First up, Silverman talked about how WB plans to separate themselves from Marvel Studios, who undoubtedly have the upper hand on the comic book film front at the moment. By the time Batman V Superman arrives, the MCU will be eight years old and twelve films deep, with another huge slate on the horizon. So how exactly will WB differentiate the Justice League from the Avengers and fight off superhero fatigue?
“We have a great strategy for the DC films, which is to take these beloved characters and put them in the hands of master filmmakers and make sure they all coordinate with each other. You’ll see the difference when you see Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League and all the things that we are working on.”
That pretty much matches the aforementioned report (also from THR), which stated that WB would be taking a “filmmaker-driven” approach to its slate instead of placing all of the creative control in the hands of one man, like Marvel’s Kevin Feige. Whether or not it will work remains to be seen, but it’s certainly encouraging to hear that WB is focusing on making the best films possible before worrying about how to connect them all.
We’re already know that several of the DC films have multiple screenwriters writing their own pitches, competitively tackling the same project. Silverman touches on that, saying:
“Every project is different. On some projects, we have multiple writers working together. In some cases, we put writers together who have never been a team together. And sometimes, there is only one writer whose voice is right. In the case of Wonder Woman, the right approach was to have writers pitching different scenes within the framework we created… Correct [each writer doesn’t know what the other is up to]. They came to me and said they wanted to try this approach. I don’t know how much collaboration and noncollaboration was going on. Treating writers well is a massive priority at this studio. I’d be very shocked if writers weren’t treated with respect and grace.”
When it comes to MacLaren’s Wonder Woman departure, Silverman didn’t go into details about what caused the split. He did, however, explain how Jenkins got the job:
“We had a very intensive process looking at everybody. Patty and Michelle were really the ones who came to the forefront the first go-round, so when things didn’t work out with Michelle, we all knew we had someone great who had expressed interest before. She came back and is doing a great job. But it was never about the best female director. She has demonstrated doing amazing work with female characters, such as in Monster.”
And, as for that pesky “no jokes” rumor? Silverman puts it to rest once and for all by saying that yes, some characters are darker than others, but humor is a vital part to the DCCU:
“There is intensity and a seriousness of purpose to some of these characters. The filmmakers who are tackling these properties are making great movies about superheroes; they aren’t making superhero movies. And when you are trying to make a good movie, you tackle interesting philosophies and character development. There’s also humor, which is an important part.”
Time will tell if Silverman’s responses ease some of the worries that fans have about the DC films. I, for one, am excited about the way they’re handling things, and cannot wait to see what films come out of it. T
We’ll find out how well the WB team has a handle on the DCCU when Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25th, 2016.
