The wait has ended. James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-CEOs of DC Studios, have been teasing the release of a slate of movies that will create a new cinematic world for weeks (and reboot the old one). We now have solid confirmation that the studio will make a significant unveiling of upcoming movies on Tuesday (January 31). In this era of connected films and cinematic universes, DC has been finding it difficult to compete against major rival Marvel Studios for the past ten years. Things are finally looking up for the franchise now that Gunn and Safran are in charge (both having an almost flawless track record with the genre as directors and producers, respectively). As you get ready for the next (hopefully better) era of the DC universe, here’s what to know about how we got here.
Why does this universe lag behind the Marvel universe?
The DCEU’s debut occurred five years later, in 2013, with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and it has only been playing catch-up since then. In contrast, the Marvel Cinematic Universe got underway with the summer 2008 release of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr., was an instant success. The superhero wasn’t well-known, and to be honest, neither were the Avengers who appeared later (who were not comic book readers). The cast and crew of Marvel Studios, led by Kevin Feige, had confidence in themselves, which paid off. This included Robert Downey Jr., who was virtually persona non grata due to his substance addiction issues and legal troubles at the time.
The Dark Knight, a movie directed by Christopher Nolan for adults that were more of a crime thriller than a traditional superhero movie, presented Iron Man with another obstacle. However, the Dark Knight trilogy, which starred Christian Bale, was a standalone universe. And DC didn’t seriously consider creating a cinematic universe until “Man of Steel.”
The movie, which starred Henry Cavill as Superman, was a stand-alone that was meant to eventually result in the creation of the Justice League. However, the movie did poorly, and viewers did not like Snyder’s darker Superman. The movie had a respectable level of box office success and earned mixed reviews from critics. The following two films, Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad received even harsher reviews from critics and performed poorly at the box office, the former in particular because it included the primary three DC superheroes. Since then, DC has experienced some individual successes, but due to underwhelming film office results, it has shifted away from integrated storytelling.
What can we anticipate from the DC Studios news?
We are aware that Gunn is already penning a Superman film (sadly, Henry Cavill will not reprise the role). Gunn and Safran are therefore probably creating a brand-new Justice League. (www.stocktargetadvisor.com) All of the team’s superheroes, including the updated versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter, will have their own standalone films as a result. Of course, this is only conjecture, and the squad may have started off smaller or larger. Additionally, we know Gunn and his crew will invent amusing supervillains to compete with Thanos. Darkseid is the obvious choice, but he is too enormous for the first Justice League film.
But how would Gunn’s DCU differ from the preceding DCEU run by Snyder? Knowing Gunn’s preference for obscure DC and Marvel Comics characters, we may anticipate seeing well-known characters coexisting with some that only diehard DC fans will be familiar with. Now that it can draw in a wider audience and produce a more inclusive portrayal on screen, DC Universe can highlight its diverse cast of characters and their distinctive opinions.
We are confident Gunn and crew will create a fascinating DC picture world until something disastrous happens and there is substantial studio intervention like there was with Snyder. By interacting with fans, holding events, and producing goods, DC Universe may develop a devoted and passionate fan base outside of movies, TV shows, comic books, and video games.