Warner Bros to Adapt DC Comics Library After Harry Potter Franchise

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II hits theaters in July 2011. /Film reports from ShoWest that Warners Bros plans to fill the hole left by the biggest box office franchise in cinema history with film adaptations of the DC [Comics] Library. “As we ease out of Harry Potter, we hope to bring you the excitement of the DC [Comics] Library!” states Warner Bros head Alan Horn.

2010

Jonah Hex - “In the Wild West, a scarred bounty hunter (Josh Brolin) tracks a voodoo practitioner (John Malkovich) bent on liberating the South by raising an army of the undead.”

Opens June 18th.

2011

Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan

Green Lantern - Production began just this week. This adaptation of Green Lantern has big names attached to it. Joining Ryan Reynolds would be Blake Lively as his love interest, Peter Sarsgaard as the villain Dr. Hector Hammond, and Tim Robbins as the villain's father Senator Hammond.

Mark Strong will play Sinestro, the main villain of the series.

IN DEVELOPMENT

The Flash - Director and casting news should be available this summer at the San Diego Comic-Con. Who should play The Flash? Barry Allen?


Batman 3 - Christopher Nolan's brother Jonathan Nolan is penning the script yet Nolan hasn't officially announced himself as the director. Looks like we'll have to wait until San Diego Comic-Con for the announcement.

Killer cast to date includes Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne), Morgan Freeman (Lucious Fox), Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon), Michael Caine (Alfred), and Doug Jones (Edward Nygma 'The Riddler).

Superman: Man of Steel - With David Goyer writing the latest rendition, there is hope for a darker, meaner Superman. Not to mention Christopher Nolan’s involvement.

Lobo - Lobo is an intergalactic bounty hunter who basically always gets his man or woman, and does so in violent fashion. In some ways he’s DC Comics’ version of Wolverine, and the two fought each other in 1996’s DC vs. Marvel comic book mini-series.

In a recent interview with Collider, super-producer Joel Silver (The Matrix) let it be known that a screen test has been filmed for Guy Ritchie’s upcoming adaptation of DC Comics’ Lobo, currently has in the pipeline.

Silver states “I was looking at a test we made [for Lobo] and I was seeing it through the eyes of [the San Diego] Comic-Con — through the eyes of that audience. It’s important to know that that audience is the biggest in the world. That’s the audience that you want to get.”

Actor names being tossed around include fantasy casting pick Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, The Losers), Kevin Durand (Smokin' Aces) and Clancy Brown (A Nightmare on Elm Street).

By the time the 2010 San-Diego Comic Con International rolls around, Silver, Guy Ritchie the director and Warner Bros. may have some promo footage ready. Below is Collider's interview with producer Joel Silver.




Deadman - Guillermo del Toro is set to produce the film which is being tagged as “Crow-esque.”

In the DC Universe, Deadman is a circus trapeze artist named Boston Brand, who dresses up in a red suit and white makeup to perform under the stage name (you guessed it) Deadman. When Brand is murdered while performing his act, his spirit is held over by the Hindu goddess Rama Kushna, who endows Brand’s ghost with the ability to possess living bodies. Rama Kushna’s decree: for Brand to use his new powers to hunt down his murderer(s) and obtain justice.

Will it be horror? The usual super hero origin? Or will we likely get the sort of scary/funny, visually stylized, supernatural action fare that Guillermo del Toro has made famous with his Hellboy films? Del Toro being attached to this project is pretty much the only thing giving it any buzz right now.

Wonder Woman (2011) - Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures were trying to get the project moved along (finally), looking for a good spec script and the “right” director to bring the female superhero to the big-screen. Hollywood hottie-of-the-minute Megan Fox has ben rumored to play Wonder Woman in the movie version, and this was only further sparked when a fan-made image of her in the outfit made its way online (shown below). Not only does Fox deny she’s been approached, but she flat-out disses the character and the idea of a movie featuring her:

“Wonder Woman is a lame superhero… She flies around in her invisible jet and her weaponry is a lasso that makes you tell the truth. I just don’t get it. Somebody has a big challenge on their hands whoever takes that role but I don’t want to do it.”

There is no official news yet as to which creative direction the Wonder Woman movie will go – with neither a writer nor director in tow – but at least we know now who most likely will not be donning that outfit. "WonderDiva from Movie Hell" should feel honored to even be mentioned for the role.

Aquaman - Reportedly Aquaman is “in production” over at Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production company. This second-tier hero is listed as being out on the big-screens in 2013. Seeing is believing.

Green Arrow - Super Max (2012) the DC comics-based film which would center around the character of Green Arrow stuck in a prison made for supervillains for a crime he did not commit, is still a work in progress with a new writer to help on the screenplay. No news to date but then there's always San Diego Comic-Con 2010.

Justice League - With the latest announcement of Warner Bros' future in comic films Justice League is an inevitable project.

DCE’s mission statement has been clear: to develop all future DC and/or WB superhero projects under a united banner with multimedia development as the ultimate goal (book, movie, cartoon, video game, and merchandising).

The plethora of characters in DC Comics is bountiful. Innovation and creativity at DC Entertainment will have to be more than just the pretty wrapping on the outside to keep up with Disney's Marvel roster of 5,000 plus characters.

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Source: SlashFilm.com, ScreenRant.com