If you ask the average fan of DC and Marvel movies, they will tell you the MCU is greater than the DCEU. For years, it feels like DC has been playing catch-up. But even with the success of Wonder Woman, they haven't been able to actually catch up to some fans' high expectations...yet. No matter how good Justice League is, it doesn't seem like DC can reach the Marvel climax. They need to separate themselves from Marvel, not compete. This is why DC is playing to its strengths. Creativity cannot be forced.They are heading in a new direction and everyone should sit down and just be excited.
DC and Warner Bros announced yesterday (according to Deadline) there will be a new line of standalone films that will not directly connect to the larger DC Extended Universe. The first (and only confirmed) tentpole of this new plan is an untitled Joker origin movie not starring Jared Leto. Aside from the infinite amount of misinformation, what’s throwing a lot of fans off is that DC is reportedly also fast-tracking Suicide Squad 2, keeping The Joker & Harley Quinn film on the docket, and supposedly also following through with Gotham City Sirens. What’s their thought process?
A first glance, this seems like an escape plan. With Justice League reshoots happening, the direction of Ben Affleck's next Batman movie unclear and fan confidence in DC at a low point, a standalone line could be DC’s way out of this mess...especially with fans failing to stop pitting the franchise against Marvel. Telling stories outside the universe is where DC excels more than Marvel does (until recently with Logan and Deadpool). For the most part, Marvel takes a formulaic approach to their extended universe, resulting in commercial success and a lineup stretching far beyond 2025. There’s less creative risk-taking and more predictability, but the quality remains relatively consistent from one movie to the next. The latter is what really matters when it comes to building a brand people will blindly follow. It’s quite possible this standalone line is DC’s way of separating comic book fans from the Marvel-inspired expectations of continuity across multiple story and character arcs.
DC’s decision to build a standalone library proves they care more about creativity and risk-taking than just giving fans what they want. That’s what Deadpool and Logan did. Fans didn’t know they wanted these movies until they saw them. Fans should be excited for this new future for DC. Films like Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice may have been a failure in some people’s eyes, but we can’t hate on DC for its ambition. While the end result may not be as pretty as Marvel’s (and they’re calculated risks don’t seem as calculated), Marvel never dives straight into the deep end when it comes to the creative process and on-screen interpretation of source material. And isn’t that what creativity is all about?
The worry that comes with DC’s standalone line, though, relates to pre-existing titles in the DCEU. Justice League is done, but the future of The Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman, Wonder Woman 2, Justice League 2, Black Adam, Shazam!, Green Lantern Corps, Batgirl, Nightwing, Justice League Dark (which is rumored to be getting a rewrite) seems fairly uncertain in light of DC’s new focus. Can they do both at once?
There’s still no director attached to Suicide Squad 2, even though Warner Bros. hopes to start filming in 2018. With Harley Quinn & The Joker (a “criminal love story” with Leto and Robbie) slated to closely follow, you have to wonder how or if those movies will connect. And Gotham City Sirens after that with Robbie as well? Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (best known for their work on Crazy, Stupid, Love and This Is Us ) will write and direct the film, which makes it more intriguing, but the schedule does raise some confusion when it comes to character development.
What exactly is the strategy here? DC could be doing this as a way to separate the Justice League characters from the future of the DCEU. DC has great stories to tell, but they may have realized having all their characters in the same universe is just too much. And to be frank, it is too much. Having to stay within continuity is what makes Marvel boring and the formula is getting old.
With that being said, there are still questions. Having just released a Justice League Dark animated film, why would you then make a live-action movie? Why have two films with Jared Leto as Joker (following the negative reception of Suicide Squad), then completely uproot the character for a standalone Joker origin movie? Why have Harley Quinn & The Joker and Gotham City Sirens? DC is all over the place, but the prospect of giving Todd Phillips and Martin Scorsese complete creative control for The Joker with no strings attached is undeniably exciting.
Maybe the problem is the press. DC needs to do a better job of keeping these plans behind closed doors and not announce anything (or find some way to stop leaking shit) until the plan is underway and set in stone. Otherwise, the franchise is going to keep taking L’s before the films are even released. Hype culture is very dangerous, and it’s tough enough to meet fans’ expectations to begin with, let alone when there’s overflowing negative hype.
As a fan of DC characters over Marvel characters, I’m here for whatever Warner Bros. has up their sleeve. Sometimes, you just have to let artists be and wait for the masterpiece to happen. Pure creativity cannot be forced. What do you think of DC’s plans? Let us know in the comments.
