DC Cinematic Universe ( The James Gunn era) (2024)

Christopher said:

But that's just what's so strange -- for roughly a quarter-century after the Donner movies, nobody at all revisited either Otis or Eve. They made exactly zero appearances outside the movies in the 20th century. Clearly, nobody back then considered them indispensable. Yet somehow, once we hit the 2000s, they suddenly came into vogue. It's that change that I find so puzzling.

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Gen X nostalgia.

Christopher said:

But that's just what's so strange -- for roughly a quarter-century after the Donner movies, nobody at all revisited either Otis or Eve. They made exactly zero appearances outside the movies in the 20th century. Clearly, nobody back then considered them indispensable. Yet somehow, once we hit the 2000s, they suddenly came into vogue. It's that change that I find so puzzling.

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That's fair enough. I think it may well have been a matter of people who grew up loving Superman '78 becoming old enough to be creators themselves, and finding callbacks to that film as delightful as I do. Gunn, for example, ranked it as his second favorite comic book movie. It's hardly surprising he'd want to homage it, while still doing his own thing with the characters and concepts.

HBO has picked up the Lanterns series

First look at Corenswet in Clark Kent guise:

I LOLed, in a good way. Gunn has found a new and funny twist on the disguise, really the first I can recall beyond the standard glasses shtick. I guess there have been hairstyle variations before, but nothing this extreme. Hopefully this shows the film will have a sense of humor -- which would, at this point, be a daring new approach to a cinematic Superman.

(What's with the purple tie, do you suppose? Is he trying to impress Lois? Or did she buy it for him?)

The Realist said:

Teschmacher is a memorable character from what remains the most beloved and influential Superman anything ever.

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I do not see a poll where a majority of moviegoers on earth made the claim above, but I seriously doubt many were calling for the return of Teschmacher.

Commander Troi said:

Gen X nostalgia.

See Also

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Probably. Its as ridiculous as Rogue One digging up Ponda Babba and Dr. Evazan for that meaningless cameo.

Captaindemotion said:

HBO has picked up the Lanterns series

DC’s Green Lantern Series ‘Lanterns’ Picked Up as HBO Series for Eight Episodes

HBO has given an eight-episode order to “Lanterns,” the first live-action series created for DC Studios under co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

variety.com

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It will be tough to outshine the animated series from a few years ago.

TREK_GOD_1 said:

I do not see a poll where a majority of moviegoers on earth made the claim above, but I seriously doubt many were calling for the return of Teschmacher.

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All that really matters is that Gunn wanted her.

TREK_GOD_1 said:

I do not see a poll where a majority of moviegoers on earth made the claim above, but I seriously doubt many were calling for the return of Teschmacher.

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Doubt away. She's back, like it or not.

In other news, here's a better look at Ron Troupe:

And a first look at Cat Grant:

The Realist said:

That's fair enough. I think it may well have been a matter of people who grew up loving Superman '78 becoming old enough to be creators themselves, and finding callbacks to that film as delightful as I do. Gunn, for example, ranked it as his second favorite comic book movie. It's hardly surprising he'd want to homage it, while still doing his own thing with the characters and concepts.

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I just get tired of it being the only Superman story anyone wants to reference anymore -- although at least here we get a Superman: TAS reference with Lois in purple.

I guess part of the issue is that Luthor never really had any memorable henchperson characters in the comics. But Mercy Graves strikes me as a far more credible assistant for Lex than either Otis or Eve.

It's not always about credible. Sometimes it's just about entertaining and funny -- which, IMO, Teschmacher and Otis were in Donner's classic.

Anyway, there's absolutely no reason Gunn couldn't be giving us a more serious take on Teschmacher. A lot of Superman characters are significantly reimagined and repurposed from production to production. Supergirl's Eve, in fact, proved to have very little in common with Perrine's character.

The Realist said:

It's not always about credible. Sometimes it's just about entertaining and funny -- which, IMO, Teschmacher and Otis were in Donner's classic.

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Blasphemy.

The Realist said:

Lots of people seem to really hate comedy in superhero movies. It's ... so weird to me.

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Just a loud minority. Our smiles and laughter will drown out the grumpiness on opening night, nothing to worry about.

Captaindemotion said:

HBO has picked up the Lanterns series

DC’s Green Lantern Series ‘Lanterns’ Picked Up as HBO Series for Eight Episodes

HBO has given an eight-episode order to “Lanterns,” the first live-action series created for DC Studios under co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

variety.com

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Whoa, loving the pedigree behind the scenes there!

The Realist said:

Lots of people seem to really hate comedy in superhero movies. It's ... so weird to me.

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Comedy is what drew me to superhero comic books. The late-80's Justice League, issue #4.

The Realist said:

It's not always about credible. Sometimes it's just about entertaining and funny -- which, IMO, Teschmacher and Otis were in Donner's classic.

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Humor is subjective. I never liked them much, and I feel doing Lex Luthor as a comedy villain is a mistake. And I think it diminishes him as a villain to portray him as someone who can't find competent, intelligent assistants.

The Realist said:

Anyway, there's absolutely no reason Gunn couldn't be giving us a more serious take on Teschmacher. A lot of Superman characters are significantly reimagined and repurposed from production to production. Supergirl's Eve, in fact, proved to have very little in common with Perrine's character.

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All the more reason that it's strange they used the name at all.

The Realist said:

Lots of people seem to really hate comedy in superhero movies. It's ... so weird to me.

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Please don't generalize; it's a straw man and it casts the net too widely. It depends on the specific approach and context. Paul Dini did brilliant work making the Joker funny in a squirm-inducing, malevolent way, and in making Harley Quinn a funny and sympathetic character. But he went a more serious direction with Luthor and Mercy, because it fit them better.

I once saw someone point out that the reason it's called a sense of humor is because it entails discernment, the ability to tell good humor from bad. Nobody is required to find everything equally funny. Disliking one specific attempt at humor does not mean that someone doesn't enjoy comedy; it just means they have standards for their comedy. And one person's standards need not be identical to another's.

BillJ said:

Most of these things are about people in garish outfits, with preposterous powers and in outlandish situations. There has to be some self-aware humor in there, or it all falls apart, for me.

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Which is why it always strikes me as kind off putting when fans take it so seriously.

fireproof78 said:

Which is why it always strikes me as kind off putting when fans take it so seriously.

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I simply don't know? I'm sure various properties help some people be happy or stay connected with the world. It is consistency in chaos. I imagine those kinds of folks don't like when their interpretation is challenged.

fireproof78 said:

Which is why it always strikes me as kind off putting when fans take it so seriously.

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I guess I would say I am serious about having fun with it.

Put another way, this stuff is important to me, but not in a way that precludes embracing the fundamental silliness of it all.

A skilled filmmaker or other creator can play multiple notes with the same genre, or character, or even specific work. Which is why Superman '78 is comedic, but also dramatic, romantic, emotional, exciting, and epic. With any luck, Gunn's film will embrace a similarly broad range of entertainment value.

The Realist said:

A skilled filmmaker or other creator can play multiple notes with the same genre, or character, or even specific work. Which is why Superman '78 is comedic, but also dramatic, romantic, emotional, exciting, and epic. With any luck, Gunn's film will embrace a similarly broad range of entertainment value.

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Luck go with you.

BillJ said:

I simply don't know? I'm sure various properties help some people be happy or stay connected with the world. It is consistency in chaos. I imagine those kinds of folks like when their interpretation is challenged.

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I wish I knew. Humans are confusing.