We can all agree on one basic fact that DCEU needs to reinvent itself to create hysteria around its movies if it has to give a tough fight to the Marvel in the long run. With first reactions pouring in for Justice League, it’s a mixed bag at best and disappointment at worst. After Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad not performing to the best of their potential and failing to set the cash registers ringing, the Justice League was supposed to be a massive blockbuster, a record-breaking hit which would have set the path forward for DCEU.
But alas that is not expected to happen although you never know how the larger audience would receive it. The silver lining is Snyder and Whedon have got characters right and DCEU is improving. But the bad news is it fell way short of gigantic expectations, there is messy CGI, rushed stories, bad script and shoddy execution. None of the major critics have outrightly trashed the movie but there are huge plot inconsistencies which is usual with DCEU.
With this kind of performance, MCU has clearly won and DCEU is unlikely to challenge the hegemony of Marvel in the future in the superhero game.
The Avengers Infinity war hype is beyond anything while DCEU has solo movies in the pipeline which can’t possibly match the stature of upcoming MCU movies.
This fuelled rumors that Ben Affleck might be leaving the ship (again) and there is a replacement for him ready to be considered. Infact, director Matt Reeves showed inclination towards Jake Gyllenhaal as the possible guy to replace Batfleck.
It was natural for DC and Warner Bros. to approach Ben Affleck to be the “creative man” who will co-direct and contribute to scripting the standalone movies of the new Batman franchise. He was the silver lining in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with a strong portrayal of the Dark Knight. But he stepped down due to creative differences and Matt Reeves (of War for the Planet of the Apes) was brought on board to helm the Batman solo movie. There was a period of lull in the life of Batman fans as they were upset at Ben Affleck leaving mid-way but now he may even leave DCEU altogether if rumors are true.
BossLogic, the famous comic-book portal released an image of what Jake Gyllenhaal might look if he becomes the ‘Dark Knight’. The results are stunning. In the past, so many actors have played the caped crusader, from Adam West’s campy version to Keaton’s classy version to Bale’s dark version, we have seen it all.
As far as Jake being Batman, the rumors have actually excited fans as Gyllenhaal is known to pull off complicated roles. His performance in movies such as Jarhead, Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain earned him massive praise. He could totally fit in with Reeves’ vision of solo Batman movie.
Matt revealed that he will be taking page from Christopher Nolan’s playbook as he was inspired by the Dark Knight trilogy. He explained:
“What I love about what Nolan did was that he took the genre seriously. What studios willing to make at the moment is a very, very narrow band of films. What I discovered is that this genre has the potential to be about something more. You can use metaphors of the genre to talk about a lot.”
He added:
“I see a parallel emotionally between Caesar and Batman, in that they’re both tortured and trying to sort of grapple within themselves to try and do the right thing in a very imperfect and, to some degree, corrupt world. It’s really that emotionality that I’m interested in.”
He further shed light on how he would like to approach Batman, he added:
“In all of my films, what I try to do, in an almost Hitchcockian sense, is use the camera and use the storytelling so that you become that character, and you emphasize with that point of view. There’s a chance to do an almost noir driven, detective version of Batman that is point-of-view driven in a very, very powerful way, that will hopefully connect you to what’s going on inside of his head and inside of his heart.”
Recently, at MTV Happy Sad Confused podcast, Matt Reeves dropped a bombshell and revealed that he has tossed aside the entire script written by Ben Affleck and that he will start afresh. He said:
“No. It’s a new story. It’s just starting again. I’m excited about it. I think it’s going to be really cool.”
Moreover, this may just throw everything out of the window including the villain i.e Deathstroke which was the choice of Ben Affleck as he has not been done onscreen ever. The actor Joe Manganiello had already been cast to play him. The Deathstroke (who was the big villain in movie) actor Joe Manganiello said that the movie will be “cerebral” and “gritty”.
But Joe Manganiello recently spoke with THR and was asked about his role as Deathstroke in the upcoming Batman solo movie. He said he has no idea what is going on and he just can’t say anything at this moment. This is what he said:
“I don’t. Well, I do but nothing that I can share. I know everything but I can’t say any of it. It’s not up to me. That’s a good question for Warner Bros. and D.C.”
He did appear in the post credit scene of Justice League where he freed Lex Luthor and could be part of “Injustice League”. Well, let more details come out. CHEERS!
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