Welcome to the years 2014! It is a year where the highest grossing film was based on an obscure Comic Book; a year where Marvel Studios owns the entire world; a year where the biggest releases have been based on Comics or Cartoons; a year where we will have a huge number of television shows based on Comic Books on the air by December; and it is a year where we wait on baited breath to see how WB will compete with Marvel Studios and their shared universe. For years we have been seeing the company try to figure 'who they are' in this new dynasty where comic book movies reign supreme ...and once The Avengers became the third most highest grossing film in history, a fire was lit under their asses. They saw that and they wanted that money. Their answer to the Avengers was an idea that had been under their hat for years but were sitting on: they finally unleashed Batman V. Superman against their opponents. Now we are careening towards an exciting showdown between two studios (with two others vying for supremacy as well). We the fans will clearly win here no matter who wins.
But this could have gone down much differently.
There were many tiny things that brought us to this point. This is something that has been boiling since the first live action Superman film and any change in direction would have brought us to a much different place than we are today. There were so many movies that were under development but scrapped. There were casting choices that never happened. There were decisions made by production copmanies that never panned out. What if things had gone differently? What would be the the climate for Comic Book Movies had they happened. This is a column that will look back at how we got to where we are and say 'What If.' We look at would could have been and where would the CBM world be had the timeline strayed.
Our first subject is a project that we are currently seeing coming alive and causing a lot of arguments between fans: Batman V Superman. Are the casting choices the right move? Is Warner Bros doing this to cash in on the Avengers ? But did you know that in the Summer of 2002 that Warner Bros were SO CLOSE to not only doing the same project but beating Marvel to the shared Universe punch WAAAYYYY before the Avengers came out. In 2002, the script for Batman Vs. Superman was written and there was word that it was going to be made. No directors or actors were attached by the time it was scrapped. But had it been made, EVERYTHING would be different today. There would be no Nolan trilogy. Superman Returns would have never happened ...which means Singer would have never left the X-Men. It would have changed everything we know about comic book movies. But would it have been for the best or the worst? Well, lets get lost in hypotheticals for a few paragraphs and find out.
Okay, firstly, lets talk about the script for the film and if it was any good. After reading it and re-reading it, I have to say that it isn't terrible ...and I think the contrast between Bruce and Clark is better and more accurate than we are going to get in the 2016 film. The first thing to keep in mind is that it exists in Burton Batman continuity so all of the previous Batman films happened ...and in turn it is assumed that all of the Superman movies happened as well. But it puts both heroes in completely different positions than we had last seen them. They basically re-boot them without rebooting them. Batman has stopped being Batman for five years and is getting married while Lois has divorced Clark and Lana Lang is the love interest here. The conflict happens when a resurrected Joker with the help of Lex Luthoer creates and then kills Bruce's fiancee, Elizabeth. A lot of cloning is involved in this story. Basically, Lex and Joker's plan is to force Batman and Superman against eachother. Batman would kill Superman and then Lex would have the Joker kill Batman. The two heroes come to blows but do not kill each other ...then they confront Lex and the Joker and save the day. It is a quite the basic storyline but with some sprucing up would probably work on screen.
Now, lets assume that Warner Bros. greenlit this script and would be released around the time Batman Begins was ...give or take a year. Who would direct? Would they have gone with Bale as Batman? What would they do with Superman? The answer to these questions is just one person's speculation but I believe you need to look at where Comic Book movies were in the world at the time and Warner Bros. mindset. X-Men and Spiderman were big hits after it looked like Batman and Robin killed CBM's for a few years. Re-booting Batman would be risky as the taste still was not out of people's mouths ...or that is what the studio was afraid of. After many attempts, Superman had not been on screen since 1987 and they had recently rejected a script by J.J Abrams. By the time pre-production would have began Daredevil would have been released and totally flopping with fans and the general public. Comic book movies, while making a comeback, were nowhere near as acclaimed where they are today. This movie would have been a risk to make due to most companies not knowing how to balance making the fans happy and the general public happy. I believe WB would want to make a directorial decision that they thought the Comic book nerds would be happy with ...and they were not quite progressive with hiring people like Nolan yet. I fully believe that they would have given Kevin Smith the script and let him re-write and direct it. At that point in time he was done with the Jersey series and trying to find his new place as a director. I think he would have taken the job.
With a director in place, it was now up to Smith and WB to cast the main roles. Here is where I think things would get interesting when it comes to the actor cast as Batman. After Daredevil flopped, Ben Affleck's star was fading as he wasn't the actor many thought he was ...his relationship with J-lo was also annoying fans world wide. Despite all of that and maybe BECAUSE of that, Kevin Smith after several back and forths convinces WB that Affleck is the right decision for the character and that Daredevil was not Affleck's fault. WB would give Affleck a second chance and he would be Kevin Smith's Batman. In addition since the character of Batman's fiancee is a small role, J-lo plays her. Now that we have our Batman, we need our Superman.
Something to consider before moving on is that at this time, hiring an unknown to play a marquee hero was not a popular concept at this point. At this point in time, only Hugh Jackman would have been a prime example of that. WB would need to be really convinced to risk their top role on a complete unknown ...and I don't think they wouldn't have. HOWEVER, I think they would be more willing go for an ethnic star to play Superman based on more big names at the time being ethnic. WB first goes to Will Smith for the role as he is a major recognizable star and the internet's reaction were not their number one concern. He definitely had the acting chops to do it ...but he turns down the role because of the stigmata that Superhero movies have. With Smith out of the running, they need to go a different direction; someone that looks the role but is still finding his footing as an actor. Who they have in mind is not a complete unknown and has some great charisma but he got his start in a questionable profession ...but after sitting down with him and having him read a few lines ...Warner Bros would had found their ideal Superman in DWAYNE "The Rock" Johnson.
Now with the two lead roles cast, it was a matter of finding the two main villains of the film. Kevin Spacey was the obvious choice for Luthor and pretty much casts himself. CBMs back then were all about the obvious choice which brings me to the Joker. Heath Ledger was INSPIRED casting which will go down as the greatest CBM casting of all time ...as said, WB was not about inspired casting at that point. There was one man who was known for being weird and erratic in his performances. His career wasn't doing that well at the time but he was still a name ...besides he was doing some movie based on a Disney ride that was bound to flop, he could use the work. That is why a few months before Johnny Depp is the biggest name in Hollywood, Warner Bros. signs him to be the Joker in Superman Vs. Batman: Asylum. It is the smartest move the WB could have made.
In addition to the characters in the script, you have to consider those that Kevin Smith would have added to it either based on his love for a character or giving a friend of his work. That is why Sarah Michelle Gellar is cast as Harley Quinn and Jason Lee is Jimmy Olson.
Now that the movie is cast and filmed, it opens in the Summer of 2005 and isn't trashed too bad by the critics ...but more importantly, KILLS at the box office. Why does it kill at the Box Ofice? Well, Johnny Depp as the Joker is a selling point for many but also because you are pitting the two biggest names in Comic Book movie history against each other. Suddenly, at that point, Batman and Robin didn't matter; the Superman Lives issues didn't matter. Batman and Superman were automatically household names again ...Sony and Fox would take notice. If this movie did well, the plan all along was to have them spin off back into their own series therefore Batman and Superman stand alone flicks are greenlight. But WB thinks to themselves: "there could be more money to be made from the D.C heroes and their eventual team ups. Is there any other iconic hero in our libray that we could add to the mix and see if THAT makes any more?" And then a Warner Bros. Executive stands up and says "Well, that guy that created Buffy the Vampire Slayer is working on a Wonder Woman script fo us and she is said to be an iconic character." To which the head of WB says "A female superhero? Would that ever work? After Cat Woman, I am not so sure if we can take that risk. Oh what the hell, Batman Vs. Superman made us so much money, we can afford it."
And thus Batman directed by Kevin Smith is scheduled for a 2007 release, Wonder Woman starring Colby Smolders and directed by Joss Whedon comes out in 2008, and since Rush Hour 3 did so well, I think this Brett Ratner kid can do Superman some justice ....and he is put on Superman in 2009. Batman comes out to some good reviews but again KILLS at the box office which gives D.C more confidence and an idea begins to form in their heads. This idea could very change the face of the way Comic Book Movies are done. After Batman does so well, a call is made to Joss Whedon who is currently filming the Wonder Woman movie. Joss is asked to add a tag at the end that would hint towards the Justice League forming and if that gets a good reaction, then the greenlight will be immediately hit for 2010. And lo and behold, Wonder Woman doesn't just get a 'good reaction' it is universally praised as one of the best CBM's in the last few years and it does even better numbers than Superman Vs. Batman. Joss Whedon is now on high demand and Coby Smolders is now a star ...and even contemplating leaving How I Met Your Mother when her contract is up. How I Met Your Mother only lasts six seasons instead of its 9. After Wonder Woman is released, WB goes to Comic-Con to officially announce the Justice League movie in 2011. They found a director who knows how to create blockbusters such as this. Only ONE man can create a movie on this level of epicness: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the only man who can make the Justice Leauge movie you deserve ....Michael Bay.
Okay, stop and take a breather at this point to see WHY the DCCU is doing so well: its legacy goes all of the way back to the first Superman film. Remember Asylum takes place in the same timeline that the original Batman and Superman films did ...so it seems like this was planned all along. This does provide something of a challenge to filmmakes as they have to stick to continuity but so far the directors they chose respected that. Also that and the other studios had not thought of having their universes connected; this was the first coherent universe and that was in part due to Superman Vs. Batman setting it up. So by 2011, we have had six years of a shared universe ...but if you go back retroactively, this universe dates back to the 70's. And the tone is so light and hopeful ...there is tons of comedy. That is thanks to Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith of course. Soon, D.C makes a mandate that there needs to be comedy in their pictures. .
Now, before I get to Michael Bay's Justice League of America starring Meagan Fox as a completely de-powered Zantanna who the movie focuses on more than the actual Justice League ...lets go over the domino efffect here. Firstly, Bryan Singer stays on the X-Men movies and thus X-Men: The Phoenix Saga is clamored as the best of the series. Famke Jansen is acclaimed for providing one hell of a performance as the dieing Jean Grey. Cyclops becomes a fan favorite character after getting some much needed screen time. The world is also introduced to Channin Tatum as Gambit. This renews Fox's faith in Comic Book movies because they were down in the dumps after Fantastic Four was destroyed by Superman Vs. Batman over teh summer of 2005. They not only gave Singer a deal that would ensure he would do X-Men pictures for them for the forseeable future ...but they also wanted to take another look at their Fantastic Four franchise and how they could make it work. The first movie was not terrible but could have been better ...they commission Mathew Vaughn to work on the sequel that would feature Galactus and Silver Surfer and it is MUCH better than the first one. In the mid-2000's, Fox is doing quite well with their comic properties as Mathew Vaughn's Fantastic Four: Rise of Galactus does good numbers in 2007 making sure to come out months before WB's Batman flick. In 2009, X-Men: Days Future Past thrills audiences with an amazing story with great special effects but what people really enjoyed was the teaser for the movie" Age of Apocalypse. That movie, released in 2011 does even better critically and with box office as they made sure to release it over Christmas as they had most of their releases to steer clear of the D.C juggernaut. The third Fantastic Four film does even better and in 2013, the fans get another movie in what is becoming a trend: the crossover flick. X-Men Vs. Fantastic does awesome at the box office though people are getting tired of superhero films.
After Spiderman 3 is critically panned, they do not know what to do with the product. Raimi, Dunst, and Mcguire just are not interested in the property anymore. They have no choice but to do something nobody has done with Comic Book movies ever ...and that is to re-boot. It was risky ...especially being the first CBM since the blockbuster Justice League film but they found a guy they knew they could trust with the product. Zack Snyder's Spiderman movie in 2012 gets RAVE reviews for how unique of a superhero movie it was. The cinematography was amazing though many felt that Spiderman should have been more funny. Nobody thought a comic book movie re-boot could work and they proved them wrong. In fact, in 2014, Snyder's Spiderman series is still the most popular as the whole superhero thing is dying out. Many admire it for not trying to connect to everything or be a shared universe, they are just good superhero films with an interesting main character.
Now, the biggest casualty of all of this was that attempt by Marvel Studios in 2008. This absolutely DESPERATE company hit a new low when they realized that they sold off all of their best heroes and were left only with B-level heroes. But seeing that Warner Bros. was making so much many with their shared universe, they thought they could cash in on that. Get this: they take one of their lamest characters, Iron Man, and get some washed up actor to play him, and then they get that guy who did Swingers to direct. They were clearly just trying for a cash grab because D.C was doing so well with its heroes in their shared universe. To add insult, they straight up copied Warner Bros. by having an after credits scene teasing an Avengers flick and then they do the same in that bad Hulk sequel. Who would want to see a team of lame heroes like Captain America and Thor in the Avengers when we are getting an amazing line up in 2011 in the Justice League by a man who proved that he could do blockbusters with last year's Transformers? Both Iron Man and Hulk failed at the box office because many saw them as hackneyed attempts to copy the popular D.C formula ...though many would tell you to go back and watch Iron Man because it isn't all that bad. Those are the only two movies that Marvel Studios releases. Disney never buys them which makes them fold and just concentrate on Comics.
Now back to how D.C is doing after Superman by Brett Ratner comes out to a great box office but not so good reviews. Ben Stiller as Toyman was just a weird choice for many who went to go and see it. But many agreed that the Rock was still very likable as Superman and all in all, it was a harmless flick. It just had A LOT of problems. Despite that one no good film ...that everyone ignored because the DCCU is so exciting ...JLA became the second highest grossing film of all time, even beating Avatar. EVERYONE went out to see this film. It featured everything that we all should expect from a blockbuster: explosions, women posed in awkward positions on motor cycles, an extremely racist take on the John Steward Green Lantern, and more explosions. It was what a summer blockbuster should be ...but many on the internet complained about a lack of substance. This greenlit a sequel in 2013 and another in 2015 with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman films being released between them too.
But as we get into 2014, the superhero trend is slowly dying as Fox and Sony are releasing some great films but many feel that Warner Bros. is not what it was. Their movies have become TOO comedic and relies too heavily on special effects and mindless action. Also, many hardcore D.C fans feel that Darkseid is severly underused as well as the Justice League seem to be supporting characters in their own movie. Two movies had happened and both have focused on Snapper Carr befriending the Justice League. Also, DC might be trying to be TOO consistent with their continuity as they forced Halle Barry's Catwoman into the Justice League despite that movie flopping. Shaq also does cameos as Steel from time to time because they all exist in their shared universe. The movies still make money at this point ...but nobody is really THRILLED for these films as they used to be but at least they still have Snyder's Amazing Spider Man films and Singers final X-Men film coming out next year should be exciting. Also, Affleck recently won an academy award for directing and while thankful that Batman brought back his career, he really wants to branch out. Joss Whedon has said that he isn't directing the third Wonder Woman film and wants to go back to some of his older properties that he had neglected. He announced the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie last July at Comic-Con after he realized no studio wanted to do a second Serenity picture. Kevin Smith has also ended his run with the Batman movies and is looking to FINALLY do Clerks 2. Brett Ratner and Michael Bay are sitting pretty with their franchises and D.C is happy with the money they are making for them.
But all in all, in 2014, I think we are over our superhero obsesssion for a few years. I guess we just wait until a new project renews our interest in it.
And that ends our trip an alternate universe and it is interesting to see the contrasts and parallels between what could have been and whad DID happen. I think the most interesting thing to me is how Warner Bros. is really trying to start a shared universe now when they were SO CLOSE to it so many years ago. They had the tools for it all along but somehow they decided to not go down that route. Some of it was for the better but some of it was for the worst. We will see in a year and a half if they can indeed crush Marvel so easily with THIS Batman Vs. Superman. I for one will never cout out an opponent with the heavy weaponry that D.C has in its characters.
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