io9 
Enter your username and password.
San Francisco, 1:09 AM
Sat Nov 28
17 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip your editors: tips@io9.com
Editor-in-Chief:
Annalee Newitz | Email
News Editor:
Charlie Jane Anders | Email
Associate Editor:
Meredith Woerner | Email
Assistant Editor:
Lauren Davis | Email
Weekend Editor:
Graeme McMillan | Email
Contributors:
Joshua Glenn
Stephen Goldmeier | Email
Ed Grabianowski | Email
Austin Grossman
Paul Hogan | Email
Lauren Davis | Email
Chris Hsiang | Email
Lynn Peril | Email
Ann VanderMeer
Alasdair Wilkins | Email
Graphic Designer:
Stephanie Fox | Email
Interns:
Tim Barribeau | Email
Julia Carusillo | Email
Alex Eichler | Email
Cyriaque Lamar | Email
Caitlin Petrakovitz | Email
Mary Ratliff | Email
Josh Snyder | Email
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
09/09/09
Warren Ellis reported both on his blog and Whitechapel that he'd heard about this deal as early as July. The Marvel/Disney thing was concurrent.
[freakangels.com]
09/13/09
Pretty much add in the second to last line as well, considering DC has trouble emulating Marvel's movie output for the big reason that DC doesn't actually put out any movies as well as having no say in the process.
It's all WB.
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
All that money the movies made went to the studios that made them not DC or Warner. They only received a licensing fee or some small % of the backend, no?
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
This isn't a reaction to the Disney/Marvel merger. It's a reaction to what Marvel has done over the past few years to make itself such an attractive target.
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
Warner Bros. has been notorious for letting their television, film, game (and now internet) divisions all go to passive-aggressive war with each other over who gets to use which rights in which media. It's been a bloody fucking nightmare and it seems the Disney/Marvel buyout might be the power in the East that finally convinces Warner Bros. to get their shit together.
So at least there's that.
09/09/09
They own some of the most ionic comic characters and, except for Batman, can't get their head out of their assess and make 'em into good movies. I think they were set up as little fiefdoms, with producers (Silver and Peters, esp.) clutching "their" characters like a kid unwilling to share his lunch at school. There was no reason for Bruce Wayne to not appear on Smallville in 9 seasons. Maybe this will turn things around.
09/09/09
So yeah, hopefully, this will mean DC are able to get movies out more than once every few years.
09/13/09
Well, that and the large budget issues to make the series scared away quite a few networks.
09/09/09
[cough]Plastic Man Movie[/cough]
Let's get that backlog of character movies going.
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
I LOVE Plastic Man! But for the movie, they would HAVE to do the Foglio/Barta origin where he decides whether to be a hero or a villain by coin-flip!
09/09/09
Plus, now you have swine flu?
(ba-dump-chk)
09/09/09
I mean, first of all, DC is better than Marvel. So more DC = good.
However, one thing that I've been admiring about DC is that, unlike the competition, they haven't been trying to throw everything at the silver screen and seeing what sticks. So far, it's Catwoman and Superman Returns that are the exception to the rule. For Marvel, it's Spiderman and Iron-Man that are the exceptions.
So yeah, I've been enjoying how selective DC has been in trying to nurture certain types of films, like The Dark Knight, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and the forthcoming Jonah Hex and Deadman. And hey, if Superman or the Legion of Superheroes works better as a cartoon, that's great. Let'er rip.
I hope that DC is able to keep up the quality and remains selective about what they attempt. I'd rather see a small number of good movies than see terrible versions of The Flash, Aquaman and Power Girl just barfed up on the screen as Marvel-style mindless summer drivel for the teenage kiddies.
09/09/09
09/09/09
DC, on the other hand.. you have a selective memory here as well. I hear you were a big fan of Shaq's Steel. Also I love how you are willing to write off the entirety of X-Men on the crap that was 3, but Quest for Peace and Superman Returns don't seem to drag down the Superman franchise. Similarly, Batman and Robin don't drag down Batman. Watchman failed to break even until it went to DVD.
If you are measuring success by the percentage of upward trending franchises, DC is currently sitting at 33% (Batman vs Superman and Catwoman). Marvel is at 20%. But on the other hand, your argument here is that DC is only capable of producing one good franchise at a time.
09/09/09
X1: Origin movie. Required to introduce people to the characters. Not good or bad, just was.
X2: Only parts I remember were Nightcrawler going through the White House (awesome!) and Jean managing to lift the Blackbird AND hold back the raging waters, but not the Blackbird with her on it (wtf? how much does she weigh?)
X3: No more origin fluff. Just straight out action with a storyline that was no better or worse than some of the arcs the comics have produced over the years.
09/09/09
You do not fucking kill Professor X...and if you do, then don't bring him back in an end credits scene. It negates anything he might have sacrificed himself for. And Cyclops just...disappears, presumed dead? WTF? Sure, the action was decent, but the story and characters turned to shite, esp. if you were ever a fan of the comics.
X2 was the pinnacle of the series. Maybe it set the bar too high for #3 (as you say, it probably was no worse than some of the comic arcs), but Ratner just didn't have the same respect for the material, nor a deft touch with any of the storytelling.
09/09/09
I don't, however, count "financial successes" as criteria for a good movie. Lots of terrible movies get lots of money. Heck, Disney bought Marvel because they wanted a piece of the stupid teenagers who spend lots of money on terrible movies market.
For me, a good movie has to be... uh... good. As in, watchable, engaging, interesting... Spiderman 1 and 2 were good and I honestly didn't think 3 was THAT bad, all considered. And Iron-Man was alright. X-Men sucked, as did everything else before I stopped even bothering anymore. Blade was okay in the same sense that Mortal Kombat was okay, owing primarily to the soundtrack. That gives a 24% on the goodness chart, INCLUDING the mediocre ones (it's only 14% otherwise).
That compares to a 67% goodness rating on DC-based films, NOT INCLUDING the mediocre one. Whatever you may say about "producing one good franchise at a time", it seems to work for making routinely better films than just throwing everything at the screen. It's a good enough rating to get me actually excited about an upcoming DC film - like Jonah Hex or Deadman - whereas I just groan and think "again?" with every Marvel one.
Everyone keeps complaining about Disney and High School Musical... frankly, the Marvel business model fits in perfectly with Disney's High School Musical, Camp Rock, etc.
09/09/09
People were clamoring WB to do this since Batman Begins...
09/09/09
I would love to see a dark Cassandra Cain Batgirl movie or something with Nightwing or Teen Titans.
Marvel's characters are 'simpler' and easier to relate to. e.g. Spider-Man, Iron-Man, even the Hulk. The Avengers may be a tough sell.
09/09/09
My crystal ball doesn't see the Avengers movie being made at all, and DC/WarBros trots out a filthy clump of quick nasty doody-movies (no thank you, Lantern).
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
(Hint: an addiction to Oreo cookies isn't an exciting character trait. I'm looking at you, Martian Manhunter.)
I'm not saying that Marvel's a lot better - you really have to look to the smaller imprints to find superheroes whose personality matters as much to the story as how many beams shoot out of their eyes.
09/09/09
However, while DC is known for their icons, they also have a fantastic line-up of oddball types. I keep mentioning Jonah Hex because I'm super-excited for that one. It might be a Weird West mood I'm in, but I actually started reading the TPBs to get ready for it. After that and Deadman, I'd die to see The Question, Doom Patrol, The Sandman (either one! I can swing Goth or Pulp) and just about any Vertigo title, Green Arrow doing some hard-travelling heroes, SHAZAM!, Adam Strange, Enemy Ace, Hawkworld, and even Booster Gold and Plastic-Man for satire. Snap, howabout a Kingdom Come adaptation?
09/10/09
09/10/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
Stay true to the comic:
+Fans rejoice for being faithful
-Average movie goers get confused
-Feminists argue about the costume and practicality of it
Make a movie not based on the comic:
-Fans hate it for being unfaithful
-Average movie goers get confused
-Possibility of becoming Catwoman 2
Make a movie that tries to be both:
-Fans hate it for not being ultra faithful
-Average movie goers get confused
-Studio spends millions on trying to reconcile her origin through various writers
And the biggest obstacle of all is who you cast as the lead. If you think the nation is divided over the politics of today, wait till you announce the cast. We've all heard the names: Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Michelle Geller, Monica Belluci, Beyonce, Jessica Biehl.... I'm sure io9 did a post on this alone (which I think they did), there would be carnage, multiple bannings and a decree never to do it again.
I say stick with less well-known/controversial characters. You want a female lead? Make a Zatanna movie, or Vixen. Hell, just reboot Supergirl.
09/09/09
09/09/09
But I agree with the idea of picking some of the lesser-known characters. A Zatanna movie has the potential to be pretty neat.
09/09/09
Anyways, most of us Wonder Woman fans know that the costume will probably look pretty silly in a live action movie so we wouldn't mind if they adapted one of the battle armors she periodically uses as the basis for her standard movie garbs.
The only thing they'd have to do is what has already been done with any other successful comic adaptation, respect the essence of the character and make a good movie, if you do that people won't care about most liberties with costume or origin stories (Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Spider-Man 1-2, X-Men 1-2).
I agree though that the biggest obstacle is the casting since, well, how do you find someone who can convincingly play the most perfect woman on earth?
09/09/09
09/09/09
From a story aspect, I can't see how they can reconcile her ancient Greek background. I'm not a good writer but I'd like to think I have some marginal creative ability and I can't figure out a way to make it work. Plus, her mission in the comics was kind of awkward to work with. "I'm an ambassador of a nation where some of my sisters want to slay any dude before them...."
09/09/09
You don't have to make up a new science or show some sort of calamity or accident to explain how everything comes to be. Her powers and her world are the way they are.
Also her initial origins and motives to venture out from Theymescara weren't as much about playing Ambassador as much as just being a young girl who decided to run away from paradise to learn and experience the dangerous and forbidden world her mother long told her about (sort of like the story of Siddartha).
Diana only became an ambassador cause she took a liking for the 'world of men' and was the best one suited to act as a go between for the 2 worlds.
It wouldn't really be hard to formulate those aspects into a decent origin/ adventure story.
09/09/09
Sorry, not trying to sound like a nay-sayer. You do bring up good points on the fantasy and sorcery.
09/09/09
09/09/09
Wondy didn't run away. She was chosen.
09/09/09
As for shades of grey; of all the 'trinity' Wonder Woman is the most pragmatic (for one, she's doesn't share their 'absolutely no killing' rule).
09/09/09
09/09/09
Give Wonder Woman to an accomplished feminist director and make her something like her Kingdom Come counterpart and I think it would come out alright.
09/09/09
You nailed it exactly here . . . . I would definitely put you in charge. If that helps.
When you say "feminist director" i know that does not necessarily mean a female director, and my mind still wanders to Whedon . . . but I am wondering who else you might suggest because I can tell you you've been pondering.
09/09/09
The only DC movie I've given any speculative thought to is the next Batman one. I thnk it should have Bats encounter Catwoman and Robin. The former being her prostitute madam persona and the latter being a slum kid inspired by Robin Hood (the character's actual inspiration, vs. Batman's Zorro), both of whom are poor people dealing with the problems in the really shitty areas of Gotham in their own way without all the toys and the ability to escape to a mansion high on the hill. It would make for an interesting exploration of Batman as the well-meaning rich white man who thinks he knows how to solve everyone's problems.But Chris Nolan isn't asking me, so whatever.
09/09/09
09/09/09
09/09/09
from Nikki Finke via /film:
"I’ve also learned that Robinov for months has quietly gone to producers like Chuck Roven and Joel Silver and Akiva Goldman and "called back" all their high profile DC titles in development like The Flash and Wonder Woman. (My understanding is that Joel Silver, who is buddies with Robinov, was allowed to continue bringing low profile The Losers to the big screen under his Dark Castle banner. But Silver’s 10 years of developing Wonder Woman is history now.)"
[www.slashfilm.com]
09/09/09
My dream WW project would have Whedon directing, and co-writing with Gail Simone whose pretty cementing herself as WW's best writer of the past decade...
09/09/09
Whedon would be cool and his female leads are without a doubt some of the strongest in film history, but their strength always seems to draw from their isolation. This could definitely work well for WW what with the whole exile thing but I would find it more interesting if we could see a balanced heroine whose only emotional baggage is safely stowed.
And I would be afraid that Whedon would focus on the Hades angle. Last thing we need is the first real female super-super-hero movie to be about daddy issues.
Also, love Gail Simone!
05/15/09
05/15/09
you forgot "wearing underwear"
05/15/09
what about if shes not wearing underwear? Just throwing it out there
05/15/09
Then I will change my mind about the quality of this show in a heartbeat.
05/15/09