DC Unveils Ludicrously Ambitious Movie Schedule

Is DC Entertainment going into panic mode? Possibly. Warner Bros. has just revealed its slate of 10 massive superhero films it will be releasing through 2020, including two Justice League movies, a Suicide Squad adaptation, a Green Lantern reboot and solo outings for Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. The far-reaching cinematic universe for DC kicks off with Man of Steel sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which hits theaters in 2016.

Here's how it will all shake out:

2016 - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill)
2016 - Suicide Squad
2017 - Wonder Woman (starring Gal Gadot)
2017 - Justice League Part 1 
2018 - The Flash (starring Ezra Miller)
2018 - Aquaman (starring Jason Momoa)
2019 - Shazam (starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson)
2019 - Justice League Part 2
2020 -  Cyborg (starring Ray Fisher)
2020 - Green Lantern (probably not starring Ryan Reynolds)

I'll be shocked if even half of these get made, especially since so much of hinges on the success of Batman v Superman. For more on this story, head over to Deadline.com.

The Buy Pile for Aug. 7, 2013

Happy Wednesday, Wortmaniacs! How’s your week going?

Oh, wow. That bad, huh? Well, if it makes you feel any better, there’s a slew of new comics that just hit the racks, so that should help you get through the next couple of days … unless you’re not into comics at all, in which case you’re probably here by accident and stopped reading at “Wortmaniacs.” So why am I still talking to you? This is awkward.

Anyhow, below is a list of what I’ll be reading tonight whenever I’m not completely distracted by Shark Week on Discovery. I really like the bitey parts.

• Iron Man #14
• All-New X-Men #5
• Deadpool Kills Deadpool #2
• Detective Comics #23
• Green Lantern #23

The Buy Pile for July 7, 2013

Another Independence Day weekend is in the books and, hopefully, you all made it through your BBQ festivities with your fingers and your dignity intact.

In terms of comics, these are books I actually picked up on Friday, but the last three days haven’t been all that conducive to blogging. Here’s what I was reading when I wasn’t grilling, chilling, avoiding a sunburn or concocting inappropriate lyrics to popular songs around a bonfire.

• Iron Man #12
• Daredevil #27
• Legends of the Dark Knight #10
• Detective Comics #22
• Green Lantern #22

Even though I haven’t been reading the series in its original digital form, Legends of the Dark Knight could very well be my favorite book coming out of Marvel and DC right now. Since so many mainstream titles dole out larger story arcs across multiple issues, it’s refreshing to get these self-contained Batman stories that aren’t tied to the current “New 52” continuity.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to do some shopping. Stay nerdy!

Not So Fast, ‘Green Lantern’ Sequel …

Although there were some early reports that Warner Bros. had greenlit (ha!) a sequel to the financially struggling (and pretty mediocre) Green Lantern film, Warner Bros. has affirmed that another film is not necessarily a guarantee for the ring slinging superhero, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The media outlet had previously reported that a followup to the Ryan Reynolds vehicle was a sure thing, citing a reliable source at the studio. However, a Warner Bros. spokesperson was quick to clarify to THR that a decision had not been made regarding the cinematic fate of the character.

With a reported budget of more than $200 million—and an additional estimated $200 million spent on marketing—it’s unlikely Green Lantern will be able to break even this summer at the rate it’s going. As such, Warner Bros. is completely justified in sitting on its hands for the time being.

For the full story, click here.

Well, ‘Green Lantern’ Pretty Much Sucks

Given Green Lantern’s dismal reviews and disappointing $53.2 million opening weekend, it seems almost cruel to add yet another bad review to the pile. The movie has already been savaged by everyone from top-tier film critics to obsessive comic book fans to casual filmgoers on Twitter, so people who haven’t seen it yet have been given fair warning to stay away.

But you know what? Screw it. I paid $16 to see this hot garbage in 3D, and I want to vent.

I’m not going to lie and say I’m a lifelong fan of the Green Lantern comic books. In fact, I’ll go on record in saying my experience with the character doesn’t extend far beyond Geoff Johns’ work over the last seven years or so. Still, by following the character from Rebirth to the “Sinestro Corps. War” storyline to Blackest Night and beyond, I gained a new appreciation for how expansive the DC Universe actually was. When I heard there’d be a Green Lantern feature film with Johns attached as a producer, I was thrilled. After all, I thought, the Green Lantern mythos is essentially Star Wars with superheroes, how could anyone screw that up? Someone must have mistaken that rhetorical question for a dare.

So Green Lantern, helmed by Casino Royale director Martin Campbell, is a loose retelling of Hal Jordan’s origin story. Well, that’s not entirely true. Star Ryan Reynolds is in full-on Van Wilder mode here, so the character more closely resembles the boastful and arrogant Guy Gardner. All that said, the filmmakers tells us this prick of a fighter pilot is Hal, so I guess we’ll take their word for it.

Anyhow, a dying purple alien (Temuera Morrison) bestows his green power ring to Hal, granting him amazing and otherworldly abilities based on his incredible will (the Green Lanterns’ power is based on willpower). Even though Hal is afraid of just about everything throughout the film, the ring chose him based on his ability to overcome fear. Go figure.
Now a member of the legendary Green Lantern Corps., Hal is transported to Oa, where he meets the fish-faced Tomar-Re (Geoffrey Rush), receives a few minutes of training from drill sergeant Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan) and clashes briefly with a Green Lantern leader named Sinestro (Mark Strong). Because this film isn’t interested in making Hal interesting or heroic, he quits the Corps. almost immediately and heads back to Earth, claiming the ring was wrong in choosing him. While you might think this weakens Hal’s character arc, keep in mind that the visual effects team on Green Lantern apparently put a lot of time and money into making Oa look as desolate and depressing as possible. You almost can’t blame Hal for wanting to leave.

But anchoring Hal to Earth is his childhood sweetheart-turned-steely aircraft executive Carol Ferris, played by Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively. Don’t let the last name fool you – she’s not the least bit enthusiastic about this material. However, she’s an ideal damsel in distress after scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) is infected by an alien entity called Parallax and begins using his newfound abilities to lash out at everyone that wronged him, including his senator father (Tim Robbins) and Carol, who once spurred his romantic advances in favor of Hal. The character transition comes off as awkward, especially since we’re not really given the opportunity to care about him before his transformation into a cackling psychic supernerd. Nevertheless Sarsgaard looks like he’s having a lot of fun in this role, so at least someone was enjoying themselves on set during filming.

And let’s get to Parallax, the malicious force that thrives off the yellow-hued power of fear – a counterpoint to the Green Lantern Corps.’ mastery of will. It’s been featured pretty heavily in the comic book series, and even possessed Hal to turn him into one of the most diabolical villains in the history of the DC Universe. But alas, Parallax is reduced to a snarling, poorly rendered yellow blob with tentacles that goes out like a chump when Hal ultimately decides to become a hero during the film’s tensionless climax.

If I’m being harsh and dismissive toward Green Lantern, it’s because this movie could have been a lot better than it turned out. This film should have been the beginning of a superheroic space opera, and instead we’re subjected to a dull, lifeless, rushed and remarkably mundane iteration of the character’s origin story. After Marvel Studios’ Thor, Green Lantern just makes Warner Bros. look bad.

Oh, and if you stick around through the credits, you get a brief extra scene teasing a sequel. When Iron Man and Thor did this, I cheered. Here, however, hinting at a sequel is more presumptuous than titillating.

If you’re in the mood for superheroes at the cinema, save your green for Captain America.

‘Green Lantern’ Gets an Extra $9 Million to Fix Effects

So, you know how the Green Lantern trailers we’ve been seeing make the film look like a video game cutscene…from like 10 years ago? Well, as reported by Variety, Warner Bros. has taken notice, funneling an additional $9 million to the production to beef up the CGI before the film’s June 17 release date.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Green Lantern is going to suck entirely, but it seems to me as though the studio’s confidence in the Martin Campbell-helmed project might be waning as the release date approaches. We learned a few weeks back that Warner Bros. plans on expanding the cinematic DC Universe as Marvel Studios has done with its properties, and a misstep at this point would hurt the chances of other DC films getting the green light. Green Lantern needs to do well, and based on what we’ve seen so far, June 17 could be more of a Blackest Night than a Brightest Day for fans of the character.

Variety notes that this last-minute scurrying is typical of many big budget special effects-heavy films as of late, and this summer’s Captain America: The First Avenger and Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon have faced similar production crunches.

Chris de Faria, Warner Bros.’ executive vice president of digital production, had some assuring words for those eagerly anticipating the film.

“There is no problem on Green Lantern,” he said. “We try to add things to make the movie better until the 11th hour. That doesn’t mean we're risking the movie up to the 11th hour.”

To read the full story, click here.

‘Deadpool’ Has a Director

It looks like Fox is finally getting the ball rolling on Deadpool, its X-Men spin-off featuring everyone’s favorite Merc with a Mouth. Deadline.com reports that visual effects guru Tim Miller will direct, and Ryan Reynolds—who had a bit part as the wisecracking antihero in X-Men Origins: Wolverine—is expected to star. Zombieland scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are working on the script.

Although the character has fallen out of favor with many Marvel Comics readers due to sheer oversaturation (I mean, how many Deadpool series do we really need?), it’s cool that Reynolds is willing to commit to two superhero franchises from different sides of the comic book universe at the same time. He’s already starring in Warner Bros./DC Entertainment’s Green Lantern, opening June 17, and if that film rakes in the green (snort!), sequels won’t be far behind. Furthermore, since this summer’s X-Men: First Class marks the fifth film in the franchise (with more on the way), it’s unlikely that the character’s first solo outing on the big screen will be a one-off. So, yeah, Mr. Reynolds might be busy for a few years.

As for Miller, my first reaction was … who? Deadline notes that he created and owns Blur Studios, and he’s directed “numerous cutting-edge video game trailers.” Upon further inspection, he’s done visual effects work for geek-friendly fare such as Daredevil, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Bryan Singer’s X-Men and X2: X-Men United. This might be his directorial debut, but at least he’s played in this sandbox before. I’m curious to see how this turns out.

Warner Bros. to 'Reinvent' Batman Once Again

We’re still more than a year away from the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises—the film that completes his Batman trilogy—but Warner Bros. has already revealed that they are planning to “reinvent” the character in the fourth film.

Keep in mind, Wortmaniacs, that Warner Bros. last rebooted the character with 2005’s Batman Begins, a film that introduced moviegoers to a more realistic Gotham City after Joel Schumacher turned Tim Burton’s series into a campy, neon-lit, cringe-inducing sideshow.

“We have the third Batman, but then we’ll have to reinvent Batman…Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is,” Warner Bros. executive told the Los Angeles Times. Also on the slate is a Justice League film in 2013 in addition to Flash and Wonder Woman solo films.

I’m all for a big-screen Justice League film—especially if Warner Bros. follows Marvel Studios’ example in setting all of the other superhero films in the same universe—but it’s pretty clear that characters like Wonder Woman, Superman, Hawkman and Martian Manhunter wouldn’t make sense in the film world Nolan created. Is Warner Bros. reinventing Batman to somehow distance the character from the realism Nolan has worked so hard to retain through three movies? Is the studio deliberately taking the character back into Schumacher territory?

Furthermore, where does this summer’s Green Lantern stand in all of this? It’s hard to imagine a cinematic Justice League without Hal Jordan among its ranks.

In any event, with Green Lantern making his big screen debut, Wonder Woman returning to TV in the near future and Superman soaring back into theaters next year, it seems as though Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are finally paying attention to the rich array of costumed characters at their disposal (that aren’t Batman). Could a Booster Gold movie trilogy be that far behind? Fingers crossed.

The Dark Knight Rises is slated for release on July 20, 2012.

'Green Lantern's' Light Noticeably Absent on Super Bowl Sunday

Allow me to join the legions of comic book geeks who were very, very impressed with Paramount’s Super Bowl ads for Thor and Captain America this past Sunday. The commercial for Joe Johnston’s adaptation of Marvel’s star-spangled Avenger was suitably badass—with our first look at Hugo Weaving in full makeup as the villainous Red Skull—while the spot for Kenneth Branagh’s Thor proved (to me at least) that the film will strike the proper balance between high fantasy and tongue-in-cheek comedy. The latter ad also featured the gorgeous Natalie Portman (as Jane Foster) fairly prominently, and with good reason.

As a matter of fact, after seeing her recent performances in Black Swan and the surprisingly funny No Strings Attached, I’d like to propose that Ms. Portman get at least 30 minutes of screen time in all films moving forward. Can you get on that, Hollywood? Thanks.

My nerdy crush aside (sigh), the reason I’m posting this blog—aside from the fact that it’s been nearly a week since I’ve written anything on here—is that I found the lack of any Super Bowl advertising for Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern a tad bizarre, especially since Hal Jordan’s big-screen debut is going to be a much harder sell at the box office than Marvel Studios’ follow-ups to the critically and commercially successful Iron Man 2.

Let’s be honest: The initial trailer for Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern was pretty terrible…embarrassing even. Between the dodgy CGI and the odd design choices on the suit, audiences’ first look at the first installment of a potential franchise did little to instill confidence in hardcore (or even casual) fans of the character. As such, Warner Bros. really needed to use the massive stage of Super Bowl XLV to prove to devotees—and everyone else—that the studio doesn’t have another Jonah Hex on its hands. It didn’t, and Geoff Johns surely wept.

Green Lantern hits theaters on June 17.

The 'Green Lantern' Trailer Looks Terrible

Dodgy CGI. Lame jokes. Cheesy voiceovers. Ladies and gentlemen (mostly gentlemen), judging by this just-released trailer, I’m pretty confident that next summer’s Green Lantern film is going to suck—or at least enrage legions of diehard comic book geeks (which honestly isn’t all that difficult, but still).

Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Green Lantern’s Movie Look Revealed!

There’s not much to say about Entertainment Weekly’s first look at Ryan Reynolds’ computer-generated costume in the upcoming Green Lantern film that hasn’t already been said by a multitude of angry comic book fans on the Internet. Yes, the muscle striations on the suit make it look weirdly organic. No, the costume doesn’t really scream “Green Lantern.” Yes, the mask seems a bit…off. However, I’m willing to give director Martin Campbell and Warner Bros. the benefit of the doubt at least until we actually see this suit in motion. If it looks like absolute crap in the first trailer, then we can start worrying.

Until then, take a gander at the EW cover and judge for yourself.

Ryan Reynolds: Green Lantern Won’t Be a Typical Origin Story

Green Lantern star Ryan Reynolds told MTV’s Splash Page recently that while the upcoming film intends to introduce mainstream audiences to Hal Jordan, the titular DC Comics character, it won’t be like most drawn-out superhero movie origin stories. Rather, it will cut to the chase pretty quickly.

“It is [an origin story] to a certain degree, but it’s not a labored origin story, where the movie [truly] begins in the third act,” he said. “The movie starts when it starts. We find out Hal is the guy fairly early on, and the adventure begins.”

Reynolds also drew comparisons between this film, directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), and Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, saying that some of the best parts of the film don’t necessarily involve the Green Lantern saving the universe with his super-powered ring.

“I think you walk away from this first film, and the moments that you remember and the moments that mean so much to you, not unlike Iron Man, are the moments where the guy’s not in the suit,” he said. “That to me is the tough thing to get right. And that's something that they did get right [in Iron Man]. You see why this guy’s in the suit, and that’s what’s interesting to me. Not that he is in the suit, but why."

I was never the biggest Green Lantern fan growing up, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying what Geoff Johns has been doing with the character over the past few years—especially Green Lantern: Rebirth and the phenomenal Blackest Night. This could be a major ongoing franchise for Warner Bros. if they play their cards right. Casting Reynolds was an excellent start.

Meanwhile, Reynolds will also star in a Deadpool film after playing the fan-favorite Marvel Comics character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The spin-off has yet to enter production.

Ryan Reynolds Is Green Lantern in Upcoming Film

Warner Bros. has chosen Ryan Reynolds to star in its upcoming Green Lantern film after an exhaustive casting process, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The studio had also screen tested Bradley Cooper (The Hangover), Jared Leto (Alexander) and singer Justin Timberlake. The film debut of the popular DC Comics character will be directed by Martin Campbell, who rejuvenated the James Bond franchise in 2006 with the stellar Casino Royale.

Reynolds, no stranger to comic book adaptations, recently stole several scenes in the otherwise disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine as fan-favorite mercenary Deadpool. He also appeared as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity (2004).

It is not yet known how the Green Lantern film will impact the Deadpool solo film, currently in development.