Geoff Johns, the longtime DC comics writer turned Chief creative officer is a man of bold change who has conceived and is now steering DC Rebirth initiative.
He said it in an interview about DC Rebirth:
“If you look at the new Star Wars [The Force Awakens] — it’s kind of a rebirth, right? It goes back to the classic tropes of Star Wars, but it introduces new characters. New threats. It has the spirit of Star Wars, it feels like a Star Wars movie. Probably the first Star Wars movie that’s felt like a Star Wars movie in a long, long time. That’s a perfect example of what I think “Rebirth” is — a celebration, but it doesn’t mean we’re just going backward. It’s an echo of the past, but looking to the future. That’s what I want to do with this.”
He has been appointed to oversee DC Cinematic universe which includes one of the most ambitious projects of DC Entertainment – Justice League. He will be working with actor Jon Berg (executive VP, Warner Bros.) and Ben Affleck (who is now an executive producer) to make a truly quintessential superhero movie that fans can be proud of. He intends to reboot DC Cinematic Universe with new vision and commitment.
We know at the end of Dawn of Justice, Superman is presumed dead but he will come back, it’s now up to Batman to assemble Justice League to fight a greater evil lurking in the shadows (Darkseid). But Geoff Johns is signaling a major tonal shift in the upcoming DC movies. He said this in the latest interview: “Mistakenly in the past, I think the studio has said ‘Oh, DC films are gritty and dark and that’s what makes them different’. That couldn’t be more wrong. It’s a hopeful and optimistic view of life. Even Batman has a glimmer of that in him. If he didn’t think he would make tomorrow better, he’d stop.” This is definitely a welcome move by Warner Bros. as DC movies will attract a new audience who likes to have fun with superheroes and not be dark & brooding all the time.