Question: will the HUGE success of the Avengers movie motivate DC to do a JLA flick?

[Ziggy Stardust]

'Cause if not, someone at WB/DC needs to be sacked!

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Considering WB seems to have minimal interest in superheroes-- beyond maybe their animation department-- I doubt it.

[Ziggy Stardust]

But, with the opening weekend numbers in, if they do NOT see the possibilities here, they're idiots, IMO.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

It's not all about "DC vs. Marvel." They're probably content to make boatloads of cash with something like, say, The Hobbit.

[zemo]

Let's be honest here, a big chunk of that success came from the single-hero movies that came before this one. We're looking at about a decade worth of promotion here, and DC will see that too. They know they will have to do the single-hero movies before they can do a Justice League one, and the rather brilliant way Marvel has done this will make it only harder. I mean, they can't even get Superman right (maybe this time?) and he's their second biggest IP after Batman. Nevermind Wonder Woman, which, at least in their eyes, can't even hold her own tv show.

I'll predict we won't ever see a Justice League movie made out of the classical Justice League characters. Rather, they'll make one including all the characters they have managed to put into the wider public's mind up to that point. At the moment it looks like this is going to be Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman (I think they'll at least try to get a movie with her out), Flash (who is getting a movie soon, afaIk), Green Arrow (IF the tv show gets off the ground, and there will maybe a movie), Black Canary (on the wave alongside with GA), and that's about it. Aquaman would have a VERY hard time getting a movie treatment, MArtian Manhunter isn't known at all to the wider public, and you can forget about the Atom or Hawkman. Mind you, maybe we'll get Blue Beetle, if they finally manage to make the tv show.

[Gaelforce]

I'm hoping that with the end of the HP franchise, WB might look to DC for a new one.

I admit, at one point I'm watching the Avengers and Thor and Hulk fighting side by side, wailing away on a big flying serpent and I thought to myself, 'man, that would be just as awesome if it were Superman and Wonder Woman.'

[Stressfactor]

Let's be honest here, a big chunk of that success came from the single-hero movies that came before this one. We're looking at about a decade worth of promotion here, and DC will see that too. They know they will have to do the single-hero movies before they can do a Justice League one, and the rather brilliant way Marvel has done this will make it only harder. I mean, they can't even get Superman right (maybe this time?) and he's their second biggest IP after Batman. Nevermind Wonder Woman, which, at least in their eyes, can't even hold her own tv show.

I'll predict we won't ever see a Justice League movie made out of the classical Justice League characters. Rather, they'll make one including all the characters they have managed to put into the wider public's mind up to that point. At the moment it looks like this is going to be Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman (I think they'll at least try to get a movie with her out), Flash (who is getting a movie soon, afaIk), Green Arrow (IF the tv show gets off the ground, and there will maybe a movie), Black Canary (on the wave alongside with GA), and that's about it. Aquaman would have a VERY hard time getting a movie treatment, MArtian Manhunter isn't known at all to the wider public, and you can forget about the Atom or Hawkman. Mind you, maybe we'll get Blue Beetle, if they finally manage to make the tv show.

Uhhh, I believe that Blue Beetle TV show thing was only a rumor. IIRC the test footage of the transformation scene was actually test footage for Blue Beetle's appearance on "Smallville".


Also, I think WB will be more cautious. "Watchmen" didn't turn out well for them nor did "Green Lantern" and they're less likely to sink a lot of money into more superhero movies until they can prove that they can do it right/well.

On the flip side, in a way, TV is a lot less risky. If your finished product there doesn't get the ratings you want you can pull the plug before you've sunk too much cash into it. That's a lot harder to do with a movie.

And their TV successes are probably netting them a pretty penny if you think about it. "Smallville" lasted ten seasons -- do you have any idea how few US TV shows actually do that? And then WB got the revenue from ads for the show in it's original run and then it gets to sell not just one movie on DVD but ten season box sets -- which allows them to net secondary profit. And on top of all that, with ten seasons they get to sell the show into syndication as well.

[Dreg]

I'm hoping that with the end of the HP franchise, WB might look to DC for a new one.

I admit, at one point I'm watching the Avengers and Thor and Hulk fighting side by side, wailing away on a big flying serpent and I thought to myself, 'man, that would be just as awesome if it were Superman and Wonder Woman.'

That's kind of selling the characters a bit short. If you put Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman in a film together as they are currently depicted, it would be a footrace to see which one could out-Jesus the others. Forced gravitas kills the fun, and the one thing I can honestly say about Whedon the director and Avengers the property is that their characters are about being human first and about being gods second. As an example, both Iron Man and Superman were in movies where they saved the earth by flying something into space at the near cost of their own lives. They messiahed the hell out of Superman, but with Iron Man, the fake death scene ended in a gag. That owes as much to the characters as it does to the writing.

[zemo]

Uhhh, I believe that Blue Beetle TV show thing was only a rumor. IIRC the test footage of the transformation scene was actually test footage for Blue Beetle's appearance on "Smallville".


Also, I think WB will be more cautious. "Watchmen" didn't turn out well for them nor did "Green Lantern" and they're less likely to sink a lot of money into more superhero movies until they can prove that they can do it right/well.

On the flip side, in a way, TV is a lot less risky. If your finished product there doesn't get the ratings you want you can pull the plug before you've sunk too much cash into it. That's a lot harder to do with a movie.

And their TV successes are probably netting them a pretty penny if you think about it. "Smallville" lasted ten seasons -- do you have any idea how few US TV shows actually do that? And then WB got the revenue from ads for the show in it's original run and then it gets to sell not just one movie on DVD but ten season box sets -- which allows them to net secondary profit. And on top of all that, with ten seasons they get to sell the show into syndication as well.

Well yeah, Blue Beetle was a rumor, but the rumor pops up every now and again. That's what I meant with "if they finally manage" it, i.e. if they finally follow up that rumor.

Though, thanks for bringing up Green Lantern. I forgot that. He'd be in the movie too.

And I think that it's the tv shows that could make the DC movies even bigger in some regards than the Marvel ones. I mean, if you're talking about the solo hero movies as a promotion for the final Avengers product, can you imagine all the in-built fans a movie based on the hugely successful cartoons and tv shows would have?

Really, all WB needs is a little bit of good writing and directing, and they'd hit it out of the park. Instead they decide to go with every fleeting popular wave they can find. That's why Jonah Hex ended up a supernatural Western, and Green Lantern ended up as...well, Deadpool, I guess. I don't know who it is, but someone at WB is really bad at reading the mood of their audience. But they don't have too much power. Because they quite obviously didn't get to change anything about the Harry Potter movies.

[Stressfactor]

That's kind of selling the characters a bit short. If you put Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman in a film together as they are currently depicted, it would be a footrace to see which one could out-Jesus the others. Forced gravitas kills the fun, and the one thing I can honestly say about Whedon the director and Avengers the property is that their characters are about being human first and about being gods second. As an example, both Iron Man and Superman were in movies where they saved the earth by flying something into space at the near cost of their own lives. They messiahed the hell out of Superman, but with Iron Man, the fake death scene ended in a gag. That owes as much to the characters as it does to the writing.

Depends on which Superman movie you're looking at.

The Donner Superman movie actually still holds up pretty well today. Parts of it are hokey as is the idea of turning the world backwards to reverse time but there's no denying that scene where Superman realizes Lois is dead and he can't bring her back... The sheer sadness on his face and then the cry of rage and pain as he flies into the sky are pretty human. And in the end it doesn't end with him as a "messiah" but instead as he was before -- shy, kind of quiet, not telling anyone what he has done or letting on about anything. It's back to 'work as usual'.

But, then again, we had Richard Donner at the helm there and Christopher Reeve in the starring role who managed to always make Superman just as human as Clark Kent. He always emphasized, powers or no, that he was a very grounded individual.

Part of the 'messiah' thing in Superman Returns stems from an attempt to make Superman all 'emo' and 'agsty'. To make him stand apart from humanity and bear the weight of the world. Which is exactly the WRONG direction to take with Superman.