WB's DC Characters Look To Out-Plan Marvel

In the race of comic book films Marvel is so far ahead of DC they've pretty much lapped them; twice.  However, this week's announcement by Warner Bros could improve their chances to catch up.  WB/DC took the wind out of the sails of the Avengers sequel when they appeared at the San Diego Comic Con with a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice teaser, a picture of what Wonder Woman will look like, and their three main stars making a brief appearance.  Now they've upstaged Marvel again. Just days after Variety reported Robert Downey Jr appearing in the third Captain America film, Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara came out to announce some upcoming projects such as several LEGO films, three Harry Potter spin-off films, and a ten-film slate for their DC Comic characters.  

After Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros will come out with two films a year, starting with a stand-alone Wonder Woman film starring Gal Gadot along with one of two Justice League films.  Also on the schedule is a Green Lantern reboot film, a stand-alone Cyborg film, and an Aquaman film starring the long-rumored Jason Momoa.  But even before we get Wonder Woman we'll get Suicide Squad, based on the comic about a bunch of super villains who are forced to do good.

This is a very ambitious line-up WB has planned, but it also says to Marvel Studios, and the rest of the world, "we're all in."  I wasn't the biggest fan of Man of Steel, but the things I liked about it, such as Henry Cavill and Amy Adams performances, will carry on throughout the other DC films.  

The film announcement that shocked me the least was the Green Lantern reboot.  After the poorly received Ryan Reynolds film failed to jump start the DC film universe I still believed it had potential to be a part of this grand plan.  But it looks like Warner Bros is just wiping the chalkboard clean and starting from scratch. Chances are by the time we see the GL film we'll already have an impression as to whether we like this character or not.  Odds are as well that it'll be Hal Jordan taking center stage just like the previous film.  But with several other human Green Lantern's to choose from I wouldn't be surprised if they go with John Stewart or even Guy Gardner.

The two films that shocked me the most were the announcements of a Cyborg and Flash film.  Given that Flash is arguably the fourth most popular DC character I'm not shocked he's getting his own film; just shocked that they've already cast Ezra Miller as the Scarlet Speedster.  I like The Perks of Being A Wallflower star, and I could see him being a good Bart Allen or young Wally West. But as Barry Allen, I'm not so sure.  Plus Barry Allen's story is already being told in a new series on The CW that is off to a good start in my opinion. 

 Meanwhile the stand-alone Cyborg film confused me.  Cyborg is great character, but he's always been a supporting character and never had his own ongoing comic.  I'd much rather see him in a Teen Titans film, where the character really got his start. As far as the solo Aquaman movie starring Jason Momoa? We all saw that coming after months of speculation.

The most ambitious move by WB/DC will be the Wonder Woman film.  She's thee iconic super heroine in the world, and after much talk about Marvel being the first to release a female-led film Warner Bros announces one first.  This of course is all resting on Gal Gadot's ability to pull of this classic comic book character.  I think I speak for everyone when I say, we are praying Gadot has more talent than she showed us in the Fast & Furious franchise.  

It's a bold move for Warner Bros to announce all these films before we've even seen The Dark Knight Returns...I mean...Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.  This all lyes on that film being good.  And just because I haven't agreed how Zach Snyder and Warner Bros have treated the DC characters so far doesn't mean I'm not rooting for them.  I'm in their fan section with a big foam finger attached to me.  

I honestly could write about this subject until I fall asleep on my keyboard.  I didn't even get into the Shazam film starring Dwayne Johnson, or the absence of Green Arrow.  With Marvel and DC about to unleash a buffet of films into the world I think I speak for comic book fanboys everywhere when I quote Seth Cohen, "We're not outcast anymore. We're trailblazers."

Marvel's Cinematic Civil War A Good Idea?

This week has been a comic enthusiasts dream.  After coming off all the news from the New York Comic Con there were also two big movie stories that broke.  I'll share my thoughts on Warner Bros announcement in my next post, but for now I'm gonna focus my feeling about Marvel Studios.

Robert Downey Jr seems to be teasing Iron Man fans lately with saying he wants to do another Iron Man film and then retracting his statement just hours later.  Now, Variety has reported that Downey is in negotiations to guest star in the third Captain America film opposite Chris Evans.  This is happy news, but the 'exciting' part of the rumor is that Cap 3 is set to start the infamous Marvel storyline, Civil War.

In the 2006 miniseries, the government has implemented the Superhero Registration Act, a law that requires any vigilantes or masked heroes to reveal their identities and work for Uncle Sam.  Tony Stark sees just how serious the American government is about this and decides to support the Act.  Meanwhile, Captain America opposes the Act and leads an underground group against Iron Man and those who follow him.

This series was epic and one of my favorites.  I've always dreamed of seeing it on the big screen, but I'm hesitant about this decision.  A main focus in this story was Spider-Man.  He's the Marvel hero that protects his identity the most, which is why Stark convinces him to reveal who he is at a press conference.  Later on, Peter Parker switches sides to Cap's team.  Peter's journey in this plot is central, and without him I feel like the movie(s) will be missing it's heart.  However, there are talks about Sony loaning Spider-Man to Marvel Studios due to their financial situation.  Could Marvel take advantage of this and get Spider-Man mixed in to the cinematic Civil War? 

 Another major perspective in Civil War is the Fantastic Four, which Fox currently owns the movie rights too.  Having to choose sides tares this team in two and almost destroys Reed and Sue Richards marriage.  Without this subplot I feel like the film may also be missing another piece of it's center.  I don't believe for a second Marvel is canceling the FF comic book in an effort to try and hurt the upcoming film, thus allowing Marvel to possibly get the rights back.  By the time the Fantastic Four movie is released next year you can bet Marvel Comics will have another FF series out to take advantage of any buzz the film may get.

My last gripe about bringing up Civil War on screen is the lack of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Sure we have more characters coming like Ant-Man and Dr. Strange, but all of these superheroes have already outed their identities.  The only issue would be those who are forced to work for the government or hang-up their tights, or leather now-a-days.  Of course, if they need more heroes Netflix's Defenders team will be coming up soon.
And what about Thanos?  We all figured Avengers 3 would be the Infinity Gauntlet.  Are they really going to continue that slow burn until perhaps Avengers 4 or 5?  I could however see all the Marvel heroes splitting up, but then having to put aside their differences to face the galaxy's ultimate baddie.

With all the concerns I've listed don't think for a second I'm not ecstatic about this!  Sure they'll probably have to pay RDJ a crap-load of more money, but seeing this all unfold will be sweet.  You can see in Captain America: The Winter Solider how the small seeds were planted for the idea of Civil War.  Speaking of which, the second Captain America film strayed pretty far from the original source material, but was still the best film Marvel Studios has released in my opinion.  So if this "Civil War" doesn't follow the miniseries exactly I won't be upset as long as it's good.

A year ago there was a phrase that I, and perhaps others, have started reciting; In Feige We Trust.  Guardians of the Galaxy was a risk for Marvel Studios that paid off big time because their president knows what he's doing.  I'm sure he's had Civil War planned for years now and is just now letting us all in on a fraction of his plan.  The story may not be exactly like the original comic, but as long as it's a good film I'll be ok with it. 

 Marvel Comics seem to be bringing back old story lines like Secret Wars, Planet Hulk, and Civil War, but the cinematic world is still a toddler that has a lifetime of stories to tell that will be fresh to us all.  Now if you'll excuse me I'll need a break before I start my DC/Warner Bros post.  Or I may just watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier because I could literally watch that film every day. Until next time true believers, In Feige We Trust. 

'The Flash' Peeks At The Finish Line From The Starting Line

After months of waiting The Flash finally premiered tonight on The CW.  I've spent the last few days browsing through some of my Flash graphic novels, mostly those written by Geoff Johns.  I also hopped on YouTube to catch some clips of Grant Gustin on season 2 of Arrow, which full episodes become available on Netflix tomorrow.  I've enjoyed watching Arrow the last few years, and being that the Flash is one of my favorite superheroes I was more than psyched for tonight's pilot.

Barry Allen is a forensic assistant for the Central City Police Department.  When Barry was 11-years-old his mother was murdered and his father was convicted for it.  But Barry saw something that night; something he can't explain.  Fast forward to present day and Barry wakes up from a 9 month coma after being struck by lightening.  He has super healing and super speed, but Barry's not the only guy in town with impossible abilities.  Barry must enlist the help of his S.T.A.R. Labs cohorts to stop a man who can control the weather. 

Tonight's episode was allegedly an extended edition of the pilot.  I hope that extended part was the first five minutes, because it was the worst part about the whole episode.  Those five minutes set-up Barry's life pre-powers.  I can see why this might help someone who is not familiar with Flash, or didn't see Grant Gustin on Arrow.  However, almost everything in those minutes were either repeated or not necessary.  When I re-watch this episode I'm doing the 2-part arch on Arrow and then start with Barry waking up; like the series should have.

Now that I have my gripe out of the way; I LOVED IT!!!  Gustin played a young Barry perfectly, but I already had faith in him after his guest starring role on Arrow.  His relationship with not only Iris, but all the other characters, seemed to click.  Barry has always been a comic book character who is hopeful.  While Warner Bros is setting up all the DC films to be all the same tone I'm glad to see that show creators, Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti, know Barry is a totally different person from Oliver Queen.  Therefore we know this will be a totally different show than Arrow.

The episode is laced with Easter eggs. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.  The most obvious is that the man who played Barry Allen on television 20 years ago,  John Wesley Shipp, is now playing Barry's dad.  As Barry and Harrison walk through S.T.A.R. Labs we see a busted cage labeled "GRODD."  This references Gorilla Grodd, a long-time villain of the Flash who is a giant, intelligent, ape.  I smell a Flash/Planet of the Apes crossover joke somewhere in there. We also meet a lot of characters from the comic book series, and being privileged to know their supposed fates, I can't wait to see it unfold.  However, the best surprise was the final scene.

A paralyzed Dr. Harrison Wells enters a room, but then walks over to a digital newspaper from ten years into the future headlining a Wayne Tech/ Queen Industries merger, but also a Flash death via 'Crisis.' In Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry Allen sacrifices himself to save all of reality.  It's one of the most iconic moments in comic book history, and something that would not be rectified until Barry's return in Final Crisis over two decades later.  This says to me that not only will this show stay true to the Flash mythology, but that they've already got their series ending planned out should the series go ten seasons like Smallville.

The Flash pilot seems to be a great jump-start to this series.  I like the tone, the effects, and so far, the actors.  As Barry explores his powers he'll find out that he can not only phase through solid objects, but also travel through time.  This power will eventually help him solve his mother's murder.  The show's possibilities, like Barry's powers, are limitless.  Now I am only praying we get a Arrow/Flash Justice League episode(s) in a few years.  As of right now I feel like it'll be way more interesting than whatever Zach Snyder has planned.

A New Dawn for Star Wars with 'Rebels'

Let me start out by saying I meant to finish the lead-in novel, Star Wars: A New Dawn, before watching Star Wars: Rebels.  I'm about halfway through the book but I just couldn't wait to see this series. And now, I can't wait to finish A New Dawn.  Rebels is the first piece of Star Wars to come out under the new banner.  It gives us a glimpse as to what Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm, and Disney, has in store for the future of Star Wars.

Star Wars: Rebels takes place five years before Episode IV, or fourteen years after Episode III, which is exactly how old our main character is; Ezra.  Ezra comes off as a real "Aladdin" type who doesn't have much, and stole to get what he has. He runs into the crew of the Ghost in the middle of a job and soon he's on their ship being chased by TIE fighters.  Ezra then learns that his new companions are more than simple smugglers, and that maybe he might just fit in with this misfit group of rebels.

The first episode titled, Spark of Rebellion, is out on DVD as a one shot, and if I had to put it against The Clone Wars theatrical movie I'd choose Rebels.  I enjoyed The Clone Wars as a whole, but this series takes us back to what a lot of us first loved about Star Wars; the space adventures of an unlikely team.  It also seemed, that as I watched the pilot episode, I kept getting a pleasant Guardians of the Galaxy and Firefly feel to this series.

Former 90's teen star (and Mr. Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Freddie Prince Jr,  leads this voice cast as Kanan, captain of the Ghost and Jedi-in-hiding.  Kanan recognizes Ezra's Force potential and offers to train him in the ways of The Force.  These two seem like what we all wanted Obi-Wan and Anakin to be in the prequels; a rugged Jedi and his rebellious padawan.  In fact, the entire episode I kept thinking, "why couldn't Anakin be like this in Episode I?".  By the end of the pilot Kanan has been publicly outed as a Jedi and now a dark figure is about to be on his tail.  There have been rumors about Jedi hunters in Episode VII, and this looks like exactly what The Inquisitor may be.

From the first sound of TIE fighters flying by to the score of Binary Sunset playing at the end I was enticed to learn more about these new characters.  With Episode VII edging closer to theaters I think Rebels will be a nice appetite filler for us uber-Star Wars fans till Christmas 2015.  Now if you'll excuse me I have a book to finish because I really want to know just what Kanan and Hera's relationship is.  May The Force be with us all! 

  

This 'Gone Girl' is Waaaay Gone

My wife is an intelligent woman.  And I'm not trying to score any points here.  We've been married for five years now, so I score points the normal way like getting her flowers, surprising her with gifts, and letting her pick out whatever curtains she wants for the bedroom.  That last thing is mainly just because I could not care less about curtains.  Going back to my first sentence.  After just seeing Gone Girl I am now TERRIFIED of my wife!

In the latest film by director David Fincher, Ben Affleck stars as Nick, a man whose wife disappears.  He's not happy in his marriage, and throughout the film we learn Nick made quite a few mistakes in his time as a husband.  But soon all the evidence points to Nick being the prime suspect in his wife's alleged murder.  I think that's about as much as I can tell you about the plot without giving away any spoilers.  And I didn't give away 'The Red Wedding' so I'm definitely not gonna ruin this for anyone.

Fincher has assembled a cast of epic proportion.  I believe a director's #1 job is to get the best performance out of his actors, and boy did he get it.  Affleck is becoming more popular as a director himself, but proves he's still a good actor in this film. The way I felt about Nick must have changed four times in the span of two hours.  Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris make cameos that aren't brief, but a little more forgettable than say Carrie Coon, who plays Affleck's sister.  She adds a wit to the film that can break the tension just by being real.  Let's be honest, we all have some insults about our in-laws loaded in the chamber.

  As great as Affleck is it's Rosemund Pike who steals the show.  I found her hot as a "Bond girl" all those years ago, but now I'm enchanted by her.  Granted, the possible Oscar nominated films have just started to roll out, but if she does not get a nomination I will be very surprised.  If I say anymore I'll have given too much away.  But after you see the film I'll tell you the four word sentence I kept repeating the whole drive home. And you'll agree with me.

This film has great story that was greatly executed.  From the beginning credits a tone was set that carried throughout.  I've been hearing how it's not a good date movie but somehow I feel it's terrific film to see with your spouse.  The tension breakers will make you look at each other and laugh.  It might even bring up a conversation you've been meaning to have.  Or, if you're a guy, you'll finally be inspired to open up that bar you've always talked about.

 RATING:  A-

80's X-Trends in 'Apocalypse'

Last week it was announced that Bryan Singer is officially going to direct the next installment of the franchise, X-Men: Apocalypse.  This has many fans like myself cheering with relief.  Shortly after that announcement it was also released that this film would take place almost ten years after X-Men: Days of Future Past, which means the X-Men are heading to the 80's.  

After seeing DOFP I feel like this franchise is back on track and heading in the right direction with Singer at the helm.  The 80's will be a great era to explore, not to mention all the great things that came out of X-Men comics in the 1980's.  Here are five things that were in X-Men during that time that I'd like to see in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Wolverine's Brown Costume

"Well what would you prefer?  Yellow spandex?"  Words uttered by Cyclops to Wolverine as they suited up in their black leather uniforms in the first X-Men film back in 2000.  Since then the modern day X-team has stuck with black, but we did get a glimpse of the brown Wolverine costume in The Wolverine as a deleted scene.  I prefer it over Logan's classic yellow, and now that its been teased please put Hugh Jackman in the outfit just once!

Storm's Mohawk

Nothing was more a staple of X-Men in the 1980's than Storm's Mohawk.  It screamed modern fashion back in the day and has been talked about ever since.  It's become so legendary that Storm is currently sporting this Mohawk again in the present comics.  I think it says, "mess with me and I'll light your ass up."

Archangel

At the end of DOFP we not only saw Apocalypse but also his four horsemen in the distance.  Several X-Men go on to become part of the horsemen crew like Sunfire, Gambit, and most famously, Angel.  X3 wasted not only Ben Foster's acting talent but the character of Angel.  After becoming the horsemen, Death, Warren Worthington III is a torched soul who is must constantly battle his dark side.  It was one the first times the X-Men had to battle one of their own and it was great to read.

The Morlocks

Speaking of Archangel, Warren only accepted Apocalypse's dark offer because his wings were ripped off by Sabertooth during the Mutant Massacre.  The Morlocks are mutants who live in hiding because most of them can not pass for human.  Mr. Sinister sends his Marauders to the Morlock tunnels to kill them because he deems them unworthy.  The X-Men, along with Thor, intervene but all does not end well.  The Morlocks are just a great way to show the other side of being a mutant.  If mutants are the ugly stepchildren of superheroes then the Morlocks are the ugly stepchildren that are never allowed to see what "outside" is.

Nathan Summers

Yes, Cable did make his appearance in 1990, but little baby Nathan was born in 1986.  Since then Nathan has spent his life time-traveling to fight Apocalypse.  X-Men: Apocalypse would be great place to get a glimpse of Cable.  He's one of the coolest mutants with a great mythology that people will love seeing on screen.

Comic-Related News.....From Last Week

Greetings Muggles!  I'm about to unload on you the comic-related stories from last week that I was most excited to hear about.  I hope you are too!

DEADPOOL MOVIE GETS FAST TRACKED:  Fan boys have been drooling for a Deadpool film for years now, and there has been no bigger advocate than Ryan Reynolds, who played the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. A recent test footage revealed that a Deadpool movie is in high demand so last week Fox set a Feb 12, 2016 release date for the Deadpool solo film.
To be honest I'm not really a big Deadpool fan.  He's pretty funny, but Marvel waaay overused him when he became popular by putting him in every book; just like they did with Spider-Man and Wolverine.  The Merc with a Mouth is pretty obscene, and pretty violent given that he's a killer assassin.  Some have cried that the film must be rated R for it be done justice.  While I agree with this I don't for a second believe it won't be PG-13 like every other superhero film to bring in the biggest audience/money.
Tim Miller, who directed the test footage, is also on board to direct the film.  No word if Reynolds will reprise his role as Wade Wilson, but seeing how he also starred in the "leaked" test footage I'm sure it's only a matter of weeks before he is announced.  I'm just disappointed my favorite part of the character will probably be not mentioned in the film; the public mistaking him for Spider-Man because of their similar costume styles.  Below is a link to the Deadpool test footage on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CphFZGH5030

SUPERGIRL TV SERIES FLIES OVER TO CBS: A few weeks ago it was reported that Arrow and The Flash co-creator, Greg Berlanti, was developing a Supergirl TV series.  It appears CBS has picked up the series, which kind of surprised me.  Given that Berlanti was advocating this series I figured it'd end up on The CW with his other shows.  I'm sure we all even hoped it would help expand the DC/CW television universe even more.

I'm curious to see how this series will go given that there have been many different interpretation of the character since her appearance in 1959.  My favorite has been the version introduced by Jeph Loeb in 2004.  I will admit though I have yet to read the New 52 version since I'm not a fan of the current handling of Superman via New 52.  Either way, I'm just happy to see more comic book characters making their way onto more screens.

JARVIS ADDED TO AGENT CARTER:  We have to wait quite a few more months to see Hayley Atwell reprise her role as Agent Peggy Carter but we have learned that she'll be joined by Jarvis!  No, not Tony Starks artificial intelligence, the real Jarvis.  Actor James D'Arcy will play Edwin Jarvis, who, in the comics, was Tony Stark's butler but replaced by a machine in the films.  This kind of gives you the feeling that J.A.R.V.I.S. might have been help created by Edwin or perhaps leaves quite the impression on the right people to name a sophisticated computer program after him.

I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I quit watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. after three episodes.  I am, however, excited for Agent Carter because I really like the character.  We learned that in Captain America: The Winter Soldier Peggy helped start S.H.I.E.L.D. so I'm hoping that's what this show is all about.

 

SCOTT GLENN IS STICK: Remember the wise old man from Sucker Punch?  Well now he's play the wise old blind man in Netflix's upcoming Daredevil series.  Scott Glenn will play Stick, the sensei who teaches Matt Murdock to not only live with being blind, but use it as a weapon to fight crime.
I'm psyched for not only Daredevil, but what Marvel Studios is doing with Netflix as well.  Producers and film makers promise this will be a grittier and more dark Marvel world than the films.  I'm a fan of Daredevil and Iron Fist so I can't wait to see this all come out!

AMANDA PAYS RETURNS TO THE FLASH: I remember as a kid watching the 1990 Flash TV series.  I was too young to realize how campy it was but I remember Luke Skywalker played a villain.  In any event, I'm anxiously waiting for the new Flash series that premieres in less than a month, and glad to see the original Flash, John Wesley Shipp, will be on the show playing Barry Allen's father.  Now, another Flash alumni has just been added.  Amanda Pays will return to play Dr. Tina McGee.
In the comics Tina was around during the early Wally West days.  But in the 1990 series she helped Barry discover his powers and the gave him the means to use them to help rid Central City of bad guys.  Word has it instead of working for S.T.A.R. Labs though like in 1990 series she'll be working for a company competing against S.T.A.R. Labs in the new show.  Either way, I'm happy to see familiar faces.