Welcome to a special edition of the DC Films Update where we wish we could be an orphan if it meant getting to hang out with Billy Batson and his alter ego. Today at San Diego Comic Con we were treated to the Warner Bros. presentation which gave us our first look at Aquaman, Shazam!, and Wonder Woman 84. Let’s do a rundown of each film.
Wonder Woman 1984
Right out of the gate was Wonder Woman. Those in attendance at the presentation got their first very early glimpse of Wonder Woman 1984. Unfortunately, the footage has not been made available online but Vulture was there and provided some details on what went on.
The footage featured Wonder Woman taking on gunmen in a mall food court. Before getting into the fight, our hero helps a young girl slide out of the way of the ensuing fisticuffs then proceeds to crush the guns of the bad guys before tying them up with her lasso and using them to help her leap three stories down in the mall. According to Vulture “It’s a sequence with pep and pop that feels like something Lynda Carter would love.”
As for why the movie is set in 1984, director Patty Jenkins said “It was mankind at its best … and worst. It’s us at our most extreme.” Now since the original Wonder Woman has been perhaps the biggest success story in the DCEU expectations are high for the sequel. Wonder Woman herself Gal Gadot understands this and said, “The bar is very, very high, but our aspirations are even higher.” Jenkins followed up saying “I never want to do more of anything for the wrong reason. I don’t even want to go to that place in my head of how you keep it going and cash in. I want to make great movies in my lifetime … we can make a whole new movie about something completely new, and as unique in its own right as the first one.” Sadly we didn’t get a glimpse of Kristen Wiig as the Cheetah in action. They’re probably going to save that for the actual trailer.
Shazam!
Next up is the movie I’m personally most excited about. We got the first trailer for Shazam! and it looks like the DCEU is getting the much-needed dose of levity it’s been sorely lacking. The trailer focuses a lot on the relationship between Billy and his foster family as well as the hijinks that ensue when a kid gets the powers of a superhero and body of an adult. That adult in question is Zachary Levi who director David Sandberg said: “has that quality of a big kid perfect to play Shazam.” As for how Shazam stacks up against another super strong, flying superhero, Sandberg said: “Shazam is one of the only characters that can go toe-to-toe with Superman.” Now that’s a matchup I’d like to see.
Check out the trailer below:
I found myself laughing out loud at a few points and absolutely loved the superpower montage. Shazam isn’t a character that immediately springs to mind when it comes to popular DC characters but this movie might be what changes it and brings him to the forefront.
Aquaman
The final movie was what most people were looking forward to; Aquaman. Cast members including Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II joined director James Wan on stage for the presentation. Momoa excitedly said of the movie “Five to six years in the making. I’m so proud of it. My cast is amazing.” Meanwhile Wan said the movie is “more science-fictiony than a normal superhero movie.” Several of the cast members pointed out that they either couldn’t swim before the film (Abdul-Mateen II) or were not actual fans of swimming (Heard). Sort of ironic they’d be cast in a movie that literally takes place underwater. Momoa also revealed if he could be any sea creature he’d want to be a Shark. When asked who Black Matan should team with, Yahya stated he would like to see Black Manta team up with Batman and the Joker. We then got to see the trailer for the film and it looks amazing. It’s a wise move to just have the characters able to talk underwater and it really doesn’t take you out of the illusion at all.
Have a look at the full trailer:
The movie looks like it’s going to be an absolute epic and actually gives off a few Black Panther vibes with an unseen world, some crazy family politics, epic battles, and just the right amount of humor. DC and Warner Bros. have an almost guaranteed hit on their hands with this one.
So after the presentation, it looks that Warner Bros. and DC have course-corrected big time by remembering that being a superhero should be fun and entertaining and leave audiences thoroughly entertained. Hopefully, we see three amazing movies coming from the studio and more to come. For now, they’ve got at least this fan excited to see what comes next.
