Welcome to another edition of the DC Films News and Rumors Weekly Update where we are far too mature to make any jokes about the full frontal exposure Batman has had this week. Way too mature. This week we’ve got updates on the Supergirl movie, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, and a rumor about the future of the greater DC cinematic universe. Here is the latest update of all of the announcements and rumors that have released from September 7-20.
First up is some news items regarding Supergirl, which is looking more and more likely to be filling a Krypton-sized hole in the DCEU after the recent swirl of rumors that Henry Cavill has left the role of Superman behind. The Playlist is reporting that the movie will be set in the 1970’s and act as an origin story for the character leaving little chance for a Superman cameo. The previous era setting worked for Wonder Woman so it looks like Warner Bros. is taking a cue from that movie. Scooper @DanielRPK has also floated the rumor that Brainiac will be the main villain of the film. Meanwhile, Reed Morano has responded to rumors that she’s being eyed as the director with the statement “It’s weird, we’ve gotten no calls. Someone made it up.”
Joker information is trickling out as the movie has begun filming including several pictures of Joaquin Phoenix looking the part with his new gaunt frame. It’s almost unnerving how much he physically resembles the character even out of makeup which at least is a testament to great casting. Now we just have to see if that looks spills over into his performance. We will continue to cover the Joker as more of normal news articles since the project is within The Batman Universe, so be on the lookout for news as it happens related to the film in Movie News.
The Batman solo movie is one step closer to filming as rumor has it Matt Reeves has finished the script for the film. Still no word on if the film will include the Ben Affleck version of Batman or make room for a new actor. Reeves, meanwhile, visited an exhibit for Batman ’66 which some are dissecting as hints as to what he plans to do on the film, but, honestly, he probably just wanted to see the sights.
Also completed is the script for Suicide Squad 2, according to screenwriter Todd Stashwick saying, “We have finished our draft and I’m really proud of it.” He goes on to say the sequel follows the original so we can expect several of the actors from the first film to return and it to be set in the current DCEU continuity.
The rumors surrounding Cavill and Affleck not continuing in the DCEU is part of a larger rumor that Warner Bros. is set to reboot the universe which could mean anything from recasting major characters to having future movies not follow any of the groundwork laid by Justice League and it’s related films. I don’t think they need to do a hard reset but rather just let the future movies stand on their own and maybe down the road have another team-up film but not necessarily forcing each movie into on continuity.
If the roles of Batman and Superman are truly vacated then we have potential actors to fill the roles. Kit Harrington, John Krasinski, Jack O’Connell and Noah Centineo are all rumored to be interested in the role of the Dark Knight while Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan is on Warner Bros. short list for actors to take on the role of Superman. If Jordan gets the role of Superman he’ll be in the good company of Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans who have taken on several comic book movie roles including both Evans and Jordan playing Johnny Storm/The Human Torch.
In yet more fallout from Henry Cavill, his cameo in Shazam! is apparently not going to happen but The Wrap has info on what the cameo would have been, saying “for what it’s worth the Superman cameo in Shazam! was supposed to be Clark at the end of the movie meeting with Billy Batson, the kid who [becomes] Shazam, and telling him ‘Hey, we’re gonna keep an eye on you.’ That kind of thing.” To be honest, it doesn’t seem like we’re missing much and we know there is little chance this would lead to a Justice League 2 anytime soon.
In Birds of Prey news, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jurnee Smolett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cristin Milioti and Justina Machado have all reportedly been screen testing for roles in the movie though the exact roles remain under wraps we can assume it’s probably for Black Canary and Huntress as the Cassandra Cain character is meant to be played by a younger actress.
The Cyborg movie probably isn’t going to happen, especially with what Ray Fisher is saying the needed budget would be. At the Heroes and Villains FanFest in New Jersey, the actor said “there’s a ton of people making those kinds of decisions behind the scenes. And it would be a very, very costly movie to make because it is so CGI heavy with Cyborg because I’m the only member of the League that’s not in a practical costume. You’re going to be looking at $200 million just to make it. So it’s one of those things you have to take into consideration. It’s a numbers game for some people at the end of the day.” I really don’t see Warner Bros. pouring that much money into the film when Cyborg was hardly a breakout character in Justice League. Though we’ll probably see Cyborg on the small screen thanks to DC Universe’ Doom Patrol so maybe he can build an audience there before making a return to the cinematic universe.
Hans Zimmer, the composer of Wonder Woman 1984, wasn’t initially keen on coming back to score the film but told Collider “Patty phoned me and she had a really interesting idea as well. The story that she’s going to tell, or is probably right now on a set telling, it’s a story that I want to be part of.” Zimmer is responsible for the now instantly recognizable theme for the character but did not score the first film which was instead done by Rupert Gregson-Williams.
In case your worried that the behind-the-scenes shakeup at DC and Warner Bros. means the Flash solo film may be in danger, fear not as The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez tweeted “Zero truth. Daley and Goldstein are still on THE FLASH and were at the studio just last week.” The movie has gone through so many changes in its development that it’s heartening to hear the directors are sticking with the film and will hopefully be able to tell a worthy story for the character that doesn’t retread what we’ve seen on the CW show.
That’s all for this week. It looks like the potential loss of Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill have sent shockwaves through the DCEU and I’m sure we’ll see more impact in the coming weeks. So let us know who is on your wish list to take on the two iconic roles and check back next week for more news and rumors.
