Official First Look at DC's Suicide Squad
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Over the weekend, fans attending San Diego Comic Con were treated with a special first-look at DC's upcoming film, Suicide Squad. Featuring a ridiculously talented cast that includes Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Cara Delevingne, amongst others, and End of Watch's David Ayer helming, Suicide Squad is just one of DC's re-vitalized attempts at not only re-shaping their united DC film universe, but to also change the superhero film script up by featuring villains as the protagonists.
In the clip, which was leaked over the weekend following its closed doors reveal at San Diego Comic Con, each character is highlighted as the nexus of their formation is revealed. The big twist, however, is the surprise appearance by Jared Leto's oft-criticized Joker. As far as first looks go, this footage hits the right balance of showing off just enough to get fans more hyped while not spoiling the film outright.
As I mentioned previously, DC released the footage following a bootleg video of the Suicide Squad SDCC-exclusive clip. The studio had this to say, posted on the Suicide Squad Facebook:
"Warner Bros. Pictures and our anti-piracy team have worked tirelessly over the last 48 hours to contain the Suicide Squad footage that was pirated from Hall H on Saturday. We have been unable to achieve that goal. Today we will release the same footage that has been illegally circulating on the web, in the form it was created and high quality with which it was intended to be enjoyed. We regret this decision as it was our intention to keep the footage as a unique experience for the Comic Con crowd, but we cannot continue to allow the film to be represented by the poor quality of the pirated footage stolen from our presentation."
- Sue Kroll, President Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures
Suicide Squad will be in theaters in August 2016.
Ben Affleck Directing and Starring in Solo Batman Film Written by Geoff Johns
Following this week's release of new photos of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice comes news that Ben Affleck will not only don the cape and cowl following 2016's Dawn of Justice and 2017's Justice League, but he'll also direct a solo Batman film co-written by legendary DC Comics writer and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns.
Johns has had his hand in shaping DC Comics' latest TV series, Arrow and The Flash, as well as having written for Smallville, co-produced and was a creative consultant for Green Lantern, is executive producing Dawn of Justice, and has written many, many DC titles over the years.
Considering the project is years away with two other films serving as buffers in the interim, there are no details on the script. Affleck's next project, a film adaptation of the novel Live By Night by Dennis Lehane, was greenlit by Warner Bros. just this week. However, considering the viability of a solo Batman film, there may be potential for Warner Bros. to switch the two film productions around.
We'll have more information on this rumored solo Batman film when more comes!
[via /Film]
10 Badass Superheroines and Supervillains in Comics
Recently, there has been tension in the superhero world over the lack of strong women in comics. While there is a huge gap between the number of men versus women in the comic book world, there are powerhouse superheroines fans seem to phase over. Don’t be fooled, some of the names that you might recognize are bigger in the comic book world than their blockbuster film roles have lead you to think. Regardless of your gender, here are 10 female comic book characters that kick ass harder than their male counterparts.
16th Century-Imagined Superheroes by Photographer Sacha Goldberger
Photos by Sacha Goldberger
In the last few decades, we've seen superheroes be transformed and remade continually, but until now, we've never quite seen them like this. Photographer Sacha Goldberger has created a series of 16th Century-looking superheroes at a special art exhibition in Paris titled "Super Flemish". Through a compilation of make up artistry, design, and lighting, each character is photographed to look like an Elizabethan-era painted portrait, and it's as realistic as you can get.
To name a few, the portraits include characters from DC, Marvel, and Star Wars, and it took an entire crew to portray each one. Outside of the hair and makeup artists, casting directors were even hired to book models that closely resembled the Hollywood actors that played each superhero in recent films. The detail-oriented project proved to be a success, and they are all creatively entertaining.
Take a look at the following portraits, and find more of Goldberger's full portfolio here and on his Facebook page.
[Via ComicBook.com]
DC Announces Full Slate of Films Through 2020
During a shareholder talk yesterday, Warner Bros. laid down the plans for their slate of DC films, revealing many previously rumored and unannounced films.
The first in line is Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which will be out in theaters in 2016. Following that film is Suicide Squad, a team of supervillains used by the government to perform black ops tasks in exchange for commuted prison sentences, will also be released in 2016 and directed by End of Watch and Fury director David Ayer. In 2017, Gal Gadot will spin off her portrayal of Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with her own standalone film. Justice League: Part One will also hit theaters in 2017 with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Amy Adams confirmed to reprise their roles and Snyder directing. The Flash will make his big screen debut in 2018 with The Perks of Being a Wallflower standout Ezra Miller portraying the speedster. Jason Momoa will also portray Aquaman in the standalone Aquaman film in 2018. 2019 will mark The Rock's debut in the DC universe in Shazam, followed by Justice League: Part Two. Finally, 2020 will feature the debut of Cyborg and Ray Fisher portraying him and the reboot of Green Lantern.
Certainly, the next six years are packed with superhero films from both Marvel and DC. Again, I've always pitched my flag on the Marvel side of things, but with names like Ezra Miller and David Ayer on WB's side, I can't help but feel excited for these newly announced films. I'm sure a ton of information, leaks, and rumors will come out in the months to come, so stay tuned.
[via /Film]
Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin on rumored shortlist to play Batman in Batman vs. Superman
Pre-production on the unofficially titled Batman vs. Superman film hasn't even begun yet (pre-pre-production?), yet rumors are flying out over which actors Warner Bros. want to portray Batman in the upcoming film. Earlier in the weekend, a report came out that WB was looking for an older actor to portray the Dark Knight, preferably somebody in their 30s or 40s. A day later, a shortlist of actors has popped up including a few interesting names.
Josh Brolin (Oldboy) and Ryan Gosling (Only God Forgives) are the two biggest names on the list, which also includes Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike), Richard Armitage (The Hobbit), Matthew Goode (Watchmen), and Max Martini (Pacific Rim). Obviously, with such a high-calibre film as Batman vs. Superman, Warner Bros. will want to grab an equally attractive actor to fill theaters. However, they'll also want a young enough actor who could possibly be willing to portray the superhero in future films, as well. Brolin could make for an interesting Batman, but I don't really think he'd be interested in the role. Gosling, meanwhile, doesn't fit the Bruce Wayne/Batman archetype, either; the same goes for Goode. Armitage could be a good fit, though. Martini and Manganiello, I'm not too familiar with.
Personally, I think Jon Hamm (Mad Men) would be the greatest Batman of all time. Granted, I don't really care much for Batman as a character, but Hamm is one of my favorite actors, and his Don Draper character basically is Bruce Wayne minus the mass wealth and superhero persona. Original reports had him on the shortlist, as well, but his name mysteriously dropped from the updated version. If WB and DC seriously want to get to the same level Marvel's on, they're going to have to nab a big name actor, and Hamm would be the perfect first step for that plan.
[via Collider]
The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition revealed
While Christian Bale won't be coming back as Batman anytime soon (if at all), DC and Warner Bros. have a special little sump'm sump'm to make sure his legacy as The Dark Knight won't be forgotten any time soon (as if that would happen in the first place). This fall, the "The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition" blu-ray boxset will be released, collecting the entire Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale Batman trilogy on blu-ray. The collection will also include two exclusive featurettes, "The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy" and Christopher Nolan & Richard Donner: A Conversation, as an incentive for those who may already own the films on blu-ray. Also included are a 48-page hardcover book featuring art from the films, collectable Hot Wheels toys of the vehicles seen in each film, and art cards created by Mondo. The full list of features is included at the botom of this post. The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition will retail for $100.
Are any of you interested in buying the set, or are the added features and memorabilia not enough to supplant the copies you may already own?
[via Collider]
About the Ultimate Collector’s Edition (UCE):
*Disc 1 – Batman Begins Feature and Special Features
*Disc 2 – The Dark Knight Feature
*Disc 3 – The Dark Knight Special Features
*Disc 4 – The Dark Knight Rises Feature
*Disc 5 – The Dark Knight Rises Special Features
*Disc 6 – Bonus Disc of New Special Features (details follow)
NEW Special Features:
- The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy - The inside perspective on the fascinating story behind the creation of one of the most celebrated franchises and how it changed the scope of movie making….forever. Full of never-before-seen footage, rare moments, and exclusive interviews with Guillermo Del Toro, Damon Lindelof, Michael Mann, Richard Roeper, Zack Snyder and others.
· Christopher Nolan & Richard Donner: A Conversation - For the first time, Directors Christopher Nolan (The Dark KnightTrilogy) and Richard Donner (Superman) sit down to discuss the trials and triumphs involved in bringing the two most iconic superheroes of all time to the big screen, and how Superman influenced Nolan when developing Batman Begins.
· IMAX® Sequences: The Dark Knight; The Dark Knight Rises - See your favorite scenes as they were intended in the original IMAX© aspect ratio
Exclusive NEW Memorabilia:
· Premium Mattel Hot Wheels Vehicles: Batmobile, Batpod and Tumbler
· Newly commissioned collectible art cards by Mondo featuring Scarecrow, Joker, Bane, Harvey Dent, and Ra’s al Ghul
· 48-page hardcover book featuring production stills and behind the scenes images from all three movies
Christian Bale is done with Batman
While Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises) and Christopher Nolan (Inception) have previously said they wouldn't return to the Batman universe, many people still held out hope that Bale would take up the cowl in the proposed Justice League film DC and Warner Bros. have tried to get off the ground for awhile now. However, Bale recently refuted the notion that he would put on the Batman suit in the superhero ensemble, stating:
”I have no information, no knowledge about anything. I’ve literally not had a conversation with a living soul. I understand that they may be making a Justice League movie, that’s it. It’s a torch that should be handed from one actor to another. So I enjoy looking forward to what somebody else will come up with.”
Of course, with the way The Dark Knight Rises ended, it would be easy to conclude that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would become the next Batman. After all, The Dark Knight Rises was really a film made to pass the torch to the next generation. Of course, there's been no word about another Batman film, let alone one set in the same universe that Nolan and Bale populated for the Dark Knight trilogy. With rumors that the universe seen in Man of Steel is separate from that of the Dark Knight universe and the Justice League portrayal won't be the same Batman character we have grown to love over the past decade, this news comes as a pretty obvious statement. Still, with the way WB has handled the DC film properties lately (Man of Steel only barely serving as an exception to this), it just seems like Bale was necessitated to clear the air to at least help make sense of their attempt to create a unified universe the way Marvel has done with their film properties.
[via Collider]