Discovery Wants To Revitalize Superman

[Jeffrey2]

And I don't get this obsession with Affleck some of y'all have. He doesn't seem to be the most popular Batman actor, even among those who have worn the suit within the last decade. The films he appeared in, where he got the majority of screen time, all bombed. Maybe reviews were more forgiving of him than Cavill, but people love Batman and the films themselves got Batman's basic bitch "grr, angst! Why did you say mommy's name?!" stuff better than Clark's characterization, but none of that really justifies keeping Affleck around. Maybe WBD will keep him, who knows, but it seems like a pretty obvious mistake. Nobody connected to the DCEU should be kept, if only to foster a clean break from the old stuff and an obvious jumping-on point for the new. Just knock out whatever sequels deserve to be made, quickly, and start fresh. But time will tell.

And I say this as someone who's fine with Batfleck. He's a serviceable Batman. But nothing I've seen makes me think he's worth keeping, if WB's priorities are what they say they are.

Batfleck is universally popular. Look how social media went wild at the announcement he'd appear in Aquaman 2. Virtually everyone fully embracing Batfleck. If a similar announcement had been made about Cavill the social media reaction would not be near as great and it would be controversial. Most seem to be meh on Cavill but there is a vociferous anti-Cavill group who don't want him near the role again. There is also a vociferous group on the other side, with my experience being that the former is larger than the latter. Cavill's reviews were poor for MOS. He was seen as wooden in the role with no natural charm as Superman. A charm Cavill has in interviews, but which did not come across when he played Superman. Zaslav has access to the audience polls and Cavill did not fare well in them. Strike one.

Cavill is too old. Zaslav wants to start from scratch which means a young actor who can age into the role over 10 years instead of one who is already aging out of the role as reportedly WBD feels. Strike two.

Cavill's salary and other demands. The only one in a position to make demands is Zaslav. Strike three.

Affleck is different and that is obvious from what has been going on in recent weeks. My bet is that Affleck has already signed a contract and his planned solo Batman film has been greenlit. Stay tuned. If WBD does a Fandome look for it to be announced there.

[Myskin]

My friend, I'm smart enough to know that you're too smart for me to bet against.

I'm flattered :-D but actually it is just a rumor I've heard somewhere. Anyway, IMHO he is a very likely name.
The real question is whether they are going with a full reset (IMHO they will, whether they will use The Flash as some kind of conclusion for the DCEU or they will just scrap it depends entirely on Miller's behavior in the next months), whether they will keep Battinson (IMHO they will), and whether they are going with a shared universe or separate franchises (no matter what they are saying, IMHO both are possible).
In general, I am rather disenchanted regarding all these possibilities, because I am quite sure that a Superman movie as the one I'd like to watch will never be done. But the corporate drama is always funny to follow.

[Francisco]

Batfleck is universally popular. Look how social media went wild at the announcement he'd appear in Aquaman 2. Virtually everyone fully embracing Batfleck. If a similar announcement had been made about Cavill the social media reaction would not be near as great and it would be controversial. Most seem to be meh on Cavill but there is a vociferous anti-Cavill group who don't want him near the role again. There is also a vociferous group on the other side, with my experience being that the former is larger than the latter. Cavill's reviews were poor for MOS. He was seen as wooden in the role with no natural charm as Superman. A charm Cavill has in interviews, but which did not come across when he played Superman. Zaslav has access to the audience polls and Cavill did not fare well in them. Strike one.

Cavill is too old. Zaslav wants to start from scratch which means a young actor who can age into the role over 10 years instead of one who is already aging out of the role as reportedly WBD feels. Strike two.

Cavill's salary and other demands. The only one in a position to make demands is Zaslav. Strike three.

Affleck is different and that is obvious from what has been going on in recent weeks. My bet is that Affleck has already signed a contract and his planned solo Batman film has been greenlit. Stay tuned. If WBD does a Fandome look for it to be announced there.

I don't know, man. Just before the SDCC the internet was about to break over a posible Cavill anouncement. I think british Clark is a lot more popular than you think.

[Last Son of Krypton]

Superman fans wanting Batfleck and Snyder back but Cavill gone and Superman erased from continuity. Kill me now. 💀

[Vordan]

Shall we bet? DC's "Kevin Fiege" will be Thomas Tull.
Probably together with some name close to the comic books, like Damon Lindelof, and maybe guys like Casey Bloys and Alan Horn to make the investors feel safe. But the big name will be Thomas Tull.

He produced Superman Returns and Man of Steel, would he be a good choice?

I don't know, man. Just before the SDCC the internet was about to break over a posible Cavill anouncement. I think british Clark is a lot more popular than you think.

The idea that Affleck is going to do a solo Batman film is insane. Affleck is older than Cavill, the idea that Cavill is too old but they’re sticking with Affleck for the next 10 years makes no sense. That they would put out solo Batman films starring both Affleck and Pattinson makes even less sense.

[DochaDocha]

I can't speak for everyone, but in some ways Cavill represents for me what the average Superman fan wants: a movie that doesn't get diluted by other extraneous stuff (e.g. turning a Man of Steel sequel into Batman movie or appearing only in service for a larger universe instead of actually developing the Superman character). I'm sure he has some selfish agenda (who wouldn't in his situation?) but I really don't believe that WB really prioritized utilizing Superman the way Cavill (or the average fan) had in mind.

Even if he weren't good in the role, all the Cavill talk at least gives us a glimmer of hope that any Superman movie may be coming out. And as Francisco pointed out, his no-show at WB's Comic-con panel was big news because he still represents something of significance, which is better than how the previous regime thought the "World without Superman" arc was also a blueprint on how to make a series of DC movies.

[Ascended]

Why're you bringing up Cavill when I was talking about Affleck? Am I detecting a bias here?

Social media is also throwing a fit over Batgirl being cancelled. It doesn't matter, that movie is dead regardless of how much twitter whines about it. Twitter celebrating Affleck in Aquaman 2 is likewise a whole lot of nothing. Not to discount the importance of online WoM, but that's only useful when you can cut out all the dross. You'd have seen plenty of hype if they announced the movie would introduce the next Bat. And the internet was also excited for a possible Cavill appearance at SDCC. So again, you gotta know how to cut out the dross.

I'm not saying they will replace Affleck, I don't know what these people are gonna do. But I don't really see any reason to keep him either, since his movies were failures and he backed out of a contract once already. He got better reviews than other actors? Big deal. Given how those movies did, that's faint praise. And if Cavill is too old for the role then so is Affleck.

Maybe they'll keep him, who knows. But I myself wouldn't bet money on it. It wouldn't bother me if they did, as he was a decent Batman, but we're not talking Robert Downy Jr here, Affleck is not at all required for Batman to be successful, by any metric.

I'm flattered :-D but actually it is just a rumor I've heard somewhere.
The real question is whether they are going with a full reset
whether they will keep Battinson
whether they are going with a shared universe or separate franchises

My guess is they'll go full reset, but it'll take some time to actually get there. While they put their plan in motion they'll knock out a few films to finish up with Gadot, Mamoa, and Levi.

I think Battinson is safe for a sequel.

Pretty sure they'll try for a shared universe again. Hell they *just* released a statement basically saying they're going to shamelessly copy the MCU. The real question, if you ask me, is whether they learn from any of their past mistakes and do it right this time. I have my doubts, as I'm just as disenchanted with the DCEU as you are and have little hope of seeing the kind of Superman I'd like to see.

[Last Son of Krypton]

I'm neutral toward Henry, but considering that BA vs SM is set in stone since ever (it was planned backwards before the first movie was), I wouldn't want to see the people in charge of the project (they are Cavill's friends and his manager) dragging into the mud and below a new Superman's actor they didn't wanted in the first place.

[Myskin]

He produced Superman Returns and Man of Steel, would he be a good choice?

He also made most of Nolan's movies, Dune and Pacific Rim (as well as some Spike Jonze stuff). So I don't know if he would be a good choice or not.
It's not always easy to understand how strong the creative input an executive producer may be. One of the executive producers of Mad Max Fury Road - which is one of the most important and creative movies of the last decades - also made crap like San Andreas and Jupiter's Legacy. I'd say that the best producer is the one who doesn't try to micromanage every single phase of the process of making a movie, but keeps the director in check it is it is necessary. The point is that right now there isn't anyone comparable to Feige in terms of organization and skills - the DCEU is not the only failed attempt to create a shared universe (does anyone remember Universal's Dark Universe?). I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[The Kid]

Batfleck is universally popular. Look how social media went wild at the announcement he'd appear in Aquaman 2. Virtually everyone fully embracing Batfleck. If a similar announcement had been made about Cavill the social media reaction would not be near as great and it would be controversial. Most seem to be meh on Cavill but there is a vociferous anti-Cavill group who don't want him near the role again. There is also a vociferous group on the other side, with my experience being that the former is larger than the latter. Cavill's reviews were poor for MOS. He was seen as wooden in the role with no natural charm as Superman. A charm Cavill has in interviews, but which did not come across when he played Superman. Zaslav has access to the audience polls and Cavill did not fare well in them. Strike one.

Cavill is too old. Zaslav wants to start from scratch which means a young actor who can age into the role over 10 years instead of one who is already aging out of the role as reportedly WBD feels. Strike two.

Cavill's salary and other demands. The only one in a position to make demands is Zaslav. Strike three.

Affleck is different and that is obvious from what has been going on in recent weeks. My bet is that Affleck has already signed a contract and his planned solo Batman film has been greenlit. Stay tuned. If WBD does a Fandome look for it to be announced there.

This is literally all your personal opinions influencing what you think will happen. There is zero chance Affleck has a solo project the same time Reeve and Pattinson are making solo Batman movies. And people can be as loud as they want, people mostly associate Batfleck with mediocre and terrible movies. You say he's 'universally praised'. No, that's Christian Bale's Batman. Affleck is not that guy

[Myskin]

This is literally all your personal opinions influencing what you think will happen. There is zero chance Affleck has a solo project the same time Reeve and Pattinson are making solo Batman movies. And people can be as loud as they want, people mostly associate Batfleck with mediocre and terrible movies. You say he's 'universally praised'. No, that's Christian Bale's Batman. Affleck is not that guy

This.

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[Last Son of Krypton]

Keaton and Bale are the most beloved Batman actors. Affleck is as memorable as the actors that played BM in-between Keaton and Bale.

[Jeffrey2]

I can't speak for everyone, but in some ways Cavill represents for me what the average Superman fan wants: a movie that doesn't get diluted by other extraneous stuff (e.g. turning a Man of Steel sequel into Batman movie or appearing only in service for a larger universe instead of actually developing the Superman character). I'm sure he has some selfish agenda (who wouldn't in his situation?) but I really don't believe that WB really prioritized utilizing Superman the way Cavill (or the average fan) had in mind.

Even if he weren't good in the role, all the Cavill talk at least gives us a glimmer of hope that any Superman movie may be coming out. And as Francisco pointed out, his no-show at WB's Comic-con panel was big news because he still represents something of significance, which is better than how the previous regime thought the "World without Superman" arc was also a blueprint on how to make a series of DC movies.

We won't know WBD's plans for Superman until the new DC film's head is in place and makes announcements. A ten-year plan could accommodate 3 Superman films. The question is what form they take. A solo followed by team-up films, all team-up films or several solos. One of the links above claims Superman will be introduced in BA. Don't know if that is true but if it is it implies Superman will be used in team-ups. If it is going to be team-ups a Supergirl/Superman film seems a given.

[JimmySpectre]

Shall we bet? DC's "Kevin Fiege" will be Thomas Tull.
Probably together with some name close to the comic books, like Damon Lindelof, and maybe guys like Casey Bloys and Alan Horn to make the investors feel safe. But the big name will be Thomas Tull.

Absolutely not, Thomas Tull is a financier good at raising big money but zero creativity, he had problem with warner bros & universal studios because he takes more credit than he deserves for the success of movies (the dark knight trilogy, Jurassic world)

Quotes from Hollywood Reporter artice
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/mo...versal-823715/

Several sources say there has been strain, in part because Tull kicked off the deal in 2014 with a couple of clunkers that he put through Universal’s distribution system and then upset some at the studio who feel he has indulged a bad habit of wrapping himself in credit for hits that he merely helped finance. In this case, the film at issue was the biggest movie of the year to date, Jurassic World

Known as a brash fanboy with a knack for raising big money, Tull, 43, brought potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in film financing to Universal after his relationship with Warners soured amid similar reports of tension over that studio’s perception that he grabbed credit for Christopher Nolan‘s Batman movies and other hits on which he was a financing partner

[Vordan]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/mo...es-1235196017/

Hamada’s plans were said to have included a Crisis on Infinite Earths event, a take on the seminal DC Comics story that was adapted for TV on The CW. Rumors circulated about introducing the Secret Six, a villain team that in the comics have been Suicide Squad antagonists. More concretely, Warners had films based on Supergirl, Green Lantern Corps and Static Shock expected in the next few years, plus a J.J. Abrams-produced Black Superman film from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. Development has slowed, with none of those features attaching directors.

Yep sounds like those projects aren’t likely to happen anymore. Zaslav has a new plan. Or rather he’s in the process of making one.

Edit:

And DC Films president Walter Hamada nearly exited after learning of the shelving of Batgirl before being convinced to stay on at least until the Oct. 21 release of Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. (That film had a June test screening, including a new post-credits scene introducing a new element to Johnson’s place in the DC Universe.)

Stealth confirming the rumor that Superman shows up in a post credit scene? Guess we’re back to the DCEU Superman and maybe Cavill again. I really hope they just use Flash as an excuse to recast.