DC

Because Marvel and DC seem to have gotten wind of the majority of our culture’s at best toleration of and at worst boredom with the current cookie-cutter state of superhero movies, both studios have been looking to bring in some new talent. Many of the upcoming films on Marvel’s slate will be directed by folks who only recently made their indie debuts. Now it looks like the studios are looking for fresh takes on the material in some more unexpected places. Like Aaron Sorkin, for instance.

Not long ago, we published a list of suggestions for how Warner Bros. could fix some of the issues with the DC Extended Universe. To date, the studio has delivered three superhero blockbusters — all of which were massively budgeted and hugely successful at the box office, sure, but they could have performed even better had they been genuinely good films. Although recent comments from WB execs and Ben Affleck imply that the studio has learned a few lessons from its mistakes, new comments from a top DC movies producer prove otherwise.

Take a seat, because what you’re about to read may shock and disorient you: many of the images seen onscreen during the motion picture Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice are a sham. While the completed film may appear to show superheroes valiantly flying through the air and shooting lasers out of their eyes and discussing maternal nomenclature, many of those same scenes were created using sophisticated computer programs, and never happened at all! Not to destroy the magic of the cinema, but we’ve all been lied to. Superman’s not real, he’s just some unusually pretty dude who spent a couple months in a room wallpapered with green screen.

Ever since the Wonder Woman trailer blew the doors off of Comic-Con International, fans have been ready for another round of footage or trailers. Everything about the character  lends hope to the idea that Wonder Woman will be the movie to right the sinking ship of the DC Cinematic Universe. And while it isn’t exactly the new trailer or huge photo spread we were hoping for, we do have a pair of new leaked photos to tide us over until the next official thing.

A few months ago, the first featurette for the upcoming DC animated movie Justice League Dark hit the internet. And while the film has yet to receive a release date for home video  —  or its inevitable “one night only” theatrical showing as part of a Fathom Events promotion  —  it appears that the first official group shot of the Justice League Dark superheroes has finally found its away online for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of iO9.

Time is a flat circle. When Matthew McConaughey’s character spoke these words in True Detective’s first season, he probably didn’t have the Batman character in mind (although, maybe he did, there’s a lot about that show I didn’t quite understand). And yet, here we are, in the year 2016, and many people are legitimately as or even more excited for an animated Batman movie starring Adam West than they were for the blockbuster Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. What was once camp is now mainstream, and vice versa

This looks like a job for Superman. Too bad he’s dead.

The Golden Age of Marvel Comics kicked off in 1961 with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four #1. The company’s rivalry with DC Comics began almost immediately, as Marvel’s stable of new and refreshing characters like Spider-Man and the Hulk challenged DC’s long-held industry dominance and their roster of Superman, Batman, and the Justice League. Both companies now dominate not only comics publishing but Hollywood moviemaking as well. Although Marvel has an undeniable edge in their massive cinematic universe, DC, through parent company Warner Bros., has made a major push into movies with an extended universe all their own.

Has any one person meant as much to the DC Universe over the past 25 years than Bruce Timm? When the animator and TV producer co-created Batman: The Animated Series with Eric Radomski back in 1992, he and his team at Warner Bros. offered a fresh take on an iconic character, finding a balance between the breezy fun of the ’60s Batman and the darker Dark Knight of the ’70s and ’80s. Timm then went on to co-create one of the more entertaining versions of Superman in another animated series, debuting in 1996; and in 2001 he carried the lessons from those two shows into Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, which together comprise some of the best superhero television ever made.

It’s a slow holiday weekend, so here’s some fun, social media-based speculation for you to chew over: Rick Famuyiwa, the director of indie fave Dope, has recently been quite busy following several people involved in the DC movie universe on Twitter. One key figure has followed him back, which could mean that Famuyiwa is discussing the possibility of directing an upcoming film, or it might just mean that he’s a big fan of what Warner Bros. is doing with their DC slate.