I would consider myself an avid, devoted film fan. Not only do I love and enjoy the experience of going to the movies, but I also have a lot of respect and appreciation for filmmaking as an art form. Making a movie is hard work, and when that hard work is well executed and pays off, it’s a thrilling and simultaneously bewildering site to behold. One of the best and most exciting aspects of the film industry, though, is all the exciting news and announcements that come out of it and the heated debates and conversations that we film buffs can share regarding certain casting choices/sequel announcements/reboots/developing scripts etc. There’s a plethora of news every week people, and in the film fan community there are always interesting conversations to have. This particular week just so happened to be one of the biggest weeks for film news in recent memory (at least that I can recall). So, let’s get into some news!
The first major story to come out of this week was that, after years (and I mean YEARS) of speculation, as well as persistent reassurance of the film’s eventual existence from Dan Akroyd (and a strange remark from Akroyd regarding the development of a “Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe”…) a Ghostbusters 3 is officially on the way. At first glance, this announcement isn’t all that exciting, since the Ghostbusters Franchise pretty much peaked after the iconic 1984 original. However, Ghostbusters 3 is actually going to be a franchise reboot with a central female cast. Also, the film will be directed by Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig. Personally, I think this was the absolute best way to go about making another Ghostbusters film. Putting a primarily female cast at the head of a huge, franchise comedy that has an equal male to female demographic can only lead to progression regarding women’s reputation in the comedic industry (a genre still dominated by men). Not to mention Paul Feig has been a pioneer for female-driven farces, having worked on two of the most highly regarded comedies starring women of the last few years. No word on any potential cast members yet, but in a recent interview, Bill Murray said that he would love to see Melissa McCarthy (his co-star in the upcoming Indie dramedy St. Vincent) and Kristen Wiig head the picture, which would make sense since they both starred in Feig’s Bridesmaids. Last week, I couldn’t give two sh**s about a 3rd Ghostbusters film but now I’m very intrigued.
Christian Bale is one of my very favorite actors; I mean the guy is a freakin’ chameleon. From losing 80 pounds (yep, you heard me right), in order to play in an insomniac, bulking up for Batman, losing 40 pounds to play a crack addict, bulking up AGAIN for Batman, and then gaining 40 pounds to play an overweight con man, the guy is one of the most committed and transformative actors around, and it seems that Bale is not only going to be playing a role that requires a dramatic transformation, but one of the most iconic pop culture figures of all time. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Academy-Award winner is in the final stages of negotiation to play Steve Jobs in the upcoming Sony project directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) and written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network, The Newsroom). What’s interesting is that when David Fincher (director of the recent, Gone Girl) was attached to the project, Bale was his first and only choice for the role. He quickly left the film and was replaced by Danny Boyle, who insisted on Leonardo DiCaprio to play the Apple co-founder. As much as I love me some DiCaprio, I am incredibly relieved that he turned down the project, since that’s a role I could never imagine him playing. Personally, I think all biopics should be led by unknowns. Why would you want to cast an actor in a biopic who might have a biopic of his own someday? That’s how I see it. So yes, I would rather see an unfamiliar actor play the tech icon as opposed to Bale. If it’s a film about Mr. Jobs and it’s good, then the film will make its money back so the studio shouldn’t worry about casting a name due to financial reasons. That being said, out of all the great A-list actors in the business, Bale is the absolute best choice for the role, as his versatility is nothing short of remarkable. All in all I am supportive of this choice and am excited to see what Bale brings to the part.
Let’s transition to a topic that generates news and speculation every day: Comic book films. Late last week it was announced that The Avengers 3, which will be released summer 2018, may not include some of Marvel’s heavyweights, particularly Captain America and Thor, and will instead center on Iron Man leading some of the characters to come out in Marvel’s Phase 3 stage such as Ant-Man and Dr. Strange. On Tuesday, it was reported that Robert Downey Jr. was in talks to appear in the third Captain America film, which will come out 2 years before Avengers and may initiate Marvel “Civil War”. That’s a lot to digest, so let’s break it down: Allegedly, there is a Marvel Comics storyline where Captain America and Iron Man form an intense rivalry, forcing individual “Avengers” to pick sides. Marvel is the king of franchise filmmaking, because of this shared universe they’ve created. The events of each standalone or team-up film have repercussions or effects later on, which is very exciting and garners much anticipation from fans. So, while the idea of some of our favorite super powered friends not showing up in the 3rd Avengers film is a tad disappointing, the idea of a Marvel “Civil War” is nothing short of genius and makes my inner-geek squeal with delight. Think of the great dramatic material potentially created from this new scenario! It also means that the villains and heroes won’t seem so black and white either, and will ultimately fall into some grey areas. That’s awesome. Marvel just can’t do wrong, can they? Poor DC…
WAS WHAT WE THOUGHT! The DC Comics films (owned by Warner Bros.), with the exception of Christopher Nolan’s brilliant Dark Knight trilogy, have been…concerning to say the least. 2011’s Green Lantern was a gargantuan flop from both a critical and financial standpoint, and made it very clear that DC didn’t have a concise, well organized plan like Marvel. When Man of Steel the new rebooted Superman film, came out last year it was rumored to be the franchise jump-starter for a possible DC cinematic universe. However, the film received lukewarm reception and didn’t clarify whether it was the set up for greater things to come. At 2013 San Diego Comic Con, when Zach Snyder, Man of Steel’s director, announced that the sequel to the superman film was actually going to be a Batman/Superman team-up it became obvious that DC was creating a universe here. What followed were casting announcements for Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Aquaman in Batman v Superman, who all just so happen to be members of the Justice League. There has been talk of a Justice League film FOR YEARRRRSSSS. Years. And over the past few months there have been various “scoops” about possible slates of upcoming DC films, though none of them were official and have since been proven false. People were confused on why DC was pussyfooting around and not fessing up, allowing that omnipresent rival, Marvel, to walk all over them as usual.
Until now.
On Wednesday, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara made an official announcement of an upcoming DC film slate. The list reads as follows
- “Batman v Superman,” directed by Zach Snyder (2016)
- “Suicide Squad,” directed by David Ayer (2016)
- “Wonder Woman,” starring Gal Gadot (2017)
- “Justice League Part One,” directed by Zach Snyder, with Ben Affleck, (Batman) Henry Cavill (Superman) and Amy Adams (Lois Lane) reprising their roles (2017)
- “The Flash,” starring Ezra Miller (2018)
- “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa (2018)
- “Shazam” (2019)
- “Justice League Part Two,” directed by Zach Snyder (2019)
- “Cyborg,” starring Ray Fisher (2020)
- “Green Lantern” (2020)
Where to begin?! It’s a colossal relief that to know that DC ACTUALLY HAS A PLAN. First, what the hell is Suicide Squad?? To my knowledge, it’s about a team of villains who are forced to work together as good guys. So basically, it’s Guardians of the Galaxy but with villains and not in space. I love that concept though, and David Ayer (director of End of Watch and the upcoming Fury) is a really cool choice, as his gritty, stripped down style of filmmaking could do wonders for a film like this. Earlier today it was leaked that Warner Bros has approached Will Smith, Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy and Margot Robbie to pay the film’s 4 leads. The probability of these actors being the definitive lineup is highly unlikely, but boy would that be an interesting film to watch. Speaking of casting, the only new bit of casting news from this statement is Ezra Miller as The Flash. Miller, who was excellent in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is an unexpected choice for sure, but an incredibly smart one in my opinion. Miller has incredible versatility and range, and he could bring a lot of fun, heart, and darkness to the character. Not to mention this will be the first time an openly gay actor headlines a superhero pic, which is a HUGE, much needed stepping stone for the genre. It’s also great to see that Green Lantern will officially be rebooted after the horrid debacle that was the 2011 film.
The biggest thing to take away from this though is that we are actually, LEGITAMETLY, getting a Justice League film. It’s happening. No more rumors, no more speculation. Justice League is happening. Marvel may be starting a civil war, but they’re going to have a very real one to deal with come 2016.
Cameron Chang is a staff writer for Pulse Magazine.