January 29 / 18

Question…Is the DC Extended Universe Dead? For some or most people yes, but for those like me, no. Not even. We eagerly waited for Justice League to hit theaters. We were giving the latest superhero film high hopes, but alas, that wasn’t’ the case.

I for one like the film. Don’t get me wrong, it had its share of great and funny moments. There were some scenes that we saw in the trailers didn’t make it to the film. Let’s not forget about Henry Cavill‘s CGI disastrous upper lip. My only complaint is how rushed the film was. Zack Snyder had to leave due to a personal tragedy, so Joss Wheadon finished where Snyder left off. Wheadon wrote the screenplay (along with Chris Terrio) for the film. With both director’s visions put together, what we got was a mess.

Justice League grossed $655 million worldwide, while domestically the total was $227 million. These figures are low. I would’ve expected more from both markets, but again, that’s not the case. According to Wikipedia, the film’s tone met a polarized reception. While some appreciated the lighter tone than previous DC films, others found it inconsistent. I felt the performances of all the cast were great. Then again, as I said before in my review of the film, Ben Affleck, although gave his best, I have a feeling he may not want to play the Dark Knight anytime soon.

According to another report I read by Chaim Gartenberg for The Verge, Warner Bros., and DC will minimize the interconnected DC Extended Universe for future films. Meaning that they will probably focus on stand-alone films. Wonder Woman was proof of that, but DC can do even more.

AS THE SAYING GOES…HASTE MAKES WASTE

Problem is that DC is playing catchup with Marvel. Marvel has been successful with how they handled their films. They took the time and energy to really build a roster of films that required a great deal of writing and character development. Meanwhile, DC rushed to get themselves noticed. Yes, it’s good to see what your competition is doing, but what worked for them, may not work for you. DC needs to stop worrying about Marvel is doing and focus on what they need to do. When I say focus, I mean they need to figure out what will work for them. How to create a franchise that will work for all is the task they need to focus on.

After the box office failure of Justice League, what’s next for DC?

DC’S NEXT STRATEGY

Wonder Woman is the only film that did well. Insanely well. What made the film successful? For one thing Patty Jenkins in the director’s chair, screenwriter Allen Heinberg, with Synder, Heinberg, and Jason Fuchs with writing the story, plus the strong and vulnerable performance from Gal Gadot, the film became a box office hit in all the right places. It gave a fresh direction to a heroine icon. I was really happy when Diana was introduced in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Gadot has said, 

“for a long time, people didn’t know how to approach the story. When Patty and I had our creative conversations about the character, we realized that Diana can still be a normal woman, one with very high values, but still a woman. She can be sensitive. She is smart and independent and emotional. She can be confused. She can lose her confidence. She can have confidence. She is everything. She has a human heart.” Need I say more?

I think its’ safe to say that DC’s chances of getting this right are to focus on stand-alone films. Of course, they still have a few things to iron out. For example, The Flash. Loved Ezra Miller‘s take on Barry Allen. We now know that the film will be titled as Flashpoint. The script is ready, but there have been some hiccups, trying to find the right director for the project seemed almost impossible.  Seth Grahame-Smith was the first pick, then came Rick Famuiwa, but due to creative differences with the studio, both left the project. Just recently John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are in negotiations to direct. Let’s hope this turns out well. I can only hope the studio can step back and let these two guys, along with the screenwriters and story writer’s visions come to the screen. I can also hope that the film will come soon. If not 2019, maybe 2020. Maybe it’s time for Synder to remove himself from directing and focus more on storytelling and producing. That will be the best thing for the franchise.

Warner Bros. is slowly and surely setting their roster of more films to come. I really do think that standalone films can pull DC out of its funk make the franchise successful. The extended universe is not dead. They just need to fully put their time, focus, and effort on what they are doing.

Release dates for upcoming DC films:

Aquaman: December 21, 2018

Shazam: April 5, 2019

Wonder Woman: November 1, 2019

Cyborg: April 3, 2020

Image source: Flickering Myth, Nerdist, & Inverse