While Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad may have done alright at the box office, neither film could be called a home run. Yes, they did make a healthy sum of money for the studio (even if BvS did ultimately under-perform), but the reception from fans and critics spoke volumes, with the majority of people feeling very disappointed in how both movies ended up turning out.
As such, 2017 is a huge year for the DCEU, as Wonder Woman and Justice League attempt to turn things around and get Warner Bros.’ cinematic universe back on track. One of the ways they’ll be doing this is by lightening the tone, which is something that all of the studio’s future DC efforts will also be looking to do. That includes 2018’s Aquaman, which is now gearing up for production and might just end up taking everyone by surprise.
It’s no secret that the titular hero has always been a bit of a joke in the comic book world, but with director James Wan promising to deliver a very different take on Arthur Curry, that could very well change by the time the film swims into theatres. In fact, if writer Will Beall is to be believed, Aquaman may just blow our minds when it arrives.
[wgtc_youtube video_id=”QhbpnLs8ObQ”]Speaking to Collider after a TCA panel, here’s what the scribe had to share:
“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be really fun. What we’ve come up with and James [Wan] especially — he has a really clear idea of the tone he’s going to have, and I think Aquaman is one that’s going to blow people’s minds, not just visually, but I think the story and the scope of it is really great.”
Having been involved with early drafts of the Justice League script, Beall also spoke about what we can expect from Zack Snyder’s upcoming film:
“I think Justice League again is, what you’re going to see — I hope I’m not going to get in trouble for saying this — but it’s much more fun, much poppier, than … I haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet, but Batman vs Superman was a little more somber. But Justice League is a lot more fun. And I think that feels to me like the direction those movies are heading now.”
So, it’s pretty clear then that the mood of these upcoming DCEU movies is going to be drastically different than what’s come before, which is great to hear. Not that dark and somber is necessarily a bad thing, but Batman V Superman in particular took it too far and kind of sucked all the fun out of what could of been one of the best superhero movies of all-time. Whether or not the studio will be able to turn things around from here remains to be seen, but we will admit that their plans going forward sound promising and under the watchful eye of James Wan, we have no trouble imagining Aquaman turning out to be a huge hit for Warner Bros.
Tell us, what’s your opinion on the DC Extended Universe at this point? Are you still on board with it, or have Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad left too sour a taste in your mouth for you to care anymore? Sound off in the usual place and let us know!
