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Post by Jeremy on Apr 2, 2018 20:25:07 GMT -8
Yeah, it's been on extended break, although it returns later this month. The CW needs to make room for its other midseason shows, since it's got too much on the schedule right now.
Fortunately, the network is expanding to six nights a week next season, so there'll be more breathing room to let their shows flourish.
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Post by Jeremy on Jul 17, 2018 18:31:18 GMT -8
So now the Arrowverse is adding a Batwoman TV series as well. Wow. I hear all the talk about DC Comics starting their own streaming service, but they've practically already got an entire broadcast network to themselves.
Not sure how I feel about the idea of a Batwoman show in general. She's mostly famous in the comics for being a female version of Batman and... well, gay. I'm also not sure how the series would incorporate the rest of the Bat-verse, since plenty of copyrights are held by the DCEU and Gotham (although the latter is coming to an end next season). As always, we'll have to see.
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Supergirl
Jul 17, 2018 20:11:07 GMT -8
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Post by ThirdMan on Jul 17, 2018 20:11:07 GMT -8
Batwoman can have Calendar Man and The Condiment King. Yeah, by this point, Gotham has used practically every notable villain...heh.
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Post by Jeremy on Jul 17, 2018 20:50:25 GMT -8
To make things even more complicated, Arrow has also used a good chunk of Batman's rogues' gallery over the years. Given that Batwoman will apparently take place in the same universe, there are hardly any fresh faces left.
So yeah, bring on the Condiment King. He gave Batgirl a run for her money in Year One, as I recall.
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Post by Jeremy on Sept 12, 2018 6:43:39 GMT -8
So, Henry Cavill has announced that he is quitting his role as Superman. And in response, Warner Bros. is turning its eye to developing a Supergirl film instead.
I will need several hours to process both these pieces of information.
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Supergirl
Sept 12, 2018 8:26:57 GMT -8
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Post by ThirdMan on Sept 12, 2018 8:26:57 GMT -8
Well, that was a foregone conclusion. Because unless Aquaman somehow proves to be a commercial hit (it seems to be aping the tone of Thor: Ragnarok, so who knows), Gal Gadot is probably the only performer from Justice League that will remain.
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Post by Jeremy on Sept 12, 2018 8:59:44 GMT -8
Gadot/Wonder Woman is essentially the star of the DCEU by now, and Warner would be wise to lean into that. (They'd also be wise to just drop the DCEU and restart things from scratch, but I'm guessing that's not an option on anyone's plate.)
They've still got solo Flash, Cyborg, and Green Lantern films slated for 2020, and I'm betting at least one of those will be a commercial splash. But Cavill's departure (particularly following his much-ballyhooed "return" in Justice League) only underscores how ill-prepared DC is at developing and sustaining its own cinematic universe.
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Post by otherscott on Sept 12, 2018 9:22:49 GMT -8
I'm wondering if the thing to do for DC is to not even do an extended universe. No matter how it goes they're always going to be playing catch-up to Marvel in that regard.
Why not do something closer to what they were doing before? Tell individual stories, or trilogies of stories, about their superheroes, each with kind of a different perspective and voice to each of the stories. You can cross over characters into stories about other characters, but you don't need to cross over actors or have the same timeline for each story you tell - basically abandon any shared universe idea and just tell the stories you want to tell about your superheroes. That would set it apart from Marvel and give it the flexibility it can use to make better movies, and guarantees a reset button in case something fails.
Just no rebooting origin stories each time you want a different story about a superhero, please. We don't need this.
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Supergirl
Sept 12, 2018 9:55:28 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by ThirdMan on Sept 12, 2018 9:55:28 GMT -8
Anyways, if Matt Reeves wants to do a Batman story starring Jake Gyllenhaal set mostly at Arkham Asylum (where they could more organically integrate the rogues gallery), I'm down with that. Make it like the Arkham Asylum game, minus the Titan formula (we don't need a giant mutant Joker, thank you very much).
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Post by Jeremy on Sept 12, 2018 9:59:32 GMT -8
I'd be totally fine with that, Scott. I actually wouldn't even mind if they retain the current DCEU, but limit their films to standalone stories and franchises. And also get writers/directors who are passionate about these superheroes, and aren't just making the movies because they're hot on the market.
We tend to think of the MCU as setting the new standard for "Cinematic Universes," but it's become increasingly clear that it was more of an exception. In order to properly sustain a film universe, you need to take time to build individual franchises, and have a solid arc for them to eventually coalesce around. And you can't just make it up as you go. All of this is extraordinarily difficult for a series of films with dozens of writers and directors attached to them - Marvel has just been able to dodge the traps better than its competitors.
The DCEU doesn't seem to have a point to its existence beyond "Marvel is doing it," while other examples (like Universal's failed "Dark Universe") can't even make it off the ground. I don't think cinematic universes will become a regular thing, and most of the current attempts at making them are kinda proving that they shouldn't.
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Post by Incandescence 112 on Sept 12, 2018 11:53:10 GMT -8
I'm wondering if the thing to do for DC is to not even do an extended universe. No matter how it goes they're always going to be playing catch-up to Marvel in that regard. Why not do something closer to what they were doing before? Tell individual stories, or trilogies of stories, about their superheroes, each with kind of a different perspective and voice to each of the stories. You can cross over characters into stories about other characters, but you don't need to cross over actors or have the same timeline for each story you tell - basically abandon any shared universe idea and just tell the stories you want to tell about your superheroes. That would set it apart from Marvel and give it the flexibility it can use to make better movies, and guarantees a reset button in case something fails. Just no rebooting origin stories each time you want a different story about a superhero, please. We don't need this. That's a great idea. That might add some actual stakes to them because they wouldn't be beholden to future movies. I personally prefer DC's universe-it hurts to see it being so poorly represented. C'mon DC. How hard can it be to find a Batman/Flash/Superman fan who's also a great director/writer? There are lots of them!
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Post by Jeremy on Oct 25, 2018 18:42:49 GMT -8
I realize now that I never posted any thoughts on the back half of Season Three.
It was... not that great. The season started with promise, but got bogged down by two much mysticism (the "three witches and their magic stones" plot didn't work for Smallville, and it sure didn't work here). And Reign was a pretty weak excuse for a Big Bad - she was a one-note character, sharing a body with another one-note character. Eh.
Season Four, judging by the first two epissodes, seems to be returning the show to more earthbound adventures, which I am completely fine with. In fact, I would be totally fine if the series never had a season-long alien villain again. (Uh-oh... did that sound like I'm anti-alien? I'm really not. The season seems to be very clear in saying that people should not be anti-alien.) I'm also fine with swapping out Winn for Brainiac 5, especially since the writers seem interested in developing him beyond a TNG Data clone.
I'm resigned to the fact that this will never be a great show, but it's a pleasant diversion for an hour each week. And yeah, sometimes it's just fun to laugh at. ("EARTH FIRST!")
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Supergirl
Oct 25, 2018 18:56:04 GMT -8
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Post by ThirdMan on Oct 25, 2018 18:56:04 GMT -8
While I'll agree that the Reign character didn't need to be stretched over an entire season, I think they actually did a good job of establishing her as a genuine human being before the villain elements took hold. I didn't find her one-note at all, and I appreciated that she wasn't hammy like so many previous villains on the show.
That said, the show's just too heavy-handed with its political messaging, so this might be another Sunday night series I drop sooner rather than later. Captain Liberty looks dorky af.
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Post by Jeremy on Oct 25, 2018 19:39:41 GMT -8
I was hoping that the writers would at some point converge Reign's two personalities, and maybe coax Sam to the dark side for a while. Instead, they went the opposite direction, splitting her into two distinct characters by the end. Sam had her moments, but Reign was never the memorable villain she could have been. Although... yeah, the first two seasons didn't have a great track record with Big Bads, either.
In any case, I'll likely stick around to see if they can keep up this level of blatant political messaging for the whole season. It's not good writing, but a la the new Murphy Brown, it's kind of fascinating.
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Supergirl
Oct 26, 2018 4:24:29 GMT -8
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Post by ThirdMan on Oct 26, 2018 4:24:29 GMT -8
I wish the final season of Gotham was back on instead. As I've noted, it's been ridiculous, but quite fun, the past few seasons, and with all the villain factions dividing up the space in a greatly-abandoned (due to bomb threats) Gotham City (they've pretty much done No Man's Land with the bridges), it could be quite interesting. It'd be nice if the kid playing Bruce would start to bulk up, though.
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