By

John McGee

Top 10 SDCC Wish List Items

In just a couple short months, SDCC 2017 will once again be upon us. While I will not be able to attend the event in person, I will scathe the Internet for news and livestreams. My favorite SDCC moment was 2015—I was in my Batcave, screens aglow, and literally shaking in anticipation. Finally, the Hall H panel lit up with the Batman v Superman interviews, and a while later the trailer shown there was available on YouTube. It was absolutely amazing.

While SDCC 2016 was a bit less thrilling, I have a hit list of items I want from 2017’s convention:

1. Low Justice League meter. We’ve already had two trailers and several character teasers. I don’t want much new footage so soon before November. What we need to see is some Batman v Superman-esque stingy marketing focusing mainly on gadgets, costumes, vague but fun interviews, and concept art. No spoilery trailers, please.

2. A little bit of Wonder. Wonder Woman will have been out for only about a month when SDCC rolls around. I’d like to see some support for the film with a screening or Q+A session with Gal Gadot, Patty Jenkins, and maybe Lynda Carter. Just to focus on the greatness that is happening now, rather than making SDCC all about the greed of the future.

3. A release date schedule. I’m not the only one; we all want to see what Warners has in store in its DC department. With all the juggling of release dates that has been going on, and the announcements of unscheduled projects, I want to see DC firmly plant its feet on the ground and stake out some realistic release dates and officially announce upcoming projects.

4. Comic book artists. In 2016, DC Comics officially won the comic book genre once again with Rebirth. Rebirth will last until after I’m dead, because it’s not a reboot, but rather a way of life. Rebirth needs to be out in full force, boasting the superiority and talent. This should help to garner more comic book readers for the dwindling entertainment outlet.

5. A Batman v Superman celebration. DC should be proud of Batman v Superman. The greatest way to shove it up the haters’ butts is to build upon it for Justice League and future films, and market it like the success it is. It is now on the all time list of greatest selling DVD/Blu-ray films and it’s only been out for about 10 months! Audiences love the film—SDCC is all about us, the fans, not the Devin Faraci’s of the world. Let’s keep Dawn of Justice in SDCC for one more year.

6. Another ‘W’ for DC. A yearly tradition for DC at SDCC has been to dominate the public consciousness. I’d like to see the buzz and support once again this year. Since Man of Steel DC hasn’t had a hard time generating the most buzz at conventions rivaled only by Star Wars.

7. (Unrelated warning): Pirates 5 support. I know this isn’t DC related, but Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most important franchises to comic book fans. Why? It is the representation of a way of life, of a certain genre of adventure loathed by the critic main stream media. The series was amazing in its first three instalments, and even though 4 was a shot in the toe, it made a lot of money and many fans happy. If Spielberg has his way, and comic book movies go the way of the Western, expect Pirates to either go first or next. It is exactly the kind of film DC has been making: fan-beloved blockbusters that critics loathe and have a chance to ruin.

8. Batgirl news. That news being a new director. Joss Whedon is a big name, but a big name only. After reading his abominable Wonder Woman script, I love Warners for cancelling it and I loathe them for accepting his Batgirl proposal. We need a new director and we need it coming down the pipeline fast. Imagine DC making not only Wonder Woman, but Batgirl before Marvel limps out eventually with a half-baked knock off origin of Captain Squirrel (captain pirate? Captain Shazam? Oh, captain Marvel. How original of them). It would be a huge win and further proof that DC wins without question in the battle of “whose characters are better.”

9. Nightwing. I’d like a release date (see 3) but also concept art and perhaps an update on casting if they have any.

10. The Batman. Matt Reeves won’t be able to really work on the film until Apes is done, but we should get a filming update. (Please?) A script update? ANYTHING???

There is my list for SDCC. Hopefully we’ll see at least a few of those come to fruition, and as we all know by now, there will always be wonderful surprises that we never dreamed of. Stay tuned to Shanlian on Batman in July for SDCC 2017 news and updates, as well as the follow up to this post with the grade to see how many of the items on this list were fulfilled, left blank, or covered due to surprises.

What do you want to see from SDCC? Hit us up on Twitter to let us know!

@ShanlianOnBat

By

Drew Kiess

A family tragedy has forced Zack Snyder to step away from finishing “Justice League.” Autumn Snyder, Zack’s daughter, passed away from suicide back in March. According to Snyder, he took a break from work but decided that he needed more time and has stepped away from finishing the film to continue to spend time with his family.

Joss Whedon had been brought in during this time to assist in writing new scenes intended for reshoots, but with Snyder stepping down, it will be Whedon leading the effort to finish the film. Warner Bros. was reportedly interested in delaying “Justice League,” but Snyder was against it.

I’m sure much will be written on what this means for the film and its quality. The reality is, whether this is good or bad for the film is irrelevant. As much as I am rooting for “Justice League” to be amazing (and I still expect nothing less), in light of this news, that desire takes a back seat. My heart breaks for Zack and his family today. Life is more important and more precious than even the greatest movies and whether this is the right decision for the film pales in comparison to the fact that this is the right call for Snyder and his family in their time of grief. It is not my place to put any kind of microscope on that. Mourning is an extraordinarily personal experience, and there is no easy way to do it.

There will be a time to further examine the behind-the-scenes aspects of “Justice League.” I think that, beyond the facts that we have, now is not that time. Now is the time for practicing empathy and talking about things that are more important that our heroes in tights. They will still be there when we are ready for them again.

Sure: The Hollywood Reporter

By

Andrew Kiess

Mario-Francisco Robles of SplashReport has reported that Justice League has undergone major reshoots with more major reshoots on the way. These reshoots, according to Robles’ source, are “significant”, and that the movie, after this next round of reshoots will have “been remade…twice.”

Umberto Gonzalez from The Wrap has refuted this report. According to Gonzalez’s source, “[t]here has been no additional photography to date on ‘Justice League’” and adds that, while reshoots are scheduled, it is part of the normal course of events for a movie of this size.

Competing sources on a story like this can be confusing, but, personally, I would be quicker to believe Umberto Gonzalez on this story. Fans of Shanlian on Batman will know that Gonzalez has a solid track record when it comes to DC properties, and something like major reshoots would not be difficult for a trade reporter like Gonzalez to uncover.

Reshoots are definitely on their way for Justice League, however. This will surely set off many blogs and twitter warriors saying all kinds of things about the state of Zack Snyder’s next adventure with our DC heroes, but that’s just par for the course at this point.

I do think that there will be some things that will need to be changed, especially with the way certain films, particularly The Flash and The Batman, have gone through creative changes since the beginning of production on Justice League. And, as has been the case with many of these blockbusters, Zack Snyder, Geoff Johns, and the other folks working on this film will begin to see things that need another run past a camera while they are in the process of editing. Even if the reshoots end up being “significant”, as long as Warner Bros. doesn’t bring in another director (like Fox did with the 2015 Fantastic Four), we should be fine.

Episode 88 is LIVE and we are so thrilled that we were able to sit down and chat with Loren Lester on this latest episode. For those of you who are not aware of it, Loren Lester is the voice of Robin/Nightwing from Batman: The Animated Series, The New Adventures of Batman and the upcoming film Batman and Harley Quinn. Loren takes us on his personal journey from being a young kid watching the old Bill Dozier Batman series to his first day he recorded on the Animated Series. This episode will definitely go down as one of our personal favorites as Loren was our childhood, and as soon as he started talking nostalgia hit us and we were blown away with him, not just as a guest but as an amazing person! So please give a very warm Shanlian On Batman welcome to Loren Lester aka ROBIN.

By

John McGee 

Animated comic book movies are on the decline, but blame the ratings, not the quality. Judas Contract is rated PG-13, although it is decidedly more mature than the R-rated Justice League Dark. The smashing success of The Killing Joke can be attributed to the graphic novel’s huge popularity and the return of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy to their starring roles. Judas Contract was most likely put together to push Deathstroke and Nightwing into the public conscience ahead of their appearances in Batman and solo DC films.

The movie itself benefited from adapting the coolest Teen Titans comic book story of the same name. Deathstroke attempts to wreck the Titans by planting a mole to tear them apart from the inside out. Why, though, a villain as high caliber as Deathstroke needs to spend time trying to eliminate kids is still beyond me.

For the most part, I have a general rule that for movies containing lots of characters outside the Justice League circle I’d need to do some comic book refreshing, but Judas Contract is relatively accessible to well versed and comic book illiterate alike. The flashback introduction was very open and welcoming to anyone who needed a primer on who the characters were and where they were coming from throughout the course of the story.

As I mentioned, the movie is rated PG-13. There were a few cuss words and plenty of graphic violence to go around, but I agree with the rating. I just hate the inconsistency of the MPAA. It is absolutely the biggest disaster in the film industry next to Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie itself was worth the rental: funny, exciting, and surprisingly non-cliché. The action was actually interesting to watch. Usually these DC animated movies (non classics) are painful to watch due to laid-back performances, stale action, and downright lazy storytelling. Judas Contract was a pleasant surprise, and it will please anyone who watches just to have a good time, but also those looking for good relationships between the main characters and a look into the potential of Nightwing and Deathsroke in their own live action features.

8/10

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the new trailer for the upcoming film “Justice League” You can check that out below!

So what are your thoughts on this new trailer? Do you dig it? Or do you still have some doubts about the direction of the DCEU? Regardless, you can’t deny that “Justice League” looks very entertaining.