Is the DC Cinematic Universe coming apart at the seams before Batman v Superman even hits Blu-ray?
Well, it could be, according to an article by Devin Faraci over at Birth.Movies.Death. Faraci, who is generally pretty spot-on, says that the mood at WB is tense, to put it mildly. Director Zack Snyder and DC’s Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns, were genuinely “taken aback at critical and audience reaction to Batman v Superman,”* according to the site, and there seems to be a growing disconnect between the duo and the studio.
So, what does WB’s mood actually have to do with the future of DC’s films? Well, studio execs are now “at odds” with Snyder over his vision for 2017's Justice League, and while it’s too late to remove the slow-mo king from next year's mega, super, kinda huge blockbuster, this changing mindset has already led to the departure of Flash director Seth Grahame-Smith.
Faraci also claims that Aquaman director James Wan might be getting cold feet, but it seems like that might have been a bit overblown after Wan posted this to Twitter.
Still, Batman v Superman’s critical pounding and relatively disappointing box office haul has to be a huge worry for WB as the studio tries to launch a self-sustaining brand of films in the same style as Marvel. It’s not a great sign when your debut film touting your company’s most iconic characters gets a worse Rotten Tomatoes score than Scooby Doo.
Who is going to feel the brunt of this discourse? Snyder, Johns and all the other talent signed up under Snyder’s original vision for the DCEU, of course. There’s no way the studio can allow this same direction to continue after it has been met with near-universal disdain from everyone exposed to it.
Unfortunately, Justice League began filming just a few weeks after BvS’s release, so the studio couldn’t just pull the plug right there and then. It can, however, micromanage Snyder and co. until the end result produces a film it thinks will deliver the goods.
Of course, we all know how well that usually ends up. In more hopeful news, Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6.
*So, does being “taken aback” mean that Snyder and Johns thought that “Granny’s Peach Tea” gag would go over like gangbusters?
