…As talks between Disney and Fox reopen with regards to a potential acquisition, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner has expressed her interest in working with Marvel Studios on an Avengers/X-Men crossover, stating that: “I wish. I would love it, I would love it. But it’s not for me to say.” Marvel’s Kevin Feige also weighed in on the subject, adding that: “Well, the problem is whenever I say anything about it, it becomes 15 headlines. So would we like to? Yeah, of course. Is there any movement toward it at all? No. Same thing. Same status…”
…Having signed on earlier this year to portray The Shadow King, Wonder Woman star Said Taghmaoui has now parted ways with FX’s X-Men series Legion during production of its second season. No reason has been given for Taghmaoui’s departure, but it is understand that FX will be recasting the role…
…Turning to the DC Extended Universe now and Justice League is heading into its third weekend just short of $500 million at the worldwide box office, and the rumours about the DC blockbuster refuse to die down. This week has brought reports claiming that Warner Bros. resisted delaying the movie as WB president Toby Emmerich and CEO Kevin Tsujihara “wanted to preserve their bonuses they would be paid before the merger [with AT&T],” and were concerned that “if they pushed the movie, then their bonuses would have been pushed to the following year and they might not still be at the studio.” Meanwhile, it’s also been reported that the studio considered firing Zack Snyder from Justice League following the negative reception to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, while it’s also been claimed that a Snyder cut of Justice League does exist in “an ‘unfinished but notable state’, and that it’s ‘a rough version that had a lot of finished FX and music…'”
…In other Justice League bits and pieces, Danny Elfman has revealed his favourite part of the score [read more here] and costume designer Michael Wilkinson has been chatting about Batman’s new Tactical Batsuit [read his comments here], while we got a look at some early concept designs for said Batsuit along with Steppenwolf’s Parademons [see here] and Prime 1 Studio unveiled its collectible statues for Aquaman and Cyborg…
…With Patty Jenkins currently hard at work on the script for Wonder Woman 2, the filmmaker has teased what she has in store when Gal Gadot’s Amazon Princess returns to the big screen in 2019: “It’s really still going to other values of hers, and a similar formula insofar as making a great, enjoyable fun movie but that ultimately in its third act turns some very big issues, and a very big experience that will aim to have slightly more weight and profundity than it has to have. Because that’s a formula that I really like, and I like the idea of taking somebody on a very solid, great journey but that arrives at a bigger question being answered. So it’s like that but because she is Wonder Woman and she’s here now and she’s fully developed, it’s got great fun from the start and great big superhero presence from the start, and is funny and a great love story again and a couple new unbelievable characters who I’m so excited about, who are very different than were in the last movie…”
…In other news from the DCEU, Margot Robbie has revealed that a “totally separate” Harley Quinn movie is in development at WB [read more here], Warner Bros. has apparently been considering recasting Iris West for Flashpoint [see here], Deathstroke actor Joe Manganiello has discussed which particular Batman comic book he’d like to see adapted for the big screen [see here], some images of Henry Cavill in an alternate Superman suit for Man of Steel arrived online [see here], and a rumour surfaced claiming that WB is planning more Legion of Doom teasers throughout the next few DC films, leading to the supervillain team appearing in Justice League 2 [read more here]. Meanwhile, you might also want to check out Anghus Houvouras’ op-ed ‘Warner Bros. Should Have Left Zack Snyder’s DCEU Alone‘ and my feature ‘Where Does Warner Bros. Go Next With Its DC Properties After Justice League‘…
…The CW aired its annual DC crossover this week with ‘Crisis on Earth-X’; be sure to read our reviews for the Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow instalments. Meanwhile, we’ve also got a trailer and images for the next episode of Supergirl ‘Reign’ [see here and here], a trailer and images for The Flash’s ‘Don’t Run’ [see here and here], a promo and images for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’s ‘Beebo the God of War’ [see here and here] and a promo and images for Arrow’s ‘Irreconcilable Differences’ [see here and here], while both Kendrick Sampson and Bill Goldberg have signed on for guest roles in this season of The Flash…
…With its January premiere fast approaching, The CW has released three brief new teasers for its latest DC superhero show Black Lightning, along with a batch of promotional images…
…Following his suspension earlier this month over allegations of sexual harassment, Warner Bros. Television has now fired Andrew Kreisberg from his role as executive producer across The CW’s line of DC shows, including Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The official statement from WB read: “After a thorough investigation, Warner Bros. Television Group has terminated Andrew Kreisberg’s employment, effective immediately. Greg Berlanti will assume additional responsibilities on both The Flash, where he will work closely with executive producer/co-showrunner Todd Helbing, and Supergirl, where he will work closely with executive producers/co-showrunners Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller. We remain committed to providing a safe working environment for our employees and everyone involved in our productions…”
…DC has released a first look image of Brenton Thwaites as Robin the Boy Wonder from the upcoming live-action Teen Titans series Titans, which we have for you here. The series, which is set to air on the new DC streaming service, will see Thwaites starring alongside Teagan Croft (The Osiris Child) as Raven, Anna Diop (24: Legacy) as Starfire, Ryan Potter (Big Hero 6) as Beast Boy, Alan Ritchson (Smallville) as Hawk, Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) as Dove and Lindsey Gort (Lucifer) as Detective Amy Rohrbach…
…Gotham’s midseason finale is set to air this coming Thursday, and you can watch a promo for ‘Queen Takes Knight’ here…
…Warner Bros. Japan has released two trailers for the upcoming anime feature Batman Ninja, which sees the Dark Knight, the Bat-Family and the Rogues Gallery transported back in time to feudal Japan. The film is set for release some time in 2018, and you can watch the trailers here…
…Lionsgate has announced that it has set a January 11th 2019 release date for Hellboy, its upcoming big screen reboot of the Dark Horse comic book series, which sees Stranger Things star David Harbour taking on the title role of Anung Un Rama…
…And finally, although he’s expressed his interest in directing both James Bond and Star Wars movies in recent weeks, it seems that Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 helmer Denis Villeneuve has ruled himself out of tackling a superhero movie: “I’m not from that culture. I’m French-Canadian which means that my culture is European. I was influenced by authors from France and Belgium, and Europeans are graphic novelists. Honestly, I know very little about… Most of them, I don’t know their name. I know sometimes I don’t know, so it means I’m not the right person to do them. To do those movies you need to love those characters and I’m a stranger.”
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
