Lots of news coming out of DC Fandome that was held recently. Probably the most anticipated was James Gunn’s cast list of his follow up to Suicide Squad. Now I’m not a fan of the franchise, but with what’s happening now – I am. James Gunn also is no slouch by any means – so he just may have the golden touch to turn this disaster of a franchise around.
SUICIDE SQUAD II
Viola Davis will reprise her role as Amanda Waller while Joel Kinnaman will play Colonel Rick Flag and Michael Rooker will play Savant. Flula Borg will step into the role of Javelin and of course, Margot Robbie will continue to cause trouble as Harley Quinn. David Dastmalchian will see spots as Polka Dot Man and Daniela Melchior will be Ratcatcher 2. Idris Elba will be armed as Bloodsport and Steve Agee will play King Shark. Mayling Ng will portray Mongal and Peter Capaldi will get brainy as Thinker and Alice Braga will be Sol Soria. Rounding out the bunch is Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and John Cena as Peacemaker.
Let me tell you what I like about this. Idris Elba as Bloodsport I think could run away with the movie – and Pete Davidson as Blackguard could make it ten times worse. So it’s a crap shoot – but like I said – James Gunn is no slouch, he knows what the audience wants, he knows what comic fans want, and he understands the comic book universe. I would love to see this thing in theaters – I’m sure Margot Robbie worked out her accent by now and maybe it’s actually worth listening to this time around.
THE BATMAN
Also during DC Fandome – The Batman got his due in the spotlight with a trailer of footage put together so far from what has been shot.
The director Reeves has stated on the panel at DC Fandome that his Batman is Batman Year Two.
“It’s not an origins tale, but you’re meeting him in the early days. A lot of the other (cinema) stories showed he had to master his fear and himself, to become Batman,” said Reeves, but in his movie “we met in the middle of this criminological experiment and watch him make mistakes.”
Paul Dano plays a version of Riddler that we have never seen before, which will be interesting. Andy Serikis plays a new rendition of Alfred. Colin Farrell plays Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin, before he becomes The Penguin. I believe each of these villains do not exactly know their potential as of yet, neither does The Batman. I think as the movie grows, they will all grow into their characters and be ready for future films and fights. Selina is even making an appearance in this – before she becomes Catwoman. So it seems we will get to know all these characters before their iconic status and be able to grow along with them – including The Batman, which could make for a very smart choice. I am excited to see this simply because it’s not Hollywood studio cinema with nipples on costumes and fake explosions everywhere.
BLACK ADAM
The Rock gave some sweet info on his new DC character, Black Adam. Confirming that his film will include Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Cyclone and Atom Smasher. Which is great because Hawkman has always been one of my favorites and his character is wonderfully suited to some cinematic tales. Finally… The Hawkman has come back… to – well you know the rest.
Asked if Superman will appear in Black Adam, we know that Cavill is signed to appear in one of the future DC movies – Rock would not answer directly as to which one.
The Rock had a message for existing DC superheros Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg about Black Adam: “Let them know something — things will never be the same hierarchy in the DC universe, it’s about to change.”
THE FLASH
The Flash team had some news about the new stand alone film starring Flash. It was suggested that there will be some kind of time travel involved. This scares me because we have had nothing but time travel from these superhero movies ever since their inception. X-Men time travel all the time and Avengers of course, had time travel in spades. So the fact that time travel is being used again – makes me very weary and almost think that they had absolutely no idea what to do with The Flash. Let’s hope I’m wrong. Oh, and they revealed that Flash will wear a new suit. Oh Joy.
SHAZAM!
Yes there will be a sequel to the hit Shazam and Zachary Levi will reprise the role. It will be called Fury of The Gods. The cast came on at DC Fandome to talk about how they could not talk about the movie. The first film made a nice $159 million, and had a great tone and great heart, so I’m glad it is coming back for more.
WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman 1984 debuted a longer trailer at DC Fandome. This one includes Cheetah in full costume going after Diana. Wonder Woman lassoing lightening and those infamous words from a hero “what did you do?” I was a big fan of the first one, I loved what Patty Jenkins did and I’m glad she got the power and the freedom to do it again. Honestly, anything Gal Gadot is starring in with a short skirt, I am going to watch, so this series does not need much goating to get me hooked. I’m glad it was shot and finished before the pandemic, and now it’s just a waiting game. Wonder Woman gets to face her arch nemesis and let’s hope it’s a battle that will last a few films into the future.