares me about The Flash. Despite his backstory of having lost his Mom when he was young, Barry is the farthest thing from being broody, or solemn. He is the type of hero who tosses witty banter and corny catchphrases around like it is going out of style. He is the type of guy who interacts openly with the citizens of his city, thus causing them to adore him to the point where they would build a museum in his honor. He reminds me a little bit of how Andrew Garfield's Spiderman holds himself when he is out and about solving crime (maybe not to such an extreme, but the basic gist of it). The tone of The Flash has got to be a bit lighter than usual in order to capture that and Greg Berlanti is the type of guy who can do that. Now you may be thinking to yourself "But Ryan, didn't that monster have a hand in producing the unforgivable, 2011 cinematic blunder known as The Green Lantern?". You would be correct in thinking that, but Greg Berlanti has also been a consistent writer and producer for one of our favorite shows: Arrow. Not to mention he has recently been doing some more writing/producing for a show alongside DC's Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns. Which show? The Flash. By 2018, he will have had close to four years experience working with The Flash's stories, getting to really know the characters and how to do them justice. He is practically a director in extensive training for this project.
A small sampling of how the Flash is intended to behave:
Proposed Story: During our Wonder Woman editorial it was proposed by Christian that no origin stories should come of this DC movie slate and I could not agree more. The Flash is the movie that is on deck immediately following The Justice League Pt. 1. Although he has not been confirmed yet, it would shock me to no end if The Flash wasn't present at all during The Justice League's first film. So let's just assume he will be and then have a quick little nod to how he obtained his powers and be done with it so we can get to the good stuff. Therefore: After the events of The Justice League Pt. 1, Barry Allen looks into ways to increase his speed. He soon discovers that he utilizes a power source known as the "speed force" and learns that he can use it to not only use it to run faster, but also to augment his cognition. One day, as if out of the blue, an EMP blast blacks out Central City, causing crime to run rampant. However, Barry later realizes that it was himself who caused the problem due to his reckless use of the speed force causing inconsistencies in the time stream. Barry must deal with the weight of what he has done to his city, while also dealing with the vengeance of those he has wronged.
Inspired By: The plot I have in mind (as vague as it may have sounded) is essentially the one that is featured in the Move Forward storyline of The Flash's New 52 run. It is a great story when it comes to Barry slowly figuring out the full-extent of his powers, as well as the consequences of them. In the story, an EMP blast blacks out Central City and leaves its citizens in the dark. Later on in the story Barry tries to contain an explosion using his speed, but instead sends it back in time without realizing it, meaning that he sent the EMP blast that doomed Central City to darkness. The effects of this also cause Leonard Snart to lose his sister, which causes him to go after the Flash in a crazed frenzy. The movie obviously wouldn't be frame-for-frame the same but it could definitely draw heavily from this story arch.
Lead Characters (Cast): By following the Move Forward storyline, The Flash will feature some names that are probably not well known to most so I'll give a little explanation about the character as I go and how they would pertain to the plot.
1. Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller)
Why?: The Flash is steadily taking the DC television universe by storm and come 3-4 years from now he will get his shot at the big leagues. Ezra Miller is the only confirmed actor associated with the project thus far and I am deeply unimpressed. There is no reason for me to believe that Miller has got what it takes to portray The Fastest Man Alive based on his past work. However, I remember a time when I was not overly impressed with Grant Gustin either, and now I am all for his Barry Allen. All I can say now is prove me wrong Ezra. For the love of Christ just prove me wrong.
2. Dr. Darwin Elias (Chris Messina)
Why?: Dr. Elias is the person who acts as a confidante to The Flash and he also helps perform tests to discover how Barry can maximize his powers. In Move Forward, he is essentially the one who tells Barry about the speed force. He is pretty new territory with not a whole lot of expectations about him so I trust Messina could make the character his own.
3. Roscoe Hynes/Turbine (David Oyelowo)
Why?: Roscoe Hynes is a Tuskegee Airman from WWII who got sucked into the speed force during a test flight. When the Flash goes to the Speed Force dimension he meets Turbine and ends up bringing him back with him. Turbine has potential to be either friend or foe depending on how they want to use him. Turbine is similar to Dr. Elias
Villans: The Rogues
1. Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Gabriel Macht)
Why?: Captain Cold is the main person that is out to get The Flash in this story line. The blackout that the Flash causes keeps his sister from getting the care she needs and she passes away. The other Rouges are not really included in the this arch, but it would be easy to switch things around a bit and get them all in there. A while ago our own Dan Lee wrote a fan cast for Captain Cold featuring Gabriel Macht and it was explains the choice very well. Check it our here: Dan's FanCast Friday.
2. Mark Mardon/Weather Wizard (Taylor Kitsch)
Why?: Another member of the Rouges who could be worked onto the team and into the story. Taylor Kitsch has superhero movie experience under his belt playing Gambit. Weather Wizard is a character that seems right up his ally.
3. Mick Rory/Heatwave (Vinnie Jones)
Why?: Because bring back the Juggernaut bitch, that's why. Another experienced superhero actor who could be fun to watch as Heatwave.
4. George Harkness/ Captain Boomerang (Tom Hardy)
Why?: Earlier this week, Christian cast Captain Boomerang for the Suicide Squad. Let's get some continuity going between these two movies by having Captain Boomerang also be a member of the Rouges.
Thanks for reading the editorial! You probably may have noticed I didn't say anything about Eobard Thawne. Although he is all I talk about when it comes to The Flash TV show, I decided to go a different route this time for two reasons. A) I think the New 52 Flash stories have been pretty good so far and would do well on the silver screen if done right and B) if there were to be a live action Professor Zoom, I would want it to be done Flashpoint Paradox style, which I know is way, way too much to ask for in The Flash's first movie. At that point it is practically another Justice League movie that just happens to focus a little more on The Flash. Anyways feel free to share your thoughts on anything having to do with The Flash coming out March of 2018!
The 12 days of Editorials continues tomorrow with a write-up on Aquaman! 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.
DC Animated Films rarely disappointment and Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis looks primed to be another direct to DVD hit. Check out the first trailer.
AQUAMAN IS A GOD!!! And after this movie should be treated as such.
While being interviewed by Total Film, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson teased his DC movie role. Check out the clip.
Sure sounds like he'll be playing Shazam. Personally I would have rather seen him play John Stewart. Guess we will hear the official announcement at San Diego Comic Con and form an opinion then.
Geoff Johns has been shoving the character of Shazam down the throats of DC fans for the last year and a half or so. First he takes Aquaman's place in Justice League: War andnow he gets his own movie before someone like Wonder Woman. What is DC's thought process there? While I will say Johns did a good job reinventing Shazam's origins in the backup pages of the Justice League comic, I still do not wish to see the character on the roster of the live action Justice League. He still is far too similar to Superman and there are many characters that are much more deserving of a place on the team instead of Billy Batson. I'm looking at you Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Flash. Shazam just doesn't deserve his own big screen adaption even if he is being played by a big box office draw like the Rock. I hope that if this movie does exist that the character will still sit out of the first Justice League. Quit fucking with the League's roster Geoff. Except when you added Lex in the comics that was cool.
Hey everybody! Sorry for the hiatus. I just took the last week for a little R+R, but now I'm back and more dedicated than ever. Let's talk some DC TV.
Wentworth Miller Cast as Captain Cold
Last Friday TV Guide tweeted that Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller will portray the ice villain and leader of the Rogues on Flash. The character will be first introduced in episode 4.
Miller is a great cast for Leonard Snart. He fits the new 52 look of the character which is the direction I believe the show should take. Ice Powers > Ice Gun every time. With Cold being added there is only a matter of time before this show brings in the rest of the Rogues. Can't wait.
Arrow and Flash Will Have a Two Hour Crossover!
TV Guide also nabbed another a big DC TV scoop this week from an interview with Flash and Arrow producer Andrew Kreisberg. He revealed that both shows will have a crossover event that will take place across each of the show's 8th episodes. The producer also mentioned that everybody's favorite Arrow character, Felicity Smoak, will be making a stop in Central City in Flash's 4th episode.
These shows exist in the same universe so a crossover was inevitable. Thats not meant to say that I'm not excited for it though. It's going to be cool seeing Ollie team up with super powered Barry. The dynamic between the characters will be much different than Barry's Arrow guest stint considering they are both superheroes now. Bring on the mash up.
By the way the most exciting question about this crossover is who's the bad guy causing this little team up? Could it be the Rogues first assembling? Or maybe Deathstroke breaks free? Or could Gorilla Grodd bringing his own brand of whoop ass to Central City? (I'm still riding on an Ape-high because of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) Well whoever it is must be tough to catch the attention of both our CW heroes.
Geoff Johns Confirms DC TV and Movies Are Not Connected
DC Entertainment Chief Geoff Johns had a recent interview with IGN Movies where he revealed that the DC Movie and TV universes are not connected. Johns said"You'll see a lot of DC universe characters [on The Flash and Arrow]. You won't see Batman or Superman. We're on production on Batman V Superman now. So you'll see characters like The Atom or Firestorm, but no not Batman or Superman right now [on TV]." That makes sense, but Smallville aired when Superman Return was released, so why not?... It's a separate universe than film so that the filmmakers can tell the story that's best for film. While we explore something different in a different corner of the DC universe. We will not be integrating the film and television universes."
We live in a world today where everybody expects every comic related media to be connected. Marvel Studios has revolutionized the genre by weaving a larger tale with their interconnected films. Last year the studio attempted to integrate TV into it's MCU cannon by adding Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. Now that show blows. Like seriously sucks ass. And while I believe that Marvel's Netflix series will fair much better, I think AOS proved that making your TV show connected to your movie universe is not always a good thing.
Yes having a Movie Flash and a TV Flash will not please everyone. But I actually like what Johns said about having the universes separate allow the writers to explore different characters in the TV corner of the DC Universe. I mean let's face it, not every comic character is going to be brought to film. The Flash and Green Arrow might get film adaptions yet characters like Firestorm, The Atom, and Katana probably never will. So having heroes like Flash and GA on TV allows for these more obscure DC characters to make it into the limelight. And if the two heroes are played by different actors and make it into film, then they can deal with their fellow Justice Leaguers. I think it just means more stories being told about our favorite characters. So its not the end of the world that Ben Affleck will not be taking selfies with Colton Hayes anytime soon.
Gotham show runner Bruno Heller Dishes on Batman Prequel
Bruno Heller (The Mentalist) has been talking non-stop about his new show Gotham. Heller told IGN Movies about the potential Joker appearances, Poison Ivy's name change, the inclusion of Hugo Strange, an older Harvey Dent, and Arkham Asylum all in season one.
An older Harvey Dent and Hugo Strange. Great two more villains for this show to ruin. Let's go through which foes have been confirmed for this show. Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, Poison Ivy, Hugo Strange, Two Face, Joker, Scarecrow and some have even rumored Mr. Freeze will make an appearance. That's 9 of Batman's top baddies and they have only shot the pilot. Are gonna introduce fucking Clayface and Professor Pyg this season too? If the writers did they would probably rename them Swine Bacon and Johnny Mud. (The name Ivy Pepper still makes me fucking puke.) Seriously though I thought this show was about Jim Gordon and the GCPD. Gordon's past now only really seems like a vehicle for these horrendous villain backstories that no one wants to see. The season is supposed to consist 16 episodes, but I starting to think that is 15 episodes to many. Bury this shit before it starts to tarnish Batman's legacy.
That's all the recent DC TV news, but make sure to follow us on Twitter @Caped_Informers or follow me @cstrand73 to keep up on all your comic related news. Thanks for reading.
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Patrick Sabongui (Godzilla) will play Central City Police Captain and Barry Allen's boss David Singh. Sabongui will be a recurring character if the series is picked up by the CW. Hopefully, the first episode of the show is about Singh ordering his cops to arrest Vibe. After capture, Vibe will be thrown in jail and never seen from again. I don't like Vibe. I don't know why he is on a Flash show. Has to be another Geoff Johns character push, I guess. Well Captain Singh, you probably won't have time to arrest Vibe anyway because you'll be too busy dealing with the mistake of hiring "Eddie" Thawne as a cop. Nice judge of character Captain. The Flash is shooting its pilot now.
