The latest Honest Trailer tackles the DCEU and points out just about every mistake Warner Bros. made while handling it. Kicking things off in 2013 through Man of Steel, which debuted a new Superman in Henry Cavill, DC's own franchise had lofty goals in terms of building its own cinematic universe just like Marvel Studios' MCU. But soon, it became clear that kicking off and maintaining the endeavor is not a walk in the park, as the Hollywood studio made more than a few missteps along the way.
After Man of Steel, the DCEU fast-tracked its progress by going directly into Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which not only pit Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne against each other, but also started setting up Justice League. While the Zack Snyder film was a box office hit, it was critically divisive — with some really digging the darker and moodier approach to these heroes, but with others, not so much. Still, the franchise moved forward with Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League — the last of which has become so problematic on many levels, that Warner Bros. continues to deal with the ramifications of its production. Still, the DCEU continued, releasing Aquaman, Shazam, Birds of Prey, and Wonder Woman 2. But it seems like its past woes have become synonymous with the franchise.
For its 400th Honest Trailer, Screen Junkies look back at the DCEU thus far and mocks all the bad decisions that Warner Bros. made as they attempt to get it off the ground. That includes films that were scrapped even before the franchise kicked off, over-meddling with directors' visions, canceling already announced projects, and of course, the infamous conflict with Zack Snyder. Watch the hilarious but biting video below:
As the DCEU continues with a slate of new films coming up, it's curious if Warner Bros. is changing its approach to the franchise, given what happened to it in its early years. On top of the proper continuity, DC is also expanding to an entirely different universe with Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson's The Batman being set in an entirely different Earth from the main movie line. From there, the movie is building its own interconnected story. As for what's going to be set in the proper DCEU, it's a mix of sequels and origins stories but without its main two superheroes: Superman and Batman.
Considering what's publicly known about the history of the DCEU, backed up by comments from those involved in it, much of these criticisms are well justified. Warner Bros. had some odd choices during the production of their past projects that resulted in many of the nagging problems that the films eventually had. That's not to say that the less-than-ideal reception to some of them was solely their fault, but it played a factor in the results. Now, it continues to deal with the ramifications of some of those choices, especially considering that DC fans have been very passionate about the franchise, and seeing the DCEU struggle was understandably difficult for them.
Source: Screen Junkies
