Back in October, Warner Bros. laid the groundwork for their expansiveDC Cinematic Universe, unveiling nine new movies set to follow next year’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, includingSuicide Squad, a two-partJustice Leaguemovie and stand alone adventures forWonder Woman,The Flash,Aquaman,Shazam!,CyborgandGreen Lantern.Suicide Squadis currently shooting in Toronto, but, beyond that, there is hardly anything we know about the other projects quite yet. Today we have new details that suggests we may not know much about this universe because Warner Bros. hasn’t quite figured out how it will all work yet.
Insiders claim that Warner Bros. hired five different writers who were all competing to write theWonder Womanscript, while they also hired three more scribes forAquaman. One unspecifiedAquamanwriter, who followed the studio’s orders on the script, was later told that his/her work is not usable, because the whole universe’s rules have changed. Another writer has been on hold for several months while the studio tries to figure out how their universe works. Here’s what an unidentified rep had to say about the studio’s process.
“They just haven’t been thorough about their whole world and how each character fits and how to get the most out of each writer’s time by giving them direction. Obviously, Marvel’s very good at that.”
A studio insider claims that Warner Bros. is developing a “filmmaker-based” approach, as opposed to having one person oversee the whole universe, like Marvel’sKevin Feige.Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticedirectorZack Snyder, who is also directing Justice League Part 1 andJustice League Part 2, is said to be helping Warner Bros. figure out how to shape their universe, with other key players including producerCharles Roven, along with Warner Bros. executives Greg Silverman and Jon Berg, DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson and DC chief creative officerGeoff Johns. Still, the filmmakers themselves will be largely responsible for overseeing their own movies, without a sole guiding force likeKevin Feigeoverseeing them.David Ayeris said to have a lot of creative control with hisSuicide Squad. Here’s what a Marvel insider had to say about DC’s approach.
“you may’t just give it to a filmmaker. You have to give it to someone who has an institutional knowledge of these characters.”
With Wonder Woman, the five writers all competing against each other were eventually narrowed down to two,Jason Fuchs(Pan) and another scribe that wasn’t identified. A source close to the studio said the Wonder Woman process “felt like they were throwing s–t against the wall to see what stuck.” Sources also claim thatKelly Marcel(Fifty Shades of Grey) was asked to write the script before these five writers came on board, but she reportedly walked away due to the number of players involved creatively, and because her vision clashed with directorMichelle Maxwell MacLaren, who was initially attached before she parted ways.Patty Jenkinsis currently set to direct.
The writers Warner Bros. hired forAquamanincludeWill Beall(Gangster Squad),Jeff Nichols(Mud) andKurt Johnstad(300: Rise of an Empire), the latter of which is now on hold by the studio while they figure out what to do. Of course, the studio still has time to correct their current course, but we’ll have to wait and see. What do you think about these new details regarding Warner Bros.' DC universe?
