The DC Extended Universe got its first universal victory recently with Wonder Woman and Geoff Johns says it symbolizes a shift in their approach. Warner Bros. only launched the DCEU back in 2013 and despite Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad being financial victories for the studio, the critical reception only continued to decline. Rightfully or not, the negativity was largely attributed to their "anti-Marvel" approach by being grounded and more mature with their tone.
From early on in Wonder Woman's marketing, it became clear that it looked and felt different from its predecessors. Not only because it starred a female hero or was set in World War I, but by keeping Diana true to the comics and making her the hero everyone was waiting to see. That's how her solo movie that shows a new DCEU philosophy.
DC Films president Geoff Johns spoke to The Wrap about this new philosophy that they implemented with Wonder Woman and will be carried over into Justice League and beyond. This approach has to deal with getting the characters right based on who they are in the comics and also having more fun than the studio may have allowed for with their previous films.
Get to the essence of the character and make the movies fun. Just make sure that the characters are the characters with heart, humor, hope, heroics, and optimism at the base.
WB has several film currently in development that will adopt this new mantra, but could also explain why some of them have had longer development periods than expected. This approach could be another reason why Affleck stepped off writing/directing The Batman and instead has allowed a renowned comic writer in Johns to take it on. The same could be said for why Aquaman received a rewrite last year and why The Flash had a page one rewrite, lost multiple directors, and has not found a replacement.
With audiences already seeing how this philosophy worked so well with Wonder Woman, they will soon find out if it was a fluke or DC/WB solidifying their approach once Justice League debuts later this year. WB wanted to make this change apparent by bringing press, including Screen Rant, to the set early on and allowing for the embargo to lift extremely early. Justice League has been able to maintain largely positive buzz ever since. If it can deliver on this buzz and hold true to this philosophy, the DCEU should be able move forward positively.
More: DCEU Has 'Heart, Humor, & Heroics'
Source: The Wrap
