Why a Batman/Superman Film is an Excellent Idea
Anyone who’s anyone has probably heard by now that at San Diego Comic-Con, DC Comics and WB essentially won the entertainment portion of SDCC by announcing that "Man of Steel 2" will feature both Batman and Superman. In the seventy-plus years that these pop-culture icons existed, this will be the very first time both characters will ever share the silver screen. After 2012’s big-time ''Avengers'' film proved that shared cinematic universes equal big, big money, it is only natural that DC/WB will fire back with the goldmine of iconic characters for a Justice League film, now slated for a 2017 release. While this Batman/Superman film is only in the earliest stages of development, let me tell you, my beautiful audience, why this is an excellent move and a game-changer.
For one thing, having a character crossover film before the big ensemble film automatically sets it apart from what Marvel Studios did with The Avengers. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, small hints and easter eggs have confirmed that every one of their films, beginning with Iron Man, shared the same universe. Neither of these characters, however (with the exception of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury), ever interacted with one another until they all clashed at the same time in The Avengers. What DC has boldly chose to do, is to re-introduce a character that we all know by now, in a team-up film that will totally eliminate the need for another solo-film. It took five films for Marvel Studios to showcase all their characters for the team-up movie, but with DC’s new strategy, it lowers the count, and will ultimately lead to a better Justice League film when it’s all said and done. "But how does that automatically make the JLA movie better, Steve?” Good question, little voice in my head! Keep reading! Because Superman and Batman will already know each other prior to the Justice League formation, this will also eliminate the need to pack the final product with long-winded scenes about who these guys are, what they think about each other, and a ten-minute fight sequence upon their first meeting (which The Avengers did, oh so well-- several different times in that film!) But apparently, this may not be the first team-up that will take place pre-Justice League. There’s a heavy rumor floating around the almighty interwebz that Ryan Reynolds, who starred as Hal Jordan in 2011’s Green Lantern bomb, will make a cameo in an upcoming episode of Arrow, the show that stars a certain emerald archer, thus tying both the film and TV show to the upcoming Justice League movie (Arrow actor Stephen Amell, has expressed interest in the JLA). While Green Lantern was a solo-film, it didn’t exactly close the door on a shared universe, either. So if that all pans out, we will already have Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Flash (who will be getting his own film in 2016) for our Justice League. Of course, that whole Green Lantern/Arrow thing is just a rumor now, but hey, it’ll eliminate all that stuff that goes into a first-meeting, thus giving us a JLA movie that focuses on the disaster at hand, rather than just being the standard team-origin film. Plus, let’s not forget that Wonder Woman is also getting her own TV series in Amazon, which is currently in development. Who’s to say that that won’t play a part in all this if Arrow does? But the reason why this will work in DC/WB’s favor in the biggest way is the potential mountain made entirely out of money they’ll be making at the end of the day. Let’s not kid ourselves, people: the second Zack Snyder said “Batman” “Superman” and “movie” in the same sentence at SDCC, this movie automatically landed on the list of highest grossing films of all-time. These are the two biggest names in pop-culture sharing the same screen. Even if the movie turns out to be terrible, people will absolutely flock to the theaters, regardless. It’s Batman and Superman, man! As the list currently stands, two of Marvel’s films have crossed the billion-dollar mark: The Avengers and Iron Man 3. Are you aware how many DC films are on that same list? Two. And they’re both solo-Batman films. And to give you another thing to consider here, is that both of those Marvel movies were available in 3D (which means the tickets cost more). The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises were not… And they’re still on that list. Think what you will about the character and his movies, but the general public adores the almighty BatGod, and money talks. It’s saying “LITERALLY EVERYONE’S GONNA WATCH THIS MOVIE BECAUSE IT’S AWESOME!” In a nutshell, folks, all DC/WB is concerned about is the cash. The more cash the moviesmake, the more of these movies we’ll get. And we all want these movies. Don’t lie to yourself. So, in closing, my righteous readers, a Batman/Superman film is an excellent idea on DC/WB’s part. A team-up film prior to the “big team-up” automatically sets it apart from the Marvel method, while still maintaining a good build-up to the final ensemble film. The fact that these characters have already interacted with each other pre-Justice League, takes the time that would have been spent on reexplaining and re-introducing the characters, and spends it instead on focusing on the story itself. Lastly, the team-up film will make much more money for the studio, thus leading to more films for we, the audience, to enjoy. WB knows what they’re doing, folks, and you know that seeing Superman and Batman on the same screen will be amazing. It’ll make history, and we’ll all be a part of it! What do YOU think about the team-up movie? Leave your deep thoughts below, Trash Mutant readers! |
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