Lets not be coy, the film world has changed. Following the release of Joss Whedon’s new Avengers Assemble, multi-layered franchises are the new black and with DC being the only other comic-book publisher out there with a half decent list of superheros who have already been tried and tested in Hollywood… it won’t be long before they too are trying to create a new Justice League in your cinemas.
What I’m pondering is what shape this Justice League will take, who long will it take to hit screens and most importantly of all; after Nolan’s new and gritty trilogy has reached its climax what’s going to happen to the Caped Crusader?
Clearly following the rumours of a Wonder Woman film in DC pipelines and the fans crying out for new Flash and Martian Manhunter franchisees as well, the makings are there. With Zack Snyder having just released the first of many teasers for the new Man Of Steel film, which is thankfully under the caring supervision of Nolan as well, I can’t help but wonder if perhaps the changes to Batman have already happened. Christopher Nolan has firmly stated that his Batman is over, however this does not disclude anyone else from taking up the cowl in Nolan’s world. Snyder’s Superman seems to feature the same washed out visuals and stark realism as Begins, and for all intents and purposes it is the same film, following some of the storyline of Birthright which sees the Big Blue trying to find meaning in is life long before he takes up the cape.
Perhaps that’s where DC’s strengths are going to be played, with gritty realism and hard facts where superheroes are forced into decisions that no other man or woman could ever hope to deal with. An ‘Ultimate’ DC were they must become more than individuals and fight for what they believe in. It could add a whole new turn to the pipelined projects, with Wonder Woman facing the difficulties she first faced in the comics of trying to have her own personal life alongside that of the Amazonian Queen. Barry Allen’s Flash could reach wonderful heights and depressing lows as he is forced to deal with the death of his mother at the hands of a monster he himself created (Professor Zoom). And the possibilities for an old-fashioned Detective Noir in Martian Manhunter, combined with the crushing depression of J’onn J’onnzz watching his entire family and planet laid low by a plague, are simply amazing to think of.
With all this possible for DC if they only take the risks involved and trust in their audiences appreciation of the beautiful sadness displayed in the Dark Knight Trilogy, it becomes something much more than the witty humour of Marvel’s collection. But as the title states… what’s going to happen to the Caped Crusader, well in my opinion someone should take what Nolan has created and try to aim for something similar. By that I mean that the hard facts and brutal realism of Nolan’s Trilogy was a triumph, however his decision to keep Batman so grounded in reality and remove some fo the more outlandish elements of the mythos would make it difficult to mesh with a wider DC Universe.
The stories are there in DC, the villains as uncompromising and heart breaking as Nolan’s Bane or Joker. They just need to be trusted and included and over time I truly believe that they’ll fall into place… it might even be possible to include a certain someone as the next wearer of the cowl (for those who have seen Rises already) drawing existing Trilogy even closer to the overall Universe.
Overall it’s a brilliant opportunity for fans to see soem of their favourite narrative arcs come to life at the cinema, but it rests mainly on the shoulders of the producers to make the right decisions and understand that they already have a good stylistic approach on their hands, instead of just producing a carbon copy of Whedon’s latest.
Keep Watching.
GG & Filmland 