Pitch A Ridiculous Reboot For The DCEU Destined To Blow Up (good of bad)!

[Ascended]

Disclaimer: This is not to bash on the current crop of films. Love them or hate them, that's besides the point. This is just a thread to throw stupid and/or stupidly great ideas around, not bitch about the movies. We got other threads aplenty for that.

So here's the idea. WB comes to you and they say "So we're not really happy with the direction of the movies. But we've screwed up with Superman Returns and Green Lantern and now the Man of Steel-verse, so clearly we dont know what we're doing. So please, wise and noble nerd, tell us how we should re-launch our DC movie properties! But....here's the thing....we want something that'll really set us apart. So go nuts, give us something really different!"

And that's your job. You gotta pitch a new direction for the DC movies. Shared universe or self contained films? Both? Characters to focus on? Whatever you want to run with, go for it, but its gotta be so ridiculous it'll either fail spectacularly or it's pure, complete genius that'll make a bazillion dollars and make you the next Kevin Fiege (spelling?).

[bat39]

Well, that's an...interesting thread idea.

How about GREEN LANTERN AND HAWKGIRL? A space-cop movie...with Green Lantern John Stewart running into Thanagarian cop Shayera Hol and teaming up to bring down Mongul and his Warworld while also getting on each other's nerves and trying NOT to kill the other.

And...ROBINS. Set in a possible future where Batman is dead. Dick Grayson puts together a team of Robins - Tim Drake, Damian Wayne and Carrie Kelly, to take down another former Robin - the resurrected Jason Todd AKA Red Hood, who seems to be plotting a terrorist attack. Of course it turns out that Jason is actually undercover unraveling some conspiracy, and the Robins are getting in his way...

[Mutant God]

Okay hear me out how about we start with the Golden Age DC heroes/Justice Society and we change nothing when adapting from comics to the big screen, could go very good or very bad but lets just try.

[CaptCleghorn]

I love this. An idea without even worrying about if it'll work or not. Here goes:

A JSA serial. Each week, we have a chapter where a different hero fights a battle. The first and last chapters will feature the entire team in a starting and concluding tale. Yeah, someone who knows what they're talking about would say this is more TV, but ridiculous was asked for.

[Atomic Man]

Disclaimer: This is not to bash on the current crop of films. Love them or hate them, that's besides the point. This is just a thread to throw stupid and/or stupidly great ideas around, not bitch about the movies. We got other threads aplenty for that.

So here's the idea. WB comes to you and they say "So we're not really happy with the direction of the movies. But we've screwed up with Superman Returns and Green Lantern and now the Man of Steel-verse, so clearly we dont know what we're doing. So please, wise and noble nerd, tell us how we should re-launch our DC movie properties! But....here's the thing....we want something that'll really set us apart. So go nuts, give us something really different!"

And that's your job. You gotta pitch a new direction for the DC movies. Shared universe or self contained films? Both? Characters to focus on? Whatever you want to run with, go for it, but its gotta be so ridiculous it'll either fail spectacularly or it's pure, complete genius that'll make a bazillion dollars and make you the next Kevin Fiege (spelling?).

Assuming we have to reboot the current DCEU, here's my plan.

You can't really do Rebirth as it's happening in the comics, because the general audience would be extremely confused by Dr. Manhattan.

There is, however, a key to a "rebirth" built-in to BvS. Though haphazardly introduced, the New Gods are now part of the DCEU lore.

So here's how you do it:

*We start Justice League with Superman in the afterlife, a la Adventures of Superman #500. Also like that issue, he meets who he thinks is Jonathan Kent. Jonathan tells Clark that Clark shouldn't be dead and that everything he thinks he knows is wrong.

*Clark doesn't understand, at which point Jonathan tells Clark that a great darkness has wanted to weaken Clark's universe so that it could not fight back when that darkness invades. Jonathan tells Clark that the darkness is known throughout the Multiverse as "Darkseid."

*"Jonathan" then reaches out to Clark, touching his forehead. Clark is shown the origins of the New Genesis and Apokolips, and becomes aware of Darkseid and his evil. Clark never sees Darkseid, who is always cloaked in shadow. He does see events from MoS and Bvs: Jor-El dying on Krypton, Jonathan dying on Earth, Clark killing Zod, Batman and Superman fighting, then Superman's death at DoomZod's hands. Throughout these flashes we see the smoldering eyes of Darkseid.

*The scene shifts, presenting a very different history. Jor-El and Lara live to see Kal-El off together, Jonathan and Martha see Clark off to college at a bus station in Metropolis, Clark leaps in front of protesters in Africa to shield them from bullets, Jonathan shows Clark the ship he arrived in, Clark sees holograms of Jor-El AND Lara, Clark flies away from Martha and Jonathan in a brighter uniform a la Man of Steel #1's last page, Clark flying with Lois, Clark and Zod fighting in the Antarctic, Clark watching Zod and the other Kryptonians being drawn into the PZ, and finally, Superman and a differently-garbed Batman shaking hands on a Gotham rooftop.

*The visions abruptly end (taking only 5 minutes of screen time, tops) and Clark is astonished to see his father's image shift to that of a being clad in a navy and white suit, seated in a hovering, throne-like chair. The being calls itself Metron and holds out his right hand. In it is a strange device that seems to glow with life; the device disappears in a flash of light, then reappears in Clark's hands. Metron speaks once more: "You are the key to restoring what should be and Darkseid's ultimate defeat."

*Metron fades away as bright, blue light washes over Clark. Two eyes appear in the darkness, glowing red. The ground beneath Clark's grave explodes. Superman, clad in a uniform similar to the Reborn suit, rockets into the sky, the device given to him by Metron pinging as he flies off screen.

The rest of JL sees Superman explaining his resurrection to Batman and Wonder Woman and the three of them building the League to prepare for Darkseid's invasion. By the end of the film, the JL has defeated the opening attack led by Steppenwolf, but the movie ends on a cliffhanger, as Darkseid himself arrives on Earth.

The second JL film ends with Darkseid's defeat (with Metron and Orion's help) and a resetting of the timeline, which sets up new solo movies for each character that can explore the new/original status quo.

[Ascended]

I love this. An idea without even worrying about if it'll work or not. Here goes:

A JSA serial. Each week, we have a chapter where a different hero fights a battle. The first and last chapters will feature the entire team in a starting and concluding tale. Yeah, someone who knows what they're talking about would say this is more TV, but ridiculous was asked for.

I actually had a thought along the JSA lines as well.

TL;DR I'd basically take New Frontier, add some gritty, period-appropriate spice to the mix, and push the films in a post-superhero, almost like classic WildStorm, direction where punching the bad guy is not the goal but a step towards solving bigger, more complex issues.

I'd keep the shared universe, but not go as overboard on cross pollination as Marvel has. You'd get to see the heroes team up in the JSA movie/s but the solo films would, for all intents and purposes, be entirely self contained.

What we would do however, is use the "normal" type heroes of the day for that connective tissue. Steve Trevor, the Blackhawks, Sgt. Rock & Easy Company, the Losers...these guys would be seen in multiple solo films to help knit things together, as well as accompanying the heroes on big missions across enemy lines.

Id make the movies period pieces, set in the early 40's, but unlike a lot of period films I wouldn't shy away from stuff like habitual smoking, sexism, and racism. The heroes of course would be beyond that sort of bigotry (making them look highly progressive and even rebellious) but the world around them would reflect the attitudes of the time. Honestly, I just sorta want to see the reaction among the audience when Clark Kent lights up a cigarette to "keep up appearances." Maybe throw out a line or two about him hating the taste and being able to see what it does to the human body, but in the 40's, not smoking at all would likely make you stand out, which is something Clark Kent doesnt want to do.

I'd also treat the films less as "superhero" movies and more like action/adventure films where the protagonist happens to have some exceptional skills and an extravagant wardrobe. More "Indiana Jones" than "Avengers" with smaller threats; someone blowing up half a city is as big as we'd ever go for the solo films, and the JSA team-up movies wouldn't get any bigger than the nazi threat actually was, so it tops out at nuclear weapons. We'd dig heavily into noir, pulp, and mystery genres, use problems and threats that can't just be punched away, and tackle social issues using the problems of the era to highlight the nobility of our heroes as well as how far society has come since then, and how far we've yet to go.

I'd use the Trinity of course; Superman would start the movie-verse off as the world's first superhero (with a story blending old school Action Comics tales with Morrison's New52 origin story), with Batman and Wonder Woman following close behind. Then I'd round out the founding JSA with Ted Knight's Starman, Hawkgirl (reincarnated Egyptian Golden Age version), Amazing Man (yeah he was a retcon but he's cool as hell), and Wildcat. That gives us a nice range of powers, personalities, diversity, and origins; with one alien, one goddess, one metahuman, two baseline humans, and Shayera, who's....complicated (I'd keep Egypt's ties to Thanagar and maybe even say Shay was a Thanagar space cop in her first life so she's sort of a human-alien hybird). Diana and Hawkgirl wouldn't look white.

Power levels would be strictly Golden Age; so Superman is leaping tall buildings but can't fly, throwing tanks but not lifting skyscrapers, and while I'd keep all his sensory powers I'd tone them down. And yes that means Starman and Hawkgirl can fly when Superman can't. Clark would still be the strongest and fastest, with Diana a close second, and Amazing Man capable of almost matching them if he mimicked the right material.

After the Trinity launch their solo films we'd knock out JSA and bring in the rest of the team (united by the POTUS to combat nazi Germany of course). Then we'd start doing some expansion with Sandman, Hourman, Miss America, the Shazam family, and Doctor Fate. You might notice I've left Jay and Allan out of it, and that's to prevent any kind of confusion or split the marketing. We dont want my crazy successful movies to take away from Barry and the GLC, after all.

We'd throw some classic Golden Age villains in there for the films; Ultra-Humanite, Captain Nazi, Baroness Von Gunther, etc., and likely use Black Adam as the over-reaching big bad. I'd keep Adam's powers at modern levels, making him infinitely more powerful than the heroes, even Superman, and use Khandaq for some solid political thriller/adventure stuff, building up to the climatic third JSA movie where Adam joins forces with the heroes to take down Hitler and his zombie army lead by Captain Nazi.

[Netherman14]

Assuming we have to reboot the current DCEU, here's my plan.

You can't really do Rebirth as it's happening in the comics, because the general audience would be extremely confused by Dr. Manhattan.

There is, however, a key to a "rebirth" built-in to BvS. Though haphazardly introduced, the New Gods are now part of the DCEU lore.

So here's how you do it:

*We start Justice League with Superman in the afterlife, a la Adventures of Superman #500. Also like that issue, he meets who he thinks is Jonathan Kent. Jonathan tells Clark that Clark shouldn't be dead and that everything he thinks he knows is wrong.

*Clark doesn't understand, at which point Jonathan tells Clark that a great darkness has wanted to weaken Clark's universe so that it could not fight back when that darkness invades. Jonathan tells Clark that the darkness is known throughout the Multiverse as "Darkseid."

*"Jonathan" then reaches out to Clark, touching his forehead. Clark is shown the origins of the New Genesis and Apokolips, and becomes aware of Darkseid and his evil. Clark never sees Darkseid, who is always cloaked in shadow. He does see events from MoS and Bvs: Jor-El dying on Krypton, Jonathan dying on Earth, Clark killing Zod, Batman and Superman fighting, then Superman's death at DoomZod's hands. Throughout these flashes we see the smoldering eyes of Darkseid.

*The scene shifts, presenting a very different history. Jor-El and Lara live to see Kal-El off together, Jonathan and Martha see Clark off to college at a bus station in Metropolis, Clark leaps in front of protesters in Africa to shield them from bullets, Jonathan shows Clark the ship he arrived in, Clark sees holograms of Jor-El AND Lara, Clark flies away from Martha and Jonathan in a brighter uniform a la Man of Steel #1's last page, Clark flying with Lois, Clark and Zod fighting in the Antarctic, Clark watching Zod and the other Kryptonians being drawn into the PZ, and finally, Superman and a differently-garbed Batman shaking hands on a Gotham rooftop.

*The visions abruptly end (taking only 5 minutes of screen time, tops) and Clark is astonished to see his father's image shift to that of a being clad in a navy and white suit, seated in a hovering, throne-like chair. The being calls itself Metron and holds out his right hand. In it is a strange device that seems to glow with life; the device disappears in a flash of light, then reappears in Clark's hands. Metron speaks once more: "You are the key to restoring what should be and Darkseid's ultimate defeat."

*Metron fades away as bright, blue light washes over Clark. Two eyes appear in the darkness, glowing red. The ground beneath Clark's grave explodes. Superman, clad in a uniform similar to the Reborn suit, rockets into the sky, the device given to him by Metron pinging as he flies off screen.

The rest of JL sees Superman explaining his resurrection to Batman and Wonder Woman and the three of them building the League to prepare for Darkseid's invasion. By the end of the film, the JL has defeated the opening attack led by Steppenwolf, but the movie ends on a cliffhanger, as Darkseid himself arrives on Earth.

The second JL film ends with Darkseid's defeat (with Metron and Orion's help) and a resetting of the timeline, which sets up new solo movies for each character that can explore the new/original status quo.

We may have our disagreements about how the DCEU is run, but I do feel this theory/idea has the most chances of actually becoming true.

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

hey you said over the top Idea right? Darkseid turns the entire JLA into evil zombies using his omega beams/brainwashing, The Flash for some reason is spared this fate and desperate to find help runs and emerges on an Earth resembling New Earth, somehow(plot hole) everyone is transported to this New Earth replica and a massive battle ensues between the JLA of both worlds and Darksied's forces where DCEU Flash, Wonder Woman, Batfleck, are all brutally killed, despite the efforts of the (older and much better cast) JLA, Darkseid , his plan now revealed, is to combine all the Earth's in the multiverse into one(which he will rule) and he is on the verge of acomplishing this when the DCEU Superman sacrifices himself to save the New Earth Superman(who valiantly refuses to give up), and thanks to DCEU Superman sacrificing himself, time is rebooted, and The DCEU characters are erased from existence, (although fondly remembered). The New Earth JLA honor them with a memorial, and continue their mission as the DC all star line of the Worlds Greatest Superheros!

Okay hear me out how about we start with the Golden Age DC heroes/Justice Society and we change nothing when adapting from comics to the big screen, could go very good or very bad but lets just try.

This would be great.

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

I love this. An idea without even worrying about if it'll work or not. Here goes:

A JSA serial. Each week, we have a chapter where a different hero fights a battle. The first and last chapters will feature the entire team in a starting and concluding tale. Yeah, someone who knows what they're talking about would say this is more TV, but ridiculous was asked for.

Honestly I'm kinda hoping something like this is the future of Superhero Cinema.

[G-Man27]

A JSA movie which starts in the present day with a retired superhero who has to come out of retirement and joins with a mixture of his former teammates and legacy heroes to battle a powerful bad guy. You could show the original team in their prime in flashbacks. Then they have the option of continuing with the new team in future films or have films set in the past with the original team.

[Kaijudo]

AMBUSH BUG - Ambush Bug as film critic, digitally inserted into GREEN LANTERN, BATMAN V SUPERMAN, SUICIDE SQUAD, and MAN OF STEEL, with shout outs to SUPERMAN RETURNS, BATMAN & ROBIN, BATMAN FOREVER, even THE DARK KNIGHT RISES for a snarky comment on Bane-speak and the Talia reveal. It would never happen in a million years, but I'd love to see DC/Warners have enough of a sense of humor about themselves to rip themselves a new one.

[Nick Miller]

First thing a thought was NEW FRONTIER

I give the deluxe edition to every writer, director, producer, actor, set designer, cinematographer, costume people, music people, and the special effects team.

Its first a Trilogy, followed by Superman, Batman, WW films.

I boot the Batverse into its own thing. And oh boy will we go to town with the Bat Universe films, make Marvel look like puke. These will also have the Cooke aesthetic, with a dash of Dini, and a sprinkle of Nolan, and a pinch of the Miller dark noir satire.

[Atomic Man]

hey you said over the top Idea right? Darkseid turns the entire JLA into evil zombies using his omega beams/brainwashing, The Flash for some reason is spared this fate and desperate to find help runs and emerges on an Earth resembling New Earth, somehow(plot hole) everyone is transported to this New Earth replica and a massive battle ensues between the JLA of both worlds and Darksied's forces where DCEU Flash, Wonder Woman, Batfleck, are all brutally killed, despite the efforts of the (older and much better cast) JLA, Darkseid , his plan now revealed, is to combine all the Earth's in the multiverse into one(which he will rule) and he is on the verge of acomplishing this when the DCEU Superman sacrifices himself to save the New Earth Superman(who valiantly refuses to give up), and thanks to DCEU Superman sacrificing himself, time is rebooted, and The DCEU characters are erased from existence, (although fondly remembered). The New Earth JLA honor them with a memorial, and continue their mission as the DC all star line of the Worlds Greatest Superheros! This would be great.

I'll take that, too!

AMBUSH BUG - Ambush Bug as film critic, digitally inserted into GREEN LANTERN, BATMAN V SUPERMAN, SUICIDE SQUAD, and MAN OF STEEL, with shout outs to SUPERMAN RETURNS, BATMAN & ROBIN, BATMAN FOREVER, even THE DARK KNIGHT RISES for a snarky comment on Bane-speak and the Talia reveal. It would never happen in a million years, but I'd love to see DC/Warners have enough of a sense of humor about themselves to rip themselves a new one.

That may never happen in live action, but it would make a great animated film! Don't think the egos at WB would ever allow it, though.

[FishyZombie]

Clearly a cinematic universe is too ambitious for the "visionaries" in charge. I say shelve continuity and world-building, give it another shot in another decade or two. And just try to make quality stand alone movies.

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

Clearly a cinematic universe is too ambitious for the "visionaries" in charge. I say shelve continuity and world-building, give it another shot in another decade or two. And just try to make quality stand alone movies.

This is my opinion aswell, continuity/world building has worked out great for Marvel movies, but it just seems to hamper DC. Shelve it for a good decade, let it cool off, bring in totally new people, and just try to make a few good stand alone films first. A golden age style "Batman and the monster Men" would be great. Or better yet, just go to TV as that medium is better suited for telling comic book stories, and seems to be more open to trying new things than Hollywood.