Is It Too Late For Warner Bros. To Save The DC Films Universe? Here's What They Can Do Next

With Justice League expected to be a box office flop, is the DC Films Universe now D.O.A.? The future isn't looking bright but there are still ways it can be saved and we take a look at those right here...

By JoshWilding - Dec 04, 2017 10:12 AM EST

Filed Under: Justice League

As of right now, the signs are sadly pointing to Justice League being a box office flop. While moviegoers flocked to see Wonder Woman (despite not particularly liking Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), they made it clear to Warner Bros. on November 17th that they have no interest in watching superhero movies which are no good and that brand recognition alone isn't enough to make them money.

With any luck, that's going to serve as a wake up call for Warner Bros. but with only one DC Comics adaptation set to be released in 2018 - Aquaman - what can they do to restore faith in the DC Films Universe? That movie alone, no matter how good it may be, won't be enough to turn things around and while they have a lot of irons in the fire, it's now time for the studio to finally set things right.

So, where might the studio start? Here, we take an in-depth look at how to fix this shared universe.

To view this list of details in its entirety, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!

Clear Things Up

A multitude of DC Comics movies are in the works but only a very small handful have been officially announced. As a result, it's about time Warner Bros. sets the record straight and unveil a slate of movies with confirmed release dates. It's hard to keep count at this stage when it comes which DC Films are supposed to be on the way and this shows a severe lack of faith on the studio's part.

After all, if they don't know what they're doing and which projects they actually have faith in making a reality, why should moviegoers care? A confirmed slate would show a real sign of commitment to their DC Comics adaptation and means that they can finally start planting seeds to make these stories set in the DC Films Universe a must-see event similar to what Marvel Studios has done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Instead, Warner Bros. is almost judging these movies on a release by release basis as if they were a series of books as opposed to very different comic book properties. Justice League fails? Scrap Flashpoint! It's an idiotic mentality.

The Batfleck Problem

Talking of clearing things up, it's about damn time Warner Bros. sh*its or gets off the pot when it comes to Ben Affleck's future as Batman. The constant stories surrounding his involvement - or lack thereof - have ensured that the project is being constantly overwhelmed by negativity and that's ultimately going to hurt The Batman the same way it has so many other seemingly troubled movies before it.

Sure, Matt Reeves is busy working on the screenplay but something official about the director and cast should have been sent out months ago alongside a release date. Marvel Studios is able to secure actors and directors years in advance (a method which has only backfired on them once or twice, i.e. Edgar Wright) so there's really no excuse. As great as Affleck is in the role, it might just be better to recast at this stage because his lack of commitment might be the biggest problem of all.

Scrap The Standalone Stories

Studios like Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox that only own a handful of comic book characters are now looking to cash in on the superhero movie craze by expanding their respective worlds with various spinoffs. In the case of Sony, they're launching the likes of Venom, Silver & Black, and Morbius the Living Vampire, while Fox is looking to launch the likes of Doctor Doom and New Mutants.

It's an interesting approach and one it's easy to imagine backfiring, especially as those are all standalone stories (when the thing fans love about Marvel Studios is the connectivity). Warner Bros. is moving ahead with some movies which are connected and others which are standalone - such as The Joker - and that just feels like a horrible idea on every level. It's just going to confuse moviegoers.

Warner Bros. has a universe full of characters; there's no need to launch unnecessary spinoffs set in alternate worlds featuring different versions of them (at least not at this stage).

Let Directors Execute Their Vision

For whatever reason, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins was pretty much left to her own devices on that movie. The same, however, cannot be said for David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and Zack Snyder (Justice League). Studio interference greatly changed both of those movies because Warner Bros. believed that's what moviegoers wanted and we ended up with two very messy releases.

With Suicide Squad, the studio was scared it would be too dark, so they butchered it with multiple edits and reshoots. In the case of Justice League, Warner Bros. wanted The Avengers so out went Snyder and in came Joss Whedon. For better or worse, the studio needs to let these directors do their thing all while guiding them in the right direction. Sadly, they seem unsure of what that is!

Unleash The Superman

Superman's face may have looked like sh*t in Justice League but take that away and there's no denying that Whedon gave us a taste of how the Man of Steel should be portrayed on the big screen.

Despite the fact that the hero's last solo outing was mostly successful, Warner Bros. appears to be reluctant to move forward with another movie revolving around the character and that's ridiculous for a long list of reasons. Restoring faith in the DC Films Universe begins with Superman and an awesome, big-budget tale with a new director - Matthew Vaughn, for example - at the helm is just what's needed to restore faith in the hero and establish a fresh tone for the DC Films Universe.

There's a very good reason Superman is so iconic and if Warner Bros. is happy to move ahead with the likes of Nightwing and Deathstroke, it's about time they put some work into Supes too.

Put The Focus Back On A Shared Universe

During the press tour for Justice League, we learned that Warner Bros. is planning on taking the emphasis off a shared universe to focus on stories which all take place in the same world but don't necessarily deliver a larger narrative. That's all well and good but is clearly a missed opportunity and there's a very good reason why Avengers: Infinity War is generating so much excitement!

Had Warner Bros. done things right from the start, each of the members of this superhero team would have met one by one before coming together for an epic team up but the studio wanted to rush things and so it's no wonder it wasn't really viewed as an event. If a plan of some sort can be established, then building towards something bigger is possible and that requires a shared universe.

Give The Justice League Another Chance

Rumour has it that seeds will start being planted for the Legion of Doom to assemble following that Justice League after-credits scene revolving around Lex Luthor and Deathstroke and if it's handled the right way, seeing these two teams do battle would arguably be even more exciting than the original plan (which would have seen the League square off with Darkseid).

It is, of course, possible that the Legion will show up in Suicide Squad 2 or that it's a tease which is going nowhere but no matter who they face, the Justice League deserve another chance to shine.

Yes, the franchise has been damaged by the movie which hit theaters last month but that doesn't mean there wouldn't still be sufficient interest in a follow-up, especially if it finds the same level of critical acclaim as Wonder Woman. It's not too late to save these heroes and while Warner Bros. focusing on their solo adventures is understandable, this team must live on in some form.

Don't Bank On One Character To Save The Day

It was recently reported that Warner Bros. is mulling over shifting the focus to a "shared" Wonder Woman Universe after Justice League's failure but that's a dumb idea and would still be ill-advised no matter which character they choose to focus on. Just because Diana Prince's solo outing did well earlier this June doesn't mean that a series of movies revolving around her would too and the same goes for Batman, the Flash, and pretty much every other character for that matter.

One character can't be relied on to save an entire shared universe and Warner Bros. holds the rights to far too many characters for the rest to be ditched in favour of just one. The studio needs to work on getting all of their heroes and villains right as opposed to Wonder Woman alone and to put the focus on her because it's an easy option and an apparent guaranteed sign of success is just lazy.

Start From Scratch

This is an extreme response but one which might be for the best. At this stage, I'm not sure how the studio could accomplish this (especially as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is so popular and they've made so many other great casting decisions) but a total do over could be what's required to set the DC Films Universe back on the right path. It's a better option than just releasing an endless stream of movies and seeing what sticks anyway! However, if a full on reboot won't work, what are the other options?

Well, why not just put together a writers room and formulate a new plan for this shared world and let that play out over two to three years? If that's still not working, it might be time to pull the plug on the DC Films Universe altogether but it's worth a try and better than what's happening right now. Geoff Johns and Jon Berg are a good start but they're going to need help if Justice League is any indication.

Ask Marvel Studios For Help

Well, this probably won't be happening but if things continue going the way they way, Warner Bros. will need to seriously consider offering Kevin Feige a whopping pay rise to jump ship to DC!

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215 Comments

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JohnnyTBP - 12/4/2017, 10:06 AM

I've stated that they need to ask Kevin Feige for help

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Is It Too Late For Warner Bros. To Save The DC Films Universe? Here's What They Can Do Next

With Justice League expected to be a box office flop, is the DC Films Universe now D.O.A.? The future isn't looking bright but there are still ways it can be saved and we take a look at those right here...

Clear Things Up

The Batfleck Problem

Scrap The Standalone Stories

Let Directors Execute Their Vision

Unleash The Superman

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Give The Justice League Another Chance

Don't Bank On One Character To Save The Day

Start From Scratch

Ask Marvel Studios For Help

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