DC Comics Universe Class of 2023: Wonder Woman, LOBO, and Green Lantern?
A lot is going on at Warner Bros. Pictures: DC Comics Division.
James Gunn and Peter Safran have grabbed the helm of a fractious comic book movie-franchise and are starting to do some deep cleaning by removing, bleaching (Clorox edition), and setting fire to various projects that could have been memorable. It also appears that in the process of this annihilation, small diamonds of possible movie projects are emerging.
Wonder Woman 3: Jenkins Departs, Gadot Stays
Patty Jenkins, famed producer and director for the current Wonder Woman franchise has decided to depart from the DC Comics movie franchise after WB studio executives, Michael Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy disagreed with Jenkins’ script that was co-written with Geoff Johns. Given the opportunity to rewrite the script by Gunn and the studio execs, Jenkins declined the offer. While details of the script are uncertain, it’s possible that the script might have circulated around a timeframe that didn’t reflect the current times. In sum, Jenkins has departed from the franchise as of now, while Gadot has stated that she doesn’t want to go “to the 60’s or 40’s” and “its time to move on” from those eras. I agree. Wonder Woman, in the current era would be nice to see as Diana Prince navigates a world filled with Superheroes, Tik-Tok, modern villains, and new love interests. Confirmed by Gal Gadot’s tweet, she still wants to play the iconic Wonder Woman and in my opinion, she shouldn’t. She’s still young in this game, drawing in collectively close to $2 Billion dollars in only 6 movies as the lead star. While the actor’s age may be a factor for some studio execs (not me), Wonder Woman’s age in comic book lore is estimated to be around 800 – 5000 years old, and that’s young for a women of Themscira.
LOBO: Portrait of A Bastich
Rumors are circulating that LOBO: The Main Man, will be making an appearance within the DC Universe by Aquaman’s leading actor, Jason Mamoa. My prediction is that he will be portraying the last Czarian very, very, soon. Lobo is considered, by some, if not all, to be the “toughest son of a Bastich in the DC realm” and to have him leave the newly revised and cooler looking Aquaman to become the hardcore intergalactic bounty hunter is a serious MF FLEX. Biker, bearded, cigar smoking, no rules, and no allegiances except to himself and his job as a bounty hunter; we’d be missing out on this greatness if Gunn and Safran don’t cast him. For me, I’m looking forward to the space dolphins. My only question would be are we going to see him on HBOMax as a miniseries or the big screen? Given the trends in media streaming, with, Warner Bros/Discovery Subscriber numbers, and Quarter 4 revenues, a seasonal miniseries might be the way to keep consumers engaged, subscribed, and loyal. LOBO could lead to an increase in revenue for DC and pave the way for more intergalactic characters. As for the movie option, avoid the Black Adam marketing strategy and find an inexpensive method of promoting the character, via Comic Con events, Youtube, and/or Social Media.
Green Lantern: Intergalactic Diversity
Gunn and Safran have hinted that a proposed Green Lantern series is in development for HBOMax. While reports have indicated that Green Lantern will focus on just John Stewart; for a more diverse and “intergalactic” Police Force, they should stick to the original setup and incorporate as many emerald knights in the series as possible with Hal Jordan and John Stewart for episodes 1/2, Guy Gardner for episode 3, and then Jessica Cruz and Sojourner Mullein for episode 4/5. Subsequently, the series should also include, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, Alan Scott, Sinestro, and several arch villains for the series. Let’s not forget Kilowog as well.
Additionally, rather than just look at the 2D/3D approach for the series, DCU should try to incorporate a “Love, Death, Robots” approach and incorporate a series of animated to live-action POVs from multiple writers and animators. For the first season, however, the writers of the comic book series should get first dibs; out of respect. If the series is successful with viewers, I’d proposed a big screen release with AMAZON splitting half the cost with Warner Bros.
DC’s 10-year plan is underway as Gunn and Safran are making changes to ensure the continuity of the all new DCU. Gone, or in hibernation it appears, are some of DC’s more traditional characters (Batman, Superman, Aquaman) and coming into the fold are some revised and newer heroes that could make the DC brand much more interesting. With Marvel’s sudden refocus on Phases 5 and 6; choosing quality over quantity, this is DC’s chance to show fans and viewers that they have an arsenal of characters worth fighting for.
Good Luck Gunn and Safran, we’re rooting for you.
