13 Ways DC Is Attempting To Combat The Marvel Films Model
There's more than one way to build a superhero universe.
Its hard to actually call what DC has built so far a universe, since it consists of only one released film, but make no mistake, the DC Extended Universe is coming. Man Of Steel was a great starting point, and extrapolating from there, coupled with what we know about their upcoming slate, from personnel choices to the tones of trailers, we can make educated guesses as to how theyre handling their material.
Since Marvel essentially paved the way when it comes to both interconnected movie universes and modern superhero movies, its natural that DC is going to look at how they did things. But that does not mean that they will blindly follow in Marvel's footsteps.
Wisely, what DC ultimately seems to be doing is focusing on their own adult style and strengths, instead of just playing copy cat to Marvel. DC conceivably has learned from Marvel's bumps in the road and is trying to avoid those same mistakes. By fighting this established order of how to do things, theyre aiming to make good movies free of some of Marvel's trademark flaws.
From the characters they use to the way they portray them, DC is doing things differently as a means to create their own superhero niche. Not all of their efforts will work, but these are the ways that DC is attempting to counter what Marvel has done so successfully for years.
13. Drafting Competing Scripts
DC has caught a lot of flak for the way theyre developing most of their scripts. Rather than just hire the writer they think is best for the job, as regular movies do, DC is instead hiring multiple writers at once for the same project. Aquamans development started with three writers until a favourite was picked and Wonder Woman had five.
Its not exactly the nicest environment for screenwriters but there are advantages. Plenty of the scripts these guys write wont get filmed anyways, so this process is just a bit more public than usual. Furthermore, the methodology of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks isnt necessarily a bad idea.
Marvel, like most movie studios, has a tendency to re-write movies throughout development. In recent years, James Gunn re-wrote Guardians Of The Galaxy from scratch while Paul Rudd and Adam McKay did a significant re-write of Ant-Man when Edgar Wright left. The point being that if the script is going to get altered anyways, they might as well just get the kinks out early.
This also seems to be a way for them to vet lesser accomplished screenwriters. Not everyone is being subjected to this process as proven talents like Chris Terrio are still being given control of their own scripts.