Category Archives: DC comics Super heroes

Casting Breakdown for Supergirl TV Series Reveals New Details

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Back in September, it was revealed that not only was a “Supergirl” TV series in development but that CBS had ordered a series commitment for DC Entertainment’s latest series. Now, TVLine brings word on the first casting breakdown for the show that not only points to this version of Kara, but also a new character created for the show.

According to the outlet, the producers are searching for “Caucasian females, age 22 to 26, to play 24? for the role of Kara Zor-El or Kara Danvers (a reference to the “Linda Danvers” version of the character no doubt) as she will be called on Earth. The site notes that  “as the series’ mythology goes, Kara at age 12 was sent from her dying home planet of Krypton to Earth, where she was taken in by the Danvers, a foster family who taught her to be careful with her extraordinary powers. After repressing said skills for more than a decade, Kara is forced to bust out her super moves in public during an unexpected disaster. Energized by her heroism for the first time in her life, she begins embracing her abilities in the name of helping the people of her city, earning herself a super moniker along the way.”

Another character included in the breakdown, though, is Kara’s foster sister Alexandra “Alex” Danvers, who is described as “Kara’s gorgeous, brilliant, science-minded foster sister. Growing up, Alex was partly jealous of her sibling yet also fascinated by her abilities, prompting Alex to learn as much as she could about alien anthropology, sociology and culture. Today, Alex works for a secret government organization and, alongside her heroic sis, will face many challenges, both mundane and super.”

Greg Berlanti of “Arrow” and “The Flash” will be teaming up with “Chuck” and “No Ordinary Family” producer Ali Adler to write and executive produce the series.

Jason Momoa Opens Up About AQUAMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE

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Yes, Jason Momoa is set to play Aquaman in Justice League and a stand alone film. After playing coy, and constantly denying his involvement over the last few months, the actor has finally opened up about it in an interview with ComicBook.com. Here’s what he had to say in regards to being able to talk about it:

“Listen, I was asked to play it. You know, you audition and stuff like that, but the fact is you’ve just got to keep it quiet. You know what I mean, I was just trying to respect Warner Bros. and everyone’s wishes. I’m really, really happy that I don’t have to be quiet anymore, because that’s really hard for me.”

Momoa also went on to say that it’s an “honor” for him to bring Aquaman to the big screen:

“The greatest thing for me is that Polynesians, our gods, Kahoali, Maui, all these water gods, so it’s really cool and a honor to be playing a [water] character. And there’s not too many brown superheroes, so I’m really looking forward to representing the Polynesians, the natives. It’s cool be a part of DC’s universe. I’m really excited to be with Warner Bros., and hopefully everyone likes it. And Zack Snyder’s a genius, so I’m really excited to be hanging out with him.”

It’s good to see that he’s excited about it. Because every time it was previously brought up in interviews he just came off as being annoyed. He still won’t provide any details, which is expected, but he does say:

“I really wish I could say something, but I don’t even know.. I found out some of the characters that are in Justice League that are casted that I didn’t know. So you found out when I found out. And that stuff is pretty tight-lipped so I don’t have anything to give.”

As you know, stuff leaks out all the time, so I’m sure we’ll eventually find out more information on the role Aquaman will play in DC’s cinematic universe. When talking about Justice League he did say the following:

“I don’t know the director. I know about as much as you guys know. I know the Justice League will come first. That’s really what we’re going to focus on. I’m not sure if it will be [set] prior to Justice League or post. I don’t know too much about it. It will probably be where he came from. It will probably be his whole origin story I would think…I mean I don’t even want to get quoted on this shit. So I know we’re going to do Justice League first. I don’t even know when we’re shooting yet, but it will be like 2016 or 2017, so there’s plenty of time.”

CYBORG — Ray Fisher Didn’t Know He Was Getting A Solo Movie

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The 27 year old Ray Fisher first got the attention of Hollywood after playing Muhammad Ali in Fetch Clay, Make Man. Standing at 6-foot-4, a ripped 212 pounds, and a classically trained veteran of the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, Fisher seemed destined to be a superhero.

Before he joined the DC cineverse, Fisher was rumored for Star Wars: Episode VII and was even scouted by director Ang Lee for a Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali 3D boxing movie.http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/5447cd27e4b0e4ae9da2f4e5/1413991719760/?format=500w

Fisher likely signed a gigantic, multi picture deal with Warner Bros., but the studio gave him no clue as to what those movies might be. Just a couple of hours before Warner Bros. announced its eleven movie plan, the studio informed Fisher that his character Cyborg would be getting his own solo movie in 2020. Not bad for an actor who had zero film credits before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Fisher on the announcement:

“I didn’t know the extent to which DC and WB had planned on taking my character. When I signed on, I just wanted to be part of this world. But that specific information, I found out then and there. I didn’t think I’d be getting my own stand-alone film. It’s a huge honor, but a bit of pressure comes along with it. My mind is just boggled right now.”

On meeting the cast:

“I met everyone in the Justice League except Henry Cavill and Ezra Miller.”

A logical guess is that Batman/Bruce Wayne, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman will be Cyborg’s first contact with the Justice League.

Fisher on working on Batman v Superman:

“It was surreal. You get this idea of going to work on a Hollywood set as being really stressful and nerve-wracking. But it blew that stereotype away. If they did have stressful times, it wasn’t while I was there.”

It’s an exciting time to be a movie geek. It’s crazy to think we have twenty-one superhero movies coming out in three years.

DC announces new movie line up!

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It’s time to break out the popcorn, because it looks like many of your favorite super heroes will soon be coming to the silver screen.

In today’s Time Warner investor’s meeting, Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara revealed a slate of ten DC Entertainment films, many previously unannounced, that will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema through 2020.

Here’s the slate:

  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Directed by Zack Snyder (2016)
  • Suicide Squad Directed by David Ayer (2016)
  • Wonder Woman Starring Gal Gadot (2017)
  • Justice League Part One Directed by Zack Snyder, with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017)
  • The Flash Starring Ezra Miller (2018)
  • Aquaman Starring Jason Momoa (2018)
  • Shazam (2019)
  • Justice League Part Two Directed by Zack Snyder (2019)
  • Cyborg Starring Ray Fisher (2020)
  • Green Lantern (2020)

First Trailer for JUSTICE LEAGUE: THRONE OF ATLANTIS

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http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/542c171fe4b092d99a131a16/1412175650010/first-trailer-for-justice-league-thorne-of-atlantis?format=750wWarner Bros. Animation has released the first full trailer for their upcoming animated film Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, and I think fans will like what it has to offer. Aquaman finally gets the spotlight in one of these films, and it looks like he kicks some ass.

As Orm and Black Manta make their move against the surface world after the battle with Apokolips forces in Justice League War had deadly consequences for Atlantis, the queen of the lost underwater civilization searches for her other son, Orm’s half brother Arthur. Living on the surface world with powers he doesn’t understand, Arthur Curry steps into his destiny as Aquaman, teaming with the Justice League to save and unite all people of the world.

The cast of the movie includes Matt Lanter (Aquaman), Sam Witwer (Orm/Ocean Master), Chris Gorham (The Flash), Jason O’Mara (Batman), Shemar Moore (Cyborg), Rosario Dawson (Wonder Woman), Jerry O’Connell (Superman), Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern), and Sean Astin (Shazam).

New Superhero T-Shirts Latest in a Long Line of Sexist Licensed Products from DC AND Marvel

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I’m not entirely sure who is making the decisions when it comes to licensing at DC Entertainment, but recently two somewhat controversial shirts have appeared at retail outlets, and it’s safe to say most people aren’t very happy with them.  The first shirt was revealed on the DC Women Kicking Ass page, which features an image of Superman and his now-girlfriend Wonder Woman locked in a mid-air kiss from the cover of Justice League #12, with art by Jim Lee.

It’s already an older image, so why all the hubbub now? Well, you can thank a couple of modifications made to the original image just for this t- shirt that take the whole thing to a new, sexist level. Now there’s a caption above the image that says “SCORE!” and another that says “Superman Does It Again!” reducing his relationship with Wonder Woman to a hook up at a frat party. All that’s missing is Superman sporting a propped collar, a backwards baseball cap, and Batman appearing somewhere to the side giving Clark a high five on a job well done.

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Maybe the most offensive thing about the shirt isn’t the captions (though they’re bad), it’s the changes made to the original art. In the original Jim Lee cover image, Wonder Woman has Superman tied up in her lasso, the suggestion being that it was she who snagged him, not the other way around. Maybe the shirt manufacturers  thought that men wouldn’t wear a shirt that suggested that a woman was the sexually dominant one, and had the lasso removed. But at the end of the day, DC and/or Warner Brothers had to approve it. The whole thing is pretty gross, and the most shocking thing is that DC thought that they could put this out there and that no one would care or notice.

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The second shirt, revealed via a blog called PJ Says, is one that was discovered while shopping at WalMart in the juniors section. All in hot pink writing, it features the bat symbol and the words “Training to be Batman’s Wife.” (The word “wife” is in cursive, because reasons.) Why not “Training to Be Batgirl,” or Batwoman? Or even training to be Batman’s partner?? (Which has a double meaning, if you happen to be one of the many women who find Bruce Wayne attractive.) Nope, this shirt instead is telling young women and girls that you shouldn’t fantasize about being a hero yourself, just the hero’s wife.

The author of the original blog post sums it up pretty well: “F–k being Batman’s wife. I want to be Batman. I want to wear a skintight bat suit the color of dark justice. I want a utility belt. I want to drive an impossibly fast car or a tricked out motorcycle. I want to save people. I want to be the biggest badass in Gotham. I want to be talking to someone at a boring party at the mayor’s house, see the bat signal over someone’s shoulder, and say ‘Excuse me. Someone’s calling me.’”

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DC has officially responded to the criticism, giving an official response to Comic Book Resources, saying “DC Comics is home to many of the greatest male and female Super Heroes in the world. All our fans are incredibly important to us, and we understand that the messages on certain t-shirts are offensive. We agree. Our company is committed to empowering boys and girls, men and women, through our characters and stories. Accordingly, we are taking a look at our licensing and product design process to ensure that all our consumer products reflect our core values and philosophy.” While it’s nice to see DC admit that these products are offensive, the real question remains: will they really change what products they approve moving forward, or is this all just PR?

Superheroes and superhero images are everywhere, thanks to the huge presence they have in popular culture these days. But outside of movies, it’s clothing and other licensed product that really convey what these characters are supposed to represent to the mainstream, and in particular, young people. (I wish it were comics, but its not.)  Walk into any Target for example, and you’ll see tons of items with the Justice League characters on them (they recently signed a licensing deal for Justice League products with DC). But if those clothes/toys/school supplies are aimed at young boys, then the image of Wonder Woman is almost always removed from the team line-up, even if she is more famous as a name brand than either Green Lantern or the Flash.

By doing this, you are instilling the idea in young boys’ minds that female heroes are not to be admired or looked up to, much less have their images displayed on their clothing. And this isn’t a DC issue alone; Marvel got tons of heat for not featuring the character of Gamora on many licensed Guardians of the Galaxy items, and last year had a t-shirt for girls that said “I Need A Hero,” while shirts for boys (albeit young boys) had phrases like “Be A Hero.” Neither DC nor Marvel create the sexism in our culture, it’s already there, and in fact, in the comics themselves female characters are often portrayed as just as (or more) powerful and capable as the men. But these companies need to be sure that is the image they project when being licensed out, otherwise they’re simply not doing their job, and all those strong female characters in the comics and even in the movies will be for nothing.

Supergirl Is Going To Be Changed In These Specific Ways

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https://i2.wp.com/www.cinemablend.com/images/sections/67478/supergirl_67478.jpg?w=584In the comics, the reason Supergirl is named Supergirl is because she was only a teenager when she met and trained with Superman to hone her special powers given to her by Earth’s yellow sun. Basically, her title is meant to be an indication of her young age (and, of course, to differentiate her from any characters named “Superwoman”).

This makes us wonder why the Supergirl that will be featured in the upcoming CBS series has that name, given that she will be aged up to be 24 when she first hones her powers.

This under-the-radar bit of info comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter’s story from a few days ago, when it was officially revealed that Supergirl has gotten a series commitment from CBS. In that write-up, the trade included a brief breakdown of the show’s plot, and in doing so revealed that there will be a slight but interesting change made to the titular character’s origin:

The hourlong drama… centers on Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin, who was born on the planet Krypton and escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, she has been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.

For comparison, going back to the original Supergirl’s debut in 1959, the character was introduced as one of the only survivor of Argo City, part of Krypton that managed to stay intact after the planet’s explosion and drifted through space as a result. When the inhabitants begin to die due to exposure to Green Kryptonite, the young Kara Zor-El is sent to Earth by her father, Zor-El, to be brought up by Superman. Living at an orphanage and adopting the name Linda Lee, she begins training with her mentor and by the time she starts attending high school she is allowed to start openly be a superhero.

So why exactly is this happening? Sure, making Supergirl 24-years-old puts her in the same range as Stephen Amell’s Arrow and Grant Gustin’s Flash, but wouldn’t some more age diversity be kind of a nice thing? And it can’t be a casting thing, because Hollywood has had actors in their 20s (and even 30s) playing teens for decades. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that the studio and showrunners Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler want to avoid comparisons to Smallville, but would that really be that hard to do on the creative end?

It will be interesting to see how this whole situation shakes out, but it may be a while before we get any answers, as we still don’t really know the full details of the timetable for the Supergirl series. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.

SUPERGIRL TV Series Lands at CBS

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That Supergirl TV series we’ve been hearing about that is being developed by Arrow‘s Greg Berlanti has landed at CBS. According to Deadline, the deal closed last night, which is only one day after the project was taken out to the broadcast networks. They must have put together an impressive package, but Supergirl really does have the makings of a successful show if done right.

The series will center on Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin, “who was born on the planet Krypton and escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, she has been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.”

The character was previously played by Laura Vandervoort on The CW’s Superman origin series Smallville. I’m happy to see that the new DC Comics series is moving forward, and I’m really curious to see how they bring the character to life in it.

Animated Miniseries Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles Heads to Machinima in 2015

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Animated Miniseries Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles Head to Machinima in 2015

In the first programming collaboration since Warner Bros.’ investment in Machinima earlier this year, it was announced today that Machinima has greenlit the new animated shortform series “Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles,” from Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett (both producers on “Batman: The Animated Series”). The digital series is based on Justice League: Gods & Monsters, an original animated film executive produced by Timm and co-produced by Burnett that will be released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment later in 2015. “Chronicles” will focus on alternate versions of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

“Ever since we announced the Warner Bros. strategic investment, we have been looking for a new and exciting way to tap into the company’s unmatched content. With ‘Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles,’ Machinima will be the very first place fans can experience a new vision for DC Comics’ beloved Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman characters. In addition, we have built a first-of-its-kind package for brands to engage with these characters to reach Machinima’s elusive audience,” said Chad Gutstein, Machinma’s CEO.

“Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles” marks the first project from Warner Bros.’ newly-formed digital content production unit, headed up by Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series.

Sam Register said: “We couldn’t be happier to be announcing our first new digital series today, and we’re even more excited that it’s a collaboration with such accomplished storytellers as Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, who have been responsible for some of the most innovative and creative DC Universe projects. We can’t wait for fans to have a chance to see the world they have created when ‘Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles’ debuts on Machinima next year.”

“We are committed to delivering DC Entertainment’s extensive line-up of world-class characters and stories to audiences across all platforms and formats,” stated DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson. “’Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles’ is an exciting opportunity to bring alternate versions of DC Comics’ iconic Justice League characters to Machinima, and we look forward to bringing this new animated shortform series to life with our partners across Warner Bros.”

“Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles” explores a newly conceived reality in the DC Universe where Justice League members Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are much darker versions of the Super Heroes that people think they know. The episodes are expected to debut on Machinima in spring 2015, weeks before the launch of the film.

Titans TV Series With Nightwing Reportedly Coming to TNT

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DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns just retweeted a Wall Street Journal report on Twitter suggesting that a Titans TV series could be coming to TNT — and in doing so, name-dropped Nightwing.

 

Geoff Johns        ? @geoffjohns

If you’re a TITANS and NIGHTWING fan like me you should read this: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/09/11/titans-tv-series-based-on-dc-comic-may-come-to-tnt/ …

  ‘Titans’ TV Series, Based on DC Comic, May Come to TNT

Warner Bros., which owns DC Comics, is developing a “Titans” television series and is in talks with cable network TNT to air it.

The report suggests that the series would be based loosely on (or at least resemble) Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s The New Teen Titans, in which the original Titans “sidekick” Titans were members but many of them had moved past their sidekick roles to adopt personalities and identities of their own. Robin became Nightwing, Wonder Girl eschewed a secret identity altogether and just became Donna Troy, etc.

Akiva Goldsman, who wrote Batman Forever and Batman and Robin as well as less-awful films like The Da Vinci Code and A Beautiful Mind, will write the pilot. Goldsman had previously been attached to a film version of the property that never went forward, although recently rumors started to circulate that a Teen Titans movie was back in development. It seems likely those rumors were confused and that the TV series isn’t being co-developed with an unrelated feature film (although anything is possible).

A kid-friendly animated version of the property, Teen Titans GO!, currently airs on Cartoon Network. It replaced Young Justice on the schedule, reportedly because it appealed more to younger kids and had more merchandising potential. It will probably only be a matter of minutes before Young Justice fans start to speculate the move is related to building the Titans brand for a live-action show.

A younger, Titans-inspired version of the Justice League appeared on The CW’s Smallville.

Cyborg is named in the article specifically, which is interesting considering that the character has already been cast for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. While Bruce Wayne is appearing on Gotham, it’s been made clear that he won’t be Batman and character for whom DC has “other plans” have been left out of Arrow and The Flash, suggesting that the studio remained reluctant to have two different versions of the same superhero existing in live-action at the same time.

Recently, reports surfaced that a Supergirl TV series was being developed by The Flash’s Greg Berlanti. A number of fans have wondered how that show would work without being tied directly to a version of Superman. It would seem that the idea of Dick Grayson operating in a universe without an on-camera Batman would raise some of the same questions.