Thursday
08Jan2009
Warner Bros. Puts DC Comics Movies on Hold
Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 5:21PM
Talking to IESB about his new film, The Unborn, writer-director David S. Goyer addressed the future of comic book movies, particularly the DC brand he's most known for right now.
"It was the double header of both Iron Man and The Dark Knight coming out, so more than ever I think they've realized - I think DC was responsible for 15% of Warner Brother's revenue this year, something crazy like that - so they realized that comic books, it's become a new genre, one of the most successful genres."And the great thing for Warner Bros. in this situation is that Time-Warner owns DC; those comics aren't going anywhere else. Marvel has deals with nearly everyone else in town, from Sony to Fox to Paramount to Universal to Lionsgate. So while it might mean a cutback in the short term - which might not be a bad idea, anyway - it sounds like Warner Bros. is really trying to capitalize on its good fortune.
Reader Comments (1)
"I've said for years that Marvel has the upper hand on DC, and barring one gigantic $530 million Batman movie, that's still true."
Don't know why but that line just struck me as funny :D At any rate, Warner is wise to put the brakes on. While comic books turned film can mean money in the bank there is something to be said for substance. So while Marvel picks thru its crop of heroes and throws them one after another at the screen only to see many fall right off (and I won't even name names), Warner can pick more judiciously.
I think the recent moves taken with Batman and even Superman (yes I know it wasn't the greatest take but it was different) display a certain thoughtfulness. They're not merely trying to slap comic books on screen because it's the hip thing of the moment. They seem to be taking more aim at grounding the characters in a more realistic manner. Does all the material necessarily lend itself to a true grit flavor? Unquestionably no and I'm hoping the hold off is a signal of someone realizing that yes the Batman stuff has been great but let's not cookie cutter it to death or glut the market.
Perhaps it's a result of the economy or looking back on some of the things that failed and did so miserably. I think they're in a great place right now to look back over what really worked and didn't and measure themselves going forward.