It appears that the Justice League movies, both parts one and two, and the rest of the DCEU, is something that the new co-head of DC Films, Geoff Johns, is not taking lightly. Just like the recent movie trailer revealed, he wants to go light with a tone that’s “hopeful and optimistic.” He had his first interview since taking the position and commented on a mistake on the part of the studio regarding a more “gritty and dark” DC Extended Universe, according to the Wall Street Journal .
#ZackSnyder ‘s #JusticeLeague major scoops are coming! RT! pic.twitter.com/txJZw8ojr9
— Wayne Enterprises (@WEnterprisesRu) September 11, 2016
Geoff Johns Works With Zack Snyder On His Vision
According to Johns, the studio is way off the mark.
“Mistakenly in the past I think the studio has said, ‘Oh, DC films are gritty and dark and that’s what makes them different.’ That couldn’t be more wrong. It’s a hopeful and optimistic view of life. Even Batman has a glimmer of that in him. If he didn’t think he’d make tomorrow better, he’d stop.”
https://youtu.be/eHnnQNLRGU8
Justice League director Zack Snyder worked closely with Johns and his cohort, Jon Berg, on this vision of making the DC Universe more their own. Berg emphasized the need to quicken the pace for the purpose of the lightheartedness.
“We accelerated the story to get to the hope and optimism a little faster.”
Kevin Smith Feels That Marvel Sets The Standards For Fans
Back in August, director Kevin Smith weighed in on how Marvel Studios set the standards for most fans regarding superhero movies. It seems they would rather it be less “ gloom and doom ,” according to Canoe .
“The audience that pays to see these things are like, ‘There’s a certain set of standards that we want when we come see these superhero movies, and, yes, most of those standards have been set for us by Marvel… regardless, this is what we want in our superhero movies. We don’t want doom and gloom. We want them to like each other. We want them to have an interplay.’”
With the Justice League movie trailer , Smith felt that Warner Bros. had listened to the feedback regarding the Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie. Ezra Miller’s Flash really seemed to hone in on the humorous antics with Bruce Wayne smirking just a bit.
“It looks like (Warner Bros. and DC Comics) heard that loud and clear and everything that was missing or perceived to be missing from Batman V Superman seems like it’s in full display on Justice League, so I’m on board. I was already on board, but I’m very happy to see that they’re taking that direction.”
Justice League Part Two Plans Still Scrapped?
In June, with onset of the “critical and (arguably) financial failure of Batman v Superman ,” according to Sunday Express , Snyder and his wife gave a statement regarding the future of Justice League . Deborah Snyder was cited regarding only doing a single, stand-alone flick.
“We were only ever planning and we are only doing Justice League. Just Justice League . One movie.”
Reporters followed up, asking if the single movie will be split into two parts , according to Entertainment Weekly . Her answer was “no.”
Zack Snyder seemed to have contradicted his wife saying, “We still have a release date,” according to Sunday Express .
JK Simmons says the #JusticeLeague cast and crew are “a big, happy family.” https://t.co/AaRw6E85b2 pic.twitter.com/yJIIU9ngIV
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) September 11, 2016
The article from the Wall Street Journal asserts that Justice League Part Two plans had been “scrapped.” At this point, it is unclear if this is a new development or an addendum to the aforementioned news regarding a sequel. There’s also the haziness of whether or not the sequel will be an extension of the first movie.
Punish The Batman?
The article in the Wall Street Journal said the movie will “directly address Batman’s extreme actions in [ Batman v Superman ], such as torturing criminals and nearly killing the Man of Steel, rather than accept them as par for the course.”
So what kind of backlash do you think Batman will receive? It would make sense as Superman had his dealings with the community after Metropolis’ destruction during his battle with General Zod.
Is Geoff Johns a good contender for ushering in the DC Cinematic Universe?
The Justice League is slated for Nov. 17, 2017, and there is a Justice League Part Two date set for June 14, 2019.
[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]