Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a failure. Suicide Squad was a critical disaster.
Where do Warner Bros. and DC go from here?
That's the question on everyone's mind right now, as the two studios prepare for a massive second weekend freefall for their supervillain ensemble picture. The DC Extended Universe is in total disarray right now. Sure, these films are still raking in plenty of cash, but there is a huge quality issue in play here, and soon, that is going to catch up with them. Wonder Woman seems like it could be the film to right the ship, and Zack Snyder's Justice League is stretching to show audiences and critics that they learned from the mistakes of Dawn of Justice. And looking beyond 2017, Warner Bros. has lined up talented directors like James Wan, Ben Affleck and Rick Famuyiwa to helm projects like Aquaman, Batman, and The Flash (although considering what happened with David Ayer, that's not exactly a sure thing). But no matter the talent in front of or behind the camera, there's no question that DC is in a scramble to put their house in order. Putting Geoff Johns in charge is a step in the right direction, and this next move, reported earlier in the week by The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez, is another savvy choice that could help to reboot the tone and style of the DCEU.
In a report by Gonzalez at the popular trade, the famed superhero scooper (known popularly as El Mayimbe) broke the news that Man of Steel 2 is in "active development" at Warner Bros. Now, I couldn't tell you the difference between "development" and "active development," but the fact of the matter is that Gonzalez is usually fairly spot-on with his scoops. In fact, I think that the decision to pursue a Man of Steel sequel makes sense in a lot of ways. If there has been one consistent complaint regarding these DCEU films, it's that Henry Cavill's Superman is.....well, not all that heroic. He causes mass devastation, intimidates his enemies, and doesn't seem all that interested in saving humanity. We'll see how things go in Justice League, but I believe Man of Steel 2 is a chance for Warner Bros. to bring a new director on board to create a fresh vision of Cavill's Superman.
Look, I'm of the belief that Warner Bros. and DC have overcompensated in their reaction to fan complaints about their films, but there's no doubt that this interpretation of Superman needs to change. All of the superheroes can't be dark and moody like Batman. After Snyder finishes work on Justice League (which I have no confidence in, but certainly hope is good), it's the perfect time to kick him out and bring on somebody new to "save Superman." Collider has been running a poll on who the next director of Superman should be, and while fans jokingly replied that the answer is "anybody but Zack Snyder," there are quite a few interesting names including George Miller, Damien Chazelle, Brad Bird, and Jonathan Levine (personally, I'd be fine with any of those). I'll go into this more in my extended piece on how to save the DCEU later in the week, but I think it's safe to say that doing a soft reboot of Superman is a brilliant idea.
The Man of Steel will return to theaters on November 17, 2017, when Justice League debuts around the world.
Image Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures, Joblo
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