The Day Warner Bros Broke My Heart

June 9th, 2014 Warner Bros pulls the biggest tease in movie news history. The world watched in anticipation of a big Batman v Superman detail to come out from the studio, and it never came. I waited at my computer, refreshing pages after pages of twitter feed and movie news sites, but nothing came. Did Warner Bros hype up some nonexistent reveal? Are they truly playing with the fans’ emotions?

This all started on Friday night when Warner Bros Tours’ twitter account sent multiple tweets out about a “big reveal” that would be coming Monday. They caused a whole lot of comotion from fans wanting to know about the reveal and eventually promised that all would be shown on Monday. Today is Monday. Nothing has come from the twitter account. Nothing has come from Warner Bros.

A few people are saying that this big reveal was a Batman tour attraction at the studio. Those people also claim that the notice was taken down almost immediately after its posting. Why was it taken down? I think Warner Bros DRASTICALLY underestimated the hype that us fans would create over this reveal and did not want to embarrass themselves and the exhibit by using such an insignificant piece of news as a “big reveal”. Ideas flew across every major movie news outlet: Wonder Woman costumes, a look at the Batcave, Emily Blunt’s official casting, etc. Nothing.

Hopefully they find something to give fans that will satisfy their hunger that was conjured up by this hugely over hyped story. It remains to be said however that it is extremely impressive how much hype this story got considering it was not even coming from the main Warner Bros twitter or the Batman v Superman twitter or even Zack Snyder’s twitter. It truly is a testament to people’s excitement and curiosity surrounding this film. I can almost guarentee Warner Bros will find something substantial to give to the fans by tomorrow… or else.

The DC Cinematic Universe: Potential

Man of Steel kicked off the DC Cinematic Universe in 2013 with a solid 668 million dollars, beating out Marvel’s universe jumstarter Iron Man which made 585 million dollars. One would argue, however, that Superman is a better known name and more people went to see it based off of name recognition, which is fair, but names do not matter in Hollywood, money does. Man of Steel is personally one of my favorite superhero films of all time. I’ve shamelessly seen it seven times now and I enjoy it every time. Now Warner Bros has gone off to the races, including Batman, Wonder Woman and possibly Cyborg into the psuedo sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Does the DC Cinematic Universe have the potential to be more lucrative than Marvel’s? How will they go about doing it?

The DC Universe is full of household names. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are arguably the three most famous names in comic books and all of them will be together on screen. So for the people who say Man of Steel made more than Iron Man due to name recognition, you’re probably right, but that just happens to be an advantage that Warner Bros has over Disney. DC Comics has had the advantage of name recognition for a long time and that has led to comic sales and now movie ticket sales.

What I and many others speculate will happen is that Warner Bros will go into the Justice League movie after BvS and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Some people complain that Warner Bros is rushing things, but in my opinion, the sooner the better. X Men didn’t start out with solo films leading up to a team up, they introduced five or six characters in that first movie that then were able to be carried over into more and more films. Warner Bros’ Justice League movie could very well become the highest grossing movie of all time if it is even remotely good, and with the new talent they have added in front and behind the camera (Ben Affleck and Chris Terrio) I have a feeling this will be good.

The DC Cinematic Universe is off to a solid start with Man of Steel and are making pretty solid decisions talent wise to ensure the security of the universe. All eyes are on them right now for the next two years as fans anxiously await the first ever appearence of Batman and Superman on screen together and Wonder Woman’s first ever appearence on screen and the Justice League’s first gathering. So much anticipation. So much that can go right.

 

PS If they happen to use the Justice League theme music from the animated series in the live action movie, I very well may cry tears of joy.

 

First Look At Lexcorp Building

The above picture was taken by a blogger ( http://blog.uofmuscle.com/25994/batman-v-superman-update-what/ ) living in Detroit who noticed that the construction of an old office building now had a blue X with the word LEXCORP underneath. It has been rumored that shooting was moving to the Lexcorp building for some time, and the completion of this set proves that rumor to be true. Personally, I don’t care too much for the logo design. There was actually an easter egg in Man of Steel with the all purple logo on one of the trucks that I liked a lot more that this. Oh well, it doesn’t actually mean too much. Apparently, there will be a huge reveal tomorrow for Batman v Superman, so that should be infinitely more exciting than this.

Who Will Play Doctor Strange?

It has been speculated in the past that Johnny Depp of Joseph Gordan Levitt would take the part of Doctor Strange in the upcoming Marvel film, but recent speculations have named Jared Leto, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy as the front runners for the role. Each actor has a good if not great reputation as an actor with a slew of academy awards and nominations between them. Who of these three should be Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Jared Leto has recently won Best Supporting Actor for his work in Dallas Buyers Club and has proven that he is an extremely talented actor. Out of the three he even looks the most like Doctor Strange does in the comic books. But Jared Leto has other committments to his band 30 Seconds to Mars. Would he be able to commit to the possible three solo films and countless Avengers team ups? It’s an interesting question. Plus, based on his work in Dallas Buyers Club, I would not pin him as Stephen Strange, the once cocky, now wise mystic. I would put Matthew McConaughey as a better choice than Jared Leto.

Benedict Cumberbatch is currently starring the in the highly successful BBC show Sherlock, but has had big screen roles in 12 Years a Slave, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit: Desolation of Smoug. Cumberbatch is a talented actor, but I fear his persona will outshine the character. Comic book movies have an interesting task in casting someone that will not overshadow the character so people don’t go “that’s Cumberbatch” instead of “that’s Doctor Strange” when they watch the movie. X men made it work. I’m also not so sure about how he would visually look in the role of Strange. I wouldn’t cast him.

Tom Hardy is the final rumored candidate. He has appeared in The Dark Knight Rises, Warrior and Inception to name a few. He, like the others, is extremely talented. I think that he looks the furthest from Doctor Strange though. However, I could see Hardy pulling this off. When I piece together some of his past performances, he has played wise characters and characters that need to learn a few things. I could see him doing a nice job in this role despite the fact that he looks so far from the comic book version.

If I were the Marvel executive I would have Leto and Hardy as my final two and see who reads the script better. Really it will come down to what the script entails. Scott Derrickson is directing so we can expect a more horrorific tale, something Marvel has not even attempted in the past. It will be interesting to see this movie start to take shape. I have high hopes for it.

Emily Blunt to Play Catwoman?!?!

Nothing is confirmed yet, but rumor has it that Emily Blunt could potentially be playing the femme fatale herself, Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman in an upcoming DC film. Could Blunt pull of being Batman’s longest and most complicated lover? Blunt has had a history of turning down comic book related roles. She turned down a part in Captain America and then again when she was up for the part of Black Widow, but with the new Warner Bros film, Edge of Tomorrow, getting such great reviews, could this new relationship with the studio spring her into Gotham’s most notorious cat burglar? And when would we be able to see her take to the screen as Selina Kyle?

Emily Blunt is a great actress. There is no question about that. Her work in Looper and (reportedly) Edge of Tomorrow prove that she can shine in an action film. So this is no longer a question of COULD, but rather WILL and WHEN. Warner Bros would probably love to profit off of her rising star status by having her in a DC film. It would make sense. Whether or not she will take the role is up to her. There’s no doubt that she will be offered a lot of roles after Edge of Tomorrow simply because it has been critically acclaimed so far. So the WILL part of the question is still up in the air.

As to when we could see her, I would argue that she could very well be in Batman v Superman, just not suited up. I’m not saying sideline her, but I think she would more likely be Bruce Wayne’s “arm candy” for the film. I could picture them walking together through a party and behind Bruce’s back she nabs a wallet or something. Something that could later set her up to be in a Batman solo film or even a Justice League of America film as she holds ties to that group in the New 52 continuity. Of course, with this film already tackling Batman and Wonder Woman as well as teasing Cyborg, maybe it would best be left for the rumored second DC film that they will be filming back to back with this one.

Emily Blunt could totally pull off being Catwoman. She’s smart and sexy and just a complete badass on screen and I would love to see her do it. Seeing as Ben Affleck has not started shooting scenes for Batman v Superman, she could still potentially be in the film, but it’s unlikely. Still, I want to see this woman in as a badass superhero. Fingers crossed.

Bill Condon to Direct Live Action Beauty and the Beast

With the success of Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland and Oz the Great and Powerful, Disney has been quite successful at adapting their classic animated fairytales into live action specatcles. They now face possibly their biggest challenge yet, Beauty and the Beast, and it has been announced that Bill Condon will direct. Bill Condon is best known for directing films such as Dream Girls, Gods and Monsters and Twilight: Breaking Dawn parts 1 and 2. Is Condon a good choice to direct this film? Is this film’s relative youth going to hinder or boost its box office numbers?

When I say “relative youth” I mean that this story first came to screens in 1991 as opose to Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Alice in Wonderland (1951) which were around for a much longer time. I think that this will only help the film. I think that the movie holds such a nostalgia with this generation of young adults who undoubtedly saw this movie in their second grade music class and knew all of the songs that anyone and everyone will be interested in this movie. That being said, it also holds the possibility of disappointing a lot of people if it strays too far from the source material. I hope it doesn’t. If this movie can keep the story just about the same and maybe darkening the tone a little bit, it could go over very well in this current market.

Bill Condon is a pretty good choice as a director as well. He directed Chicago which is one of my personal favorite musical adaptations ever. I haven’t seen too much of his other work (I was not a Twilight fan and therefore did not see the movies) but I’ve heard good things. I hope he is able to do with this film what he did with Chicago. Darker tone, good story, classy.

Beauty and the Beast will be a film that everyone is going to be keeping an eye on. This could be the biggest fairy tale adaptation ever for Disney seeing as the story is so recent and fresh in people’s minds. I cannot wait to see what Condon does artistically with the film and the various choices that he will have to make regarding tone, CGI use and actors. This will be interesting.

Josh Trank to Direct Star Wars Standalone

 

It was announced today that Chronicle and Fantastic Four director Josh Trank is going to be directing a Star Wars standalone film. Trank seems to be a hot ticket item anymore in Hollywood, first landing the Fantastic Four movie and now a Star Wars film. I say more power to him! Chronicle was great. He is able to capture some really great visuals while still telling a solid story. I cannot wait to see what he does with this film. The character that he will be helming has not been released yet, but if his work on Chronicle is any indication, I would guess some Jedi who is especially talented with the force. Maybe someone we will be meeting in Star Wars VII? Maybe a villain story? The doors are wide open for this film and I’m okay with that knowing that this director will be at its helm.

 

Jupiter Ascending Delayed 7 Months!

Entertainment Weekly has just recently reported that that the sci-fi action film Jupiter Ascending starring Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum has been pushed from its July 18th release date to Feb 6, 2015! YIKES! Were there really that many issues with this movie that they had to push it back so far back in such a short amount of time? Many fans were unhappy with the trailers, but this just shows a complete lack of faith from the studio. Obviously there needs to be either major reshoots or major editing. Either way, something was wrong with this movie, BUT they believe it can potentially be fixed… Maybe? Febuary isn’t exactly blockbuster territory, or even anywhere close to blockbuster territory for that matter. It seems like they’re just playing this safe because it could blow up in their faces. All I’m saying is that they better make good use of this time to VASTLY improve this film.

Scott Derrickson to Direct Doctor Strange

Earlier today, Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Hellraiser: Inferno) tweeted out that his next project would be Doctor Strange. Yes, Marvel’s Sorceror Supreme’s first solo outing will be directed by Derrickson. Definitely an interesting choice here. Derrickson is known for dark and dramatic horror films and not the fun upbeat Marvel norm. That being said, he does handle the supernatural rather well and has a ton of experience plunging audiences into worlds that encompass supernatural elements. A rather cool choice if I do say so.

Derrickson does have a film coming out this year called Deliver Us From Evil. It is interesting that his critical receptions have not been stellar for his past films however, getting a high of 6.8 from imdb on his last film (Sinister). Maybe Marvel sees potential in this director. Is he possibly on an upward surge? It’s an interesting choice none the less and Marvel’s “Interesting” choices (the Russo Brothers) have done pretty well for them lately.

It’ll be interesting. Definitely something that we have never seen from a Marvel film before. This would also be Derrickson’s first PG-13 film, obviously assuming that Marvel will make sure that this film qualifies that rating. So, what do you think? Is Marvel’s non-obvious choice going to pay off for them or is Derrickson going to ruin the most powerful magic weilder in the Marvel Universe?

Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie Join Star Wars

WOW! Oscar award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o and Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie have officially joined the cast of Star Wars Episode VII! When the initial cast photo came out, some complained about the lack of gender and race diversity in the cast and boy did this silence them! Both of these women can more than hold their own on the screen with other great actors. I’ll go as far to say that they are two of the strongest members of the cast thus far. While their roles have not been revealed, one can assume they will hold some significance as these are two high profile Hollywood stars.

I fell in love with Lupita after seeing 12 Years a Slave. God, the incredible emotion that she was able to convey in that film puts her way up on my list of best performances. She could do anything of importance in this film and I would be excited. If JJ Abrams puts a red lightsaber in her hand, I might just explode with anticipation. Literally, one of the most exciting casting choices of the year. I can not wait to see what she does in this film.

Gwendoline Christie is no pushover though. I watch Game of Thrones and she plays one of the most interesting characters on the entire show! I will predict that she will be some kind of high chancellor of sorts in the film just because she holds herself with such poise that she screams leader. Once again, extremely exciting and potentially fantastic casting choice.

You can do no wrong when casting talented actors, and these two are DEFINITELY talented. Cannot even begin to express my excitement for this film with set photos of the practical effect alien monsters and now this fantastic casting news ALL IN ONE DAY! Don’t fail us now JJ!!!