10 Radical Ideas To Save The DC Extended Universe

Forget the massive, unwieldy tentpole flicks: the DCEU should be managing the damage already inflicted to its reputations by presenting audiences with shorter, lower budget, smaller scale movies set in this shared world they’re trying to set up.

Look at Deadpool: an R-rated, profane and ultraviolent movie produced on a comparatively tiny budget, based upon a character unknown to casual audiences and with a star with unproven leading man credentials, it’s currently the biggest movie in the X-Men franchise to date, outperforming the franchise team’s own biggest hit, X-Men: Days Of Future Past.

Why did Deadpool work so well? There are a ton of theories, but the best explanation is that word of mouth said that this little movie - that Fox hadn’t even wanted to make - delivered like gangbusters. The DCEU needs some of that kind of word of mouth, and it needs it soon. For the money it cost to make Batman Vs. Superman, DC could have made four slimline ninety minute movies. A Nightwing film, a Green Arrow movie. Suicide Squad could have been a much smaller film if they'd hired lesser known actors.

These ridiculous city-destroying set-pieces need to go. They're expensive, and a lazy substitute for quality writing. Few superheroes in movies fight villains with logical motivations, and few superhero movies have coherent, sensible plots. Superhero films need an antagonist with a plan that makes sense, and a solid three act structure to hang the silliness on.

In Deadpool, it wasn't even the villain's plan that needed foiling. The plot revolved around the protagonist getting revenge against the antagonist. You wanted Wade Wilson to win, because Ajax was an a-hole. It's not rocket surgery.

As far as smaller goes - there’s no need to cast established, expensive stars. Shazam would have been an excellent start as it’s got the potential to be kid friendly: it’s about a young teen who utters a magic word to transform into a Superman-style powerhouse, so it’s practically a cartoon already. But they couldn't help themselves. They hired the world's biggest action star, Dwayne Johnson, to play antagonist Black Adam. There's no way you cast The Rock in your superhero movie and give it a medium-sized budget.

If you want good word of mouth, write smart, funny films that make sense. If you want to be sure of making a profit, keeping the cost down has to be your first consideration. Keeping the running time around ninety minutes allows cinemas to add an extra showing a day, maybe more. Again, none of this is rocket surgery.