With news that Warner Bros. is pushing for their DC Comics film properties to be their next major franchise to replace Harry Potter, we can expect to hear a lot more in the near future about our favorite DC superheroes making their way to the big screen. It’s already begun with Green Lantern starting production this week (check out the set photos) and news that director Christopher Nolan and David Goyer working on both Batman 3 and the Superman reboot.

Steve Weintraub at Collider had the chance to talk to Greg Berlanti at the red carpet for ShoWest yesterday where the young director was promoting his upcoming Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl starrer, Life as We Know It. In the brief interview, they touched on what we’re really excited about; Green Lantern and The Flash. Berlanti both co-wrote the script for Green Lantern and is a producer for the big budget 3D epic. Interestingly, Berlanti is also rumored as being looked at to direct The Flash and these are the topics that pop up in the interview.

After a minute or so of discussing Berlanti’s current project, Weintraub brought up the rumor of his name popping up as a possible director candidate for The Flash and you can see from the video, his side-stepping of the question and bringing the conversation back to his current project, Life as We Know It, and a television pilot he’s working on for ABC. You can watch the video interview here and take from it what you will but I don’t doubt they’re talking with him about the project since they loved his work on Green Lantern.

What we’ve heard from the WB/DC camp in recent weeks is very exciting, especially with Green Lantern officially starting principal photography which is set to kickstart the big push for DC Comics spawning a live-action feature film franchise, comparable in scope to that of Marvel Studios’ plans with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and their team-up epic, The Avengers.

Hopefully with Nolan’s involvement in Superman (hoping this means it ties in some way to Batman 3) and the hint of much more coming from DC from Warner Bros. Entertainment President Alan Horn at ShoWest, this will all lead to their own team-up film, Justice League. When asked about possible cameo apperances in Green Lantern, Berlanti said early drafts of the script included stuff like that – no doubt referring to the long-rumored Clark Kent/Superman cameo – but does say there will be some surprises in there for the fans and that Warner Bros. is very interested in this sort of thing now, more than ever.

Greg Berlanti

In the interview, Berlanti also reveals that he grew up a comic book fan and spent a lot of time in Hollywood trying to get a gig writing for a comic book movie and Green Lantern was the one he found. Not that it is a requirement by any means to be a fan of the comics beforehand to work on such a project, but I always like the idea that the creative minds behind such a large-scale and important adaptation is being worked on by folks who are as passionate and knowledgeable about the subject and characters as I am. Needless to say, not much research was required for him to jump right into writing the project.

The one other quick topic they touch on in the discussion is that of the new trend in 3D filmmaking. Bertlanti says he prefers shooting in 3D as opposed to doing it post (like Warner Bros. recently did with Clash of the Titans) and since we know that nearly all Warner Bros. tentpole movies going forward will be in 3D, we can assume that if the Berlanti gets the gig helming The Flash that it’ll be shot in 3D as opposed to the lesser-quality tacked-on effect in the post-production process. We still don’t know which way they’re going with Green Lantern but I expect it’s the cheaper, quicker method they used with Clash of the Titans.

The Green Lantern cast stars Ryan Reynolds as the title character, Blake Lively as his love interest, Peter Sarsgaard as the villain Dr. Hector Hammond, Tim Robbins as the villain’s father, Senator Hammond, Mark Strong as Sinestro, Taika Cohen and Temuera Morrison.

Does Berlanti fit the bill to direct The Flash? Thoughts on all of these DC Comics-based films coming 3D?

I suppose the next big question becomes, “Who’s should play The Flash?”

Green Lantern is directed by Martin Campbell and opens June 17, 2011.

Share your thoughts in the comments and with us on Twitter @ScreenRant and @rob_keyes.

Source: Collider

It looks like comic book fans have some stake in the Harry Potter franchise after all. Warner Bros. Entertainment President Alan Horn made a tiny little comment at ShoWest that’s got people in full Montgomery Burns mode (Excellent!). With four DC Comics films in the rear view mirror and at least five on the way, the snippet reported by /Film would seem obvious, but means a whole lot more coming from Horn.

“As we ease out of Harry Potter, we hope to bring you the excitement of the DC [Comics] Library.”

There you have it. Their little magician is all grown-up and it’s time to show him the door. Frankly, I’m surprised they don’t just come up with their own stories, considering WB is all out of books to adapt. Don’t be surprised if it happens sooner or later.

Regardless, this is an exciting time as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all four DC films by WB. Yes, even Superman Returns. It’s no secret Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise has redefined the comic book movie culture and without him we may not have daily news to report. As for Watchmen, it wasn’t a box office behemoth, but most who saw it thoroughly enjoyed it. So, let’s dissect the DC movie slate a bit and see what is coming up and what may be on the distant horizon.

2010:

Jonah Hex - Opening June 18th, this film will probably catch people off guard. He isn’t the most well-known character, but boy does it sound awesome. The synopsis reads “In the Wild West, a scarred bounty hunter (Josh Brolin) tracks a voodoo practitioner (John Malkovich) bent on liberating the South by raising an army of the undead.”

2011:

Green Lantern- Production began just this week and set photos are already out showing Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. I’ve always been a big Ryan Reynolds fan, especially in the right role (Van Wilder, Waiting, Smokin’ Aces, marrying Scarlett Johansson). It was only a matter of time before he played a superhero (Blade 3 doesn’t count- nothing super about that). Why else would he take his shirt off so much? This adaptation of Green Lantern has big names all over it and should be a huge draw next year.

In Development:

The Flash - Probably the most beloved character in DC Universe that has not graced the big screen, The Flash is a definite future project. Rumors of potential directors have surfaced, but it has all been a guessing game. Nobody really knows what Warner Bros. has in store for the character, but check out our in-depth look at the possibilities. With this latest director rumor circling, you can expect more Flash news coming up, at least this summer at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Batman 3 - Christopher Nolan has been circling this project like a hawk, waiting for the right time to strike. The man is notoriously picky with his words, and has yet to officially announce himself as the director. We can assume it will all work out, as he’s got his brother penning a script. The core of creators that took the embarrassed superhero’s reputation and generated the best adaptation of any comic character ever, may be waiting for the right time to reveal their progress: San Diego Comic-Con?

Superman: Man of Steel – The world is calling for another reboot of the franchise, only giving the latest one film to prove itself. I actually liked the direction Singer was going in, but I understand the gripes. With David Goyer writing the latest rendition, there is hope for a darker, meaner Superman. Not to mention Christopher Nolan’s involvement. As long as they get away from Lex Luthor for once, the Man of Steel will have a chance to wow audiences and be something new.

Lobo - Some news surfaced a year ago about this sadistic character being put on film. It would sure make for one dark movie, but it’s not a character that has won over many fans. Nothing has come of this, but considering the push now, there is a distinct possibility of further news.

Deadman - Guillermo del Toro came out and announced he would be spearheading this story in a fashion similar to Crow. Considering the story is about a trapeze artist who is murdered and embodies others as a ghost to exact revenge, it may get dark and there isn’t much of a base audience, but that’s WB’s job, right?

Continue for DC/WB Movies waiting in the wings…

With all the DC movie updates we got last week, the news that writer/producer Greg Berlanti might direct The Flash movie kind of got swept up in the current. However, when that news did drop, we got an interesting reaction from many of our Screen Rant readers: a number of them didn’t feel like The Flash movie had anything to offer.

After reading so many comments claiming that The Flash is a lame character, I just had to write a response. In my opinion, the sentiment that The Flash movie will have little depth or complexity to it couldn’t be more wrong. So let’s discuss: what will The Flash be about?

WHICH FLASH ARE WE TALKING?

First of all, we need to establish which Flash we’re talking about.  The Flash has had more incarnations and copy-cat versions (some with multiple incarnations of the their own) than just about any other character in comic book history. We previously discussed which Flash is best for the movie; check out that discussion and weigh in if you’d like.

On the current Flash Family tree there is:

• Jay Garrick (Golden Age Flash)
• Barry Allen (Silver Age Flash)
• Wally West (Kid Flash/Modern Age Flash)
• Bart Allen (Impulse/Kid Flash #2)
• Max Mercury (Quicksilver)
• Johnny Chambers (Johnny Quick)
• Jesse Chambers (Jesse Quick)

If you’re not familiar with The Flash comic book, time travel is a big part of the character’s mythology (his speed powers help him transcend both space and time), so there are actually even more variations of the character. The names I listed are what I would call the “primary speedsters” of the DC Universe; technically speaking, any one of the characters who have carried the Flash mantle (Garrick, Allen, West) are viable candidates for the forthcoming movie.

Just some of The Flash Family

Comic book writer Geoff Johns has been in charge of The Flash comic book since 2000, and was also responsible for writing up a treatment for the movie, which he turned in to DC/Warner Bros. sometime in the Spring/Summer of ‘09. When I asked Johns about his Flash treatment at Comic Con last year, this was his response:

“We’re caught up in a world that’s obsessed with speed these days. Texting, faster downloading… We’re always looking for ways to speed things up, it can be hard to slow ourselves down.”

Other comments made during that panel led me to believe that Johns’ treatment for the film had Silver Age Flash (and fan-favorite) Barry Allen at its center – which would make sense, since it was Johns’ reverence for Barry Allen that led him to resurrect the character more than two decades after his comic book demise (a record death length for a comic book hero, BTW).

THE NEW MYTHOLOGY

Since resurrecting Barry Allen, Geoff Johns has done a major overhaul to the mythology of of The Flash – much the same way he did when he took over writing duties on Green Lantern. With both books, Johns managed to sweep away the increasingly absurd/cynical storylines that came with the 90s era, while still preserving the core values that have made Hal Jordan and Barry Allen enduring icons. Johns also took the prudent step of revising (not erasing) those campy sci-fi origin stories of the 40s/50s era, giving them more logical and weighted narrative dimensions.

In the case of The Flash, Barry Allen was originally portrayed as a forensic scientist working with the Central City police. One night while preparing to leave work, a mysterious bolt of lighting strikes a case of chemicals Allen is working with, spilling them on him and imbuing him with the ability to run at super speed.

That must’ve been a great origin story back in the day, but it’s a pretty thin premise for today’s savvy comic  book audiences. Johns has updated Allen’s origin, adding a brilliant backstory where Barry’s mother was murdered when he was young and his father was arrested as the prime suspect. It was the need to prove “what really happened” regarding his mother’s death that drove Barry into forensic science in the first place. In Johns’ revision, Barry is essentially a cop trying outrun the one injustice that forever plagues – and just like that, we have a strong foundation for a complex and interesting super hero protagonist.

The Flash caught up in The Speed Force

Over the years it’s been revealed in the pages of Flash comics that there is a (sentient?) ‘Speed Force’ at work in the universe, which occasionally empowers individuals with the ability to move so fast that they can literally breach the limits of time and space. In the Geoff Johns era, Barry Allen has been brought into the epicenter of this Speed Force mystery and it has (for better or worse) become a central theme of his story. However, that same Speed Force storyline comes with the burden of a lot of time travel logistics.

For example: that fateful lighting bolt that struck Barry Allen and gave him his powers? Well, without going too far into The Flash’s history with time-travel (no pun), let’s just say it has been proposed that the lighting bolt was Barry Allen himself, using the Speed Force to set his own destiny in motion. See what I mean about the burden of time-travel? It’s a tricky device to shape a cinematic origin story around…

Continue for Flash movie story and villain ideas…

]]> http://screenrant.com/the-flash-movie-script-kofi-46902/feed/ 71 http://screenrant.com/the-flash-director-greg-berlanti-kofi-46712/ http://screenrant.com/the-flash-director-greg-berlanti-kofi-46712/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:34:42 +0000 Kofi Outlaw http://screenrant.com/?p=46712

Right on the heels of the breaking news that the Dark Knight team is handling the Superman reboot comes this new exclusive from our friends over at IESB claiming that writer/director Greg Berlanti (Dirty Sexy Money) is strongly considered by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. as the director for the big-screen adaptation of The Flash.

If you don’t know Berlanti’s name, he has been in the TV business for awhile, either writing, producing, creating and consulting on shows like  Dawson’s Creek, Everwood, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone and Brother & Sisters.

‘That’s an impressive TV resume, but what does it have to do with a comic book movie?’ you may be asking. Well, if you aren’t up to speed, you may not remember that Berlanti is one of the writers of the Green Lantern movie (he co-wrote it with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green), and at one point, early on, Berlanti was attached to direct Green Lantern, before DC/WB ultimately decided on Casino Royale director Martin Campbell.

Despite losing out on Green Lantern, Berlanti was apparently a strong team player during the pre-production process, and that hard work has not gone unnoticed. He isn’t yet confirmed for The Flash director’s chair, but is said to be “the leading contender” for the job.

Berlanti

Back during Comic Con 2009, I spoke to DC Comics writer Geoff Johns (who is now a top exec at DCE) about The Flash movie. Johns has been writing The Flash comic book since 2000 and was responsible for bringing back Silver Age Flash Barry Allen and generally making the character as popular as he did Hal Jordan when he took over the Green Lantern series. At the time of Comic Con, Johns had recently turned in a treatment for The Flash movie and had a little bit to share about his vision:

“We’re caught up in a world that’s obsessed with speed these days. Texting, faster downloading… We’re always looking for ways to speed things up, it can be hard to slow ourselves down.”

Certain other comments led me to believe that Barry Allen will indeed be the Flash we see on the big screen and that at the core of the film will be Allen’s struggle with the same “speed force” that provides him with his quick-footed power. No word since then about whether or not Johns’ treatment will be the basis for the script, or who the writer would be. As for who might be playing the Flash? We have some early casting picks – check them out and see if you agree.

I’m sure a lot of us are not familiar enough with Greg Berlanti’s onscreen work to know for sure whether or not he’d make a good director for The Flash, but the man certainly seems to have paid his dues and in that sense, who am I (or you) to say he’s not worthy?

DCE is dropping major announcements left and right these days, so stay tuned; I’m sure we’ll be hearing further details about their plans for The Flash sooner before later. Based on some of our polls lately, a lot of you are eager to see the Scarlett Speedster race to the screen.

Source: IESB

Ever since we heard that DC Comics and Warner Bros. were forming a new venture called DC Entertainment, a lot of us have been wondering one thing: what’s the new game plan going to be?

Well, we’re still waiting to hear announcements from DCE about some of our favorite superheroes’ chances of being on the big screen, but today we’re at least getting a clearer picture of who will be making the decisions that put them there (or not). And some of these names are ones that comic book geeks know all too well…

Thanks to Deadline, we now know that on the creative side of things, Dan Didio and Jim Lee have been named co-publishers of DC comics, while Geoff Johns has been named Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. On the business side of things, John Rood has been named as DCE’s Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Business Development, while Patrick Caldon has been named Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration. Each of these new positions will report to Diane Nelson, the current President of DCE.

Said Nelson about the new appointments:

“DC Entertainment’s new executive team is a creative ‘dream team,’ with accomplishments and talent unrivaled in the business…This announcement continues and underscores DC’s legacy as the ultimate destination for creators. We’ll benefit enormously from the deep experience this team represents, while re-energizing the direction and focus of the company. I’m excited and honored to have each of them with me at the helm of DC Entertainment.”

Any comic book fan knows the work of Jim Lee. He’s probably one of the best known (and loved) comic book artists ever, who catapulted to fame in the 90s by working on Uncanny X-Men and helping Marvel launch its sister title, X-Men. Lee left Marvel in 1992 to join other former Marvel writers/artists in the creation of Image Comics; under the Image banner Lee created Wildstorm Productions, which he sold to DC Comics in 1998. Lee has drawn iconic art for just about every popular superhero around, and has ushered more than a few new characters into the limelight.

Green Lantern as written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee

Any serious comic book fan of the 2000 era is equally familiar with Geoff Johns. Johns came aboard DC Comics in 2000, co-writing the JSA comic book along with Batman Begins/The Dark Knight screenwriter, David S. Goyer. From there Johns broke loose and put his own stamp all over the DC Universe. He “rebirthed” both the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen) and Silver Age Green Lantern (Hal Jordan); he made the latter one of the most popular comic book superheroes of today, with epic events like “The Sinestro Corps War”, which recaptured old-school superhero adventure while updating campy mythology with a more sensible modern edge.

Most recently, Johns penned the Smallville television event “Absolute Justice,” which was a ratings monster and featured the JSA. Before this official promotion, Johns has been working behind the scenes as a consultant on just about every DC/WB movie project in the works, including Green Lantern and The Flash.

Geoff Johns Brought the JSA to Smallville

Dan Didio, who got his start in television, has been the Senior Vice President and Executive Editor of DC in the 2000 era. His name most recently appeared on our radar when it was rumored that he has been considering giving the green light to spinoffs/prequels/sequels to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, which is currently the bestselling title in DC history. With his new title will Didio push a Watchmen sequel through? Time will tell.

John Rood spent a decade working as SVP of Marketing for Disney ABC Television Group; before Disney he worked for Warner Bros. Consumer Products, negotiating advertising deals often using DC characters. Patrick Caldon has a long career working various VP positions for both Warner Bros. and DC Comics.

DCE’s mission statement has been clear: to develop all future DC and/or WB superhero projects under a united banner with multimedia development as the ultimate goal. After all, why plan a new Superman comic book when you can plan that same project as a comic book/movie/cartoon/video game/merchandising venture?

Diane Nelson

Forgetting Didio, Rood and Caldon for a moment (the suits), I’m so glad that Diane Nelson and DCE has tapped Jim Lee and Geoff Johns to sit in the big chairs. Lee and Johns are some of the greatest things to happen to comic books since the 80s era (which gave us Alan Moore, Frank Miller and “dark Batman”) and both men are certainly two of the best minds DC has on its roster.

So what can we expect from this new “dream team?” Well, I for one expect Lee and Johns to continue as they have (for the most part): bringing kick-ass ideas to the table which both reinvent – and at the same time preserve – the greatness of DC superheroes. Rood and Caldon I expect to work with Lee and Johns, turning their ideas and concepts into big-budget realities (more TV movie events, more Dark Knight-quality movies, more awesome animated features, toys, video games – the works).

Didio? Well, as editor of DC in the 2000 era he has allowed creative innovators like Lee and Johns to flourish. If Didio steers clear of this Watchmen sequel business, he’ll have my confidence; if he doesn’t, then he will know my wrath (which basically amounts to an angry blog post ).

However, while all this news about DCE promotions is nice, I know I (and most of you) are still waiting for the real announcement: which DC superhero movies we’ll be getting next.

Screen Rant will keep you posted.

Source: Deadline

For a few days now, Collider has been sharing a the knowledge they gained from a lengthy talk with producer Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes, Terminator Salvation). We recently posted a snippet of Lin talking about Terminator Salvation’s ending, and today we’re going to follow the conversation into the subject of DC/WB’s slate of upcoming superhero movies, including  Justice League, which has been stopping and going and stopping again for a few years now.

The word from Lin: Justice League is still on hold. However, it may not stay that way for too long – just one of many things we should hear more about in early 2010, as we now have further confirmation that DC/WB will be unveiling their superhero movie plans to the masses!

If you think back a year or two ago (can people still remember things that far back?), you’ll recall that DC/WB had a plan to do a Justice League movie first, and then use that group movie as a springboard for individual films featuring their second-tier characters (Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, Wonder Woman…).

However, with the formation of DC Entertainment, the original game plan has apparently been altered and DCE/WB will now be following the Marvel blueprint. According to Lin, “it seems like they’re (Warner Bros.) building to Justice League instead of going with the team movie first and doing individual movies after that.”

Now, yesterday we heard some wild RUMORS surface about the possibility of a Hawkman movie going into the pipeline. Those same sources assured us that this rumor would be cemented as fact early in 2010, as DCE/WB was going to be making some ‘major announcements’ regarding their superhero properties. I can’t confirm the first part of that rumor (the Hawkman movie), but, according to Lin, “they’re [WB] unveiling their DC strategy in January.”

For more on Dan Lin talking about possible DC/WB projects, go HERE.

So, between what Lin has said and the rumors circling the water cooler, it seems as though we’ll know much more about the fate of the Justice League movie (and many other DC superhero movies that we’ve been anticipating) sometime early next year. Until then, let’s bust open the comment section for discussion:

What DC Superhero movies would you like to see first and foremost? And how should they approach a Justice League movie?

Source: Collider

DC Comics is currently in the midst of rebooting their comic book universe in the hopes of attracting new readers. This news comes as little surprise, as we’ve known that DC was in for a bit of overhaul ever since their restructuring venture with Warner Bros. created the DC Entertainment brand earlier this Fall.

DCE’s primary goal has been to streamline their brand into a cohesive multimedia package, where comic books, video games, TV projects and feature films are all being planned and coordinated under one creative umbrella to optimize brand appeal across all media formats.

On the comic book front, DC will soon be debuting Earth One, an ongoing series of graphic novels that will re-imagine classic DC Universe superheroes in modern context, much the same way Marvel did with its “Ultimate” brand. So what does re-introducing audiences to the DC Universe and its heroes mean for future DC superhero flicks? Let’s take a look…

AICN had a chance to interview J. Michael Straczynski and Geoff Johns, two acclaimed DC Comics writers who will be tackling the two biggest names on the Earth One slate, namely Superman and Batman, respectively. If you want to know what this Earth One universe is all about, here are a few choice quotes from the Q&A with Straczynski and Johns:

AICN: Tell me a little bit about the premise behind SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE.

J. Michael Straczynski: Clark [Kent] comes to Metropolis in his 21st year to decide what he really wants to do. And this is someone who can be anyone, do anything. If he keeps his background secret, as he’s done for the preceding 21 years, he can be the best athlete the world has ever known, he could be the next Stephen Hawking, could take away the golf crown from Tiger Woods, create patents that could earn billions. He can finally step out of the shadows and into the light.

By contrast, if he chooses to become Superman, then Clark must live forever in the shadows, dedicated to a life of service and self-sacrifice that could eventually get him killed. That’s a hard choice for anybody to make, let alone a 21 year old kid who wants to look after his mom and is lured by the idea of money and success and fame. So the story is about Clark’s…moment, when he has to finally make that choice, why he makes it, and what follows after.

This is probably one of the most often told and re-told stories in comics history…But I’ll be straight up with you: I’m not here to change his story into something it was never intended to be so that I can “make my mark” on the character. It’s about respecting the character and his origins…

Will we ever see these Earth One versions of Supes and Bats on the big screen?

AICN: So what is BATMAN: EARTH ONE all about?

Geoff Johns: BATMAN: EARTH ONE allows [artist] Gary Frank and I to break the restraints of any continuity and focus on two things: character and story. Add to that the idea of working on a line of graphic novels instead of being limited to twenty-two pages, it’s a challenge and I love a challenge…Our Batman is a decidedly different Batman yet it is, of course, Bruce Wayne.

I want to let the book will speak for itself, but Batman, Alfred, Detective Gordon, Arkham Manor, the twisted origin behind Gotham City, the Bat-Mobile and, of course, the world’s greatest group of villains are all a part of the world we’re creating. Some of it the characters will more closely resemble the classic interpretations while others will be wildly different. We’re introducing a lot of new characters and elements to this Batman…The first graphic novel features an entirely new villain.

For the full transcript of AICN’s interviews with Straczynski and Johns, go HERE.

Ok, so like I said, this kind of venture sounds a lot like Marvel’s “Ultimate” universe, which was introduced a few years back. But what does this mean for the superhero films that DCE/WB hopes to make in the next few years?

Well, Chris Nolan has already succeeded in lifting the Batman lore out of its traditional comic book origins, re-introducing the character to movie audiences in full modern, real-world (some of you argue dark and depressing) splendor. However, Superman needs a fresh cinematic start right about now, and you can bet that DCE is keeping that fact tucked somewhere in mind when launching this new graphic novel series.

Just as a fun little bonus, here’s some concept art for the Superman: Earth One version of Clark Kent, as drawn by hot new artist Shane Davis:

Click image for hi-res version

Understand: Straczynski and Johns are two of DC Comics’ hottest writers at the moment – Johns in particular has done an almost miraculous job catapulting the characters of Silver Age Green Lantern and Flash (that’s Hal Jordan and Barry Allen) from the second-tier status of dead and irrelevant, back into the comic book industry limelight. Johns’ work with the characters has been so celebrated that he’s now branched out behind the scenes, lending his wisdom and guidance to DC/WB movies like The Green Lantern, The Flash and Shazam!

If Johns and Stracynski are being given the free reign to re-imagine the most carefully-guarded characters in DC’s stable, it’s a small leap of deduction to say that they (and other eventual Earth One creative teams) could ultimately become key players in envisioning forthcoming DCE/WB movies according to their Earth One mythos. In a lot of cases, what is done on the comic book page serves as the preliminary storyboards for an eventual feature film; when you think about it like that, it’s easy to wonder if we aren’t seeing the future of DC Superhero movies being plotted out before our eyes…

For now, we’ll keep you posted on how DC’s Earth One venture develops, and what (if any) affect it will have on DC Superhero movies. Stay tuned.

Sources: Comic Book Resources, AICN, Slash Film

Today we’re presenting yet another installment of our superhero movie fantasy casting feature, this time for the still-in-development big screen adaptation of The Flash. This film has been stop-and-go (pun intended) for awhile now, with previous versions of the script having been turned in by big name writers (David S. Goyer), and some big name actors having been eyed for the role (or so rumor would have it).

As of last week we have word that The Flash is coming along at a good pace, so as the story of the ‘The World’s Fastest Man’ steps closer and closer to becoming a cinematic reality, we stop to ask ourselves:

Who should play The Flash? THE RACE TO GLORY

The Flash is one of the oldest heroes in the DC Universe, but it would be a stretch to call him one of the most famous (despite the 1990s TV series). Sure, the character is well known by the comic book fanboy nation – and any JoBlo off the street could probably tell you that “He’s the guy in the red suit who runs really fast.” However, I’d be surprised if that same JoBlo could tell you the names of Flash’s alter egos over the years (Jay Garrick, Barry Allen and Wally West) – or if you could even find a handful of fanboys willing to tell you that The Flash is “The most awesome superhero ever!”

By current estimate, I would place The Flash just a couple notches under Iron Man (before the film came out) in terms of public recognition/love, hovering somewhere around the same plane as Green Lantern. Of course, I must acknowledge that both The Flash and Green Lantern have made serious comic book comebacks over the course of the last half decade – thanks in overwhelming part to DC Comics writer Geoff Johns, who resurrected both Silver Age Flash and Green Lantern (Barry Allen and Hal Jordan) and has written storylines for both characters that have gone on to become modern comic book classics.

Did I mention that Geoff Johns is also acting as a consultant on The Flash movie?

Like Iron Man, The Flash faces the daunting task of elevating a C-list superhero to blockbuster movie height$. There is no doubt that Iron Man got a head start in that same department by casting Robert Downey Jr. – so when casting The Flash, I say forget all this talk about “getting a no name” to play the part; in this case, name recognition is a MUST.

WHO IS THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE?

Back during Comic Con this year I had a chance to toss Geoff Johns a question about the treatment he did for The Flash script (which is now in the hands of screenwriter Dan Mazeau). In the Johns’ response (which you can read HERE), he alluded to several things hinting that we might be seeing Barry Allen, the “Silver Age” Flash in the movie version, instead of “Modern Age” Flash, Wally West, as many fans initially assumed. Of course this all just speculation – but it makes for one doozy of a job for those of us in the fantasy casting business!

That said, I’ll have to cast BOTH versions of The Flash just to be safe. So, if you’re interested, here are my picks for who should play Barry Allen or Wally West, based on the criteria that the actor for either role needs to be both funny and dramatic and able to exude heroism – not to mention having the physical body type of a long distance sprinter (let’s not forget that!).

[And no, Ryan Reynolds is NOT a candidate! He's already Green Lantern AND Deadpool! That's enough!]

Continue to read our picks to play The Flash…

[Update: Dan Mazeau, the current screenwriter behind The Flash has sent a message to IGN clarifying that there are no delays/development issues - that everything is going according to plan and looking great for the fans - Read it here]

With the Green Lantern film moving full steam head, scheduled to start production next year, what about the other DC comic book character films? There will undoubtedly be a third Batman sooner or later, but what about The Flash?

At San Diego Comic-Con this summer, comic book and screen writer Geoff Johns was tight-lipped and held back on revealing any details on his script treatment for the flick so we didn’t have too much to go on with the status of the project until now.

IGN recently spoke with Charles Roven, a producer on The Dark Knight, and apparently the future of The Flash is a little unclear at the moment – as is, Roven’s involvement…

In the interview, Roven explains that he was involved but that he was removed from the project because the The Flash was speeding in the direction Warner Brothers had in mind.

“I was involved at one point with The Flash… And Warner Bros. came to me and said, ‘The work that you’ve been doing hasn’t yet resulted in something that any of us, including the filmmaking team, feel could be greenlit as a movie. We’re trying to accomplish something that takes into account the entire, rich DC character world, and we’d like to pull it back. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to be a part of it. We just want to take a different kind of approach. Do you mind if we try that?’ If we had something that was really working…”

Well, we at least know that The Flash is part of DC Entertainment’s game plan. By “rich DC character world,” does WB mean that they want more characters involved, possibly crossing over with their other in-development projects like Green Lantern? Roven continued,

“Like, for example, they had something that was more or less working for them on Green Lantern, and now you have Martin Campbell directing it…But we didn’t. The David Goyer screenplay, that didn’t work. Goyer left the project. We then embarked with David Dobkin, trying to come up with another approach. We hadn’t even hired a writer at that point. So for us, we completely understood. I’ve been making movies with Warner Bros. for 15 years, so that was fine, but I hope one day there’s a way for me to get re-involved in the project. “

It’s not a nice development history and that worries me about the final product. Hopefully, when things are back on track, we don’t get something rushed and unpolished.

I’d like to see more DC live-action flicks come out to compete with the onslaught of features by Marvel Studios and Fox Studios, and like those two studios’ franchises of film, I’d like to see the DC solo character titles cross-over leading to some team-up event.

What do you want from The Flash movie and DC Entertainment’s line-up?

– More as we hear it, at ScreenRant.com.

Source: IGN

Yesterday we found out that Warner Bros. has created DC Entertainment Inc. (DCE) to better expand the DC Comics into a multimedia brand of steel . Now comes the inevitable question of “What’s the game plan?”

MTV Splash Page posted a nice piece declaring which DC properties should be put on fast-track under the DCE banner, and this being Friday and all, I thought I’d once again do a little call-and-response on the topic (I now consider Splash Page’s Josh Wigler to be something of a pen-pal).

So in response to the call, here’s my take on the DC Entertainment venture and what paths it should be considering… BIGGER PICTURE BUSINESS

DC Entertainment Inc. President Diane Nelson has already been grilled by the press and thick-skinned exec has been pretty forthright with her opinions. As she told The Wrap earlier this week:

“…I’m the first one to admit, I’m not by my nature a comic fan. It’s not what I’m bringing to the party. We have so many experts who will remain the cornerstone of DC Entertainment. What I bring to the party is a skill at moving properties and brands through Time Warner as a company… additionally it will be about how invested our content distribution is in the DC library.  If our businesses feel that they have greater access and enthusiasm for new characters to incubate.”

Now some people are going to read that quote and worry that Time Warner is going to “corporatize” (read: taint) their favorite DC properties. I’m going to keep in mind that Nelson is the same lady who helped transform Harry Potter from a lucrative book franchise into a multimedia/merchandising empire, loved by both Potter devotees and newcomers who just know the films. Nelson understands how to take what is at the resonating core of a character and/or story and fit it into the bigger profit picture.

For DC Superheroes, I suspect Nelson aims to give us more Dark Knight quality films and Arkham Asylum video games (read: ventures which transform the core appeal of the properties into commercial appeal), and fewer Catwoman disasters (read: failed ventures that tarnish both the core and commercial viability of the properties). And I see no reason at this point why she’d fail at the task.

DOING THINGS THE MARVEL WAY

No, I don’t want DC Entertainment to try to be the second coming of Marvel Studios, however, the latter did set an interesting precedent by linking all their Avengers related films – Captain America, Iron Man, Thor – in one shared continuity, complete with cinematic cameo crossovers.

Should Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe be disrupted for the sake of a Superman cameo? No. Should The Green Lantern maybe feature an appearance from Supes or (better yet) The Flash? Absolutely. And what would be the reasoning behind doing so? Remember a little project called Justice League that DC/WB tried and failed and failed and failed to get off the ground awhile back? If you want to expand your brand, getting your heroes onscreen together where everybody can revel in them is a great way to do it.

Click to continue reading about how DC Entertainment can expand its brand…

After the Disney/Marvel merger DC Comics and longtime-partner Warner Bros. had to be shaking in their boots. “The House of the Mouse” is already looking like a force that few will likely be able to reckon with.

Well, in an effort to become one of those few forces able to take on Disney/Marvel, Nikke Finke reports that Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. has launched a new division, DC Entertainment Inc., in order to better expand the DC Brand.

Marvel fanboys have already been having heart palpitations wondering what the fate of their favorite characters will be in the hands of Disney. Now DC fans can officially share in that anxiety.

Diane Nelson will be the lady in charge of DC Entertainment Inc., as announced yesterday by Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer, and COO, Alan Horn. The mission statement of DC Entertainment Inc. will be to “strategically integrate the DC Comics business, brand and characters deeply into Warner Bros. Entertainment and all its content and distribution businesses.” Basically that constitutes Warner Bros. taking a more hands-on approach to developing DC Comic properties into successful film and TV franchises, interactive and new platform media, etc. In the midst of all this, DC Comics will remain as is for the most part, serving as the creative cornerstone of DC Entertainment Inc.

Of course this new structure means that DC’s comic book division has officially become a limb on a much larger body. As a result, Paul Levitz, President & Publisher of DC Comics since 2002, will vacate his exec post and return to a writing position, lending his three decades of experience to the “new DC” as a contributing editor and consultant.

Said Levitz:

“After so many roles at DC, it’s exciting to look forward to focusing on my writing and being able to remain a part of the company I love as it grows into its next stage. It’s a new golden age for comics and DC’s great characters, and I hope my new position will allow me to contribute to that magic time.”

Diane Nelson (Click Image for Source)

Nelson is leaving her post as President of Warner Premiere to take on the DC Entertainment job. If you’re wondering about her qualifications and experience: in her two decades working in creative brand management, strategic marketing and content development and production, Nelson has most notably had a big hand in adapting and managing the Harry Potter franchise for WB. Taking J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels and turning them into a juggernaut (read: cash cow) movie franchise is no small accomplishment; IMO, it demonstrates that Nelson understands how to maintain the balance between being true to source material, while making the needed changes to create successful multimedia ventures – an area where DC has admittedly had some trouble (See: Superman Returns).

Said Nelson:

“The founding of DC Entertainment fully recognizes our desire to provide both the DC properties and fans the type of content that is only possible through a concerted cross-company, multi-platform effort…DC Entertainment will help us to formally take the great working relationships between DC Comics and various Warner Bros. businesses to the next level in order to maximize every opportunity to bring DC’s unrivalled collection of titles and characters to life.”

For a great in-depth explanation of all this (with more quotes from the players involved) head on over to Deadline Hollywood.

Personally, I’m not at all upset (or surprised, really) about any of this. For better or worse, comic book fans, these are chicks we raised that are coming home to roost. We were the ones who pushed for so long to see our favorite heroes grace the big and small screens; our money fed the box office and gave rise to the “Era of Geek-Chic.” And in that proud era, our favorite comic books and superheroes have had their market value shoot WAY up – they are now worldwide icons and potential cash cows. When you think about it like that, it’s only logical that the big dawgs have come a barkin’ and comic book publishers have had to answer the call by stepping up into the corporate big leagues.

But will the source material – our beloved comic books – survive and flourish under these bright neon corporate banners, or whither and be forever tainted? As the zen master says “We shall see…”

What do you think about the creation of DC Entertainment Inc.? Will it be a good way for DC to catch up to Marvel in the multimedia market, or are you DC fans worrying that this is the end of the age of innocence for your beloved universe?

(And be sure to check our list of tags below to know which DC/WB movies are currently in the pipeline . Will this re-structuring affect them too?)

Source: Deadline Hollywood

We recently reported that DC comics writer Geoff Johns (The Flash, Green Lantern) had turned in a treatment for The Flash movie to studio DC/Warner Bros. Well, it so happens that Johns was a featured (read: very popular) panelist at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International and, after a last minute quick-switch I as there to cover the event.

Now, Hollywood legalities are a tricky thing, so Johns couldn’t say TOO much about his work on The Flash script, or his opinion of The Green Lantern feature film – but thanks to some good old-fashioned Screen Rant investigative reporting, we do have a gem or two to share with you.

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THE FLASH

For those not into comic books, Geoff Johns has been writing

So just what exactly is Geoff Johns’ cinematic vision of the Scarlett Speedester? Sorry guys, he couldn’t legally divulge what the plot points of his script treatment were – but that didn’t stop me from asking him what core elements of the character he had in mind when sitting down to hammer out the big-screen version of The Flash. Said Johns:

“We’re caught up in a world that’s obsessed with speed these days. Texting, faster downloading… We’re always looking for ways to speed things up, it can be hard to slow ourselves down.”

He wanted to expound on that explanation, but his editor (and his own good sense) cautioned him from saying any more. Johns did add, however, that part of his recent storyline in the Flash: Rebirth comic book dealt with the resurrected Barry Allen’s attempts to deal with “the seduction” of speed and being lost in the speed force. When asked a direct question about whether or not it would be Barry Allen we see in a Flash movie, Johns had no answer to give – but based on his impassioned description of the character in modern context, I wouldn’t be surprised if Barry Allen DID turn out to be the Flash that graces the silver screen, or if the film explores the many meanings of the term “moving too fast.” Guess we’ll know more if and or when the film moves forward.

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THE GREEN LANTERN

In addition to writing The Flash comic book, Geoff Johns has been arguably the most acclaimed and celebrated writer of the Green Lantern comic book series ever. Even in the panel, fan after fan approached the microphone just to tell Mr. Johns that his recent stories (“Green Lantern: Rebirth,” “The Sinestro Corps,” the upcoming “Blackest Night”) are the ONLY reasons why they decided to get familiar with Green Lantern.

Naturally, as the guy bringing Green Lantern into the limelight (no pun) on the page, one must wonder what Geoff Johns thinks about the upcoming feature-film adaptation of The Green Lantern and the recent casting of Ryan Reynolds as the titular hero. Luckily for us, one eager fan in the panel asked that very question! Said Johns about Reynolds being cast as Hal Jordan:

“It’s great, he’s got the swagger for early Hal, definitely. And Martin Campbell directing… I’m psyched about it.”

Judging from all the things Johns couldn’t say, I think it’s a safe bet that he’s seen what’s in the works for The Green Lantern and if HE’S confident about it, I think it’s ok for the rest of us to start getting excited too.

So that’s it for the panel with Geoff Johns. Comic book fans who have been keeping up with the rebirths of Hal Jordan, Barry Allen and the events leading up to the “Blackest Night” storyline: you can expect more dark horror-style storytelling, more deaths and dead hero resurrections. Oh, and SPOILER: Hal Jordan throwing down with the “Black Lantern” version of Abin Sur (that’s a little gem for the die hard Green Lantern fans out there).

The Green Lantern is slated for release on June 17, 2011.

The Flash movie is still in the planning stages and has no release date yet.

The Hollywood Reporter recently did an extensive report on some of the new projects that DC Comics and partner Warner Bros. have in the works. There was mention of an Adam Strange movie, a Teen Titans project and even talk of two Green Arrow films – but the two biggest nuggets of news had to do with progress that is (sort of) being made on the big-screen adaptations of Aquaman and The Flash.

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THE FLASH

According to the report, DC Comics writer Geoff Johns recently did a new treatment for a Flash movie, which was previously scripted by Dan Mazeau. Johns has been writing The Flash comic book series since 2000 and was also responsible for such notable (comic book) events such as the return of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern in 2005; re-launching the Teen Titans in 2003; and he even did some work on the book JSA with a guy named David S. Goyer you might know. Suffice to say: Geoff Johns knows his way around the DC universe.

It’s also ironic to hear that he’s helping to bring Flash to the big-screen: Johns has recently been busy with Flash on the comic book page, working to bring back fan-favorite “silver age” Flash, Barry Allen – who, might I add, could be the very character Warner Bros. uses for The Flash movie, especially since Ryan Reynolds (the top fan-nominated candidate to play “modern day” Flash, Wally West) has already signed-on to play Green Lantern/Hal Jordan.

I expect DC/Warner Bros. will be showing Barry Allen a lot of love in the near future. It’s awesome to hear a proven comic book vet like Geoff Johns is a the center of it all.

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AQUAMAN

We saw it on Entourage and it looked pretty awesome; then we saw it again on the CW’s blink-and-it’s-gone TV pilot (which became a cult-hit-download); now we’re finally getting word on the Aquaman feature film.

Reportedly Aquaman is “in production” over at Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production company. I only use the quotes because a quick look at the company’s extensive roster of films-in-the-works pretty much places Aquaman (for me at least) in the “believe-it-when-I-see-it” category.

Don’t get me wrong: I hope Appian Way is really moving ahead with an Aquaman film, because if DC/WB wants to do things “The Marvel Way” and start building their superhero properties toward bigger joint paydays, then after The Green Lantern hits in 2011 they need to start getting other second-tier heroes like Flash, like Aquaman out on the big-screens. Especially if Chris Nolan is still on the fence about another Batman film, while Superman might slip out of DC/WB’s grasp next year.

IMHO, It’s time for DC/WB to officially go to the benches. Let’s hope we hear more about both Aquaman and The Flash in the near future.

Sources: Slash Film, Beyond Hollywood & THR

Ready for a wild rumor? How about Neil Patrick Harris being pursued to play DC comic book superhero The Flash? The last we had heard, Ryan Reynolds was in the running (get it?) for the role, but with the upcoming Wolverine movie it seems like his superhero destiny may be tied up as Deadpool.

But this, if true, is pretty much out of left field.

The Flash has been on again, off again and now on again with the recent addition of a screenwriter. We first mentioned it back in 2004 when David Goyer was supposedly going to write the script (he went on to write a little movie you may have heard of: The Dark Knight). Then there was nothing heard for three years until the announcement that Goyer was not writing the movie, but that Shawn Levy was attached to direct, then comedy director David Dobkin. That news quietly faded away and nothing was heard until earlier this month, when word surfaced that Dan Mazeau was attached to write the screenplay.

Now comes possible “insider” news that Neil Patrick Harris and possibly Scott Porter (according to ThinkMcFlyThink.com) are being looked at to play the Scarlet Speedster. Scott played the young Rex Racer in Speed Racer and has a recurring role on Friday Night Lights.

And of course who doesn’t know who Neil Patrick Harris is? For a 35 year old guy, he seems like he’s been around forever… starting out years ago as Doogie Howser, M.D. and then appearing in Starship Troopers (yes, he was in that). After that he bounced around doing one-shot appearances in TV episodes and a lot of cartoon voiceover work including Justice League and Spider-Man.

But what brought him back into popularity was his wild character in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, which led to a leading role on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Finally, most recently he played a supervillain in the cult hit Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see if this pans out – no doubt he could pull it off if he buffed up and I think he’s got the acting chops to do it.

Again, keep in mind this is FAR from confirmed – but what do you think about the possibility of Neil Patrick Harris as The Flash?

With the major boom in the movie industry being superheroes and the films about them, studios have been going down the line making films about the most popular in the genre.  As this has been going on, it’s left a lot of people wondering when certain films will be made.

If The Flash has been high on your list of films that need to be made, then your worries are over.  IESB is reporting that screenwriter, Dan Mazeau, has become attached to the film.  Dan has most currently penned the screen version of the unreleased Johnny Quest film.

Although, Warner Brothers has said they’re putting all DC Comics films on hold, the folks over at IESB are reporting otherwise:

“We’ve double checked with multiple sources and can say with 100% certainty that Mazeau is currently writing a script for the lightening fast superhero.”

Although, there is no confirmations about the legitimacy of the sources, the claims continue to hold some validity as they continue to be reported due to the fact that producer Charles Roven wouldn’t confirm nor deny the reports.

I suppose this could all be some sort of perfectly calculated ruse to confuse the public, but I highly doubt it.  Probably, Mazeau is attached to the film in some way, but nothing can be certain until Warner Bros. decides not to tease us lowly film-goers anymore.  Master, may I have another?

Source: IESB

Is this ironic or what: the fastest guy in the whole comic book universe is the slowest one getting to the box office.

Screen Rant has been keeping careful tabs on the (lack of) progress concerning The Flash movie. For those with long memories, the blink-and-you-miss-it exploits of Wally West (aka The Flash) were supposedly going to be freeze-framed on the big screen following the release of the fabled Justice League movie. This would’ve served as the well from which spin-off films like The Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman would be drawn.

Well, unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last six months, you know that Justice League is currently D.O.A.–so where does that leave the projects that were supposed to be its by-products?

In the case of Green Lantern, it seems things are moving forward even faster than planned: the movie has (what insiders are already calling) a kick-ass script, is pretty epic in scope, and DC/Warner Bros. seems to be fully committed to getting the film up and out for a 2010 release.

In the case of The Flash, however, things are looking… not so great. Producer of The Dark Knight and Warner Bros. insider Charles Roven has been the primary source of Flash movie news thus far. After letting the blogoshpere know some months ago that Flash was stuck in development limbo, Roven was recently sighted at this year’s Spike TV Scream Awards and was kind enough to let Flash fans know how far the project has progressed since his initial report: not one step.

Pretty ironic for comic books’ fastest hero, no?

No word yet on where this non-development leaves David Dobkin (Fred Clause) who was initially tapped to helm The Flash. No word yet on anything else surrounding this project (if it can still be called a “project” at all). Seriously though, I don’t see what the hold up is: maybe if Green Lantern performs well, DC/Warner will finally get off their duffs. In the meantime, give’em hell Marvel Studios!

We’ll let you know if any other news  lands in our lap. Be prepared for a long wait, though. For now, sound off and tell us how you feel about DC/Warner Bros. denying you The Flash movie you’ve been waiting for.

Source: Super Hero Hype

Following the financial and critical success of The Dark Knight Warner Bros. has realized that they are sitting on a gold mine – not only from box office receipts, but also from DVD, television, video games and other sources of revenue.

Last month the company held a strategy meeting in an attempt to figure out what was needed in order for them to match Marvel Comics in the comic book movie stakes, and it would appear that they have finally come up with a plan.

Variety spoke with Warner Bros head honchos Jeff Robinov and Alan Horn who touched on topics such as the sequel to The Dark Knight (and director Chris Nolan’s involvement), the development of DC Characters movies and the chances of there ever being a Justice League movie.

It looks like the company is about to go to town on their stable of iconic characters that includes: Batman, Superman, The Flash, The Green Lantern, Aquaman and Wonder Woman.

Warner Bros chief Alan Horn said that Warner and DC were committed to turning:

“the properties into viable movie product in an intelligent way so that we introduce them like planes on a runway. They have to be set up the right way and lined up the right way and all take off one at a time and fly safe and fly straight.”

With regards to Justice League, Jeff Robinov as good as admitted that the studio almost made a terrible mistake.  Robinov said:

“We’re not off the notion of a Justice League. There’s a massive interest and knowledge in the comicbook industry and it takes time to sort of catch up and understand the characters and the history, where they’ve intersected with each other and what their worlds are. That’s part of the education that we’re going through.”

There’s a lot of B.S. that flies around Hollywood, but it’s good to see somebody own up to making a mistake – or as close to owning up as you can in the City of Angels.

That said the studio isn’t totally off the idea of the multi-character superhero film.  Gregory Noveck senior VP of creative affairs for DC Comics stated:

“These are big, iconic characters. So when you make them into a movie, you’d better be shooting for a pretty high standard. You’re not always going to reach it, but you have to be shooting for it. We’re going to make a Justice League movie, whether it’s now or 10 years from now. But we’re not going to do it and Warners is not going to do it until we know it’s right.”

With regards to the sequel to The Dark Knight, there is a deal with Christopher Nolan –  if he is interested, but Horn says: We have no idea where Chris is going with this. We haven’t had any conversations with him about it.”

I find it very hard to believe that in the month since The Dark Knight has opened and broken all sorts of box office records that the studio has not started talking to the brains behind the film. You can bet that Warner Bros. wants to get into the Nolan-Batman business but it sounds to me like Nolan is playing a bit of hard ball (echoes of the Marvel/Iron Man/Jon Favereau situation). If he does decide to do the film (and I’m pretty sure that he will) Warner Bros will be bankrolling some of his passion projects for the next few years.

There will be more announcements next month with regards to Warner and DC’s plans, but it looks like the studio has finally decided to fight back on the comic book movie front. It would appear that Marvel will finally be getting some serious competition for the superhero limelight.

Source: Variety

The guys over at Slash Film were at a a recent press junket for The Dark Knight when they caught up with producer Charles Roven, a.k.a. the guy responsible for bringing both the Batman Begins trilogy and the upcoming Flash movie to theaters near you. And he had news to tell.

Unfortunately, the news from Mr. Roven was grim. He basically said that due to the WGA strike last winter, and in face of the looming actors strike, the Scarlett Speedster is looking pretty winded right about now, as far as the cinema goes, anyway.

“We had hoped to be able to get a new draft going before the writers’ strike and we weren’t able to,” Roven admitted. “And since the writers’ strike, we just haven’t been able to find the right creative compatibility between what we’re looking for and a writer and you know, we’re a little bit dragging our feet, we’re just waiting to see what’s going to happen with this actor’s strike, you know.”

Boo. Maybe the Wachowski Bros. need to stop worrying about Plastic Man’s stretchy parts and start some quick thinking on how to get in on a Fla$h franchise. (They’re shoe-ins! Just make the whole thing bullet-time! Bam! Instant hit!) (Hollywood, my number IS available.)

Seriously though, Aquaman and Flash are two superhero movies I really, really, would like to see get made in my lifetime, please. DC needs to take a page from the book of Marvel and get on top of their business. What do you think?

Source: Slash Film

The word is that these are supposed to be spin-offs The Flash is supposed to be a spin-off of the Justice League film, so I can only assume that once they finally get that one cast that they’ll have their leads for one of these two movies.

Green Lantern is getting director Greg Berlanti, a guy with lots of non-superhero TV experience and one romantic comedy movie under his belt. I don’t know what that means for the film. After all, look at how Iron Man seems to be turning out with non-super-movie Jon Favreau at the helm (that would be great, for those of you who aren’t regular Screen Rant readers). A couple of my readers have pointed out that they are planning on basing the film on the Hal Jordan version of GL instead of the John Stewart version who is supposedly going to appear in the Justice League film.

On the other hand The Flash has been handed to David Dobkin. You may be asking: David Who? Well he’s the guy who directed Wedding Crashers, Shanghai Nights and the upcoming wacky Christmas comedy Fred Claus.

The Hollywood studio director selection logic process continues to elude me. I know that version of The Flash they’re going to use is Wally West, who as far as I know has been portrayed as kind of a jokester, but how does that lead to hiring a full-on slapstick comedy director? Is this going to be a comedy or a superhero movie?

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Sources: /Film & Superherohype

Now on the one hand, that means the movie is far from dead… great news, right? Sorry… no. On the other hand I don’t think it exactly spills rays of sunshine on the project.

Why do I say that? Let’s have a look at the collective resumes of David Goyer (who is out) and Shawn Levy (who is in)…

David Goyer
The Good: Wrote the screenplays for Dark City, Blade and Batman Begins.

The Bad: Wrote the screenplays for Blade II and Blade: Trinity. Directed Blade: Trinity.

Shawn Levy
The Good: Um, ok… let’s see… directed Cheaper by the Dozen? (Best I could do. That’s not really good for this movie, but at least I liked that Steve Martin flick.)

The Bad: Directed Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther (YIKES!) and Night at the Museum. Overall almost nothing but comedies, and as if in confirmation:

Sources said that Levy, who before “Museum” had been known for such comedies as “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “The Pink Panther,” has no intention of making “Flash” a comedy but is aiming for a lighter movie than previous Warners comic book adaptations, such as “Batman Begins” and “Superman Returns.

As I wrote here, I do think that as a character The Flash needs a lighter treatment than Batman, but lighter than Superman? If someone other than a comedy director was at the helm, I might not be as worried. What’s really wierd (disturbing?) is that Goyer supposedly wrote a darker script, which the studio didn’t like yet they’re using elements from it for the new story. Scary.

Charles Roven and Alex Gartner are producing. At least Roven was involved with Batman Begins and the upcoming sequel The Dark Knight. Looking at Gartner’s background, he must know somebody.

Sources: CBR News and Hollywood Reporter