Welcome to another round of the DC Films News and Rumor Weekly Update where we couldn’t be happier that we’re getting two Captain Marvel movies in one year. Seriously, who would have guessed that Shazam! and Captain Marvel would line up so perfectly? This week we’re covering casting news for Joker, Wonder Woman 84 and Birds of Prey along with some early reactions to Aquaman, updates on The Flash and a metric ton more. So enough of an introduction, let’s get started. Here is the latest update of all of the announcements and rumors that have released from August 24-September 6.
Robin Wright is stepping back into the boots of Amazon warrior Antiope in Wonder Woman 84 in what looks to be a flashback sequence also involving Queen Hippolyta. No word on what the flashback will be about but as Net-A-Porter states, these are the two most important figures in Diana’s life, so it seems only natural they’d be a continued presence in the films. Also appearing in the film will be American Ninja Warrior contestant Jessie Graff who will be performing stunts in the sequel.
Aquaman has officially be rated PG-13 for “sequences of sci-fi violence and action” along with “some language.” The rating should come as no surprise as most comic book movies released feature similar ratings and reasons. Zack Snyder has also been listed as an executive producer on the film, though his actual involvement is unclear. Meanwhile, the movie’s release date has been moved up in the U.K. and Australia from December 21 to December 14 to avoid clashing with Bumblebee and Alita: Battle Angel. CBR does point out that this means the movie will be up against Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which could provide stiff competition based on the Spider-Man license alone. Test screenings have been held and the reactions to the film are good, but far from exceptional. The movie is being compared to an early Marvel film which is sort of a back-handed compliment. On the one hand, it’s good that the movie is embracing a bit more of the fun and lighthearted nature of the Marvel Universe but if it doesn’t do enough to set itself apart it can easily be lost among the deluge of winter films.
Director Todd Phillips has marked the start of filming for Joker with an Instagram post stating “Here we go” a nod, perhaps, to The Dark Knight. Of course, we can’t move on from Joker without talking about the brief casting of Alec Baldwin as a Trump-like Thomas Wayne. The actor was announced as part of the film and then proceeded to leave production a few days later citing scheduling issues. What we can glean from the announcement though is that Joker’s origin will have ties to Bruce Wayne if by way of his father. In other Joker news, Sicario: Day of Soldado composer Hildur Gudnadottir has been brought on board to provide the music for the film.
I’m going to try and remain unbiased on this bit of Batman news, but Geeks WorldWide is reporting that Star Wars’ Oscar Isaac has met with Warner Bros. for an unknown role in the Batman solo film. There is absolutely no solid evidence as to what role he met to discuss but if it does happen to be the title role, count one fan who would be beyond ecstatic. Even if Issac potentially plays the villain in the film, his addition would be more than welcome. In some bad Batman news, it seems that the insurance premiums for Ben Affleck after his recent stay in rehab could jump high enough to make the actor too expensive for him to reprise his role, according to The Wrap. The site makes mention of Robert Downey Jr. being in the same position during the late 90’s and early 00’s and we all know how that turned out as the actor managed to come back stronger than ever thanks to his role in Iron Man.
Producer Hiram Garcia has given an update on Black Adam telling Collider:
Black Adam is definitely happening. We’re actually very deep into a script on it right now, which is coming along really well. I’m really excited with the story we’ve crafted. Look, I’ve always been a huge comic book fan. I’ve always had this dream, I’ve always wanted to—You know, you kind of have like these goals of like, ‘One day I’d love to be able to do this and this,’ and making a superhero movie was definitely always one of my dreams. For the longest time, you know you kind of have this living superhero in Dwayne Johnson, so I was always trying to figure out what’s the perfect character that will kind of fit him and his look and his build and his kind of edge and the attitude he’s got.
It looks like it’s still pretty early in development but as this won’t tie directly into Shazam! it’s good to give both movies room to breathe on their own.
Birds of Prey is looking to be quite a departure from not only mainstream comic book movies, but from the tone of the comic itself. Cosmic Book News is reporting a rumor that the film will be more in line with Logan than what we’ve seen come out of Marvel. Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports that Lady Gaga has been offered more money to star in the film while others are reporting that no offers have been made to anyone for the movie.
In Flash news, actress Kiersey Clemons who is set to portray Iris West in the film has little clue as to the status of the production. She told Variety “No idea, we don’t know yet. We have a little bit of an idea of who our director is. I talk with Ezra [Miller] frequently, and we’ll see. Let’s hope for 2019.” Not exactly the most positive of comments but every little bit of forward momentum is something, right?
Finally, in a bit of Supergirl movie news, We Got This Covered is reporting that Reed Morano is the top choice to direct the film after the female director impressed Warner Bros. with her work on Meadowland, I Think We’re Alone Now and The Handmaid’s Tale. I’m unfamiliar with the director but the one thing Warner Bros. and DC have going for them is they bring on directors with clear visions for the films they work on and don’t all adhere to a studio template for the films.
That’s all for this week. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to betray my love of DC by popping in Spider-Man on the PS4 and watching my weekend go by one web swing at a time. See you next week!