James Wan to direct Aquaman

This might be the one movie so far that Warner Bros. has done right regarding the new DC Universe. The studio has brought on horror director James Wan to direct Aquaman starring Jason Momoa.

Wan is coming straight off an overwhelming success of Furious 7 along with the lingering success he had with the 2014 horror hit, The Conjuring. He is also well known and respected among moviegoers for the Saw franchise as he co-wrote and directed the first film and co-produced all seven as well as the Insidious trilogy. Wan is currently in pre-production for The Conjuring 2, but he is up for the challenge of joining the DC Universe.

Personally, I'm a bit disappointed that Warner Bros. snagged him and not Marvel. I think he fits in better with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I won't count him out. I've been a fan of his since the beginning of his career and I definitely know he can do great things. Whatever he does will be better than the bullshit Zack Snyder pumps out.

So far Aquaman is set to make a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and it's assumed he will appear in the Justice League films. 

Jared Leto's version of The Joker revealed

I am so confused right now.

Now... Jared Leto has been teasing his Joker look for weeks. It started with a haircut and then moved into blonde hair and then green hair and then no eyebrows and then an apparent leaked photo of The Joker in a straight-jacket.
However, I don't think anyone was quite expecting this. For the first time we are seeing the iconic villain without the makeup and stripped down without his recognizable and trademark clothing. It shows Leto as a tattooed and scarred maniac complete with pale skin, green hair, and what looks like silver teeth.

I'm just going to say it. I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. I expected something different because that's kind of a given, especially after the legacy that Heath Ledger left behind. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting, nor do I want, what we have gotten. If Harley Quinn looks like this too, I quit. I can't even imagine what the other characters are going to look like.
I want to be clear that I'm not doubting Jared Leto's ability to portray this character. I am a big fan of Leto and I think he has great potential to do something great and memorable, but this look is horrible. Here's to hoping this is just how they find him in Arkham and he becomes more traditional later on. 

Common joins the cast of Suicide Squad

The cast of Suicide Squad just got a new addition. Actor and Oscar-winning musician Common has just been confirmed in an unspecified role. He joins the existing cast of Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevigne, and more.

Suicide Squad is set to open in August 2016.

First posters for Batman v Superman

I like these. They are simple as hell, but I am digging them.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - First Teaser

After an unexpected leak of the trailer last night, WB and Zack Snyder decided to just go ahead and release the first teaser for Batman v Superman today despite an IMAX event still scheduled for next week.

All I really have to say is that it looks like it could potentially be good, but I'm still not 100% on board. I think this version of Batman looks buff as hell and is definitely intimidating, but I don't really like the pegging Superman as a villain. I also hate that Batman voice. It sounds like he's speaking via a voice modulator... unless they are doing that on purpose to hide Affleck's real Batman voice.

First glimpse at Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor

Many were skeptical about Jesse Eisenberg being cast as the legendary Superman villain, Lex Luthor, but a first glimpse at the actor as the character shows that he just might be able to pull it off.

Gone are Eisenberg's trademark curly locks and his usual pleasantly clueless facial expression.

First look at Jason Momoa's Aquaman

And he looks pretty badass.

Director Zack Snyder leaked the image via Twitter to tease what Momoa's portrayal of Aquaman will look like in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The costume is colorless (no surprise) and still displays the character's insignia on the belt. The trident is also pretty cool looking.
It is worth mentioning that although Aquaman is set to appear in the Justice League films, he will most likely only get a cameo in Dawn of Justice. There is no telling whether we will get any other teasers for other characters that have been cast already. Ezra Miller has been cast as The Flash while Ray Fisher has been selected for Cyborg. The "Unite the Seven" tagline could mean a couple different things; the seven seas since it is Aquaman or it could be the seven members of the Justice League.

We will see before too long. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to open March 26, 2016.

Joel Kinnaman in early Suicide Squad negotiations

Rumor has it that Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) is in early negotiations to replace Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg in the upcoming Suicide Squad film. Hardy was scheduled to play the group's leader, but he backed out a couple weeks ago due to scheduling conflicts and apparently he had issues with the script, too.

Kinnaman hit the big scene after starring in AMC's The Killing and he was the male lead in the recent RoboCop reboot. I didn't see either the show or the movie, so I have no opinion on whether he would be a good replacement for Tom Hardy. If he does wind up getting the role he will join the existing cast of Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jai Courtney, and Cara Delevigne.

Rumor: Batman to appear in Suicide Squad

Warner Bros. upcoming super-villain party, Suicide Squad, might be adding another cast member to the mix. Rumor has it that Ben Affleck will appear in the film as Batman and it will act as a setup to his own solo movie.

Forbes reported the rumor stating that Batman will appear "in the flesh" and the scene will most likely be shared with The Joker (Jared Leto). Also hinted is that this acts as a precursor for a future solo Batman movie featuring The Joker, and potentially Harley Quinn, as the villains.
Warner Bros. hasn't given a date or even a major hint about a solo Batman movie, but there are more rumors that the inevitable Batman film will be based off Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

Suicide Squad opens in theaters on August 5, 2016.

Tom Hardy exits Suicide Squad

This was bound to happen at least once. It seems like with every major project these days there is a casting issue at some point. We learned today that Tom Hardy has dropped out of the upcoming Suicide Squad film. Hardy was set to play the team's military trained leader, Rick Flagg. His reps are citing scheduling problems and overlaps are to blame as he will soon begin press for Mad Max: Fury Road and filming on The Revenant is running long.

However, rumor has it that Warner Bros. has approached Oscar-nominee Jake Gyllenhaal to replace Hardy as Flagg. There is no confirmation on any replacement just yet, and it seems that Viola Davis still isn't 100% attached either, so I would expect things might continue to change with this film. Suicide Squad is currently set to open August 5, 2016 and also stars (as of right now) Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevinge, and Will Smith.

It's a bummer, but I always thought Hardy was an odd choice seeing that he's already played a DC villain and is very well recognized as such. I was a bit surprised he was chosen in the first place.

Viola Davis joins Suicide Squad

Warner Bros. and DC have officially cast Oscar-nominee Viola Davis in the upcoming adaptation of Suicide Squad. Davis will portray Amanda Waller, the government official in place to oversee the group's operations. She is essentially the Nick Fury of the Suicide Squad.

Davis was among the shortlist of sought after actresses for the role which also included Octavia Spencer and Oprah Winfrey. There are still some kinks to work out with her schedule as she is currently on the television series, How to Get Away with Murder, but I am sure they can work it out. There are also rumors that Davis might get a Summer job filming some small easter eggs for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Viola Davis gained a lot of popularity after the 2011 film, The Help, which earned her nominations for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA. She's also been seen in Ender's Game, Get on Up, Prisoners, and Eat Pray Love. 

Full Suicide Squad cast revealed

It seems that there was a lot of truth behind the rumors behind Suicide Squad as we now have the main cast out in the open. In addition to a prior announcement of Margot Robbie playing Harley Quinn, the rest of the cast includes:

Jared Leto as The Joker
Will Smith as Deadshot
Tom Hardy as Rick Flag
Jai Courtney as Boomerang
Cara Delevinge as Enchantress


This will mark Jared Leto's return to the screen after his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club He will also have a lot of eyes on him because he is the first actor to tackle The Joker since Heath Ledger's performance in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight back in 2008. Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his performance as the DC villain.
Will Smith was previously rumored for Boomerang but that role has gone to Jai Courtney. DC Universe veteran Tom Hardy will be filling the shoes of the Suicide Squad's military leader, Rick Flag. Hardy previously played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

The film isn't completely cast because Warner Bros. is still looking for an actress to play Amanda Waller. The role was previously played by Angela Basset in 2011's Green Lantern but the studio is evidently wanting to further distance themselves from that trainwreck. Actresses on the shortlist, according to sources, are Octavia Spencer, Oprah Winfrey, and Viola Davis. Out of those choices I think I would go with Viola Davis, but there is no telling what direction they will go.
There is also no mention on whether any characters from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will have cameos or not, but the main one to expect would be Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. If anything he might have a small cameo or at least some mention.

Margot Robbie to play Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad

After learning that Jared Leto was being courted to play The Joker, many started speculating on who would be cast to play Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. We now have our answer and it is Australian actress, Margot Robbie.

Robbie was most recently seen alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street and was also a season regular on the short-lived television show, Pan Am. The is fairly young at the age of 24, so it might be a hard sell for people to believe that she is a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. That is, unless they write that aspect of the story out of the movie.
If you are somehow unfamiliar with Harley Quinn, she began as psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel inside Arkham Asylum where she was assigned to The Joker. She quickly was manipulated by him and became obsessed with him. To comic fans, she is known as his psychotic sidekick girlfriend. She comes equipped with a black and red jester suit and white face paint. This will be the first time the character is portrayed on the big screen, but she was originally introduced in the Batman animated series. She has also appeared in Rocksteady's Arkham games for Playstation, Xbox, and Wii. She was a bit different in the games (aka, more of a sexy version of Harley), so there are a couple ways Warner Bros. could go with this character.

This does make the rumors surrounding The Joker have a bit more substance as you can't really have Harley Quinn without The Joker. If they are serious about including him, and about Jared Leto, I think they are teasing everyone even more with this casting announcement. Suicide Squad is set to open in theaters on August 5, 2016.

Image via Crave Online

Jared Leto rumored to play The Joker

With Warner Bros and DC quickly putting their own universe together there are rumors circulating about which actors will play upcoming film characters. A big rumor we got today is regarding Suicide Squad which is set for release on August 5, 2016. Apparently, Oscar-winner Jared Leto is in the mix to play a new version of the popular DC villain, The Joker.

So far Suicide Squad has Will Smith, Tom Hardy, and Margot Robbie in various stages of negotiations. Leto was previously in contention for the role of Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the role ultimately went to Joaquin Phoenix (Benedict Cumberbatch is now Doctor Strange).

We haven't really seen or heard from The Joker since Heath Ledger's acclaimed, and Oscar-winning, performance in The Dark Knight back in 2008. Many people felt that after Ledger's unbelievable performance that the character should be left alone. There isn't any confirmation that The Joker will be part of Suicide Squad or that Leto will be playing that character, but he is apparently circling around a major role in the film that "could prove to be The Joker."
Now... this is somewhat interesting as some people, including myself, thought that Jena Malone's casting in the DC Universe could possibly be Harley Quinn. Even if Malone is not connected to the role, it has been rumored that the famous sidekick will be part of Suicide Squad. Leto's role was previously attached to Ryan Gosling, but he was reluctant to sign a multi-film contract with press obligations.

Suicide Squad follows a team of villains who begin executing dangerous missions for the US Government to avoid major prison sentences. As a result, they have the ability to roam free among the DC heroes undetected until they commit a major crime or offense.

Jena Malone confirmed for Batman v Superman

The question is... who will she be appearing as?


Yesterday there were some rumors that Robin will be appearing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and that it would be a female version of the sidekick. Naturally, as soon as people see confirmation of an "unspecified character" the masses automatically assume Jena Malone will be playing the female version of Robin. Before the confirmation there was already speculation that Malone had something to do with the film as she's been seen on set and recently shared a picture of herself (via Instagram) with red hair.

The red hair is the giveaway for a lot of people because in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns arc, the character of Carrie Kelley was a young redhead who becomes Robin after saving Batman's life. By young I suppose I should specify that Kelley was 13-years old, so unless Zack Snyder is going for an older version I don't think this soon to be 30-year old actress is ready to become Carrie Kelley.
With that said, another major and more plausible possibility is that Malone could be suiting up to play the Arkham Asylum psychiatrist, Dr. Harleen Quinzel (aka, Harley Quinn). With the announcement of the Suicide Squad movie set for 2016, a long awaited film appearance by Harley Quinn is very possible. She was a member of the Suicide Squad along with the Secret Six and Secret Society of Super Villains.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with Harley Quinn... she begins as Dr. Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. While interning she is assigned to analyze The Joker and she quickly becomes obsessed and falls in love with him. She aids him in escaping from Arkham multiple times, but after he returns badly wounded from a fight with Batman she quits her job and suits up as The Joker's jester-like sidekick. She quickly befriends fellow villain, Poison Ivy, who later injects her with a serum that makes her immune to toxins as well as giving her superhuman strength and agility.

The Joker and Harley Quinn is probably one of the most famous comic villain tag-teams. Given that fact, I would think it's a solid guarantee that if Jena Malone has been brought on to play Harley Quinn we will see a new version of The Joker in Zack Snyder's DC Universe. Most people consider The Joker untouchable after Heath Ledger, but I'm not so sure. I personally had Ezra Miller pegged for a future version of the character, but he was cast as The Flash so that isn't going to happen. I think Jena Malone would be a great candidate for Harley Quinn so I'm hoping that is the case rather than bringing her in as Carrie Kelley. She doesn't really seem like a Batman sidekick type of girl, but I could be wrong.

Warner Bros. announces DC release dates

Warner Bros. made some very big announcements today regarding the new DC Universe. Within the announcement includes release dates and exactly which characters are getting solo films.

After Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits in 2016, the next DC film will be Suicide Squad. Suicide Squad is set to be directed by Fury director, David Ayer, and it also received a 2016 release date.
Next up on the schedule for 2017 is Wonder Woman and Justice League - Part One while The Flash and Aquaman received 2018 releases. Jason Momoa was confirmed to be starring as Aquaman and the studio confirmed Ezra Miller will star in The Flash.
2019 will bring us Justice League - Part Two and Shazam, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
2020 has a Cyborg movie scheduled along with a reboot of Green Lantern.

In addition to all of this, Warner Bros. did also announce there will be at lease one more solo Superman movie along with a solo Batman movie. With Green Lantern not coming until 2020 I think it's safe to say that if the character has any involvement in the Justice League movies it will be very minimal. I also think it's a bit interesting that Aquaman isn't coming until 2018 seeing that Jason Momoa is already confirmed to be part of Batman v Superman and Justice League - Part One.

Ezra Miller to lead The Flash in 2018

In a large amount of announcements by Warner Bros. and DC Comics we received more information about a new solo movie centered around The Flash. In the announcement the studios highlighted that the solo film will be released after Justice League - Part One in 2018 and that the actor portraying the hero is 22-year old Ezra Miller.

You might recognize Miller from the film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the television series, Royal Pains. He also gave an extremely unnerving and chilling performance alongside Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin back in 2011. He was praised for his performances thus far and has proven to give believable performances that cross drama and comedy. He is also extremely charismatic on screen. As a 22-year old he is a lot younger than any other actor in the current DC Universe, so that will prove to either be a good or a bad thing.
There is no real confirmation on whether Miller will be appearing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or the first Justice League movie, but it is pretty much guaranteed that he will at least appear in Justice League - Part Two which will be released after The Flash. If he is going to have an appearance in BvS they have done a fantastic job keeping his involvement a secret. I don't think he's even been spotted on set.

I think he is a good casting choice for a comic universe, but I don't know if I would have chosen him for The Flash. If at some point they revisit The Joker, honestly my first choice was Ezra Miller. I'm a bit bummed about this. I won't lie about that. 

Scoot McNairy rumored for Batman v Superman

Rumors are floating around Batman v Superman (duh) regarding who is playing The Flash. Word has it that Scott McNairy is playing the speedy hero, Barry Allen.

McNairy was spotted on the set of Batman v Superman wearing green fabric on his calves. If you know anything about digital replacement, the green fabric is used for CGI effects and other digital enhancements so naturally the rumors have hit saying the fabric is being used to give him the appeal of being fast.
BvS is being kept completely under wraps so it is impossible to really guess what McNairy was doing on set or what the green legs are for, but if he does wind up playing The Flash I don't think it would be a bad thing. I have never disliked him.

Warner Bros/DC confirm Aquaman film

A while back we received rumors that Jason Momoa was in negotiations to play Aquaman in the upcoming Warner Bros/DC Comic movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and a separate Aquaman film. There are now reports that Warner Bros. has commissioned not only one, but two Aquaman screenplays and that Momoa's casting is basically confirmed.

Last week we got a schedule of release dates from Warner Bros. through the year 2020 and speculation immediately began on exactly what all of those release dates might be. The plan is obviously to compete with Marvel's Cinematic Universe and create a similar one for the new DC Universe that was kicked off by Man of Steel last year.
So far we have Gal Gadot portraying Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman and it's being assumed that one of the many untitled projects is a solo Wonder Woman film. The focus now has shifted to Aquaman where Warner Bros. is "aggressively" developing the project as they have commissioned two screenplays in hopes that they could use one or combine the two for a quick development process. Script #1 is being written by Gangster Squad writer, Will Beall, while the second script was given to 300: Rise of an Empire writer, Kurt Johnstad.
As far as Jason Momoa goes, there hasn't been any official release by Warner Bros. regarding his casting, but it's pretty much a given that if he is playing Aquaman in Batman v Superman that he will also helm the solo movie and be part of Justice League. Recently a Detroit radio station was caught red-handed teasing the project and Momoa's involvement, but director Zack Snyder made a surprise call into the show and claimed that Aquaman could, "cut the flesh of Superman if they came in contact." If that's the portrayal they're going for then I guess they picked the right actor.

There are so many untitled dates on the Warner Bros/DC schedule so it's difficult to wrap your head around it all, but realistically speaking we could see Aquaman as early as 2016. There is a spot on August 5, 2016 as well as two unfilled dates in 2017 (June 23rd and November 17th). There is no real timetable on Justice League anymore, but many expect it by 2017. Realistically at this point we could have solo films for Wonder Woman and Aquaman in 2016 and early 2017 and have Justice League on November 17th.
However, Zack Snyder is currently shooting Justice League back-to-back with Batman v Superman, so they might turn tradition upside down and release Justice League in 2016 before any other solo films. There really is no telling, but I don't know why they would let a project sit on the shelf for two years after filming wraps.

Batman v Superman release changes again

It appears that Marvel has officially won the battle of the release date. Warner Bros. announced that the release date for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has now changed for the third time to March 25, 2016.

BvS previously shared the release date of May 6, 2016 with Captain America 3. The studios have been battling for months over this release date and Marvel refused to budge. Warner Bros. obviously thought their best plan of attack would be to move the date again and grab audiences 6 weeks prior to the release of Captain America.
In addition to this release shift, Warner Bros. has also announced untitled dates for 9 films and 2 "event films" that haven't received titles yet.

The current WB/DC Comics schedule is now:

August 5, 2016
June 23, 2016
November 17, 2017
March 23, 2018
July 27, 2018
November 16, 2018 (event film)
April 5, 2019
June 14, 2019
April 3, 2020
June 19, 2020
November 20, 2020 (event film)


One plus side for WB is that, as of right now, none of these dates are shared with a Marvel project. That will avoid more problems like BvS has experienced. Either way this is a very ambitious schedule and I highly doubt any of these dates will stick if people don't like Batman v Superman and/or Justice League. There is no way.