Despite their rocky critical reception, last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad made DC and Warner Bros. a lot of money and laid a lot of groundwork for the burgeoning DC Extended Universe. In just a few short months, Wonder Woman will headline her own film after nearly stealing the show in Batman v Superman, before the 7 are united for Justice League this summer. From there, 2018 will see Jason Momoa star as the future king of Atlantis in James Wan's Aquaman.
While Wonder Woman already has fans excited thanks to the screentime her and Gal Gadot have already had in the DCEU, both Momoa's Aquaman and the combined Justice League have fans waiting on tenterhooks. Wan's work on The Conjuring series and Furious 7 has fans hoping he can translate his horror and action skills into superhero gold. Meanwhile, fans of Zack Snyder's work in the DCEU so far likely have faith in his version of Justice League, while detractors of the director are equally as worried.
One person who's more than confident that audiences will enjoy both Justice League and Aquaman is Will Beale, who has helped to craft both scripts (and therefore might be a bit biased). While Beale was attending the Television Critics Association's press tour to promote the TV adaptation of Training Day that he's producing, Collider was able to speak with him about the two upcoming DC projects. The screenwriter had nothing but good things to say about the movies and the ruler of the seven seas:
“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be really fun. What we’ve come up with and James [Wan] especially — he has a really clear idea of the tone he’s going to have, and I think Aquaman is one that’s going to blow people’s minds, not just visually, but I think the story and the scope of it is really great.”
One of the biggest complaints levied against the DC movies is that they're too bleak and grim. While many appreciate the stark contrast to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are plenty of other fans who wish the DCEU would lighten things up a bit. Beale, who wrote an initial pass on Justice League before jumping to Aquaman, is likely following a similar mandate from the higher ups. Now that Geoff Johns is leading DC's cinematic efforts, we're probably going to see the films inject more humor and fun into the proceedings. Beale went on to talk a bit more about the scope of the project, including the movie's ambitious use of underwater action sequences.
“What’s interesting is that you couldn’t have done it before. You know, you could do Batman in 1988, but now you have the technology, and it’s going to be cool.”
Finally, Beale went on to once again reiterate the lightness that will be present moving forward with the DCEU.
“I think Justice League again is, what you’re going to see — I hope I’m not going to get in trouble for saying this — but it’s much more fun, much poppier, than … I haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet, but Batman vs Superman was a little more somber. But Justice League is a lot more fun. And I think that feels to me like the direction those movies are heading now.”
We'll have to wait and see whether the DCEU's new dedication to fun and humor works for Justice League and Aquaman. Until then, stay tuned for further casting announcements or movie rumors as they emerge.
Source: Collider
