Although a feature film centered on DC Comics' "Main Man" Lobo has been in the works for several years, a cinematic adventure starring The Last Czarnian never fully materialized. Last anyone heard, Warner Bros. was eager to get director Brad Peyton (San Andreas) on board to handle both writing and directing duties, while Peyton's frequent collaborator, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, was considered a lock to play the intergalactic bounty hunter. Despite the film having lined up a director comfortable with heavy special effects and action-oriented storytelling – and was experienced directing walking special effect Dwayne Johnson – the actor eventually admitted in 2014 that Lobo (the film, anyway) was dead.
Since then, the DC Extended Universe has grown by leaps and bounds, while Johnson has left "The 'Bo" behind to be cast as another popular DC Comics antihero, Black Adam. Given that the DCEU is busy setting up its core characters by first making The Dark Knight and The Man of Steel duke it out before becoming Super Pals in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and readying solo tales for Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, all while priming for the massive team-up in Justice League Part One & Two, it would seem a tertiary character like Lobo would be a low priority for Warner Bros.
Apparently that's not the case, as the studio just announced it has tapped Wonder Woman screenwriter Jason Fuchs to take up writing duties on the on-again, off-again Lobo feature film. According to The Wrap, Fuchs has been hired to work on a new draft of the film, which would presumably mean Peyton's previous script has been abandoned completely. It also marks the second script featuring a solo character from the DC Comics universe Fuchs will have penned, which, although the studio has yet to comment officially on the report, suggests the powers that be at Warner Bros. are sufficiently pleased with his efforts on Wonder Woman and would like to see how he handles another character whose relationship to the world of (super)humankind is somewhat complicated.
That relationship will be central to any story featuring Lobo, who rose to comic book prominence during the grim 'n' gritty days of the '90s. Sporting an interstellar-biker look – complete with handlebar mustache and sleeveless leather vest – Superman-level strength and durability, and a reasonably poor attitude towards lives of others, Lobo took the term anti-hero to new heights. Despite the character's hardened looks, penchant for heavy drinking, and bouts of extreme violence, Lobo's stories were primarily written with a darkly funny bent, which, given the recent success of Deadpool (a character who shares many of the same anti-heroic qualities) may explain why Warner Bros. is keen to dust ol' "Master Frag" off and introduce him to unfamiliar audiences and the rest of the DCEU.
Which Lobo will be at the center of the proposed Lobo film is the big question, though. While the abovementioned version was '90s anti-hero extreme personified, the dirty dreadlocked alien has since been replaced in the New 52 with a more refined Czarnian bounty hunter, who, though he has many of the same characteristics – chalk-white skin, red eyes, and black hair – has traded in the "roadie for Slayer" look for a clean-shaven face, leaner physique, and form-fitting attire. The new Lobo is such a radical departure from the more commonly known version of the character he might as well trade in the intergalactic chopper for a sensible mid-sized sedan. Needless to say, the new iteration of the character has been met with derision from the DC Comics fan base, which was clearly more partial to the rough-around-the-edges version that enjoyed a brief, but memorable amount of superstardom. If Warner Bros. intends to bring Lobo to the big screen, it would do well to recall the fans tend to like him big, mean, and with the sort of facial hair that screams monster truck rally.
Far be it for anyone to say which direction Fuchs intends to take his Lobo screenplay, but given the brooding nature of the DCEU so far, the character might oddly be a ray of irreverent light in the otherwise grim world spearheaded by Zack Snyder. If anything, a proper Lobo film might hew closer to what David Ayer's Suicide Squad is aiming for with its seemingly amusing mix of wacky anti-hero antics and white-knuckle action sequences.
At any rate, with Fuchs likely just now starting work on the screenplay, any potential Lobo solo film is at best several years away. That will presumably give the DCEU plenty of time to establish itself and its tonal variances across several different films, so when "The Main Man" finally does make his way to the big screen, Warner Bros. will know exactly where he fits in.
Screen Rant will have more details on the possible Lobo film as they are made available.
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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016, followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 16, 2018; Aquaman on July 27th, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps. on June 19, 2020.
Source: The Wrap