James Gunn DC Slate

[Autbot_Benz]

DiscussingFilm
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DC has revealed their movie & TV plans for Chapter 1 - Gods & Monsters:

Booster Gold
Swamp Thing
Paradise Lost
The Authority
Green Lantern
Amanda Waller
Superman: Legacy
Creature Commandos
The Brave and the Bold
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

[Andrew NDB]

Yeesh. I could see half of those flopping hard, out of the gate. Easily.

[ZariusTwo]

Paradise Lost, an all-female GOT with presumably no Wonder Woman will not be received well by current year grifter internet, I can tell you that much.

Swamp Thing feels a little too recent to reboot. Hopefully they adapt some of Ram V's stories.

Gunn spoke at length more about Supergirl and Batman and Damien's adventure than he did Superman, no specifics on what the film will be other than he's halfway through the script. That's not encouraging. Superman's your big blockbuster hero, and he has the least commotion.

[Autbot_Benz]

The live-action Lanterns TV series focuses on Hal Jordan and John Stewart, and replaces the previous show that was going to revolve around Guy Gardner. It's been compared to True Detective.

Here is the video with James Gunn talking about everything

[AquaParade]

Incredible sounding slate.

Loving the influence from Grant Morrison - That would have been my #1 ask and I am actually getting it.

Throw in Swap Thing and The Authority - deserved yet unexpected.

And of course the upcoming Superman & The Batman pt 2 were films I was already greatly looking forward to.

I have yet to truly enjoy a James Gunn film, but this is like a slate I would have chosen myself. Already looking forward to this much more than the next phase of the MCU, for comparison's sake.

[Autbot_Benz]

For example, Gunn and Safran mentioned an architectural group for the DCU, i.e. the writers who are putting together the building blocks of that universe. He said he has been working very closely with Tom King, and that others involved include Christal Henry, Christina Hodson, Jeremy Slater, and yes, Drew Goddard.

https://abovetheline.com/2023/01/31/...d-swamp-thing/

[Andrew NDB]

If he has so much love for Grant Morrison why not involve him in the writers room?

And yeah, you can kind of tell which of the projects most interest Gunn. Why wouldn't he clear the air about what's going on with Aquaman and WW?

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

If he has so much love for Grant Morrison why not involve him in the writers room?

And yeah, you can kind of tell which of the projects most interest Gunn. Why wouldn't he clear the air about what's going on with Aquaman and WW?

Maybe Morrison wasn't interested. He's directly involved in the writing of an The Invisibles as an adaption for "Syfy" last time I checked. Seems a little burned out on DC and superheroes lately.

Stories based on Grant Morrison's work was the last thing I expected to see attempted by a Batman film, so I'm ecstatic. I'm hoping we can see Dick take on the mantle at some point. I'd love to see "The Black Glove", Dr. Hurt, or Flamingo.

[Autbot_Benz]

A separate Superman movie produced by J.J. Abrams and written by Ta-Nehsi Coates remains in development and will exist under the Elseworlds banner should it move forward.

https://discussingfilm.net/2023/01/3...new-film-show/

Glad it will be an elseworlds movie.

[ZariusTwo]

Abrams is trash and Coates is a racist

[ChosenOne]

Unpopular(?) opinion: Gunn is a hack who can only do a very particular type of movie, and in spite of how good he is with said type of movie, this whole DC thing will never end well.

[Andrew NDB]

Yeah, no way half of that slate isn't a bust and no way that doesn't make WB rethink their whole plan again.

[IMJ]

Doesn't just look uninteresting, it looks horrible.

When Marvel launched with "Iron Man", they took a 3rd or mmmaaayyybbbeee 2nd tier character and propelled him to a 1st tier household name. Because they had to. Iron Man had been in development on and off with Nick Casavetes for years - they had written assets already in place and it was the most "filmable" character Marvel had ownership of at the time because their I.P.'s were spread out everywhere.

You can't replicate that as a "formula". It just worked for a variety of reasons.

DC should launch with their strongest characters and go no deeper than Green Lantern who is also a 3rd tier or occasionally 2nd tier DC character depending on the event.

Inversely, some of these could be fun. I grew up with Swamp Thing on film and it was neat. The Authority is a bizarre pick, but that could be DC's next sophisticated "Watchmen". But for "Universe Building"?

Honestly they should have completed Snyder's vision and then relaunched with mostly stand-alone films and an occasional crossover film if things went well. We are already seeing with Marvel that long-form continuity can be entertaining but also stifling on a long-enough timeline. This is where you say "it's films not comics" when it comes to the source-material instead of saying that when there is a nonsense deviation on film.

[Andrew NDB]

Booster Gold

Might turn a slight profit if budget is low.

Swamp Thing

Will flop.

Paradise Lost

Will flop/do "The Suicide Squad" kind of numbers.

The Authority

Will flop/do "The Suicide Squad" kind of numbers.

Lanterns

Might do OK, viewership-wise.

Amanda Waller

Could go either way.

Superman: Legacy

Might do OK.

Creature Commandos

Big fail.

The Brave and the Bold

Might do OK.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Might do Shazam/Black Adam numbers.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by IMJ

Doesn't just look uninteresting, it looks horrible.

When Marvel launched with "Iron Man", they took a 3rd or mmmaaayyybbbeee 2nd tier character and propelled him to a 1st tier household name. Because they had to. Iron Man had been in development on and off with Nick Casavetes for years - they had written assets already in place and it was the most "filmable" character Marvel had ownership of at the time because their I.P.'s were spread out everywhere.

You can't replicate that as a "formula". It just worked for a variety of reasons.

They aren't replicating Marvel's formula by launching with only B-list characters. They are doing Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman....as well as things like The Authority and Swamp Thing.

Originally Posted by IMJ

DC should launch with their strongest characters and go no deeper than Green Lantern who is also a 3rd tier or occasionally 2nd tier DC character depending on the event.

They are. The only caveat being a couple small projects, like an animated series - big deal, leading up to Superman.

Going no deeper than Green Lantern sounds lame. Why not bring both popular characters and lesser known characters out? This is a best of both worlds approach.

Originally Posted by IMJ

Inversely, some of these could be fun. I grew up with Swamp Thing on film and it was neat. The Authority is a bizarre pick, but that could be DC's next sophisticated "Watchmen". But for "Universe Building"?

I'm a huge fan of Moore's Swamp Thing and an adaption of that story, done better than the decent television series could really be something special in the world of horror and DC.

Andrew's automatic assertion that it will flop is funny. It's basically an assumption that a Swamp Thing movie can't make money, period. With the right approach, budget, creative team, Swamp Thing, like most things, could be a smash. Let's wait a little bit before deciding what is going to flop, based on a name.

The Authority is a bizarre, yet awesome choice. It's the type of stuff audiences are proving they crave by watching Joker and The Boys in such huge numbers. People like edgy comic book adaptions. Marvel won't do it (Deadpool pending), so DC will. Ironically, Snyder would be an appropriate choice, based on the comics.

Originally Posted by IMJ

Honestly they should have completed Snyder's vision and then relaunched with mostly stand-alone films and an occasional crossover film if things went well. We are already seeing with Marvel that long-form continuity can be entertaining but also stifling on a long-enough timeline. This is where you say "it's films not comics" when it comes to the source-material instead of saying that when there is a nonsense deviation on film.

They should have let Snyder finish Justice League part 1 and just axed 2, yeah. We are still getting stand-alone films, thankfully. Batman part 2, Joker, the Coates Superman (if it ever happens), etc.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

They aren't replicating Marvel's formula by launching with only B-list characters. They are doing Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman....as well as things like The Authority and Swamp Thing.

There is one "A" list intellectual property on that list and it's Superman. One.

Swamp Thing is an absolute obscure d-lister known more within the hobby on Alan Moore's inclusion than known in public based on the character himself. It's the same thing with the Authority.

What are you talking about with that sentence you wrote there?! Are you honestly trying to convey that this is an "A-List slate"!?!? The slate doesn't include Wonder Woman, and it doesn't include Batman - and Pattinson's Batman was hardly fully backed by the fandom at large. And in that sentence the follow-up is Authority and Swamp Thing?!?

Originally Posted by AquaParade

Going no deeper than Green Lantern sounds lame. Why not bring both popular characters and lesser known characters out? This is a best of both worlds approach.

It is a both world's approach, but not even remotely the best of both worlds approach. The only character property on that list that stands to drum up any grassroots excitement is likely Booster Gold. And maybe, maybe The Authority but I'd guess that could be the same general-population curiosity that Watchmen got.

Originally Posted by AquaParade

Andrew's automatic assertion that it will flop is funny. It's basically an assumption that a Swamp Thing movie can't make money, period.

I don't think Andrew's mental calculus on that was as shallow as the presumption that "a Swamp Thing movie can't make money". Why was that your go-to re that comment? Swamp Thing has a lot of challenges to becoming successful for today's movie-goer including grass roots support from fans and social-acceptance from a puritan generation who likes to talk about "global warming" but won't put their money where their mouths are.

For my end of it, I'd say that Swamp Thing could make money, but I see it as an effort for it to make enough to justify a sequel. I think it could break even, but it that's because it won't take much to make a Swamp Thing flick again.

Originally Posted by AquaParade

The Authority is a bizarre, yet awesome choice.

Like I said - The Authority can hit that Watchmen / Squadron Supreme level of curiosity. But like I was getting at earlier - they are Universe building. A lot of these properties don't lend well to that. They should've put their best I.P.'s forward and gone no deeper on film than Green Lantern and used those as launch pads for these other weaker I.P.'s.

[RaphaelinSTL]

I haven't liked a single DC thing in nearly over a decade outside of Joker and last year's Batman movie. When I see this slate, Superman: Legacy interests me because I'd like to see Superman outside of the ****** Snyder death hold and Swamp Thing because I love that character a lot.

Batman Brave and Bold doesn't interest me in the slightest as I don't prefer solo Batman stories.

Fan reaction outside of this forum seems much more positive to this slate.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by IMJ

There is one "A" list intellectual property on that list and it's Superman. One.

Ummm, no. There is a Superman and a Batman movie on the slate. Two Batman movies. And a series that will likely feature Wonder Woman.

Originally Posted by IMJ

Swamp Thing is an absolute obscure d-lister known more within the hobby on Alan Moore's inclusion than known in public based on the character himself. It's the same thing with the Authority.

Lol, what is a "d-lister"? We aren't doing the alphabet here.

Swamp Thing is lesser known yes, let's call it "C" or "B" and avoid trying to be hyperbolic. That said, he's already had two theatrical films and a mini-series, which is more than Iron Man had before 2008. I'd never argue he's a "A-lister", but again that's what Batman and Superman are for.

No one argued that these are all "A-list" characters. Quite the opposite was said. It's a mix.

You argued that DC was doing what the MCU did by launching with only lesser-known characters. That's not true.

Originally Posted by IMJ

What are you talking about with that sentence you wrote there?! Are you honestly trying to convey that this is an "A-List slate"!?!? The slate doesn't include Wonder Woman, and it doesn't include Batman - and Pattinson's Batman was hardly fully backed by the fandom at large. And in that sentence the follow-up is Authority and Swamp Thing?!?

The slate does include Batman. Yes, two Batman films. The Reeve's one, as well as "Brave and the Bold".
What are you even talking about? Maybe I should let you catch up before I address the rest of your points.

I'm guessing you just read the titles, without taking two minutes to see what they actually represented. Piece of advice: You really shouldn't use the eye-roll emoji without doing your homework.

This is when you would say something like “Oh boy, that’s ‘dromers’ for ya! Always want to have an opinion, but don’t want to do the work!”

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

Andrew's automatic assertion that it will flop is funny. It's basically an assumption that a Swamp Thing movie can't make money, period. With the right approach, budget, creative team, Swamp Thing, like most things, could be a smash. Let's wait a little bit before deciding what is going to flop, based on a name.

WB has shown 0 ability to generate a DC hit in quite some time. Does anyone even remember the last one? Now you think James Gunn (whose only foray into DC has been a huge flop) is going to make Swamp Thing a big hit? There's no way. I'm not even sure throwing Guillmero Del Toro at it would guarantee much of a turnaround.

Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, there's decent hooks to these things. Swamp Thing... I'm not seeing it. Maybe if this was like Phase 2 or 3 of an otherwise successful DCEU relaunch with a proven record and even then, eh.

And yeah, how far should we look into the "Legacy" subtitle of Superman? Like, maybe he has his gay sons already? That'd go against him being a young, new news reporter, as was mentioned would be the case here. Then "Legacy" like... the Supergirl from The Flash is there and he's showing her how to carry his on? Superboy is around, too? Steel? Make it like a Superman ensemble movie? Ugh, if so.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

WB has shown 0 ability to generate a DC hit in quite some time. Does anyone even remember the last one? Now you think James Gunn (whose only foray into DC has been a huge flop) is going to make Swamp Thing a big hit? There's no way. I'm not even sure throwing Guillmero Del Toro at it would guarantee much of a turnaround.

Joker and Batman were both hits. People here will try to downplay their success, but it's quite silly to do so. Both those films did "really well" at worst, in terms of both critical and financial success.

Joker is now the top-grossing R-rated film of all time. It's wearing the championship belt. On a miniscule budget.

The Batman grossed $800m with a six-week theatrical window and instant stream date. Then it had huge streaming numbers.

Both films have won numerous awards and were hits with critics, and a favorable portion of fans.

If that argument doesn't work for you, toss it out the window and remember that we aren't dealing with the same WB or DC that we were dealing with six months ago. It hardly makes sense to judge them based on the last few years, in their current state.



I do think it's silly to automatically assume Swamp Thing will be a "flop". Horror movies are in a renaissance period right now. If you can do this film with a decent budget and a strong approach, there is certainly a more than fair chance that it can make it's money back and then some.

I have no clue why Swamp Thing wouldn't be successful, based on what we know, which is basically nothing.