Yesterday (August 22nd) saw the first DC FanDome- a DC-themed "immersive virtual fan experience" discussing all things comic books, TV shows, video games, and- of course- movies. When this year's Comic-Con was cancelled, DC announced their own online convention. At the Hall of Heroes, there were various panels and discussions on all things DC.
There's a lot of news that has come out of the event, so here's a round-up of what's coming up in the DC Movies Universe.
WONDER WOMAN 1984
Director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster) was joined by Gal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), Kristen Wiig (Barbara Minerva/Cheetah), Pedro Pascal (Maxwell Lord), and Chris Pine (Steve Trevor) to kick off the FanDome by chatting about Wonder Woman 1984.
Sharing a couple of behind-the-scenes stories, Chris Pine revealed that the production was able to shut down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington to film a particular scene, whilst Kristen Wiig shared that- during one of the big fight scenes she has with Gadot- her Cheetah wig got torn off her head when it got caught in one of Gadot's bracelets. There was also a lovely appearance at the panel by OG Wonder Woman Lynda Carter. I really hope they get her a cameo in WW84.
The panel ended with a superb new trailer for the film, in which (among other things) we get to see more of Kristen Wiig's transformation into Cheetah:
Later in the event, several other cast members of WW84 came to join the main cast and crew for a game of Werewolf: Connie Nielsen (Hippolyta), Robin Wright (Antiope), Jessie Graff (Amazon Competitor), Jonathan Ayaji (Emerson), Ravi Patel (Babajide), and Kelvin Yu (Jake).
WW84 is due for release in October 2020.
THE FLASH
In a very brief panel, the main crew of The Flash movie- director Andy Muschietti (Mama, It), producer Barbara Muschietti, and screenwriter Christina Hodson- joined star Ezra Miller for a quick blast through the history of the Scarlet Speedster and dropped some intriguing hints about what to expect from the film.
As well as sharing some badass concept art of the Flash's new suit, hints were dropped that it will be a time-travel story which will open up the DC Multiverse. So, Flashpoint in all but name then?
Andy also dropped an interesting hint about the Flash's new garb- it was made for him by Bruce Wayne. But I guess the question is: which one? Will it be Michael Keaton's iteration... or Ben Affleck's? It was confirmed this week that Affleck will don the Batsuit for (probably) the last time to reprise his role as the Dark Knight in The Flash movie.
All very intriguing...
THE SUICIDE SQUAD
James Gunn headed an absolutely raucous panel for The Suicide Squad, which not only confirmed who a lot of the cast will be playing but also dropped a couple of interesting little teasers as to what to expect from the film, still currently slated for release on August 6th 2021.
First up, joining returning cast members Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag), and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) are a veritable smorgasboard of wrong'uns.
In no particular order, some of the new members of the Squad are:
- Michael Rooker as Savant
- Flula Borg as Javelin
- David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man
- Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2
- Idris Elba as Bloodsport
- Steve Agee (and John Economos) as King Shark
- Mayling Ng as Mongal
- Peter Capaldi as The Thinker
- Alice Braga as Sol Soria
- Pete Davidson as Blackguard
- Nathan Fillion as TDK
- Sean Gunn as Weasel, and
- John Cena as Peacemaker
Also cast in the film are:
- Juan Diego Botto as El Presidente General Silvio Luna
- Joaquín Cosío as General Mateo Suarez
- Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, and
- Storm Reid as Tyla (Bloodsport's daughter)
As for what to expect? It's been likened to a 1970s war movie, will be a huge special effects extravaganza (according to Gunn) who has also said the studio is "overwhelmingly happy" with the film. He also made some comments about this being the best film he's worked on, so make of that what you will...
I'm excited to see how Gunn balances so many new characters, plus I can't wait to see Peter Capaldi, Nathan Fillion and John Cena in action! Here's the poster, by the way. It's definitely got a Dirty Dozen kind of vibe to it...
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE SNYDER CUT
The saga of the Snyder Cut has been rumbling on since Justice League's release. Snyder had to step away from Justice League due to a terrible family tragedy, and the highers-up at DC brought Joss Whedon in to complete the film. Ever since then, there's been a fan movement to see Snyder's vision for the film (which, it's fair to say, is very different to what actually got released).
Fans signed petitions, started fundraisers, and even took out a billboard in Times Square to ask for the Snyder Cut. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that HBO had struck a deal and what was once the fever-dream of the Internet is now very much a reality.
In the panel, Snyder took some questions from the Justice League cast, and then spoke to two fans- Fiona Zheng and Dexter Washington - who were instrumental in getting the Snyder Cut movement started.
So, what do we know about The Snyder Cut so far? Well, Snyder has stated that there'll be "something" involving Flash's abilities which will be something new. He's also going to be fleshing out Cyborg's role. It's initially going to be released in four one-hour parts with a later option to watch it as a whole. They are also looking for an international distribution deal so people outside the US and those who don't have HBOMax can get to see it.
The panel ended with a trailer for the new cut:
"He's never fought us. Not us united." I defy anyone not to get chills after watching that.
Justice League: The Snyder Cut is due in 2021.
BLACK ADAM
There was a fantastic animated teaser (made by Jim Lee, Boss Logic, and Dwayne Johnson) to introduce and explain a little about who Black Adam is, before Johnson took to the virtual stage to discuss the film.
The pitch was light on details- as Johnson said, things are still in the early processes- but he could share a few things about the character and the film. It's going to be Adam's origin story and it will stay true to his anti-hero nature: Adam believes in an eye for an eye and will still be the "ruthless keeper of justice" he's been in the past.
Johnson also spoke with his co-star Noah Centineo, who is playing Atom Smasher, and got a couple of details about that character's journey; he has something to prove because of his lineage, he has a spirit to help, and this will be his first mission. It's also handy that he can transform into the size of the Empire State Building!
One of the main things that was confirmed is that Black Adam will show the Justice Society of America (JSA) for the first time in the DC Film Universe. Atom Smasher is one of the members, with other confirmed members being Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Cyclone. No casting has been announced for anyone else as yet.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (House Of Wax, Orphan, The Commuter), principal photography is expected to begin in early 2021 for a scheduled release date of December 22nd 2021.
SHAZAM!: FURY OF THE GODS
There was a short panel about Shazam!'s "bonkers, awesome sequel", with Zachary Levi (Shazam), director David F. Sandberg, Asher Angel (Billy Batson), Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman), Faithe Herman (Darla Dudley), Meagan Good (Super Hero Darla) and Adam Brody (Super Hero Freddy).
There wasn't a lot of information they could give, but there was one thing they could share: the title of the sequel is Shazam! Fury Of The Gods. Originally scheduled to release in April 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been pushed to November 2022.
THE BATMAN
The final panel of the event was all about The Batman. Director Matt Reeves was interviewed by Aisha Tyler to discuss the film.
Reeves confirmed that the film takes place in Year Two of Batman's career. He's in the early days of being the Caped Crusader- so it won't be an origin story (let's face it, we don't NEED to see that again). The series of murders which happen brings to light the whole world of corruption within Gotham and the history of the city, and where the Wayne family sits within that. It's also a detective story and mystery, and will focus on the World's Greatest Detective aspect of the character.
The film also deals with the nascent development of several members of the Rogues' Gallery, with The Riddler (Paul Dano), The Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) at the beginnings of their own trajectories. Reeves cited Chinatown, The French Connection, and Taxi Driver as influences on the style of the film and confirmed that it will link to the Gotham PD TV series currently being developed (which will be set in Year One and dive into the corruption within the police). He also confirmed that they had shot approximately 25%-30% of the film before the COVID-19 pandemic shut them down.
They also shared the first teaser trailer:
I think the make-up team might be getting an Oscar nomination for this film, just sayin'. The Batman will be released in 2021.
All said, the DC FanDome event was a real success. It was slick, interesting, and a lot of fun and they really whetted the appetite for future DC properties (given current circumstances, that was a very canny move).
No panel lasted longer than 30 minutes- meaning they could clip through various properties and genres without ever getting too bogged down, and people who weren't interested in, say, the games or the TV series didn't have to wait too long until something that did appeal.
Having a mix of things, like the cast of WW84 playing Werewolf, or a music set by Chris Daughtrey, or a panel discussing females of colour in the DC Universe was also a good thing. The rolling programme was repeated throughout the 24 hours, so you could also get to see it at a reasonable time.
I'd definitely take the time to watch another one of these in the future. Which is lucky because DC FanDome: Explore The Multiverse is coming on September 12th! Should be worth checking out!
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