The Real Problem With The DC Extended Universe Is An Obsession With The Same Old Stories
It's not all Snyder's fault.
Ever since Batman V Superman nose-dived (I know it made what would typically be a successful box office haul, but less than $900 million is a disappointment and, given the budget, financially unstable), talk has shifted from its direct follow on Justice League (which has an even more mishandled "Will he come back?" mystery than Game Of Thrones) to the other standalone entries in the DC Extended Universe. After all, most of Dawn Of Justice failure's came from Zack Snyder's patented inability as a director, so the movies he isn't getting his sticky fingers on will surely fare better?
That "Blame Snyder" ethos was my immediate response to the film, with the fifty-year-old teenager showing a complete misunderstanding of filmmaking technique, narrative convention and how to bring these together under studio specifications. However, the latest story rumour for the future movies hints at something bigger going on.
The most eagerly anticipated upcoming film in the series is far and away The Batman, taking one of the least awful things from Dawn Of Justice and putting it in the hands of a talented director (Ben Affleck) and someone who has comic ink coursing through his veins (Geoff Johns). There'sonly beenmuted word on the film so far, by nature of it only recently getting a proper thumbs up, but with a script well in development and a fast-tracked release date announcement inevitable, expect the rumour-mill to get into overdrive.
The latest bit of speculation is that it's going to feature a f*ck-ton of Batman villains, like Suicide Squad but with bigger names. Now, at first this sounds very much like a post-Civil War idea, casually sprinkling a vast ensemble cast of comic icons into what would have traditionally been a standalone film (Arkham Asylum, maybe?). And no doubt it partially is that, but it also has a spine-tingling, eye-opening similarity to Batman Triumphant.
The shelved sequel to Batman And Robin (back when one bad film was enough to sink a superhero franchise), BatmanTriumphant was going to see Joel Schumacher butcher the Scarecrow and Harley Quinn, while also bringing back all of the villains from the previous films (bar Mr Freeze, who'd been put on ice). Of course, because this Batman was only a little bit less blood-thirsty than Snyder's, most of these were dead, so there'd be a sequence in Arkham Asylum where Dr. Crane's fear toxin would have Bruce Wayne relive all of his past foes. Trippy.
How Warner are planning to bring multiple Rogue Gallery members to the screen in The Batman is unclear at this point, but I'd put good money on the concept'sgenesis being in Triumphant. After all,the entire history of DC on screen is built around Warner Bros. forcing very specific ideas until they get them, regardless of if they work in the current movie or universe.
Batman: Year One was mooted ever since Triumphant was ditched, finally realised under Christopher Nolan (including Scarecrow). The notion of an older Batman was so engrossing it was used in both The Dark Knight Rises and Batman V Superman. They've been trying to get that Versus film to work for over a decade before Snyder finally "delivered". Every element of J.J. Abrams' Superman Flyby (aside from Lex Luthor being a Kryptonian) was plundered for Superman Returns and Man Of Steel. And, biggest of all, Warner were desperate to do The Death Of Superman ever since the divisive comic book was first published, trying to get the Nicolas Cage Superman Lives to work before vaguely doing it in Superman Returns and finally realising it in the most cack-handed way possible in Batman V Superman.
What this shows to me is a studio that is more focused on its big ideas and focal points than the films themselves. This can work if you've got a talented creative balancing everything - Nolan made three great Batman movies and Superman Returns isn't as bad as its forgotten nature would suggest - but in less capable hands (Snyder, Schumacher) it's a fumble of directions.
With this factor in mind, it's a bit easier to understand why Dawn Of Justice was such a mess - while it doesn't absolve him of blame, Snyder clearly wasn't getting much support there. Here's hoping Affleck can deal with the demands to dust off Triumphant a little bit better.
Do you think the many-villains rumour is Warner Bros. going back to the same well? Or are they looking to the future? Have your say down in the comments.