DC Fandome: What I Liked....So Far...
DC Comics is and always has been, my favorite comic company. Like so many others, I grew up idolizing Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and being enraptured by their stories and animated adventures. I’m always eager to see what they have coming next, and most recently, they let the whole planet in on what’s coming with DC Fandome, a 24-hour long broadcast of panels, Q&As and previews of brand-new things coming from this great universe. I’ll be talking about everything that mattered (to me), going in order of how it was broadcasted throughout the day. As such, first on the docket was a panel on the long-awaited Wonder Woman 84.
Right out the gate, the most important takeaway from this panel is that despite Coronavirus and its lingering effects on our nation, Wonder Woman 84 will not be releasing for streaming, like Disney’s live action Mulan. Director Patty Jenkins said that the film “is designed to be seen on the big screen… we worked to make it as big and as cinematic an experience as possible, so we’re going to wait until we can show the film to you the way we intended.” On one hand I respect the integrity of preserving the vision of this film, but on the other, WW84 will eventually release to home video, and some people don’t watch movies until it does, so I’m not sure how sound an argument that is. Though that merely speaks to my intense need to see the movie, bolstered by the second official trailer that premiered at the end of the panel. The biggest highlight of the trailer is the reveal of the villain Maxwell Lord in the film, as well as the first look at the fully transformed Cheetah, Wonder Woman’s nemesis. I’m very pleased with how the effects are looking, and I can’t wait to see the film, whenever it comes to theaters. It’s worth noting that the second trailer removed any release date from the film at all, so it’s safe to say we won’t see the superhero for at least another year.
The new era of Wonder Woman begins here. #WW84 only in theaters from WB
The FLASH
Another notable panel centered around the upcoming film The Flash, which had some story details confirmed. Namely that it focuses on Barry Allen, whose mother was murdered and his father framed for it. It will be a time travel story, and one that creates the DC Cinematic Multiverse. So realistically, we can expect The Flash to be a retelling of the classic comic event, Flashpoint. The only other things known about this film is that both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will return to play Batman in it. Although, speaking from my perspective, there’s something seriously wrong if the best thing you can say about your Flash movie is that you’ve got two actors returning to play Batman. Additionally, Flashpoint has been adapted several times now, both in animated and live action form, so it’s not like we’re seeing much new here. Until I see an actual trailer, this film has a lot of work to do before it can convince me to see it.
DIR: James Gunn
On the other end of the spectrum, we have James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, a film I have been looking forward to ever since it was announced. The biggest question on everyone’s mind since the film was announced with a logo and list of actors years ago is who is everyone playing? The panel answered this right away with a stylish cast reveal video, showing off all the cast in full costume and makeup. There was a Q&A that revealed some interesting tidbits, like how James Gunn’s favorite DC villain is Bat-Mite, and how he’s most excited to write for Harley Quinn. Some character details were also revealed, like how Idris Elba’s character Bloodsport is in prison for shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet. The presentation ended with a behind the scenes video on the film, showing off some of the set footage, which seems to be carrying the torch Shazam! lit with bright and bombastic colors, unafraid of embracing the pulpy, fun nature of the comics. The Suicide Squad is easily my most anticipated anti-superhero film, and I can’t wait to see it (hopefully in theaters) August 6th, 2021.
Justice League
Another film that was highlighted during this day-long event was the long-anticipated Zack Snyder’s Justice League, AKA the “Snyder Cut” of the 2011 superhero team up film. Several differences between the theatrical cut and the new version were detailed in the panel. Firstly, Cyborg is the character that will be expanded upon the most in the Snyder Cut, as the director describes him as “the heart and soul of the movie.” There will also be more of the Flash in the Snyder Cut. Viewers “will see more of his emotional arc,” Snyder says. The Flash will also do something we’ve never seen before, something Zack Snyder describes as “timely”. This would suggest time travel, especially since The Flash film is a time travel story, but the Flash performing time travel is something we’ve seen done many, many times with the character, so hopefully it’s something else. We’ll have to see for ourselves when Zack Snyder’s Justice League comes to HBO Max in 2021 as a four-part miniseries and later a four-hour film.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE SNYDER CUT Trailer | NEW (2021) from JoBlo Movie Trailers
The next announcement of note was for Black Adam, the sequel/spinoff to 2019’s Shazam! Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took us through an animated motion comic detailing the feel and mood of the upcoming film, as it’s still in the very early stages of development. Black Adam follows the story of the original champion touched on in Shazam! and how he enacts his own brand of justice either alongside or against the Justice Society of America, who are making their big screen debut in this film. Having said that, this is another DC Film that will most likely take place in either the past, or an alternate universe, since the JSA came before the Justice League. While there is yet to be a release date, fans can look forward to seeing Black Adam, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Cyclone and Atom Smasher on the big screen at some point in the future.
Black Adam Art by Bosslogic
Harley Quinn
Following Black Adam, we have what is perhaps the most disappointing panel in show, at least for me. Harley Quinn, the popular DC Universe show that recently relocated to HBO Max, had a Q&A session hosted entirely by an animated Harley Quinn played by Kaley Cuoco. While it was fun to see her answer questions in character, it didn’t provide any real news about the series getting its much-deserved third season. While Harley’s answers were funny, I wasn’t watching the panel to laugh – I wanted information. After Harley Quinn, I had hoped the Shazam! Panel would at least provide something moderately better in regard to news. This panel, however, was also largely useless. Hosted by Zachary Levi, he kept playing up how he and the other cast members on the panel couldn’t say anything about the film and had to figure out how to fill time. In theory, this could be funny, but in practice, nope. After sitting in front of my monitor for hours, I felt my time was actively being wasted, even if there was a cute cameo by comedian Sinbad (who may or may not be in the Shazam! Sequel). The only thing of value gained by watching the panel was learning the name of the movie - Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
Robert Pattison: Bruce Wayne
Finally, to end DC Fandome there was a panel on Matt Reeves’ The Batman. I’ve been a fan of Matt Reeves’ work ever since Cloverfield, and I was interested to see what he’d have to say on the film. What followed was a lot of impassioned talk from Reeves, and continuous promises of how he’s doing something “you’ve never seen before” with Batman. Without any context, a lot of it just felt like bluster. There was talk of how it’s an early Batman story (something that’s been done already with Batman: Year One) or how it’s a heavier focus on detective work (much like The Long Halloween). The thing that probably bothered me the most is when Reeves was asked about how people would perceive Batman in this film, to which he said: “it’s early in his career, and to put it simply – people hate him.” This is something that just about every Batman incarnation has done and it’s tiring to hear. Maybe I shouldn’t fixate so much on this but when Matt Reeves kept saying “you’ve never seen this before” I wanted him to prove it and he didn’t. At least, not with words. After the lengthy Q&A we got our first look at The Batman. It sets a darker, moodier tone that’s quieter and more reserved than I believe we’ve seen Batman in. Impressive, considering only 25 percent of the film has been shot at the time of the trailer’s release. Either way, I am intrigued and will be looking for this film when it releases in 2021.
Check out the official The Batman teaser trailer starring Robert Pattinson by Movieclips Trailers
And so, that was DC Fandome, the first virtual DC Comics event! Overall, I have to say it was an edifying experience, learning about everything to come from DC in the next year or so. Yet, I wouldn’t recommend sitting down for it. It’s a lot more exhausting than you think to sit in front of a computer screen for around 8 hours, just hoping to hear some new and exciting stuff. Seeing all the panels back to back to back is gratifying in that you don’t have to wait, but it’s exhausting because you feel like you can’t take a break. Watching all the panels in a row, I also really grew to dislike “softball” questions like, “If you were on the Suicide Squad, what character would you be?” When you attend a single panel, these sorts of questions can be fun and entertaining, but if you’re seeing nothing but panels they start to feel more and more like an active waste of your time.
Overall, I think DC Fandome came out pretty good! Not perfect, and not something I want to do again with the schedule as tight as it was though. Yet, as Coronavirus continues, this sort of convention may become the default, at least for a while.
I suppose, only time will tell.
