The Flash & Justice League Movies Still Possible

Jeff Robinov, the president of Warner Bros. film group, recently started quite a stir saying that he’d like to see a Green Lantern sequel be “a little edgier and darker.” At the same time he also foreshadowed the future of DC superhero movies beyond The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel in 2012 and 2013 by saying they have a “solid script” for The Flash and that they’d still like to bring all the heroes together for a Justice League movie. Read more after the jump. Read more

Green Lantern 2 To Be A Darker, Edgier Film

Green Lantern had a reasonable (not great) opening weekend but was otherwise a creative and financial dud. It is an example of that strange studio phenomenon: a film that manages to feel both over-written, with villains and set pieces seemingly cobbled together from different script drafts, and under-scripted, thanks to the total lack of sense behind most of the character actions. And audiences didn’t respond, once the marketing gave way to word of mouth? Shocker.

Because that opening weekend was north of $50m, Warner Bros. is still planning a sequel. What will the studio’s approach be this time? A solid script that establishes a story with logical and emotional drive and then embellishes it with action? Pfft. Why bother, when it can just be darker and edgier? (Or Dark Knight-ier, as the case may be.)

Warner Bros. film group president Jeff Robinov told the LA Times,

We had a decent opening so we learned there is an audience. To go forward we need to make it a little edgier and darker with more emphasis on action… And we have to find a way to balance the time the movie spends in space versus on Earth.

There is already a script outline put together by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, all of whom worked on the first film. But the LAT reports anonymous sources saying that the outline could be changed or scrapped altogether.

And as for Martin Campbell, who directed the first? He has an option to direct the sequel, but WB reportedly doesn’t want him to be in the big chair. So there might be some backstage dealmaking to be done, but expect to see another name on the film in 2013 or so. (As we expected, really.)

Source

DC Says No Plans For Justice League Movie

Geoff Johns, speaking at New York Comic-Con, confirmed that Warner Bros and DC are not currently planning for a superhero team-up Justice League of America movie. ComicBookMovie reports that when Johns was asked about the possibility of shared-universe films á la Marvel, Johns responded with the following:

“I’m going to speak frankly: I think our characters are bigger than Marvel’s.” He said that he’d rather spend time building each character on his or her own rather than “smashing them together.”

I understand that Johns statement can come off as being arrogant, I think he’s right in the sense that DC needs to first build these films based on the characters and maybe later on in the sequels talk about crossover possibilities. I know that’s not what the fanboys want to hear, but it’s the most logical way to handle things from a pure storytelling perspective.

One of the biggest complaints of Iron Man 2 was that it seemed to be mostly a set-up/prequel for The Avengers. And rumors have circulated that even director Jon Favreau was a little ticked off at just how much Avengers pre-build was packed into his superhero sequel. I love the idea of what Marvel is hoping to do with crossovers and connected storylines, but so far I feel like it’s been nothing more than a gimmick. I support the concept, and can’t wait until the day when we have a summer of superhero movies which are somehow linked within the same universe. But right now it’s just fanboy nods to what might come next (”hey look at Captain America’s shield, thats funny…”).

Source

DC COMICS Lowers Price On $3.99 Titles To $2.99

New York, October 7, 2010– Beginning January 2011, DC Comics will implement a line-wide pricing adjustment, lowering the prices of all standard length 32-page ongoing comic book titles currently priced at $3.99 to $2.99, it was announced today by DC Comics Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio.

“Today’s announcement re-affirms DC Comics’ commitment to both our core fans and to comic book store retailers,” said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “For the long term health of the industry, we are willing to take a financial risk so that readers who love our medium do not abandon the art form.”

“As Co-Publishers, we listened to our fans and to our partners in the retail community who told us that a $3.99 price point for 32 pages was too expensive. Fans were becoming increasingly reluctant to sample new titles and long term fans were beginning to abandon titles and characters that they’d collected for years.” said Dan DiDio, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “We needed a progressive pricing strategy that supports our existing business model and, more importantly, allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come. With the exceptions of oversized comic books, like annuals and specials, we are committed to a $2.99 price point.”

When taking into account mini-series, annuals and specials, more than 80% of DC’s comic books will be priced at $2.99.

Source

Wildstorm Comics Ends Production

Citing “this soft marketplace,” DC Comics Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan Didio announced the end of the Wildstorm imprint in December. Wildstorm’s licensed comics, which include a number of video game-inspired titles such as Resident Evil, Clank, and Rachet will continue to be published (along with Wildstorm’s kids titles) under the DC imprint. DC will also stop publishing under the ZUDA banner. Titles that were scheduled to come out under the ZUDA imprint this year will appear as DC books.

Didio and Lee made their announcement on DC’s The Source blog noting that: “After taking the comics scene by storm nearly 20 years ago, the WildStorm Universe titles will end this December. In this soft marketplace, these characters need a break to regroup and redefine what made them once unique and cutting edge. While these will be the final issues published under the WildStorm imprint, it will not be the last we will see of many of these heroes. We, along with Geoff Johns, have a lot of exciting plans for these amazing characters, so stay tuned.”

Originally part of Image Comics, Wildstorm was Jim Lee’s studio and he brought it with him when he joined DC in 1999. According to the Source, “the WildStorm editorial team will undergo a restructuring and be folded into the overall DC Comics Digital team, based in Burbank, which will be led by Jim Lee and John Rood.” Clearly the end of the Wildstorm unit was tied in to the downsizing and consolidation of DC operations attendant on the transfer of many of DC Entertainment’s units to California (see “The Cost of Consolidation”).

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DC’s ‘Blackest Night’s’ Reign Continues

Thanks largely to the success of its Blackest Night event, DC dominated the top ten once again with eight out of the top ten titles in November. Blackest Night #5 actually boosted its circulation by 5% with help from a special ordering incentive that featured seven differently colored "Lantern Promotional Rings." A similar promotion was potent enough to lift Booster Gold #26 into the top 25 at #19. Four other Blackest Night tie-ins, Green Lantern #48, Justice League of America #39, Adventure Comics #4, and Green Lantern Corps #42 all made the top ten.

The top Marvel title was Captain America: Reborn #4, which came in at #3, didn’t ship in November where its absence hurt the Marvel line-up, which couldn’t manage better than a seventh place finish. Marvel still managed to secure 14 out of the top 25 spots with 25th place going to the Thor Giant Size Finale written by JMS, which in spite of a slew of variant incentives (1:25 and 1:50), suffered an 18% decline in sales from the previous JMS issue (#603), which came out in September.

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Comic Book Review – BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL – THE UNDERGROUND

Context:
Who’s behind the black mask?

Story:
This is a ‘Battle For The Cowl’ tie-in one-shot. The Black Mask, or someone dressed like him, is wreaking havoc in Gotham’s underworld and The Riddler, and Catwoman, are on the case. I have a fondness for film noir, and that’s what this issue reminded of as I was turning the pages. The story takes place from the point of view of two characters: The Riddler and Catwoman. The dialogue background colors were a great way to distinguish who was speaking during the issue and it added a nice touch to the atmosphere of the overall arc.

All of the Batman’s core cadre of villains are here with each getting their own quality time on the page. The Penguin, Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and of course Catwoman and The Riddler give a bow here. The writing drew me in and gave enough information to want me to keep turning pages, but not so much as to give anything away too soon.

In the very back of the issue is a special preview of ‘The Last Days Of Animal Man’, which is continued in ‘The Last Days Of Animal Man #1? in stores late May.

Art:
Pablo Raimondi’s art in this issue seems to be a direct homage to the film ‘Batman Returns’ starring Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Penguin’s likeness especially is a great rendition of Devito’s character from Tim Burton’s 1992 film.

I liked the way that the colors and shadows blended nicely with the mood of the story. Not too dark, and not too bright, but a nice combination. The pages were clear, crisp, and worked well with the dialogue to complete the plot.

The only thing I missed from the art was more sensuality from Poison Ivy. She just seemed to be standing there in each panel like she’d just woke up from a nap.

What to look for:
The Riddler and Catwoman looking for the same thing but with entirely different methods.

What might put you off:
I didn’t really care for the Riddler’s low-energy part in this tale. Don’t get me wrong. I like the writing. I just would have liked to have seen the Riddler show a little more energy.

Recommendation:
This is a must read addition to the ‘Battle For The Cowl’ story arc and lays a great foundation which is continued in ‘Batman: Battle For The Cowl #3? and ‘Gotham City Sirens’ coming soon. Read more

Green Lantern Movie Set For $150 Million Budget, Filming In Sydney

Warner Bros has decided to shoot The Green Lantern at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. THR is reporting that the film’s budget is around $150 million. To put that in perspective (and these are all estimated numbers…), Fantastic Four was $100M, Iron Man was $140M, Watchmen was $150M, The Dark Knight was $185M, X-Men: The Last Stand was $210M and Spider-Man 3 topped $258M.

But why Australia? The reported $150 million budget is worth a lot more in Sydney. The production was attracted by the decline in value of the Australian dollar, a 15% location rebate from the Australian federal government, on top of the incentives supplied by the New South Wales government.

The film is planning to begin in July with actual filming scheduled to start in November. The film is currently set to hit theaters on December 17th 2010.

Source

‘Green Lantern: First Flight’ Gets New Release Date

GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT GETS NEW STREET DATE

FIFTH DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGINAL MOVIE ARRIVES JULY 21, 2009 FROM Warner Home Video

BURBANK, CA, (April 6, 2008) – The street date for Green Lantern: First Flight, the fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies, has shifted to July 21, 2009. A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the illuminated hero’s first-ever full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video. Green Lantern: First Flight will be available as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def for $24.98 (SRP) and $29.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). Order due date is June 16, 2009.

Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) leads the cast as the voice of Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. The cast includes Emmy Award nominee Victor Garber (Milk, Titanic), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs). Produced by animation legend Bruce Timm, Green Lantern: First Flight is directed by Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Superman Doomsday) and scripted by four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett (The Batman).

Green Lantern: First Flight finds Hal Jordan recruited to join the Green Lantern Corps and placed under the supervision of respected senior Lantern Sinestro. The earthling soon discovers his mentor is actually the central figure in a secret conspiracy that threatens the philosophies, traditions and hierarchy of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Hal must quickly hone his newfound powers and combat the treasonous Lanterns within the ranks to maintain order in the universe.

Green Lantern: First Flight – 2 Disc Special Edition and Blu-Ray versions include more than three hours of incredible bonus features as well as a Digital Copy Download.

DVD Details Released for Animated ‘Green Lantern: First Flight’

ComicNews.info has a ton of information on the new animated Green Lantern: First Flight movie coming this summer to a home theater near you…

The fabric of intergalactic justice is threatened – until Hal Jordan arrives for his initial mission – in the animated Green Lantern: First Flight, the fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies. A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the illuminated hero’s first-ever full-length animated film is set for release by Warner Home Video on July 28, 2009. Green Lantern: First Flight will be available as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def for $29.98 (SRP) and $34.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). Order due date for all versions is June 23, 2009.

Acclaimed actor Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) fills the lead voice of Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. Meloni is joined by fellow Emmy Award nominee Victor Garber (Milk, Titanic) as the villainous Sinestro, Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as the voice of Boodikka, and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) as Kilowog.

Produced by animation legend Bruce Timm, Green Lantern: First Flight is helmed by heralded director Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Superman Doomsday) and scripted by four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett (The Batman).

Green Lantern: First Flight finds Hal Jordan recruited to join the Green Lantern Corps and placed under the supervision of respected senior Lantern Sinestro. The earthling soon discovers his mentor is actually the central figure in a secret conspiracy that threatens the philosophies, traditions and hierarchy of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Hal must quickly hone his newfound powers and combat the treasonous Lanterns within the ranks to maintain order in the universe.

Green Lantern: First Flight – 2 Disc Special Edition versions will include incredible bonus features such as: Read more

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