Laurence Fishburne Not Returning for Justice League

Rounding out our trio of DCEU stories is a soundbite from Laurence Fishburne, who appeared in Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice as Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White. Fishburne, who recently sat down to chat with the LA Times about his latest movie, John Wick 2, revealed that he is not coming back for Justice League. The veteran actor chalked it up to scheduling conflicts, but the next words out of his mouth had some people raising their eyebrows. While talking about how DC has handled portraying its greatest heroes on the silver screen, Fishburne didn’t mince words: “What were they doing over there? Marvel has been kicking their [butt]” He did not say butt, though. He would go on to defend Zack Snyder and swear that he loved Dawn of Justice’s most baffling moment, the infamous “Martha Scene,” but the damage had already been done. I can hear the blogs and message boards lighting up with comments now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fishburne gets a cushy cameo in Avengers: Infinity War for his little commentary.

Mel Gibson Considered for Suicide Squad 2

We have sequel news for Raspberry Award darling Suicide Squad. In a recent article by The Hollywood Reporter, it was revealed that none other than Mel Gibson is in talks to helm the sequel to last year’s multi-million dollar trash fire. Gibson shared the news during a Q&A for his most recent film, the WWII drama starring Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge. Although he had struggled to repair his image following a string of drunken incidents over a decade ago, Gibson has seen a recent resurgence in popularity with the release of Hacksaw Ridge. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning $164 million to date and netting him six Oscar nominations. This is still an odd move for Warner Bros to make, especially considering the number of big name auteurs they already have in their wheelhouse. Gibson himself has acknowledged that he is no fan of comic books, admitting that he “is familiarizing himself with the material” before progressing any further, not to mention the fact that an Oscar-nominated director’s unique style may not match with the tone and look that the DCEU is going for. Other directors are in the mix as well, including Safe House’s Daniel Espinosa, Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer, and Warm Bodies’ Jonathan Levine, but none are generating the same level of buzz. Case in point, listeners, if you want everyone to forget about the horrible things you’ve done and said, all you have to do is make one award-winning film.

Ben Affleck Wants Out of Batman (Allegedly)

In a recent appearance on Collider’s Movie Talk Youtube series, entertainment reporter John Campea shared that he had spoken to multiple sources connected to the film, all of whom confirmed that Ben Affleck was in talks to walk away from the role of the Caped Crusader. Apparently, these sources claim that Affleck is no longer satisfied with life under the cowl, and, if released from his contract, the Batman film would be his last appearance as the character. As with all rumors and hearsay, these claims should be taken with more than a grain of salt. All official communication from both Warner Bros and Affleck himself have been mostly positive, with the studio swearing up and down that they are happy with the latest rewrite of the script and Affleck assuring interviewers that he’s glad to play such a widely known character. But as anyone in Hollywood can tell you, the official word is fickle as all get out and can change at a moment’s notice. It would make sense for Affleck to be souring on the prospect of playing the Dark Knight a bit. Neither of the films he’s appeared in so far, Dawn of Justice or Suicide Squad, has been a huge hit with critics. To further complicate matters, his gangster flick pet project Live by Night floundered in theaters, only making back $20 million of its $65 million budget since its release. Throw in the fact that things have continued to go south in his home life as well, and it’s not hard to see why he would want to take a break from everything. No official word has been given, but we may be seeing a new face under the bat ears before too long.

Batman Film May Be Getting Rewritten...Again

Dude, same.

We have yet another update from the dystopian wasteland that is the DC Extended Universe of movies. Last we heard, Ben Affleck had promptly bowed out of directing the upcoming Batman solo feature film, ostensibly choosing to focus on his starring role and more likely avoiding more back-and-forth over the script he and Geoff Johns had turned in. Dawn of Justice scribe Chris Terrio had been brought in for a page one rewrite, and collective fanboy hearts had shattered at the prospect of yet another dark, overserious drudge-fest with a murky plot. But this week, Forbes brought up some interesting rumors about the fate of the project. Allegedly, Cloverfield and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves is at the front of the pack being considered to replace Affleck behind the camera. And, if chosen, Reeves would be doing yet another rewrite of the script before starting production on the feature. This is a mixed bag at best. I was not thrilled at the idea of Terrio taking another crack at the Caped Crusader when I still hadn’t washed the taste of his first attempt out of my mouth, but as a general rule less rewrites is better. Nonetheless, Reeves has proven his ability to shape a compelling narrative, and could turn out a satisfying draft if given the proper time and resources. Regardless of the outcome, there’s still plenty of time for Warner Bros to sort things out, since the whole project still doesn’t have an official release date.

Aquaman Casts Its Black Manta

Work is getting underway on Aquaman’s solo film. The movie about nobody’s favorite Justice League member has just cast its villain. The Get Down’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen is set to play Black Manta, Aquaman’s archnemesis.

Leaked footage of the climactic dance battle for Atlantis.

The casting comes only a month or two after news that Patrick Wilson had been cast as Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother who takes up the mantle Ocean Master and fights him for control of Atlantis. Having two adversaries could make for an overstuffed debut film, but I think I know I know how Warner Bros is going to play this. Much like a certain Asgardian and his brother in the Marvel universe, I think Aquaman and Orm will start out as allies fighting against Abdul-Mateen’s Black Manta before turning against each other. No story details on the James Wan-directed project have leaked yet, so this is pure speculation, but it would make for a compelling twist. Aquaman is slated to hit theaters on Oct 5, 2018.

Ben Affleck No Longer Directing Batman, Script Being Rewritten by Chris Terrio, Everythin Awful

Sad Affleck is sad

This week in the DC Extended Universe being a hot mess, Variety is reporting that Ben Affleck will no longer direct the upcoming solo Batman film. The announcement comes after a series of soundbites from Affleck where he appeared uncertain that the project would come together. The latest development came earlier this week, with Warner Bros announcing that Affleck would step aside and focus on starring in the lead role, while an as-yet-undecided replacement takes over directing duties. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves is allegedly at the top of that list. Deadline has also reported that Batman v Superman scribe Chris Terrio has already turned in a rewrite of the script Affleck and DCEU Creative Director Geoff Johns had originally written. It’s no secret that I am often left scratching my head when it comes to DC movies and how they are being made, but this one has actually caused me to throw up my hands. Fans and critics have been split on the look and tone of these films, but nobody but nobody has had anything nice to say about the story in any of them. As I watched Batman and Superman growl and grimace their way through Dawn of Justice’s two and a half-hour runtime, I had little to no idea why they were doing so. Suicide Squad subjected audiences to around 20 minutes of character introductions before convincing them to care about maybe the most fleshed out of the two. So when I first heard the Batman solo film was having troubles getting started, I suspected narrative issues were to blame. In an interview with the Guardian, which I quoted a few weeks ago, Affleck said verbatim “...there’s no script. If it doesn’t come together in a way I think is really great I’m not going to do it,” all but confirming my suspicions. And now this week, lo and behold, he’s not doing it. This is not to say Chris Terrio is a bad writer; I don’t think you can win an Oscar for anything, especially writing Argo, and be considered bad at that thing. But I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he’s good at writing a particular genre of film; his track record with superhero films is short and spotty. I’d trust Quentin Tarantino to write a hyperviolent crime drama, but I’m not going to have him write a children’s book (although that would be interesting). I could be wrong. The film has yet to even receive a title, let alone a release date. But given the brief, turbulent history of this cinematic universe, I’m not filled with an abundance of hope. Is Wonder Woman here yet?

The Flash Movie Picks Up Third (!) Writer

Eza Miller thinking this may not have been such a good idea.

Warner Bros has just hired a third writer to work on its upcoming solo movie for The Flash. As I have previously reported, the studio has had some trouble finding a creative direction for DC’s fastest hero. Originally, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies scribe Seth Grahame-Smith was attached to write and direct, but he left citing that old classic “creative differences.” His replacement, Dope director Rick Famuyiwa, would also depart after his rewrite didn’t land with executives. Now, for the third and hopefully last time, a writer, one Joby Harold, has been tapped to do a page one rewrite of the film. Harold’s star appears to be on the rise recently. Another one of his scripts has been adapted Guy Ritchie’s action-packed retelling of King Arthur, due out later this year, and he also served as executive producer on the criminally underrated 2014 sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow. I want to be hopeful that this will turn out well, but the DC Extended Universe hasn’t endowed me with an abundance of confidence to date. Let’s just hope they give Harold more than six weeks to write this one. In the meantime Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League are both due out later this year.

Ben Affleck May Not Direct Solo Batman Film

Our first story of the year is picking up pretty much where 2016 left off - the DC Extended Universe being a hot mess! After thinly veiled shots by Flash actor Ezra Miller and Alien Covenant director Ridley Scott, the latest person to cast doubt on nobody’s favorite cinematic superhero universe is Batman himself. In a recent interview with British outlet The Guardian, Ben Affleck gave a lukewarm at best update on his upcoming batman film. When asked about the movie’s progress, Affleck acknowledged that there was still a project in existence but was pretty mum on when audiences would be seeing it, or even if he’d be in the director’s chair. The problem is fairly clear from this quote: “...it’s not a set thing and there’s no script. If it doesn’t come together in a way I think is really great then I’m not going to do it.” This is not the first time Affleck is on the record about the story lacking punch. Earlier reports covered how he pressured the studio to push the film’s release date back, unwilling to move forward with a story that didn’t work. Can’t really argue with his logic here; the DCEU’s movies haven’t exactly been praised for their storytelling up to this point, with critics slamming both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad for confusing character choices, villains with questionable motives, and gaping plot holes. A lot has already been written about the chaotic writing process for these films, particularly Suicide Squad and its expensive reshoots, so I won’t rehash that here. The bottom line is Warner Bros. has a decision to make: stop rushing these movies out to make the exhausting release schedule, or resign themselves to telling half-baked stories with second- and third-choice directors.