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[Hypo Lil' Leaguer Find all posts View Profile Close Hypo]

James Wan Teases Creatures Coming To DC Universe’s ‘Swamp Thing’

While Wan didn’t get specific about which character audiences would see when the show arrives, he did unveil where they would be coming from.

“We’re a big fan of Alan Moore’s take on it so picking a particular story and using that as the foundation to kick it off. If we’re lucky, we can have many other stories to tell.”

Swamp Thing TV Series Will Lean Into Gothic Horror/Romance, Wan Promises

We want to lean more into the Gothic horror/romance aspect of it," Wan told CBR, underscoring the influences of the comic book source material.

"It's a human story," the filmmaker said. "Basically, it's Beauty and the Beast. It's about this guy struggling to find his humanity as he's transforming and becoming more and more of a monster."

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

It would be great if they did the vampire town story, then in a later season revisit that town as a lake like Moore did. I'm hoping to see stuff like that.

[Hypo Lil' Leaguer Find all posts View Profile Close Hypo]

Ruby Rose-Led 'Batwoman' Pilot a Go at CW

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Our first look at the Watchmen tv show is at the 13 second mark.

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‘Stargirl’: Luke Wilson Joins Cast Of DC Universe Series

The DC Universe series Stargirl just added some Hollywood star wattage to its cast: Luke Wilson is on board to portray mechanic-turned-superhero Pat Dugan, who pilots Stripe, a hulking 15-foot robot of his own invention.

The star of Old School, Legally Blonde and The Royal Tenebaums joins a cast led by young Brec Bassinger of Nickelodeon’s Bella & the Bulldogs in the title role of a high school student who inherits the cosmic device of a long-gone superhero. Also in the ensemble: Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Rex Tyler/Hourman, Brian Stapf as Ted Grant/Wildcat, Henry Thomas as Charles McNider/Dr Mid-Nite and Anjelika Washington in an undisclosed role.

Showrunner Geoff Johns, who created Stargirl while writing for DC Comics in the late 1990s, described the casting coup in terms that made it sound as if it was written in the stars.

“When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1996 and saw Bottle Rocket, I became a huge fan and admirer of Luke’s,” Johns said “And I literally wrote this part for Luke, hoping that someday and somehow he’d play Pat Dugan. I onlyenvisioned him. And now I feel like I won the lottery! Luke’s talent, humor, compassion — his presence and professionalism — and his creative collaboration, his ideas — we’re so lucky to have him alongside Brec in Stargirl.”

The show’s official description of Wilson’s character: “Pat Dugan once went by the less-than-inspired superhero name of Stripesy, sidekick to a young hero known as the Star-Spangled-Kid and later Starman of the legendary Justice Society of America. Today, Pat has left his sidekick life behind him. But when his new step-daughter, Courtney Whitmore, discovers Pat’s secret past and takes on Starman’s legacy to become Stargirl, Pat is forced to come out of retirement and once again become a sidekick — to his step-daughter — this time piloting a 15-foot robot called Stripe.”

Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns, Sarah Schechter and Melissa Carter are executive producers of Stargirl, which is based on the DC character created by Johns. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions and Mad Ghost Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Johns is writing the first episode and will serve as showrunner. No official release date has been announced.

Wilson can also be seen in several upcoming films, among them The Goldfinch, directed by John Crowley and opposite Ansel Elgort and Atom Egoyan’s Guest of Hounour. He also has roles inan all-star anthology feature called Berlin, I Love You with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Mickey Rourke and a ribald comedy called In the Swing of Things.

Wilson is represented by CAA.

Stargirl shares its title with an upcoming Disney+ movie. That production adapts the novel by Jerry Spinelli and stars singer-songwriter Grace VanderWaal in the title role of Stargirl Caraway, a non-conforming newcomer who shakes up an Arizona high school campus.

[Hypo Lil' Leaguer Find all posts View Profile Close Hypo]

Toby Emmerich on Warners Bros.' 'Crazy Rich' Year: "We All Feel Like We've Turned a Corner Now"

What does the success of Aquaman mean for the DC Universe?

We all feel like we've turned a corner now. We're playing by the DC playbook, which is very different than the Marvel playbook. We are far less focused on a shared universe. We take it one movie at a time. Each movie is its own equation and own creative entity. If you had to say one thing about us, it's that it always has to be about the directors.

[Michael Heide Heide Finition Find all posts View Profile Close Michael Heide]

What a load of bull. DC playbook? You're writing that right now, trying to make sense of Aquaman's success. "Far less focused on a shared universe"? So that's why BvSDoJ had to cram in a scene in which Wonder Woman watched the teaser trailers for Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg? Or why Justice League set up an Injustice Gang with Deathstroke and Luthor?

[Darth_Primus Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Darth_Primus]

Well, I think Aquaman was already in production when the decision was made to change the DC's film universe from a strongly connected universe like the MCU to the upcoming slate of DC films like the Joker, which looks like an "Elseworld" flick. James Gunn's "Suicide Squad" is suppose to have a fresh new take and may not be connected the Snyder-verse. Same thing goes for Matt Reeve's "Batman" film (if it ever goes into production).

I think what Emmerich is saying they're not building to another Justice League movie, like Marvel tends to do with the Avengers. DC films could be loosely connected, but not really building towards a big cross-over event.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

...

I think what Emmerich is saying they're not building to another Justice League movie, like Marvel tends to do with the Avengers. DC films could be loosely connected, but not really building towards a big cross-over event.

Yeah, and I still get that vibe. I just got back from Aquaman and although they mention the events of Justice League (which I still haven't seen), it doesn't feel like it's a step toward another League or crossover. Even the mid-credits sequence was Aquaman related instead of having Batman step in or something. DC still world builds, but it seems less central.

[Darth_Primus Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Darth_Primus]

Exactly. We've seen the the "Shazam!" trailers newspapers and whatnot that reference Superman and Batman. Henry Cavill was rumored to make a cameo in "Shazam!" but WB and Cavill couldn't reach a contract deal for that to happen.

It won't bother me at all if Shazam! doesn't cross over with another DC character, but I do like the references that he's part of the larger DC universe and the potential for a cross-over done the line.

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Deadline: ‘Aquaman’ Sequel: James Wan Seeking Seaworthy Script As First Film Makes DC History

As Aquaman is poised to supplant The Dark Knight Rises as the top-grossing film in the DC Universe, Warner Bros has begun the process of bringing director James Wan back for the inevitable sequel. Sources said the plan in discussion is for Wan to oversee the development of a second film, including the selection of writers, and then make a decision on whether to direct it when he sees the script.

Small wonder that Warner Bros wants him back as badly as it did Patty Jenkins on the Wonder Woman sequel. Wan’s Aquaman has shifted the landscape of the DC Universe toward the iridescent deep-sea kingdom of Atlantis and away from grim old Gotham as far as the unofficial capital of the Warner’s superhero business. That symbolic relocation will happen when Wan’s Aquaman eclipses Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises this weekend on the strength of its international success.

As of last weekend, the global box office for Wan’s amphibious epic was closing in on $1.07 billion — and a mere $17 million shy of matching the mark set by the 2012 finale installment of Nolan’s Batman trilogy. When Wan’s salt-water saga does move into the top spot it will represent a sea change for Warner Bros. and its DC Comics adaptations. Consider this: Before 2012, the top-grossing DC adaptation was The Dark Knight, Nolan’s 2008 visit to Gotham City. Before 2008, the title belonged to Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), the landmark blockbuster that celebrates its 30th anniversary this summer.

So when Aquaman stakes claim to the top spot it will be the first time in three decades that Gotham City will settle for second in a ranking of Warner’s heroic hometowns.

Needless to say, Warner Bros. is eager to set sail with Aquaman 2. Wan is the only filmmaker who has delivered a billion-dollar moneymaker for two different studios (his Furious 7 revved up $1.5 billion for Universal in 2016) but don’t expect him to move on from the Aquaman franchise. The filmmaker is deeply invested in the world creation aspect of Aquaman and sees the deep, blue sea as a fantasy setting that can be cinematically comparable to Middle-earth, the Jedi galaxy or the wizarding world of the Harry Potter films. There’s a lot of ocean floor and undersea kingdoms left for Wan explore.

There may be plenty of fish in the sea but Wan is a rare savant when it comes to delivering high-return international hits. Born in Malaysia and raised in Australia, he is a citizen of the world in his filmmaking sensibilities and Aquaman has proven to be a powerhouse export. Only 28% of the film’s box office haul has been in the domestic marketplace. No other DC Comics movie has traveled as well or as far in foreign markets.

The filmmaker minted his Hollywood reputation within the horror genre by displaying a golden (and grisly) touch with hard-R hits with lean budgets and fat profits. His feature debut, Saw, for instance, was filmed in 18 days for $1.2 million — it went on to generate $103 million in global box office and six sequels for Lionsgate. Wan didn’t direct any of those Saw sequels, however, and while he profited from them as a producer he also blanched when the franchise veered from his original vision in ways both large and small.

Lesson learned, Wan stayed on as the director for the sequels to Insidious (2011) and The Conjuring (2013). At New York Comic Con in 2012 he acknowledged the protective spirit he felt toward his franchise launches: “I think the sequel to Insidious is kind of my reaction to Saw, where for my own reason I wasn’t as involved in the sequels, and so I felt with Insidious, I think it would be good to shepherd it and keep it more in track to the vision I had when I made the first film so that it doesn’t detour too far. I never set out to make sequels to any of my films I direct. If they happen, that’s great because that means people out there love it and they want more of it. But I always felt with Insidious we created this really interesting world that we can explore more…”

Wan spent years working on Aquaman including 172 days on principal photography with stops in Queensland, Morocco, Italy and Canada. It’s hard to imagine him walking away now. Last month I asked him about the sequel and he demurred. “I’m superstitious about that,” he said.

Wan clearly set the stage for the sequel in the first film by introducing Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the Black Manta in a prominent, compelling and open-ended sequence which did plenty to whet fans appetite for his rematch with Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman.

After Wan’s Furious 7 success, Warner Bros. was so eager to work with the filmmaker on a superhero film that they offered him his pick of properties. The director considered The Flash project but in the end chose Aquaman for its (literally) immersive fantasy potential and also because he liked the challenge presented by the much-maligned hero’s pop-culture standing. For years Aquaman has been an orange-shirted punchline (thanks to Entourage, SpongeBob SquarePants, Robot Chicken, etc.). No one is laughing anymore. And this weekend when the King of Atlantis surpasses the Dark Knight of Gotham City, orange will officially be the new black for Warner Bros.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

Fun Aqua-facts:

When Aquaman tops The Dark Knight Rises it will not only become the biggest DC movie ever at the box office.

Aquaman will become the SECOND biggest movie WB has had at the box office; second only to the last Harry Potter movie. Think about THAT for a second...the 2nd biggest movie the studio has had (ignoring inflation).

Aquaman will become the 7th biggest comic book movie of all time. During it's run it has beaten every Marvel movie but their top 6 (the 3 Avengers, Cap 3 and Black Panther).

Not so bad for a guy who rides a seahorse.

[Hypo Lil' Leaguer Find all posts View Profile Close Hypo]

To be fair that seahorse was majestic as fuck

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

To be fair that seahorse was majestic as fuck

Tough looking even.

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Birds of Prey teaser:

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