Where does the DC Extended Universe go after the major success of Wonder Woman? A recent interview with Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, the co-runners of the DCEU, sheds light on the studio’s culture and intended direction (and fills this die-hard DC fan with a lot of excitement).
A director-led universe
When it was announced that Geoff Johns would take over as a co-runner for DC films, the DC comics fan in me rejoiced. I absolutely loved his approach to DC Universe Rebirth, in which he “sat down and talked to all of the editors and the writers, together and individually, about the characters…their relationships, and the sense of hope, even in the face of adversity.” It was this approach of getting back to the core of each character — what they mean to the DC universe, to the readers, and to the writers and editors themselves — that has revitalized the DC comics world.
He seems to have likewise brought this approach to the DCEU, saying that “we bring people by, have general meetings and talk about comics and their favorite superhero movies.” You can see this respect for the director’s vision in Wonder Woman, which in many ways is Patty Jenkins’ love letter to the titular character.
Her approach to the film is wildly different from Zack Snyder’s — as it should be, since Wonder Woman is a wildly different character than Batman or Superman. In fact, while many have read the differences between the two films as a repudiation of Zack Snyder, I’m of the opinion that it points instead to the DCEU’s respect for each individual director’s vision and not mandating a specific tone, mood or storyline.
Coming soon: more female comic book movies
Of course, the immediate impact of Wonder Woman’s success is what fans have been clamoring for throughout the years: more female leads.
“We’ve got a lot of plans for our female characters just because they’re great characters,” Johns comments, going on to say that he and Patty Jenkins are currently writing the script treatment for Wonder Woman 2.
While there are a broad range of female-led comics and teams, this hasn’t been reflected on the big screen. While Batgirl and Gotham City Sirens were already confirmed prior to Wonder Woman’s release, given the success of this initial outing, I’d love to see the DCEU take some risks with its next few female-led productions.
Characters like Batwoman, one of the few lesbian superheroes in the DC pantheon, or Huntress, one of the rare female anti-heroes, would provide great storylines for the big screen (and with Huntress and Batgirl making their debut, it would only be a matter of time until we got a Batgirl and Birds of Prey team-up movie — which would make me lose my mind).
Plenty of reflection, but not a complete revision
Those hoping that Wonder Woman’s success would lead to a major retooling of the DCEU may find themselves disappointed. While Berg and Johns admit to learning lessons from previous films — Suicide Squad had great characters but a mess of a narrative and Batman v Superman’s darker tone wasn’t what audiences expected — they also go on to say that this doesn’t mean they’re going to rewrite the rest of the universe or change direction completely.
“Wonder Woman celebrated exactly who the character is,” Johns says, “but looking at it, it’s not like we should change everything to be about hope and optimism. There’s nothing to change. That’s what these characters are.”
As someone who watched Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman and Wonder Woman each four times in theaters (I fully admit to Suicide Squad being a narrative mess that I watched only once), this statement fills me with absolute joy. I loved Wonder Woman — the tone, the setting, the character arc — but I don’t want each upcoming movie to be a carbon copy of it.
One of the things that appeals to me about superheroes in the first place is that each of them have their own individuals journeys, their own unique tone and viewpoints. And one of the things that appeals to me specifically about the DCEU is that each movie gets to feel like its own story, the differences between each movie on full display instead of being smoothed out to fit the same pleasant but unambitious mold.
It’s an interconnected universe that doesn’t overly rely on Easter eggs, cameos or shoehorned-in storylines to connect individual stories, but is instead connected by similar themes. Going forward, it seems like that’s exactly what we’re going to continue to get.
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