Geoff Johns and Jon Berg talk the necessary changes in the DC Cinematic Universe

While Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad both took respectable amounts of money, both have been hailed as disappointments and reviews have been less that kind.

Now, we at FTN have a lot of love for both movies – especially the BvS Ultimate Edition – so we’re still totally onboard with the DC Cinematic Universe but Warners have admitted that the moves have been a disappointment to them and put changes into action.

The biggest change is the appointment of comic book and TV writer Geoff Johns in a senior position overseeing the movies from this point forward.

Johns spoke frankly and honestly about the movies so far and what was wrong with the direct set out and where it goes from here: “Mistakenly in the past I think the studio has said, ‘Oh, DC films are gritty and dark and that’s what makes them different.’ That couldn’t be more wrong.

“It’s a hopeful and optimistic view of life. Even Batman has a glimmer of that in him. If he didn’t think he’d make tomorrow better, he’d stop.”

Until this point no one person was guiding the DC movies – so Warners and DC decided someone needed to step up, similar to what Kevin Feige does over at Marvel and Disney.

One of the biggest complaints with the movies is that they are too dark… a world devoid of the fun that Marvel movies are steeped in. Personally, I have no issue with the tone of the DC movies and always assumed that that universe would eventually shift tonally once characters like Flash, Cyborg and Green Lantern arrived.

But now it seems that that is all being moved to the main priority faster than originally planned. Production executive Jon Berg added that Justice League has been tweaked:  “We accelerated the story to get to the hope and optimism a little faster.” 

He and Johns also pointed out that Batman’s darker side – the torturous and murderous side – from Batman V Superman will be addressed in Justice League and it will have less of “Mr. Snyder’s controversial flourishes”

While we are ok with a lighter tone being introduced with Justice League, we are worried that everything is being accelerated too quickly. We want a DCCU that lasts for years and years, so we don’t want to see DC change the vein of their movies too radically – if BvS and Suicide Squad proved nothing it was that if they allow the film-maker to stay true to their vision, things have a better chance of being good.

Less studio interference in other words.

However, with all that being said, we have faith in Johns and his love and intricate knowledge of the DC universe. So we’re still very, very excited to see what comes next…

In conclusion Johns said: “We’re trying to take a really hard look at everything to make sure we stay true to the characters and tell stories that celebrate them.” 

Source: Wall Street Journal