To absolutely no surprise to anyone that has been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the rumors surrounding Zack Snyder‘s Batman vs. Superman (aka Man of Steel 2), Guillermo del Toro has essentially confirmed Warner Bros’ plans to do the same thing Marvel has managed to do with their comic book properties with the WB-owned DC Comics. Only recently Marvel and Netflix announced a deal that would bring Marvel heroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage to the online streaming service in television series form and it would seem DC is hoping they won’t be too far behind.
Del Toro has been working on putting together Justice League Dark (pictured) at the studio, which would involve telling the stories of such comic heroes (or anti-heroes depending on your vantage point) John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Shade, the Changing Man and Zatanna to the big screen, but as he tells Cinefilos (via FirstShowing), it’s not a quick process:
“We’re still on [‘Justice League Dark’], writing, and hopefully it will happen but there are no developments that are new. We’re still at Warner Bros., they are making plans for the entire DC universe. All the superheroes, all the mythologies, and part of that is ‘Justice League Dark.’ They’re planning on TV, movies, and all the media, so we have to fit into that plan.”
As a non-comic book reader I can only speak to my perception of the difference between the Marvel and DC universe, but it would appear Marvel has an easier time since their characters seem a little more cartoony and a little less “adult” compared to DC, which may face more real world logic problems than Marvel.
Of course, Marvel has mastered the formula for making these films with as little risk as possible, wedging in one-liners with smiling faces and non-descript villains and appealing to the widest audience possible. DC will simply need to do the same so they can put together the most generic product possible that will then be able to appeal to the widest audience available. Not as easy as it may sound, especially if you find a director hoping to make a movie for something other than money alone.
With the upcoming Batman vs. Superman we not only will have Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) facing off, but rumors of the inclusion of Wonder Woman, The Flash and Nightwing (aka Robin) are further evidence WB is hoping to expand their DC universe.
