Some big names have joined Nicolas Winding Refn's female-led horror film The Neon Demon.
Variety reports that Keanu Reeves (John Wick, Speed, Bram Stoker's Dracula), Christina Hendricks (Drive, Mad Men) and Jena Malone (Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Inherent Vice, Batman v Superman) have joined the cast.
Aussie actress Bella Heathcote (Dark Shadows) is also joining the film but might be lesser known to audiences.
The four additions join Elle Fanning and Abbey Lee who were previously cast in the film.
Details are slim but the film will be set within the world of modelling in L.A.
It was only a few weeks ago we were talking about when we could be expecting a news about a solo Batman film and we've got our first hint via Forbes. The outlet is known for mostly financial and business stories has started getting into the world of comic book film reporting.
They are now stating the reason Joker is in Suicide Squad isn't just to help setup Harley Quinn's character but also lead into a new Batman film as well. Stating his escape would eventually be tied into the next solo outing which is said to be heavily influenced by The Dark Knight Returns comic by Frank Miller.
The comic is already heavily influencing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice but likely won't have all the material gobbled-up since it needs to include Superman, Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman in major roles. This could mean a lot of the Batman centric stuff could be saved for another film.
Adding that Batman is likely to make an appearance in David Ayer's Suicide Squad to help boost that film's connection to the rest of the DC Comics slate. The assumption being that Joker will indeed be apart of the new Batman film in a bigger way than Suicide Squad.
It's been reported by Latino Review that Joker is less of a leading role and is more a Hannibal Lecter- like figure being more of a cameo than actually a lead. Those two roles are being filled by Will Smith's Deadshot and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
Rick Flagg fans might be shocked to learn his role in the film is being greatly scaled back and won't be as large as fans had expected it be.
I wouldn't have given too much thought to this news but it's coming from Forbes who has been getting some pretty big scoops concerning the DC Comics film franchises.
I'd love to see these guys replace The Mutants.
What could this film look like if it's indeed inspired by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns comic?
First off, I don't think we'll be seeing the comic version of the mutants gang but I could see them being altered to become aligned with The Joker. The mutant angle was sort of used in The Dark Knight Rises with Bane's army of mercenaries and street kids.
However, I could see them changing the punk street gang to be more linked to the Joker and Harley Quinn similar to what we saw in the Arkham games. Using the street gang aspect seems something we really haven't see as a major factor in the recent Batman films. Having them rival other gangs and even put the fear of god into Gotham's crime families could be interesting to explore.
Joker's role will likely be beef-up from what is was in Returns which was just him on a murder spree after escaping at television studio. I would expect him to be a main protagonist of the film, possibly along with Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
They didn't hire Oscar winner Jared Leto to only appear in Suicide Squad with a small role, they obviously have bigger plans for the character. While I felt he could be apart of the Justice League films he's too damn unpredictable to work with others. Placing him in a new Batman film post-Suicide Squad honestly makes the most sense to me.
I don't expect to see an adaptation to be so slavishly connected to the source material, which was one of the biggest issues people had with Zack Snyder's Watchmen. Basically, being a shot-for-shot copy of the comic book.
Taking true inspiration and making it's own beast could be way to really make the film stand apart from the comic, but still have those connections to it.
Barbara Gordon is just as likely as Carrie Kelley.
It was confirmed that actress Jena Malone would be taking a role in Batman v Superman but it was never announced who she would be playing. Speculations and rumors have suggested she could be playing Carrie Kelley who is the female Robin in Returns.
Her new red hair seemed to be a bit of give-away, but does that mean she could only be playing Carrie in the film?
We know that Carrie isn't the only redhead in DC Comics and isn't even the most famous redhead in among the Batman characters. I'm not entirely sure it's 100% Jena is Kelley since we've seen Batgirl production art making the rounds online from concept artist Jock (Dredd), so Jena playing a version of Barbara Gordon isn't impossible either.
Why I think Batgirl could equally be an option for Malone is that she hasn't been established in ages but has a strong connection to the Joker and one of his most iconic stories.
I wouldn't be entirely shocked to see Alan Moore's (Watchmen) Joker comic The Killing Joke being used to help increase the Joker's story in the film.The Dark Knight really only focused on his escape and murder spree during a television interview.
In Killing Joke, the Joker escapes Arkham to torment Jim Gordon and paralyses his daughter Barbara. After those events she becomes The Oracle an important and horrific moment for the character's evolution.
Both Returns and Killing Joke share a similar setting of a amusement park, and could easily be combined into one single script.
It's known that Joker famously killed Jason Todd, the second Robin who eventually returns alive as the vigilante The Red Hood. Taking the name of the Joker's original name as his own. Carrie Kelley is begrudgingly given the Robin mantle by Batman who is still grieving for Jason's murder by The Joker. As it's established in Returns that Todd has been killed.
I could also see them combining Carrie Kelley and Barbara Gordon into one character, since the former isn't as well established as Gordon. Perhaps, taking up the Robin mantle only to move on to become Batgirl and go on her own taking cues from Nightwing.
There are many ways this movie could go since there are plenty of solid Joker stories to be used for the script. They might as well fire on all cylinders if this is indeed going to have the Joker as the baddie. We have enough unused Joker stories that could come together to give fans one badass and grim as hell take on the character. I wouldn't even dismiss the idea of it cutting back between present day and flashback scenes.
It's still really early at this point but if I had to take guesses at titles they could go with The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: The Killing Joke or just The Batman. Again, I still believe Warner Bros. could release the film before 2020 but it all depends on Ben Affleck.
BVS is expected to look a lot more like Watchmen visually than Man of Steel, thanks to cinematographer Larry Fong reuniting with Snyder for the film.
I know Zack Snyder is going to be a busy bee with two Justice League films about to shoot back-to-back but I'd love to see him and Larry Fong (Batman v Superman, Watchmen) take a crack at this material. Snyder has hinted for years he'd love to turn The Dark Knight Returns in a film, it could be nice to follow through with adapting the rest of the comic on screen.
I highly recommend picking up those comics along with watching the two-part animated film based on The Dark Knight Returns which is currently on Netflix.
It's safe to say we'll be seeing some major female-power with Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) will make her debut before heading-off for her own solo adventure in 2017. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is our civilian observer of the film, along with Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) and Jena Malone (Sucker Punch, Hunger Games, Donnie Darko) taking key supporting roles. It's rumored that Tao is playing Lex Luther's personal bodyguard Mercy Graves, which makes sense considering her costume seen on set looks a lot like a professional's uniform.
However, things get a little more murky when it comes to Jena Malone. We don't have set images to work with and she was only recently confirmed by THR for a role. This role wasn't named, but there was quick speculation by others. Because the film is taking influence from Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns comics, people are automatically assuming she is playing Carrie Kelley. The ambitious young protege of tired and grizzled Batman and becomes the newest Robin. Batman of course hates the idea, this is of course years after the death of last Robin and after his own retirement. Bruce is pulled out of his calm twilight-years to deal with a growing menace plaguing Gotham. This time in the form of a underground gang of punks known as The Mutants, who plan on terrorizing the city. Doesn't this sound similar to the plot of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Rises? Well it should because Nolan and the co-writers pulled from all different comic book sources for their trilogy. Something I assume will be happening with Zack Snyder's DC universe, pulling from different sources to make the best films possible.
The closest thing to a confirmation that Jena is playing Robin, is that she didn't give comment to a gossip reporter when asked about it. That's a very weak argument, considering she just signed a non-disclosure contract for the role (like ever actor and crew member). She couldn't even talk about her role unless the studio gave her the okay. Remember the months that Jason Momoa had to keep mum about Aquaman?
It's unlikely this film will be adapted completely from the Miller material. Mainly, because we won't get the Mutants or Green Arrow in the film. I also doubt Ronald Reagan will be appearing as the President, although Nixon did show-up in Snyder's Watchmen. The Justice League cameos are something new as well, which could mean a lot of shake-ups concerning the plot and how much is being pulled from Miller's stuff.
I'm not 100% convinced she is actually playing Carrie. First thing, where the hell did Nightwing go? We had been hearing for months before production that there was a role for Dick Grayson in the film. The two heroes would reunite after going their separate ways. This part was rumored to be up for grabs and Adam Driver was linked for it. Driver instead went with a bigger role in J.J. Abrams' Star Episode VII and it was the last we heard of Nightwing. It's possible he was written-out completely by Chris Terrio's production polishes on the script.
It's possible that Nightwing has been replaced with another one of Batman's sidekicks that has branched-out. One that comes to mind would be the seldom used Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl. She was a staple of the original Adam West series, and has grown to become an important member of the comics universe. The daughter of police chief Jim Gordon, she along with Robin worked alongside Batman for years.
Both Robin and Batgirl haven't been seen on screen since Batman And Robin, and fans have been edgy about using the two ever since. Even thought she's been taken more seriously thanks to the animated series and comics like Alan Moore's The Killing Joke. Another excellent piece of comic lore that needs to be explored in this new film universe.
I wouldn't be shocked if Batgirl was also a former Robin and has gone her separate ways. Allowing room for Nightwing to be still kicking around, but giving more a female presence in Gotham. Should Affleck decided to direct future films, setting-up supporting heroes would be nice. While it's mudding the lore, combining the two would fix the problem with having a teen being the middle of firefights and working a tank.
Let's not forget that she also is a redhead. People had been quick to point out that Malone dyed her hair red. This doesn't automatically make her Robin, Batgirl sported red locks first. Also, if we're going by her hair it's not as traditionally short as Carrie's was in the comics. The shoulder length is more like 60s Batgirl hairstyle (pictured above). Other DC Comics redheads include Aquaman's fellow underwater hero Mera, who I assume will be featured in the 2017 movie. Not to mention the Batman villain Poison Ivy. Basically, we need more than a change in hair color to work with.
I would like to point-out that a piece of concept art by artist Jock was floating around the time of the announcement for Batman v Superman. He confirmed it was for a project for Warner Bros. People assumed it was for a video game/comic book series, I think even Jock pointed fans in that direction. Yet, Jock has done a bunch of design work for movies, including the early costume designs for Dredd. The image clearly includes Superman, Batman (very similar to Miller cowl they gave Batfleck), Wonder Woman and also Batgirl. Having Zack Snyder sneak-in a second female hero wouldn't be entirely out of the realm of possibilities. We never thought Cyborg and Aquaman would ever be in this film, so anything could happen.
HeatVision has official word from Lionsgate that Jena Melone (Sucker Punch, Hatfields & McCoys) has landed the role of tribute Johanna Mason in Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
“Sucker Punch” is a fantasy telling of a tormented girl’s quest for freedom from an insane asylum. Cast includes Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm and Scott Glenn.
My “Sucker Punch” experience can be best described as a bad trip to an amusement park. A Zack Snyder movie like a theme park; holds high expectations by principal alone. “Sucker Punch” is overflowing with large attractions (action sequences), big flashing lights (explosions) and cotton candy (major sex appeal). But instead of limitless enjoyment audiences are plagued with huge lines (shallow and ineffective exposition), broken rides (disconnected plot) and clown gimmicks (too much special effects and corny one-liners).
“Sucker Punch’s” monster viral campaign lead by ridiculously enticing trailers, propelled worthy hype and basically acquired pre-conceived approval. So, despite its many flaws I tired really hard to like this movie; but by the end I was frustrated and overall let down with only a hand full of exciting moments (sexy cast, badass rocket, snow samurai and germen trenches scenes).
“Sucker Punch” misses its target on several occasions. Despite the lengthy music paced exposition, there's never a real connection made between the audience and the main character. I understood the intent and direction of the film but I don't believe that the average viewer or non-Snyder fan will fully grasp and/or enjoy the films overall concept. I think this film would have benefited greatly from a R rating, lighter special effects budget and about 2 months more pre-production work on the script. Personally, I thought that the fluidity of the film was sporadic, lazy and disconnected.
Random speculation could suggest that the problem is related to the fact that Snyder's recent films were visual marvels (300 & Watchmen) having neither film presenting extensive storytelling obstacles. “The Watchmen” being an acclaimed graphic novel offered the best storyboards ever and “300” was just a fantasy embellished retelling of ancient Greco-Roman mythology with a few additions: doggy style scene, ugly deformed traitor, and an amped, greasy man beast named Gerald Butler. (Also a graphic novel from renowned author Frank Miller) I think the film suffered greatly from Snyder's lack of storytelling practice. He hasn't really faced difficulties in this area, since his directorial debut with the great remake of “Dawn of the Dead”.
If you had high expectations for this film you indeed will be "unprepared" for what you are about to see. “Sucker Punch” is a visually stunning, sometimes self-indulgent, original epic; lead by a variety of sexy subtle talents, through a fragmented, frustrating and pointless plot.
Despite my semi-professional and deeply analytical criticism, I still found enjoyment within the film and will most likely buy it on Blu-ray. A couple insanely visionary action sequences, a few surprisingly well-acted scenes and a strip club atmosphere save this film from total devastation; and round a potential epic, into an average 2 hours. “Sucker Punch” has everything movie goers could dream of, but unfortunately it was all disgustingly mishandled.
