What if DC created Cinematic Universe instead of Marvel? What do you think they would have started with? And what movies would we have seen so far? This butterflies away the Nolan Batman trilogy. For extra points create the principal cast members for the movies which may or may not include current cast members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Pop Culture WI: DC creates Cinematic Universe instead of Marvel
- Thread starter TaintedTamt
- Start date
The movie Green Lantern was supposed to be the beginning of a DC Cinematic universe. The plan was to make a movie for each main member of the justice league then make a single JL movie, similar to what happened to Marvel. Unfortunately, Green Lantern didn't work out very well, so the idea was dropped.
Well, I would think that they would start on Superman, as he is the most famous, and easiest person to begin the Justice League with. Then, they would do Batman, the second most famous. Then Wonder Woman. Then well known, but less famous characters, like the Flash and Green Lantern. Finally, before the Justice League movie, some obscure (to the general public) characters, like the Martian Manhunter
My question is how this might affect the 2011 reboot. Would there not be a reboot, or will it take a different course, incorporating elements of the cinematic universe, much as Marvel has.
My question is how this might affect the 2011 reboot. Would there not be a reboot, or will it take a different course, incorporating elements of the cinematic universe, much as Marvel has.
Exactly - if we want one that predates Marvel and ends the Nolan Batmans, we'd have to do a lot of PODs.
The best place to start is probably in 2002, when Batman VS Superman goes into development. Unlike our reality, JJ Abrams doesn't resubmit his Superman script; without the spoiler, Batman VS Superman comes out in 2004. This is the foundation, a film has established the superheroes live in the same world and this could lead to an organic move towards a shared DCCU. First people started tying other film - starting with the 2004-written Jack Black comedy Green Lantern (which would be greenlight if BvsS does well) - into the first as a bit of fun, then an executive goes "we could do a Justice League film" and it becomes a bit more serious.
The problem: look at that plot for Batman VS Superman. It doesn't sound that fun and, worse for DCCU purposes, it severely messes up what you can do with a future Superman & Batman film in the same universe. (Lois and Clark frigging divorced!!) Would the film do well enough to get a DCCU? If it did, would it be a DCCU that was fully functional?
Orville_third
Banned
There were other DC things in the works- though the only one I know of was a teenage Zatanna. (I have plans for that one...
)Of course, if you keep Dan DiDio from running and ruining DC, you can have a lot more options.
The problem with DC is they have no idea what they're doing compared to Marvel. Marvel makes movies that are fun, that feel like the comic come to life, and they have a whole deal set up to make it a shared universe culminating in crossovers.
DC's solution is to make every superhero Batman; grim and gritty, and every film brooding and deadly serious. Case in point: Man of Steel. It's basically what killed comics in the 90s in film form and that's what DC's films are shaping up to be. And it's weird because the first Superman film was what Marvel is doing now, and DC got away from that.
DC's solution is to make every superhero Batman; grim and gritty, and every film brooding and deadly serious. Case in point: Man of Steel. It's basically what killed comics in the 90s in film form and that's what DC's films are shaping up to be. And it's weird because the first Superman film was what Marvel is doing now, and DC got away from that.
Really take out the bit specifically saying it's a problem with movies and you've also got the problem with the DC universe at large.
The difference reflects a larger structural difference between how their mutual shared universes developed in the comics. Marvel's universe, after the creation of the Fantastic Four, emerged organically out of the initial creative process for a variety of reasons. The early stories were always set in a shared universe. In contrast, the DCU emerged through a process of long after the fact crossovers. I don't think the fact that DC's effort to establish a shared universe has hinged on crossovers more than the kind of shared world building Marvel engaged in.
The other problem is that the Justice League consists of DC's major characters, their mascot characters. Marvel Studios does not own the Marvel equivalents of Superman and Batman. DC has to do the Marvel equivalent of developing an Avengers movie in which the Avengers consist of Spider-Man Wolverine, and the Fantastic Four.
Which isn't to say that a shared universe couldn't have happened. But I don't think it was ever likely to happen the way the MCU developed. More likely is a Batman Superman Crossover movie being successful to warrant a sequel in which Wonder-Woman appears. Or an outright Justice League movie. Even as DC attempts to follow Marvel's direction, that's still essentially the approach they are taking to creating a shared universe,
Not to mention that it kills off Dick, Alfred and Commissioner Gordon before the story's even started. That's the biggest problem, really: Batman vs Superman was like a future story that's supposed to come after Batman & Superman's crime-fighting heydays, not something that's supposed to start off a whole new series.
If you want a launching point for a DC Cinematic Universe that could continue on and carry multiple film series, maybe your best option is Justice League: Mortal -- that was supposed to be released in 2009, but ended up being cancelled mainly because of the '07-'08 Writers' Strike. (I've read the first-draft script and overall it's pretty good, but the casting was atrocious and would've ruined the whole thing.) If they'd stuck with it, recast everyone and done some rewrites to improve it, it could've been really good. Release it in 2010 and that's an instant DCCU set-up, almost two years before The Avengers. Or perhaps in 2011, one year before The Avengers, instead of Green Lantern. (Although I wonder if Warner Bros didn't do this in OTL because they had a problem with Justice League Batman clashing with Christopher Nolan Batman...)
U.S David
Banned
I always thought it would be best to have the Norlan films start the Justice League universe.
At the end of the Dark Night Rises, Bruce Wayne escapes Gotham. Maybe this could be the start of him looking for others to do his work?
Norlan was a producer for the Superman movie, maybe have him direct?
Green Lanturn was horrible, you have to fix it.
At the end of the Dark Night Rises, Bruce Wayne escapes Gotham. Maybe this could be the start of him looking for others to do his work?
Norlan was a producer for the Superman movie, maybe have him direct?
Green Lanturn was horrible, you have to fix it.
I seem to remember reading that Nolan personally advocated against the production of Justice League Mortal because he was opposed to the idea of an independent cinematic Batman coexisting with his series.
Nolan's personal opposition to a shared universe is one of the major blocking points to that after Batman Begins, and presumably is the reason why the original poster wanted to butterfly away that series.
Nolan's personal opposition to a shared universe is one of the major blocking points to that after Batman Begins, and presumably is the reason why the original poster wanted to butterfly away that series.
No chance. Neither Christopher Nolan nor Christian Bale would cooperate.
British Republic
Banned
To make it happen I have another idea:
What if AOL Time Warner entered Chapter 11 and Disney bought WB/DC/Turner/HBO off it in the early 2000s.
Maybe they could develop it and not buy Marvel?
What if AOL Time Warner entered Chapter 11 and Disney bought WB/DC/Turner/HBO off it in the early 2000s.
Maybe they could develop it and not buy Marvel?
They should start bascially how the 'shared universe' actually started in the comics: get the Justice Society of America (the full one, with its versions of Superman, Batman, & Wonder Woman, despite CoIE...) together in a story set c.1940, to fight against mad scientists, Axis agents, and so on, and then build from that.
JSA = JLA + less doom-&-gloom.
JSA = JLA + less doom-&-gloom.
Saphroneth
Banned
Maybe this script concept:
http://tailsteak.com/archive.php?num=543
would have helped?
It seems sensible enough to me...
http://tailsteak.com/archive.php?num=543
would have helped?
It seems sensible enough to me...
British Republic
Banned
We don't know for sure if Bruce Wayne is still alive, also I am sure I heard from somewhere that the "universe" in The Dark Knight Trilogy does not have other superheros or that is what Nolan said,
I took it that he is still alive, and in any case, he left the Bat Cave in the possession of Tim Blake, who resigned from the Gotham PD. We also know that Tim Blake's given name is stated to be Robin. Seems to me that the door was being left open for a follow-on focusing on Nightwing.
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I'd put the PoD much earlier - make the 1984 Supergirl a successful movie. Supergirl was the first major spin-off superhero movie set in the same universe as an existing superhero (the Christopher Reeve Superman).
If Supegirl flies (no pun indended) DC will be able to build on that established continuity, drafting in Reeves and/or Helen Slater to cameo in their following films.
If Supegirl flies (no pun indended) DC will be able to build on that established continuity, drafting in Reeves and/or Helen Slater to cameo in their following films.
Heavy
Banned
I think DC's problem is that they don't really have a) a Kevin Feige who knows the material, heads up the studio and has long-term plans to co-ordinate the universe or b) a semi-detached "DC Studios" set-up.
Disney, from what I gather, mostly lets Marvel do their own thing, while the DC guys are more beholden to Warner Bros.
I guess there's the fact that Marvel made the their shared cinematic universe a selling point because they kinda had to, whereas DC has always been able to rely on Batman and Superman, but I'm not sure whether that's a relevant point to make or not.
Disney, from what I gather, mostly lets Marvel do their own thing, while the DC guys are more beholden to Warner Bros.
I guess there's the fact that Marvel made the their shared cinematic universe a selling point because they kinda had to, whereas DC has always been able to rely on Batman and Superman, but I'm not sure whether that's a relevant point to make or not.