…Chalk this one up as a huge, huge rumour (and a likely false one at that), but a report has surfaced this week suggesting that 20th Century Fox is set to show a teaser for Deadpool at the San Diego Comic-Con next month, while Ryan Reynolds has apparently vacated the role of Wade Wilson and Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens) has allegedly signed on to play Cable. As I said, take this with a huge pinch of salt…
…With production on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in full swing, it has been announced that Ben Affleck’s Argo and Gone Girl co-star Scoot McNairy has joined the cast of the DC ensemble in a top-secret role, with speculation pointing to the likes of Nightwing, The Flash and Green Arrow. McNairy joins Affleck in a cast that also includes Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White), Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth) and Holly Hunter, Tao Okamoto and Callan Mulvey in as-yet-unrevealed roles…
…In other Batman v Superman news, it’s been alleged that Warner Bros. will debut a first-look teaser at the San Diego Comic-Con next month [see here], while some potential plot details about Batman, Wayne Manor, Wonder Woman’s costume and weapons and Lex Luthor have surfaced online [see here], and Kevin Smith has spoken about the addition of Jason Momoa the much-maligned Aquaman, stating that: “I think most people of course when they think of f*cking Aquaman, they think of the traditional cartoon version, but the current version or incarnation is he’s a badass king of the seven seas, a warlord to some degree. So I could see where they would get away with casting this dude… Yeah I’ll buy it. Will they blonde his hair, you think? It’s awesome. Think about it dude, they used to make fun of Aquaman all the time. Aquaman – he only talks to f*cking fishes. F*cking say that to that dude’s face…”
…Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has expressed his interest in adding another Warner Bros. franchise to his CV, stating that he’d like to play Robin in the DC Cinematic Universe: “Batman, if they reboot that again I’ll do that too. It’s happening, isn’t it. With Ben Affleck. I could be Robin. I’m perfect.” Meanwhile, during an interview with Flickering Myth co-editor Luke Owen, Marlon Wayans spoke about whether he had any regrets about missing out on the chance to play Robin in Batman Returns and Batman Forever, as well as whether there are any other superhero roles he’d like to play: “I have never regretted anything about any movie. Because there are too many rewards for you when you don’t regret things. If you go on with that life, you’ll never achieve. If something is better for you, you’ll get it. I just embrace when things don’t happen and I use it to be creative. Why cry over spilt milk? Given the chance, I would love to do The Mask or Plastic Man…”
…Speaking of Dick Grayson, The Vampire Diaries star Steven R. McQueen has admitted that he hasn’t joined the cast of Arrow as Nightwing, despite teasing the fact that he’d be playing the role on several occasions via social media. Meanwhile, The CW has announced that season three of the show will premiere on Wednesday, October 8th – one day after the premiere of the spin-off show The Flash…
…Arrow and The Flash aren’t the only shows that DC fans have to look forward too this coming TV season, and FOX has released a batch of character posters for its upcoming Batman prequel series Gotham featuring Ben McKenzie (The O.C.) as Detective Gordon, Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers) as Alfred Pennyworth, Donal Logue (Sons of Anarchy) as Harvey Bullock, newcomer Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle, David Mazouz (Touch) as Bruce Wayne, Robin Lord Taylor (Another Earth) as Oswald Cobblepot, Cory Michael Smith (Olive Kitteridge) as Edward Nygma, Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix) as Fish Mooney and Clare Foley (Sinister) as Ivy Pepper [see here], while pilot director and executive producer Danny Cannon has one again expressed interest in bringing Mr. Freeze to the show, stating that: “I have a big pitch with Bruno [Heller] about the Mr. Freeze character, whose origins are uncertain. If I can win Geoff Johns over and if I can win Bruno over, then I look forward to the moment where that character can be realized…”
…In other DC television news, NBC has given us a new image of Matt Ryan Matt Ryan (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior) as the supernatural detective John Constantine from the upcoming Constantine series, which is set to get underway on the network on October 24th…
…On the animated front, it’s also been revealed that Warner Bros. next DC Universe Animated Original Movie release after the upcoming Batman: Assault on Arkham will be a sequel to Justice League: War entitled Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, which will presumably be based upon the comic book crossover of the same name. Expect further details at SDCC next month…
…And finally, there was speculation this week that WB could be planning a new animated Batman series entitled Batman Unlimited, thanks to a poster that was spotted at the Licensing Expo last weekend. However, it’s since been reported – but not confirmed – that this is actually a new animated feature, which will be aimed at the family market, much like the recent direct-to-video release JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time.
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.