Joss Whedon Responds To Directing CAPTAIN MARVEL; Reveals Female BATMAN Movie Idea

BuzzFeed was able to get writer-director Joss Whedon to sort of expand on his comments from his interview with Digital Spy, where he voiced distain for Hollywood's handling of the female superhero genre. Mainly, about Marvel Studios moving forward with Captain Marvel.


Yes, and not expecting it to get any traction, honestly. That’s something that [Marvel Studios chief] Kevin [Feige] has been working on for a while. And I obviously was a cheerleader, but he had to get all the ducks in a row and get all the minds in agreement. I think being a part of Disney maybe makes it easier, because they’re open to it. And Marvel now is in a position to shake up its own paradigm, because it’s got such a success record. 

Honestly, you know, Guardians [of the Galaxy] might have helped it, just because that was outside what was considered to be their box and did so well that— Well, let’s put it this way: If a raccoon can carry a movie, then they believe maybe even a woman can.

They then directly ask him if he'd be willing to make Captain Marvel.

Um, I would never rule anything out, because I like working here. By the same token, the biggest thing for me is that I need to do something that I create myself. It’s been way too long since I created a universe. The last thing I did before The Avengers was [directing an episode of] Glee, and in between I did Much Ado About Nothing. So I haven’t created my own universe for over five years. That feels wrong. You know, my own universe might be a book of haiku. I’m not necessarily saying I’ve got a grand scheme. 

I will say that when I was thinking about, Well, if I wasn’t going to do Avengers 2, what would I want to do? — of course the first thing I thought of was “turn-of-the-century female Batman.” Not Batman actually. But, you know, something cool. One person. Can’t stress that enough. Movie about one person — not a team, not 10, just one. But [I would] do a nice sort of hard action movie that combined all my favorite things. Something that would be the love child of Sam Fuller and Edward Gorey. You know, I’ve had many thoughts since then. Oh, I could do this! Oh, I could do that! But it is my instinct to want to tell those stories. 

Captain Marvel I don’t know as well. There have been a few [versions] of her. I have the first issue of Ms. Marvel, back when she was that, and had the Farrah hair. My only issue with her is that she always felt sort of on top. She was very driven. A winner. I always like to dig into the soil of things to find my heroes, if I can.

This is actually the first time we've heard Joss talk about making a turn-of-the-century female Batman film. We know he tried to get Warner Bros. to make his Wonder Woman adaptation, maybe they'll warm-up to this idea now that they know he's open to developing new superhero projects.

I mean, what studio in their right mind would reject a superhero film project from Joss after The Avengers? Plus, this isn't the first time DC Comics has played with timelines with their heroes.

Imagine Whedon making a steampunk Justice League movie.

SOURCE: BUZZFEED 

DREDD VS AQUAMAN?; Karl Urban Rumored For Role In AQUAMAN

Another interesting piece of information in that report by Latino Review reveals that Karl Urban is being sought-out for a role in Aquaman. They aren't naming the character but it's possibly a villain.

WB is waiting patiently for Star Trek 3 to go into production and finish because they'd like to have Karl Urban step into Aquaman in an unspecified supporting role, possibly the villain. Urban and WB have had a good relationship in the past with Urban almost becoming a Batman, and for TV, WB producing Urban-starring Almost Human with Bad Robot for Fox.

I have to assume the role could be Aquaman's brother Ocean Master who eventually becomes a villain and a general pain in the ass.

We've all been rooting for Karl for years to breakout on his own and for the most part he's been able to land some great supporting roles.

Having his film debut in Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers and Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King. He would later take on villain roles in movies like The Bourne Supremacy and The Chronicles of Riddick. Karl struck big when he landed a role in the rebooted Star Trek franchise which has seen him apart of three films.

Although he hasn't always seen his hard work pay-off, an example of this is his well-beloved portrayal of the iconic comic book anti-hero Dredd. There's been a huge campaign to get a sequel to the film with a great deal of fans getting involved.

Another example was his wonderful sci-fi cop buddy series Almost Human on Fox, which was one of my favorite Fox shows in a very long time. It would eventually get cancelled and I lost a network show that I was actively supporting, a rare bird these days.

I think Karl would be a wonderful addition to the DC Comics cinematic universe and might be intimidating enough to be cast opposite a heroic Jason Momoa.



SOURCE: LATINO REVIEW

300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE Director Noam Murro A Candidate To Make AQUAMAN?

It's looking like Warner Bros. is really locking down their directors for their impressive slate of new films. We have Zack Snyder handling Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League Part 1 and Justice League Part 1.

Wonder Woman has Breaking Bad's Michelle MacLaren (Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones) attached to direct while she's currently working out the script with the screenwriter.

I actually wrote about why Warner Bros. should consider her the gig back in January 2014, way before she started showing-up on wish-lists. I'm glad she got the job and we should expect at the very least an entertaining adventure flick.

One of the upcoming films we don't really know about is Aquaman starring Jason Momoa. Last we heard, some of those leaked Sony email exchanges revealed Mud director Jeff Nichols could have been hired by the studio to write and direct the film.

However, a new report via Latino Review suggests that someone with closer ties to Zack Snyder in now in the mix.

They claim that Noam Murro the director of 300: Rise of An Empire is now a candidate, but are not ruling-out Jeff is still in the mix.

Murro stands out mainly because his experience with a large action focused comic book film that took place mostly on the water. It should also be noted he worked very closely with Zack Snyder on the film and that relationship could come into play, since I'm sure he'll want to be heavily involved with the script development and it's casting.

The expectation being that we could be seeing characters from both Aquaman and Justice League films crossing-over. Snyder will likely feel a bit more comfortable with someone like Murro in charge of the project, which is already a huge risk considering how many water-set films have a tendency to tank.

Maybe with Murro attached as director we could be seeing Eva Green considered for a role opposite Jason. I don't think too many people would be upset if Eva took the role of Mera.

SOURCE: LATINO REVIEW

BVS Isn't Getting Split Into Two But Expect A Solo BATMAN Film Sooner Rather Than Later

The blogging world seemingly lost it's mind last week when a viral image popped-up and gave the impression that Batman v Superman was going to be split into two films. An aspect that didn't seem impossible at the time as the film's shoot was a lengthly one. Even though the itself image could have been easily faked by anyone on the internet and it's origin should make it automatically suspect.

For a moment let's humor the idea of a secret Batman film coming out in October, why would Warner Bros. hide this from fans?

Warner Bros. is gambling big with Batman v Superman, pitting their developing cinematic franchise against Marvel's established one. A lot of things could go wrong and totally mess-up their plans, as their announced DC Comics movie slate is 100% happening at this point. Some films could get replaced by others or could be place-holders for WB establishing release dates early. A tactic we've seen Marvel Studios use to their advantage recently. Although, Marvel isn't announcing films unless they are sure they're getting made to meet those dates. 

Announcing a Batman centric film would greatly help establish this new shared universe. Let's be honest, Wayne is the most important hero in the DC ranks currently. Yet, they decided on making this precursor to Justice League a priority. I highly doubt this split was anything more than a fan's wet-dream.

We had heard that originally a bulk of the shoot would focus around Bruce Wayne and Batman's exploits that didn't involve the other heroes. This was likely from David Goyer's script before it's major overhaul by Argo's Chris Terrio. Frank Miller's comic The Dark Knight Returns is heavily influencing the film which had Batman as the centric character so this wasn't too shocking. The two Batman suits we've seen are also direct designs from Dark Knight Returns. I have assume the rewrites from Mr. Terrio were to include the other three heroes into the Miller inspired story. 

It's been confirmed we'll be seeing Batman's origin yet again as Jeffrey Dean Morgan will be playing Thomas Wayne in the film. Director Zack Snyder is indeed putting his stamp on the new Batman franchise. An aged-up Batman is also apart of the film's story having him grizzled and working behind the scenes for a long time. Another call-back to Miller's comic that supports claims the film could lean more towards Batman.

However, Badass Digest being familiar with the film's script pointed-out there wasn't enough in it to suggest a two film split. The mid-point of the film is a fight between Batman and Superman which according to them this isn't big enough to be used as a final act. While the final action scene of the film would likely overshadow that tiff in the middle. This is somewhat more proof that a split isn't going to happen. 

If the script wasn't weighted enough why would Warner Bros. would try turning a risky film like this into two parts?. 

We've seen big films turned into two parts as a trend with Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Avengers: Infinity War and Justice League. The ones getting split-up are from well established movie franchises and even by the time JL comes out we'll be three films into the new DC cinematic universe. 

My biggest issue being that Dawn of Justice is already a risky premise since they're setting-up three other heroes in the film with Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg. There isn't much point to ruin the film by cutting it off and having it become this sprawling two-parter. Since it's actually more or less our introduction to this new shared world Zack Snyder has created. 

Superman himself Henry Cavill has just confirmed to Variety that the film indeed will be released as one film and two as the recent rumor suggested. While actors are usually compelled to put up a front to press, this seems a bit more substantial since this is a leading actor from the production and not some random person starting rumors. 

This doesn't mean Warner Bros. isn't setting-up a solo Batman film down the road. 

Suicide Squad is essentially setting up two major Batman villains in the film. Having the new Joker played by Jared Leto will likely have some sort of key connection to either Justice League or new Batman movie. Deadshot could also be prime candidate to be let lose on Gotham as a hired-gun. Harley Quinn is still a threat for Gotham but will likely be more tied to Suicide Squad, as some claim she could be the film's protagonist. While I believe that role will be shared between Will Smith's Deadshot and Margot Robbie's Quinn. 

Basically in 2016, Warner Bros. will have established the new Batman, Gotham City and at least three of Batman's rogues. I have to assume they'll include more of them in Suicide Squad as it opens-the-door for a lot of villain cameos. This allows the studio to move forward with new movies as they'll have rebooted the film franchise without forcing those origin elements into a new installment, I'm sure fans like myself will be grateful for this move. Retelling origin stories aren't my jam and I'm kind of sick of them if they're well known or not re-imagined. 

Warner Bros. isn't likely sitting around patiently waiting on this supposed 2019-2020 release date for a new Batman film. The last two films from Christopher Nolan earned a billion dollars each at the worldwide box office. Man of Steel was an improvement from Superman Returns but still only managed to muster $668M worldwide. Well-made Batman films are a license to print money and the studio isn't likely going to wait until 2020 to release the next one. 

Yes, Ben Affleck is a busy man and will be going-off to direct his prohibition crime drama Live By Night soon. He's also attached to star in Gavin O'Connor's crime-centric The Accountant as well. At some point he'll have to return for the Justice League shoot expected to be even lengthier than Dawn of Justice as both films will be shot back-to-back. 

There is a bit of speculation that Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting, The Town, Argo, Gone Baby Gone) could be the one to direct the next Batman film. This hasn't been confirmed but the two-time Oscar winner wouldn't be a terrible choice. 

My assumption is that Warner Bros. will likely want a new solo film before 2020. The likelihood of that happening obviously is now dependent on Affleck's busy schedule. 

RUMOR: Deathstroke Also Apart Of SUICIDE SQUAD Lineup?

ComicBookMovie has word from a Reddit user that claims to have been apart of a test-group at Warner Bros. for David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Revealing possible plot details of the film, which I will exclude here. One piece of information which was a major standout, Deathstroke is apparently apart of the film. This person also claims to have seen concept art for the villain as well.

We've been hearing rumblings for weeks that Deathstroke could be apart of the film. While nothing official or from our usual trusted channels have commented on this. I'm suspect of this, only because of the source, not because of likelihood of this happening. Deathstroke is an extremely popular villain, thanks to Arrow and the video game Arkham Origins. It doesn't hurt that he's also apart of the new Suicide Squad lineup in the comics. Harley Quinn didn't join the team until 2011, so they are including newer members for the film.

It should be noted that the original lineup for Suicide Squad in the Justin Marks script is drastically different than the current one reported by the trades. It's also possible that the film is still undergoing rewrites from David Ayer and lineup is still being adjusted. Test-groups could be there to help flush-out which characters should be changed or the direction of the film. Then again, this event might have never taken place.

One opinion I've heard makes the most sense here. That Tom Hardy's Rick Flagg could be a studio distraction and that character might actually be Deathstroke (or rewritten to become him). Flagg seems like an extremely obscure character for someone as big as Tom Hardy would play. Considering he's leading the hugely anticipated Mad Max: Fury Road and was being offered roles like Doctor Strange, Sandman in Sinister Six and lead role in X-Men Apocalypse. You'd expect his role in the film would be a lot bigger.

If you look at a majority of the lineup, they're mostly known and recognizable DC Comics characters. Flagg, for the most is only known to die-hard DC fans and likely wouldn't have the awareness that Deathstroke would. Plus, who wouldn't rather see Hardy play an iconic character like Deathstroke? We know that Hardy is able to pull off a role like this that could allow crossovers to other DC films, (Batman solo film or Supermax?).



SOURCE: COMICBOOKMOVIE

Viola Davis Will Play Amanda Waller In David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD

LatinoReview is now reporting that Oscar winner Viola Davis is a lock for the role of Amanda Waller in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Davis was previously named alongside Oprah Winfery and Octavia Spencer as potential candidates for the role. Waller is a DC villain and government official who is the handler of the convict program The Suicide Squad. She'll be starring alongside Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne.

Viola was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for both for The Help and Doubt. Her other credits include films such as Prisoners, Solaris, Ender's Game, Law Abiding Citizen, Knight And Day and State of Play. Her next film will be the Michael Mann (Heat) cyber crime thriller Blackhat starring Chris Hemsworth. She's made a career playing these types of roles, so her casting makes all the sense in the world.



SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Writer-Director Jeff Nichols Making WB's AQUAMAN Movie Starring Jason Momoa?

Another leaked Sony email via TheDailyBeast might be revealing plans from other studios. This new one from co-president of production Michael De Luca suggests Mud director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Shotgun Stories) making WB's  Aquaman film, which stars Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa. Jeff recently shot and wrapped the sci-fi film Midnight Special for the studio. This might explain his hiring for the project, but we'll wait to hear an official announcement. Considering that they've hired Breaking Bad's Michelle MacLaren for Wonder Woman, it wouldn't be shocking to see someone like Jeff handling Aquaman.

Nichols is a writer-director so it's possible he's also tackling the script. Suicide Squad's David Ayer is holding-down double duties as well. The film is scheduled for a release date of July 27th, 2018.

SOURCE: DAILYBEAST

Jason Momoa Lobbying For Zack Snyder To Direct AQUAMAN

Jason Momoa is finally free to talk a bit about being cast as Warner Bros' Aquaman, but without really talking about his role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He dropped a few tidbits at the Brazilian Comic-Con (via Twitter accounts), confirming we'll be seeing him in at least four movies. This could include Batman v Superman, Justice League Part 1, Aquaman and Justice League Part 2.

He was asked who his dream director would be for his solo outing, and that would be Zack Snyder. I'm sure it's a little bit of kissing-up, and a little bit of honesty. We know that Snyder's 300 is one of the more testosterone-fuelled fantasy comic book films, and it's possible that could be a blue-print for this film. Zack is going to one of the DCU brain-trusts and he'll be highly involved with the solo films, so they can fit into his Justice League movies. I'm unsure Snyder will be able to handle another production, considering he just finished Batman v Superman and still has two Justice League installments. Although, we don't know how extensive Snyder's deal with Warner Bros. is and he very well could have a larger workload.

SOURCE: TWITTER 

BABADOOK Director Jennifer Kent Recently Met With Warner Bros. For Unnamed Projects

Aussie director Jennifer Kent is getting a massive amount of buzz thanks to her small horror film The Babadook. The film is impressive and which has led to the director making wish-lists, she was linked for group of female directors wanted for Wonder Woman. While she confirms to IGN Warner Bros. never spoke to her about Wonder Woman, but they did fly her out to the U.S. to talk about other projects. What could these other projects be?

"Warner Brothers did fly me to America, actually, and I can say that -- but they never asked about Wonder Woman. And that's fine by me. But they did ask me about a lot of other projects, which I'm now slowly reading through. I'm very, very open to it. But again, I've got two films that I'm writing -- I'm a writer-director; I can generate my own material -- but I'm open to stories that move me, that suck me in. I'm looking to find writers to collaborate with on stories that I could direct, for sure. And I'm not opposed to directing films in America. I don't see myself in the tentpole arena; maybe that's disappointing to genre-makers, but you know, I'm open. It just really has to be an idea that grabs me like The Babadook grabbed me -- then I'll follow it to the ends of the Earth."

The great thing about horror directors they can pretty much handle any kind of stories, since well made horror runs the gauntlet. The studio flew her out for a meeting, it was obviously for something big as they won't do that for smaller projects. She's also talking about interest in collaborations with other writers, which would make sense since a majority of Warner Bros. projects have outlines/scripts before they are pitched to potential directors.

If we're assuming this could be other DC Comics films that could include projects like Aquaman and Flash which are expected to be next to go into production. I could even see her being in the mix for Shazam!, who I also believe James Wan (Saw, Conjuring, Fast And Furious 7) might be in the mix for. We're seeing a trend with the DC films that directors like Zack Snyder (Batman v Superman, Justice League, Man of Steel), David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and Michelle MacLaren (Wonder Woman) will either write or contribute to the scripts.

Another recent project that could be a great fit for Kent could be their high-profile reboot of I Am Legend. In October, it was reported by Deadline that Warner Bros. bought a spec-script from Gary Graham entitled A Garden At The End of The World, which is being retrofitted for their I Am Legend reboot. It balances both horror and tentpole level scale, something that could interest Jennifer a lot.

We'll likely find out in the future what these projects are, but these are the ones I feel would be the best fit for her.



SOURCE: IGN

PAN Writer Might Collaborate With Michelle MacLaren On WONDER WOMAN Script Rewrites

THR is reporting that Pan screenwriter Jason Fuchs is in negotiations with Warner Bros. to collaborate with director Michelle MacLaren (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead) on the Wonder Woman script. Fuchs's background with fantasy writing might be a good fit considering the Wonder Woman mythology. Rumor has it that Diana will be the daughter of Zeus, which could increase the level of fantasy elements in the film. The studio is also expecting Pan to become it's own franchise.

There have been two Wonder Woman scripts previously, first one was by Joss Whedon when he was attached to direct. That was given the axe, which led to Whedon taking-on The Avengers. The more recent script was from Green Lantern and Arrow writer Marc Guggenheim, who also co-wrote one of the Flash scripts. I believe this was the script they've had in place for a while now, but with MacLaren on board they might likely want a page-on rewrite depending on her vision. Not to mention taking into consideration the events from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. The rewrites might also involve the recent rumored setting being in the 1920-30s.



SOURCE: THR

Goyer's GREEN ARROW: ESCAPE FROM SUPER MAX Is The Joker Movie You Should Be Asking WB To Make

There's been a DC Comics film that's been kicking around for ages at Warner Bros. and with Suicide Squad about to go into production, I'm extremely curious why it's not being made. That would be David S. Goyer (Dark City, Batman Begins, Blade, Dark Knight, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Metal Gear Solid) and Justin Marks' (Jungle Book, Shadow of The Colossus) script for the prison-break movie Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max. A film that would have vigilante Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) captured by police and thrown into a supermax prison (framed for murder) alongside the likes of The Joker, Lex Luthor and The Riddler. Against his better judgement he needs the help of iconic DC villains to organize a jailbreak, so he can clear his name on the outside. An extremely cool premise to put the hero of the film into the hands of villains right?

It's co-writer Justin Marks talked to MTV back in 2008, giving us a good idea of what that original script had planned on tackling. This interview is also where the revised titled came from.

“It’s a very, very awesome prison. I majored in architecture in college, and design is how I actually started in. For ‘Super Max,’ designing that prison, it had to be the kind of thing that was a character in and of itself,” Marks said. “We’re in a world where instead of just trying to contain a guy who’s really big, you’re trying to contain a guy who can — in the case of Icicle — who can freeze things. What kind of a cell would a guy like that need in order to have his powers neutralized? So to escape from Super Max they have got to go through the most elaborate heist we’ve ever seen, involving superpowers. Because the prison itself kind of has superpowers!”

“What we wanted to do, and I think we’ll continue to do as the studio continues to push the movie forward, is to be able to [put Queen] in the center of a much bigger universe,” Marks said. “In the same way that Marvel is starting to do, when you’re in the [filmed] DC Universe [where] this world and this world and this world — they all exist in an interrelated web. It’s the kind of thing that I think absolutely is about spelling out a couple different roads for a couple different characters.”

“By the time a movie like this comes out, we will all understand origin stories. And mainstream audiences now are willing to suspend their disbelief to the point that we can believe that a world exists where superpowers exist and people dress up in costumes. So now what? Now what do we do? And I call this Superhero 2.0,” Marks said. “We do deal with his origin — he’s got a very interesting origin with a desert island and everything else — but we get to the core of Green Arrow not by showing where he starts but by pushing him into a key moment in his life where everything he has is lost, and he’s got to earn it all back. I think for audiences it’s going to be a great way to get to know a new character.”

“I see him as the Jason Bourne of superheroes, a guy who exists with his own sort of set of tricks. And I think the difference between Ollie Queen and a guy like Bruce Wayne — they’re both rich. They both have their things. But Batman is about his equipment and is about his theatricality and about his detective skills. And Green Arrow is a guy who’s really just the sort of MacGyver type,” Marks said. “In his hand, anything can be a weapon.”

I'm going give a rundown on why this project should be given new life and actually put into production. Along with why this could be the Joker film fans don't know they should be campaigning for. 

We're starting to see Warner Bros. warm up to the idea of using villains as main characters, starting with David Ayer's Suicide Squad. That film will include many DC villains including Deadshot, Captain Boomaregan, Rick Flagg, Harley Quinn, Enchantress, Amanda Waller and even a small role for the Joker himself. There's even a rumored cameo from Lex Luthor expected for the film. This could be the first-step for the studio to focus on more villain centred stories. Mainly, placing the Joker in leading role other than just villain to Batman. I have a strong feeling that the Joker is only in the film to help expand on Harley Quinn's origin and establish him being in the new cinematic universe, if just locked-up at Arkham for his scenes. 

So why should this be our Green Arrow movie? Well the TV series Arrow is sort of handling his mythology and helping build awareness for the more obscure DC hero. We know that Oliver does have some connections to the Frank Miller comics that are influencing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Yet, every other Justice League member (Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and possibly Flash) will be getting their first on screen appearance in that film first. Where does this leave Green Arrow? 

Primed for his own introduction into DC Cinematic Universe via a hard-paced action flick like Super Max. Meaning, we don't need an origin tale for Queen and he can be thrown into the fray as an established character that's been active for years. A similar plot device that is being used for Ben Affleck's seasoned Batman. I feel like it would work, but you wouldn't have to age him as much as Zack Snyder is going for with Bruce Wayne. 

We heard that Ryan Gosling was up for a roles in Suicide Squad and Marvel's Doctor Strange, two projects he's obviously turned-down. However, I think the roguish nature of Queen and the fact this is a pretty damn crazy genre flick could interest someone like Gosling. Considering he's been playing a lot of criminal type characters recently with films like Drive, The Place Beyond The Pines, Only God Forgives. A vigilante breaking out of a high-tech prison might be something more his style. It should also be noted that Warner Bros. are paying for talent and could end-up making Gosling an offer he'll actually accept. 

Sorry to break this to Arrow fans but everyone involved with these films and shows have confirmed you won't be seeing crossovers. When Oliver Queen joins the DCU he'll be played by a different actor. That's not a theory it's bankable fact, which has been echoed by the head of Warner Bros. Studios and down the line to the Arrow showrunners. 

How can you help connect Super Max to the rest of Snyder's new DC universe? It's villains, you don't even need to have them shown on screen. The ones we kind of need to have involved are Jared Leto's Joker and Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor since they are main characters of the Goyer script. It will also lend itself to include other villains from the comics (some which might seem out of place against their actual villains) into the group being put together to help breakout. The original idea of the film was to have Queen working with all types of villains (A, B, and C-levels) along with rogue heroes, which is why I feel like Black Canary might be a good fit here. 

The rest of the crew could comprise of Black Canary, notorious jailbird Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley (Poison Ivy), Cyrus Gold (Solomon Grundy), Suicide Squad member Louise Lincoln (Killer Frost) and Green Arrow villain Danny Brickwell (Brick). Making things a bit more interesting would be to have Brick secretly planning his own revenge on Oliver during the breakout, who likely put him in there. The popularity of the Arkham video games shouldn't be ignored, and that perspective could work very well here cinematically. Seeing these characters fighting their way out of a high-tech prison against guards and other prisoners. Canary wasn't involved in the original script, but that could easy be fixed/altered with rewrites. 

People are already are under the impression that The Joker will have a bigger role in Suicide Squad than he actually does. Why not give fans what they want with a story that makes a lot more sense to how the Joker really works. He uses people to obtain his own goals and then kills them, this makes him unpredictable and beyond dangerous. The Joker is way too psychotic and unstable even for the Suicide Squad, and likely isn't interested in a reduced sentence for his services. However, he would be willing not to kill his peers for a chance to escape. This could be how he returns to the streets of Gotham or get's involved in the Justice League films. Along with his first team-up with fellow supervillain Lex Luthor, and the start of their mutual hate. 

Who could be behind the framing Oliver for murder? Plenty of villains could have a grudge against Oliver Queen, but who I imagine it could be is mercenary Slade Wilson (Deathstroke). He could be a fellow inmate or the person actually behind his framing. Deathstroke, is an extremely popular villain and recently best known for his interactions with the hero on Arrow. I could see Slade end-up apart of future Suicide Squad sequels as well. I'd also love to seem some sort of complex plot that has Hugo Strange running this prison and Queen's addition to it apart of a huge bizarre experiment. 

Again, the film opens itself introduce a wide variety of villains from the DC Comics stable. The list of secondary villains that could be included in this movie is crazy long, and that's kind of the point here. This has a lot of potential to help the DCU setup a lot of these villains for future films. Similar to Suicide Squad, we don't specifically need the film to centre around a heroic figure. It can go a bit darker and hit levels of greyness with leads. These type of films are what fans should be asking for, as this gives the perfect platform for villains that might not end-up making the cut for a Justice League installment, or the other films announced in the DCU slate. 

Oscar Level Actresses Wanted For Amanda Waller In SUICIDE SQUAD

We're already reeling from the huge casting announcement concerning Suicide Squad, but it's not over yet. There are already rumblings of who the studio wants for the role of Amanda Waller. The ruthless government agent who runs the Suicide Squad program. According to Variety, the first choice is Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey (Color Purple, Butler, Selma) but Oscar winners Viola Davis (The Help, Ender's Game, Doubt, Prisoners, Blackhat, Knight And Day, Law Abiding Citizen) and Octavia Spencer (Snowpiercer, The Help, Insurgent) are also on their radar.

I would be fine with any of these ladies in the role, but Viola Davis has played more characters like this and could be very convincing as the menacing Waller. Her experience in action films might make her a more suitable casting choice. However, like I've been saying on Twitter this role could end-up being similar to Tyler Perry's oddball casting in David Fincher's Gone Girl, only to become a highlight of the film.


SOURCE: VARIETY

Warner Bros. Confirms Cast For SUICIDE SQUAD And Will Smith Will Indeed Lead As Deadshot

Warner Bros. has made it official and has revealed a majority of the casting for David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Confirming that Oscar winning actor Jared Leto (Fight Club, Lord of War, Panic Room, Requiem For A Dream, Dallas Buyers Club) will indeed be playing our new Joker in the film. Along with Will Smith (Bad Boys, I, Robot, I Am Legend) taking the lead role of Deadshot, which I had been claiming since the first wave of casting news. DC alumni Tom Hardy (Mad Max Fury Road, Inception, Dark Knight Returns, RockNRolla) is playing Rick Flagg and Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street,  is indeed playing Harley Quinn.

Some outlets were claiming Aussie meat-head Jai Courtney (Die Hard 5, Terminator 5, Jack Reacher) was taking the lead part of Deadshot, that sounded insane to me considering his terrible acting track record. This announcement confirms he's actually playing volatile Aussie DC villain Harkness aka Captain Boomerang, perfect casting if you ask me.

In an extremely odd move on the part of Warner Bros., they've cast Cara Delevinge as Enchantress. A magic focused villain created in 1996, who shares a name with a famous sorceress Thor baddie who was created back in the 1960s. I'm curious if Warner Bros. can even use the character name since Marvel has been protective of their characters' copyrights. This isn't a case of character sharing like Marvel has done with Fox in the past, since these are two separate comic book companies. You might remember that DC Comics' Shazam! was originally Captain Marvel, but Marvel ended-up forcing DC to change the name. It's also bizarre the DC character design looks a lot like Marvel's Lady Loki, check out the comparison below.

SOURCE: WB

Doomsday Confirmed For BATMAN V SUPERMAN And A SUICIDE SQUAD Member Also In The Film?

We haven't heard a lot concerning Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for months. The film is still shooting which could earn it the title of having the longest production shoot for a comic book film. Anyways, some new information about the film is coming from BadassDigest.

They confirm previous rumors that Doomsday is indeed in the film. The second piece includes Batman villain Anatoli Knyazev aka KGBeast will be working for Lex Luthor. It should be noted that Anatoli was a member of the Suicide Squad in the film Batman: Assault On Arkham, which could mean he might crossover to that film as well.

SOURCE: BADASSDIGEST 

David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD Cast Finalizing Talks And Will Smith Out Of The Mix?

THR is reporting that actors Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Jared Leto are finalizing talks to take roles in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Margot is expected to play Harley Quinn with Jared Leto likely set for the new Joker. It's bit weird that people are reporting Aussie Jai Courtney is being looked-at for the lead role of Deadshot (leader of the group), while British actor Tom Hardy is linked for Aussie villain Harkness. I'm really hoping meat-head actor Jai Courtney isn't the lead of this film, and he's actually being placed in the secondary role of Harkness. Hardy seems more viable as the face of the franchise, and having actors like Leto, Hardy and Robbie playing second fiddle to Courtney seems just insane to me.

The film will begin pre-production in February with shooting expected to start in April. Production stages will be in my neck of the woods at Pinewood Studios Toronto. Films shot in the city are known having set photos leak in bulk, examples include Total Recall and Robocop. I expect we'll start seeing set images start rolling-out online in April. The release date is set for August 5th, 2016 and will be the first film post-Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

This news oddly has Will Smith's name missing from the lineup, which could mean he's out of the mix. We've been cautious about Smith's participation mainly since he's notorious for entering sequel talks and backing-out last minute. I'm unsure if Will would be willing to commit to sequels this film would likely spawn. It's normal for comic book contracts to include multiple film commitments. Having a feeling these characters will be showing up in other DC Comics films in the future, since most of the characters are Batman villains. Nothing says he won't end-up in the film, it just seems odd he's not apart of this update on the film.

SOURCE: THR

Warner Bros. Has The Script For JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK

Forbes has word from Guillermo del Toro that the script for Justice League Dark aka Dark Universe has been sent-in to Warner Bros. The project has been in-development for sometime but hasn't been given the greenlight by the studio. A major reason it wasn't apart of their DC movie release date slate the studio hasn't actually committed to it yet.

We still have no idea what writer collaborated with del Toro on the script. There is also a bit ambiguity if Guillermo is going to direct or just produce. His next film will be Pacific Rim 2 which is due out in 2017, around the same time as Wonder Woman and Justice League. I think it all comes down to if Warner Bros. commits to the draft they've been given.

SOURCE: FORBES 

Director Michelle MacLaren Confirmed For WONDER WOMAN

THR is confirming that Breaking Bad's Michelle MacLaren (Game of Thrones, Walking Dead) will indeed direct Wonder Woman for Warner Bros. Michelle had been a frontrunner for weeks and a fan-favorite for the job. While some maniacs believed the studio could automatically talk Kathryn Bigelow into return to genre filmmaking, saner minds know better. We've been supporting director Michelle for the gig since January and before she appeared on any "lists". Mainly, because I knew that that MacLaren deserves a jump to film, and this genre project was a perfect fit for her.

They also confirm that Debra and Zack Snyder will be producing the film, with MacLaren possibly working closely with the project's unnamed writers. It's important that Michelle is able to contribute to the vision/story of the film, instead of it being the Zack Snyder show. Allowing her to be more than just a hire-gun, but a filmmaker allowed to put her vision into play.

SOURCE: THR

RUMOR: Margot Robbie Locked-In For Harley Quinn Role In SUICIDE SQAUD?

Collider is stating that Aussie actress Margot Robbie (Tarzan, Wolf of Wall Street) is a lock for Suicide Squad and is indeed playing Harley Quinn in the film. This is the first time a site is actually trying to confirm that the role is indeed Quinn. Actors Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor), Jared Leto (Joker), Will Smith (Deadshot) and Tom Hardy (Harkin) are also in the mix for the film. David Ayer is set to direct with the film set for a August 2016 release date.

While Collider does have a great record of scoops with their wonderful on-the-record interviews. Their "sourced" scoops are touch-and-go. Frosty (face of the site) took to Twitter to proclaim Joaquin Phoenix as confirmed for Doctor Strange. Only moments after this his peers corrected him with their own information, revealing Phoenix was getting cold feet. This turned-out to be true and he exited talks, with Benedict Cumberbatch currently the frontrunner for the role. Giving the impression that they've been going forward on old information, or just rumblings that happen to be circling bloggers' channels. Something that happens regularly with all sites.

The film is likely going to start-up production in the coming months, so locking-down a cast now seems right on schedule. However, Robbie has been in the mix for a bunch of high-profile projects only to exit at the last minute. Examples of this include Ghost In The Shell and Fantastic Four, it's a good role for her. However, Warner Bros' Tarzan might have filled the genre quota for her at the moment. I'm going to wait for better confirmation from other sites and sources. She's also expected to take a co-starring role in Tina Fey's The Taliban Shuffle.

Then again, I would be fine with this casting. As we now know that WB is looking to place Joker in the film, having Robbie play the fast-talking Joker sidekick is actually perfect. It doesn't hurt that she is apparently dating Jared Leto (rumored frontrunner for Joker role).

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Jared Leto Circling Joker Role In SUICIDE SQUAD

THR reports that Oscar winner Jared Leto (Fight Club, Requiem For A Dream, Lord of War, Dallas Buyers Club) is circling the role of The Joker in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. It's more likely that Joker would be the actual threat of the film, rather than a member of the team. The Joker was previously used as the real villain in the recent animated film from Warner Bros, which had the Suicide Squad as the focus. A lot of people have been curious when or if we would see the return of The Joker in Zack Snyder's DC universe.

Leto had been linked for being in the running for Doctor Strange, so he's obviously looking for a high-profile project to get involved with. After Heath Ledger's casting, I can't really say I'm against Jared as the iconic Batman villain. Since it all comes down to the on screen performance and we haven't seen Jared play the role to actually judge him.

The Joker's inclusion could also possibly mean Batman might have a cameo, or at the very least referenced through-out the film. It's hard to believe that if the Joker is running-around, we won't see Ben Affleck's Batman show-up for a scene, to give him a good ass-kicking.


We've sort of assumed that there would be a Joker reference in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Considering that Suicide Squad is shooting post-production of Batman v Superman, they could shoot a couple of Joker scenes for that film as well. It's expected that Snyder will spend some of of 2015 editing and completing pick-ups and reshoots. Placing Joker scenes into the mix wouldn't be entirely shocking. The villain has a role within the Frank Miller comics, which the film is inspired by. Waiting till the end of the production or during reshoots to film those scenes, might be a way to keep fan down expectations of his appearance.

The image above was posted on Twitter by cinematographer Larry Fong. This picture sort of teases an intense fight between Batman and The Joker that happens in the Miller comic. Fong actually got in a lot of hot water for it. Leading a lot of fans (including us) to speculate the Joker was on his way. While it's unknown if he'll be apart of Batman v Superman, it's looking like a sure thing he's going to be apart of Suicide Squad.

There is already talk that Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is very likely involved in the project. I assume he very well could be paying for the whole organization, or could even take the place of Amanda Waller (more likely her boss). A character that might have been ruined because of showing-up in Green Lantern. While Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Margot Robbie are in the mix for leads as well.

SOURCE: THR

RUMOR: WB Working On WONDER WOMAN Trilogy Focusing On Roaring 20s And WWII?

BleedingCool is hearing that Warner Bros. has grander plans for Wonder Woman, stating they will be making a trilogy of films. This isn't shocking, since the heroine spans a extremely long timeline. They apparently have heard plot points of the greenlit script treatment. The first film will focus on warring Amazonian factions vying for control of Paradise Island and her exploration of world of man in the 1920s (I assume in the United States). It's sequel would then head into WWII set during the thirties and forties (echoing the original television series). Our final installment of the trilogy would be set in modern times.

"I have been informed by those who have seen the greenlit treatment that the film will spends the first half on Paradise Island with warring Amazon factions vying for control. An arrival of a man on the island changes that status quo, as he asks the Amazons for help. Not necessarily Steve Trevor either… Because when Wonder Woman joins him on his return to the world of Man, we all discover that it is the 1920s. And the film will then show Diana exploring that world – a world where women have only just got the vote – from her… unique perspective. A planned sequel would then take place during World War II in the thirties and forties. This of course was the period that the seventies TV show began in, before shifting to the then-modern day. And a threequel would then take place in the modern day, with the Justice League Of America."

Taking cues from period-set Captain America: The First Avenger. Seeing Diana likely actual fight real Nazis, not their fictionalized comic book equivalent (no Hydra here!). The site was the first to reveal Wonder Woman was going to be Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. So they obviously have an in with the future of the character at Warner Bros. I'd love to see this happen, because she lends herself to this kind of story telling.

Having a mix of fantasy and war movie elements could help further separate her from Superman. This also sounds like a crazy mash-up of genres like Boardwalk Empire, 300, Captain America and Inglourious Basterds all blended together. This tone would be similar to Man of Steel or the somber Batman v Superman.

Having Gal Gadot signed-on for six films might be the reason that bigger names didn't land the role. Her commitment is going to be huge and will be a major lead in two Justice League movies. Wonder Woman also having a trilogy, would likely scare-off potential candidates.

Warner Bros. is currently searching for a director with names like Kathryn Bigelow, Michelle MacLaren, Mimi Leder, and Tricia Brock on a reported shortlist. The release date is slated for June 2017, so production will need to come together soon.

Wonder Woman - Fan Film from Jesse V. Johnson on Vimeo.

A fan short film featuring Diana kicking the shit out of Nazis during WWII got a lot of people talking about the character, and how Warner Bros. should approach the heroine.

SOURCE: BLEEDINGCOOL