The Art Of The Perfect Crossover Movie
3. Be Wary Of Too Much, Too Soon
Seriously, just when you think you've established your crossover properties enough, give genuine consideration as to whether you need to do another movie or two to further flesh out the fundamentals of the franchises that you're bringing together.
To rush into a crossover too soon? Well, that could be catastrophic for all involved.
When it comes to 'too much, too soon,' it's hard not to hone in on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In a clear case of Warner Bros. trying to rush through the establishment process as they looked to play catch up with the world-sharing excellence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in just the second of WB's DC Extended Universe the call was made to go all-out and bring a whole host of DC Comics characters into the realm of Henry Cavill's Man of Steel... rather than introducing these characters in their own movies first.
Due to the so-so response to Man of Steel, tentative plans for a straight-up Man of Steel 2 were rejigged so that that sequel instead became a crossover with Batman. And thus, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was born - with the Dark Knight being brought in to try and save the day for this planned shared universe.
Not only did the DCEU rush too quickly to Batman, that second DCEU offering brought in Wonder Woman in a major way, and then also briefly introduced audiences to Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg. Holy 'too much, too soon,' Batman!!!!
The result was a Batman v Superman movie that was decent in parts, yet ultimately a disappointment - with Warner Bros. being their own worst enemy.