News from DC FanDome

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:

And in case you're wondering, this is the Penguin:

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!

Review: Justice League (UK Cert 12A)

SPOILER WARNING! This review discusses and/or mentions a few important plot points. If you would prefer not to have these spoiled, please stop reading now and come back once you've seen the film.

After the death of Superman, the world seems to be a place without hope. When an alien threat arrives and places the planet in danger, Bruce Wayne (with the help of Diana Prince) decides to track down others with superpowers to help fight against this new foe. 

Predictably, general critical response to Justice League has been middling to poor. At the time of writing, it currently stands with a 41% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes (although, tellingly, an audience rating of 84%). Film is an artform, not a science. It's not something that often deals with facts (other than those concrete verifiables like box office receipts, cast and crew, any awards hype, and so on). It thrives on opinion. And that's all that film criticism is: it's someone's opinion. Art is ultimately subjective and the opinions of those of the viewing public- who pay to put their bums on seats and watch the film- are as valid as those of the professional critics.  

My opinion is this: I thought Justice League was a lot better than I feared it would be. 

So what's good? Well, the cast are pretty strong (although Affleck doesn't seem as comfortable here; more on that later). Of the new characters, it's Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash who comes off the best. Socially awkward, quite geeky, he takes to this brave new world of heroes like an enthusiastic puppy. He also gets a lot of the humour. He gets a particularly good scene opposite Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg where they attempt to bond over digging up Superman's coffin. Fisher is decent as Cyborg, although the character feels less developed than the others. Jason Momoa is an imposing, charismatic presence as Arthur Curry/Aquaman and also gets a nice scene where he unwittingly gets a bit too close to the lasso of Hestia. 

Henry Cavill is as strong as he always has been in the role of Clark Kent/Superman. He obviously doesn't make an appearance until just after halfway through and his frenzied fight against the League is pretty impressive. Luckily, there's a deus ex machina to stop him from pummelling them into the dirt (and it isn't as ridiculous as the 'Martha' moment in Batman V Superman). Gal Gadot is assured and powerful as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. She's a de facto leader to the group and the film lifts whenever she's on screen. 

As for the supporting cast, generally strong although with such a large cast, some do get shortchanged. Amy Adams doesn't get much to do as Lois but she's good (although they've inexplicably cut the rather tender scene shown in the trailer where Clark mentions the ring). I did want to see more of J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, although he did get a particularly good one-liner which I enjoyed. Jeremy Irons is still wonderful as Alfred whilst there's a nice cameo by Billy Crudup as Henry Allen (Barry's father). 

The slow-mo effects on The Flash are amusing (imagine the 'Time In A Bottle' sequence from X-Men: Days Of Future Past or the 'Sweet Dreams' bit in X-Men: Apocalypse and you're on the right track). Danny Elfman's score is powerful and positive and has a few nice little Easter Eggs for those who care to listen. The scene of Superman's resurrection is probably the best sequence in the film. Also, the lighting seems to have improved; there's not a lot of gloomy darkness and I could actually see what was going on most of the time. 

That's not to say the film is perfect. It's far from it. The script is uneven and occasionally very info-dumpy; it does have to properly introduce three new characters who the audience have only ever really seen in passing, but it all feels a bit clunky (especially Aquaman's little tete-a-tete with Mera). It would perhaps have made more sense to have had at least the Aquaman and Flash solo movies prior to the release of Justice League (to cut down on this). And just an FYI- London doesn't have city blocks!

Also tonally, the film is a bit of a mess- Joss Whedon's and Zack Snyder's directorial styles are very different and you can tell what's been added and what's been reshot (the farrago over Superman's CGI upper lip notwithstanding). It's why Ben Affleck feels a little less comfortable in the role than he did in Batman V Superman. There he was the tortured, brooding Batman; here, he's cracking wise. There's also an over-reliance on slow-mo (understandable when you're talking about The Flash, but it soon becomes wearying). 

However, my main complaint against the film is the villain, Steppenwolf. The CGI on him is massively shoddy (he looks like a mid-2000s Playstation character) and the motivation he's given is paper-thin. Plus, the curse of the DCEU strikes again with a massive CGI blow-out final battle which is difficult to keep track of. Bizarrely, it also feels like there's very little at stake: the human consequences of the alien invasion are pinned onto one Russian family who are barricaded into their home as the Parademons swarm. There's no jeopardy.

So yes, the film has its issues. Given the circumstances of Snyder having to withdraw due to a dreadful family tragedy then Warner Bros hiring Whedon to finish/reshoot the film, it was always going to have issues. But it's nowhere near as bad as some reviewers would have you believe. It is a superhero movie. It's two hours of- dare I say it?- fun. Not as good as Wonder Woman, but head-and-shoulders above both Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

News From Comic-Con 2017

It wouldn't be July without a round-up of some of the big and interesting news coming out of this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Running from July 20th-23rd, it showcased some of the big upcoming events in the world of TV, film and entertainment.

At the DC Panel, the first order of business was an absolutely kickass new poster for Justice League, followed by an equally kickass new trailer:

It was announced that the upcoming Flash movie will now be called Flashpoint and will be based on Geoff Johns' 2011 comic book series which sees major repercussions in the DC universe due to Barry Allen saving his mother from being killed. This is a very interesting and quite ballsy move which will allow them to essentially press the reset button on DCEU so far (if they want to).  

Both Suicide Squad 2 and Shazam (without Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam) are due to start filming next year, whilst Joss Whedon will also start working on his Batgirl project in 2018 as well. Wonder Woman 2 is confirmed, with Geoff Johns already working on the script. Justice League Dark, Green Lantern Corps and The Batman (which WILL feature Ben Affleck as Batman, despite rumours to the contrary) make up the roster of DCEU films so far. 

There was no mention of the standalone Cyborg movie, Man Of Steel 2, Nightwing or Gotham City Sirens (the Harley Quinn/female villain spinoff) but there was new footage shown from Aquaman.

Marvel released several new posters, trailers, and pieces of concept art. The official poster and trailer for Thor: Ragnarok was dropped and looking absolutely epic:

New footage was also shown from Black Panther, featuring T'Challa and two of the Dora Milaje spying on someone in a casino. The footage also showed villains Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in action. There was also a new teaser poster:

As well as a new teaser poster, several new cast members for Ant-Man And The Wasp were revealed. Joining Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, and Michael Douglas in the Ant-Man sequel will be Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster/Giant-Man and erstwhile Catwoman Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne (Hank Pym's wife and the original Wasp). 

It's also been revealed that Captain Marvel will be set in the early 1990s (before the events of Iron Man). Samuel L. Jackson will be returning to the MCU as Nick Fury- but will be without the iconic eyepatch, as Fury still has both eyes at this point. It's also been revealed that Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) will be facing off against the Skrulls- an evil galactic race of shapeshifters.

There was no new footage from Avengers: Infinity War but the footage shown at the recent Disney D23 event was given another airing- to a rapturous reception. The footage has yet to be released officially (and we'll probably need to wait until Thor: Ragnarok for that). Although there is an interesting new three-part poster to advertise Infinity War which shows most of the heroes:

Away from the comic book franchises, there were new trailers for the upcoming Blade Runner 2049 (with Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard, alongside Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto), Steven Spielberg's hotly-anticipated adaptation of Ernest Cline's cult novel Ready Player One, the remake of The Watcher In The Woods, The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Jigsaw (previously titled Saw: Legacy) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle:

In TV news, there were panels for The Walking Dead, Marvel's The Defenders (which featured a surprise appearance by Sigourney Weaver), Twin Peaks, Game Of Thrones, Westworld, Stranger Things, and Battlestar Galactica among others. At the Doctor Who panel, it was announced that Mark Gatiss will appear in the upcoming Christmas special (which will be both Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi's final episode) with a superb trailer dropping shortly after which confirms the episode title as the rather magical Twice Upon A Time. 

There was also a special panel to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Yep. 20 years. Makes you feel old, doesn't it? OK, maybe just me.

So, as usual, a lot of exciting stuff coming our way in the next year or so!

Happy New Year From The Watchers!

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone has had a lovely and relaxing Christmas and saw the New Year in with a bang. Whilst 2016 was a year with more than its fair share of woe, we hope that 2017 will be a good year for everyone.

There's an absolute shedload of brilliant, intriguing and (hopefully) spectacular films coming out over the next 12 months: Blade Runner 2049, Justice League, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, Fast & Furious 8, Thor: Ragnarok, Beauty And The Beast, Logan, Despicable Me 3, Ghost In The Shell, Wonder Woman and Star Wars Episode VIII, to name but a few.

We'll be giving our opinions on all these films and more in the upcoming year, so keep your eyes on the blog and your ears on the podcast (which we hope to do more of this year, as our schedules won't be quite as busy as they have been previously)

With all our very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2017,

The Watchers

(Rhys, Matt & Tez)

News From Comic-Con 2016

It's that time of year, folks, when the geek Mecca that is San Diego Comic-Con opens its doors and gives us a rundown of what's coming up in the worlds of film, TV and other entertainment. The dust has barely settled (it ran from July 21st-24th) but it's given us a lot to talk about.

So here's a quick round-up of some of the biggest news.

After the lukewarm reception that Batman V Superman got, DC may have felt like they had a bit of an uphill battle to get people onboard for their next movies. Well, mission well and truly achieved as even the most petulant and hard-to-please fanboys couldn't help but be blown away by what DC had to show.

Whilst Marvel discussed several of their upcoming properties, DC focused on the ones that are closest at hand. DC also made a very canny move by officially releasing the three trailers they showed straight away, ready for public consumption.

The first was a trailer for Suicide Squad, which gives a few good lines to Will Smith and a few laughs for Jai Courteney:



There was also a first-look trailer for Wonder Woman, which was seriously good. Gal Gadot was easily the best thing about Batman V Superman and- if the trailer is anything to go by- her dignified and strong performance will continue. You also get to see Chris Pine as Steve Trevor and the final electric violin sting at the end of the trailer is just sublime.

Finally, and the biggest news, there was a trailer for Justice League. It shows Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) visiting both Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Barry Allen/The Flash to recruit them. There's a brief appearance by Cyborg towards the end but no Superman- not surprising, really. Ezra Miller really impresses as The Flash, and there's some nice little moments of humour which helps to lift things.




Marvel had a lot of information to impart, although- unlike DC- a lot of the footage hasn't been officially released. An enhanced Doctor Strange trailer was one of two videos put out by Marvel but footage from Thor: Ragnarok (a mockumentary over what Thor and Hulk have been doing since Age Of Ultron), Spider-Man: Homecoming and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 still remain (at the moment, at least) Comic-Con exclusives.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 footage confirms a few pieces of rumoured casting - it was announced a while ago that Kurt Russell would be joining the cast and immediately the rumour mill went into overdrive that he'd be playing Star-Lord's father. Well, as usual, the rumour mill was right- Russell is playing Ego (a living planet who took human form and then knocked up Star-Lord's mum). The footage also shows Sylvester Stallone in a small role.

Speaking of the rumour mill being right, it was also confirmed that this year's Best Actress Oscar winner Brie Larson has been cast as Captain Marvel for the 2018 film (although she may appear in an earlier film as Spider-Man and Black Panther have; if that's the case, she'll probably be seen in Infinity War). Rumours of Larson's casting started several months ago, and I think this is a strong piece of casting.

There was some further casting announced for Black Panther, with Creed star Michael B. Jordan, The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o joining Chadwick Boseman for the film, directed by Ryan Coogler. Jordan will play Erik Killmonger, Nyong'o will play Nakia and Gurira will play Okoye.

Finally, concept art from Spider-Man: Homecoming reveals that the main villain for the film will be The Vulture:

Away from the comic book franchises, we were treated to some other top-quality trailers, including one for the surprise sequel to The Blair Witch Project- originally filmed under the generic title of The Woods, but now titled Blair Witch- which goes back to the found-footage format and is genuinely atmospheric and not a little creepy. Directed by Adam Winguard (You're Next, The Guest), the film is due for release very soon.

There were also trailers for Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Kong: Skull Island, Guy Ritchie's new take on King Arthur and the Batman Lego Movie.

There was also a special panel to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Aliens, attended by James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen.

In terms of TV, trailers for Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Defenders were aired, plus it was announced that Netflix's Daredevil was renewed for a third season. Bryan Fuller's new Star Trek series- now titled Star Trek: Discovery- had a teaser trailer too.

There were also trailers for the seventh season of Game Of Thrones, the fourth series of Sherlock, the Starz adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods (which looks seriously brilliant) and a very interesting piece of casting news that Rihanna will be appearing in the final season of the Psycho prequel Bates Motel... as Marion Crane!

So a lot of good stuff coming our way over the next few years.