Reel Facts & Opinions: The Continuing Chaos of DC Films

The news dropped out of the sky today like a wounded superhero; an appropriate metaphor considering the state of DC Comics superheroes on film. Various media outlets have reported that actor Henry Cavill, who has held down the role of Superman/Clark Kent since 2013, is out of the picture. Parent company Warner Bros. (WB), had been trying to enlist Cavill for a Superman cameo in their upcoming SHAZAM! film, which is currently in production and slated for an April 2019 release. Reports said contract negotiations fell apart and Cavill was hanging up the cape. WB put out a vague statement later on which confirmed nothing.  

Is he in, is he out? Or just another PR fiasco from WB? Either way this has been the latest chapter in what has become the longest and largest trainwreck in cinematic history. Way back in 2013, director Christopher Nolan wrapped up his magnificent DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, and in a desperate attempt to catch up with rival super-studio Marvel, WB fastracked their collection of DC heroes…starting with MAN OF STEEL with Cavill in the lead and director Zack Snyder at the helm. MAN OF STEEL had a promising cast and a decent foundation, but fell into a dull slog with a nauseating, redundant last half-hour. This was followed up with the joyless, confusing, boring, overstuffed BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE in 2016, which gave us a new Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). DAWN OF JUSTICE, which was also directed by Snyder, had some of the dumbest moments and the worst villain in all of film, and ended with an un-earned and unneccesary death of Superman.

This was followed up by the messy and dysfunctional SUICIDE SQUAD in 2016, which idiotically gathered Batman’s greatest enemies together…with no Batman. And then came the oddity that was JUSTICE LEAGUE in 2017. Snyder left the film in the middle of production (some say he was fired, others say he left on his own), and Joss Whedon (THE AVENGERS) stepped in to complete it. Whedon re-shot and re-wrote half of the film, and the result was a choppy, disjointed movie which showed some promise but overall felt incomplete. Not to mention the lousy CGI work that was needed on Cavill’s face due to the reshooting, which made him look ridiculous.

WB’s problems with their DC brand extends past the screen. Their movies have not been embraced by critics and fans, and are far from the box office monsters they’re intended to be. They did strike gold with their most-excellent WONDER WOMAN in 2017, but for the most part their films are met with ho-hums. And behind the scenes it’s also been a shit show; the solo Batman film, titled THE BATMAN, is stuck in development hell with a change of directors, script, and likely a new Bat (Affleck is reported to be out as well), the solo FLASH film has had several changes in directors and seems to be on hold, and BATGIRL halted production and is also stuck in limbo.

And let’s not forget the heap of films that WB is throwing at us that no one cares about. This December brings AQUAMAN (not a great character), next year brings SHAZAM! (again, no one cares), and they also have two different JOKER movies in development, along with a BIRDS OF PREY film (more of Batman’s villains joining together…without Batman), and a teenage SUPERGIRL movie which also seems needless with the TV show performing well. With the exception of the WONDER WOMAN sequel slated for next year, their future lineup is a random pile that no one has asked for.

In the last five years many fans, critics, and bloggers who have been rough on the DC films have been criticized themselves for being too harsh. But how can they not be? The DC characters of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the most iconic in comic book history…and they deserve much, much better than this. Their fans deserve it, and the 75 years of history these characters have demands it. Where they go from here is a mystery, as after the WONDER WOMAN sequel they’re basically rudderless. It’s a shame, because Cavill’s Superman in JUSTICE LEAGUE was portrayed correctly; he was finally allowed to act as a beacon of hope, instead of the miserable sulk that Snyder made him do. There was much potential there, but it’s been fumbled, mishandled, dropped, and broken; perhaps beyond repair. Their messy films, lack of understanding of the classic DC characters, zero connection with audiences, and mishandling of their cast members make them what Nolan's Joker referred to as "an agent of chaos". And that is no way to make movies.