Tag: DC Comics

Daniel Craig To Play WWII DC Comics Hero 'Sgt. Rock' For Director Luca Guadagnino
Posted on in Film News, News

Daniel Craig To Play WWII DC Comics Hero ‘Sgt. Rock’ For Director Luca Guadagnino

Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios are looking to do a complete overhaul with a new version of the DC Universe, starting next summer with James Gunn’s “Superman” reboot. Gunn, as the studio’s co-head, has been assembling some fantastic filmmakers to handle subsequent DCU feature film projects, such as James Mangold (“Logan”) tackling a new take on “Swamp Thing,” and director Craig Gillespie (“Cruella”) overseeing the latest incarnation of “Supergirl.” Another high-profile film has been announced with a long-gestating character Warner Bros. has been trying to put on the big screen for nearly 40 years.

Deadline is confirming a previous report from Nexus Point that director Luca Guadangino (“Queer,” “Challengers”) would be tackling DC Comics’ character “Sgt. Rock” with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes (“Queer,” “Challengers”) handling script duties.

Not only that, but Deadline adds that former James Bond actor Daniel Craig is set to play Rock. Craig and Guadangino previously worked together on the drama, “Queer.” Craig certainly has the action chops to do this sort of role. Even if he comes off a little long-in-the-tooth to be starting up new franchise roles. Then again, he almost played Balder The Brave in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness” and would have been on other studios’ radar for superhero roles.

Rock isn’t as well-known as members of the “Justice Leauge” but is a military hero who mostly does his fighting during World War II and has dabbled within the action-horror genre clashing with monsters, not unlike genre-splicing WWII-set properties such as “Wolfenstein” and “Overlord.” He’s also a character that could fit nicely alongside other misfit DC characters like Gunn’s “Peacemaker” and “The Creature Commandos.”

There has been a long history of Hollywood trying to get a “Sgt. Rock” movie as mega-producer Joel Silver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, around the era of “Predator,” tried to make a feature film coaxing Shane Black and Steven E. de Souza to pen scripts. Even Quentin Tarantino (“Inglorious Basterds”) was considered as he recently mused about a script written by David Webb Peoples (“Blade Runner”), and Guy Ritchie (“Snatch”) was another director further down the line who nearly got the gig (around the time he was also trying to make a “Lobo” movie at Warners).

We’ll just have to be a bit patient to learn anything more about “Sgt. Rock” and when we could expect a release.

SOURCE: NEXUS POINT & DEADLINE

James Gunn Squashes 'Mr. Freeze' Movie Development Rumor: "There's No Truth To It At All"
Posted on in Film News, News

James Gunn Squashes ‘Mr. Freeze’ Movie Development Rumor: “There’s No Truth To It At All”

Superhero project rumors can come from all different places, and a new one making the rounds online from Production Weekly (picked up by various geek circles and websites over the week) claimed that Matt Reeves (“The Batman,” “The Penguin”) was producing a “Mr. Freeze” film. Days later, the studio revealed that the rumor wasn’t true, and over the weekend was officially debunked by DC Studios‘ James Gunn.

The studio executive chimed in on the DC project rumor on threads where he admittedly liked the idea of a Freeze project but would go on to say, “There’s no truth to it at all.” Gunn has been one of the more vocal studio presences online and goes out of his way to interact with fans on social media. That includes responding to and debunking/confirming the various rumors about his projects at DC Studios.

“It’s not a bad idea, so I wouldn’t say never, but no, there’s no truth to it at all,” Gunn said in response to the rumbling on Threads (See below).

There is a possibility that the upcoming Bane/Deathstroke film (“Suicide Squad 3”?) in development at DC Studios (first reported by THR last week) could have led to the incorrect entry in Production Weekly, but I think it’s more a case of folks needing to exercise caution with reposting their information which can be fabricated or at best, very inaccurate.

Fans have been curious to see if Reeves would attempt to use Freeze in his more grounded take on Gotham City with “The Batman” films led by Robert Pattison, and that has led to speculation about him potentially showing up in the upcoming sequel. Although it has mostly come off as wishful thinking from the fan community rather than something that is 100% going to happen.

I’m sure we’ll end up seeing Mr. Freeze at some point, but this rumor seems to be dead for the time being, and we don’t exactly know when/where the Batman rogue will make his grand return to live-action.

SOURCE: JAMES GUNN VIA THREADS

'Lanterns': Aaron Pierre & Stephan James Are Reportedly Finalists To Play John Stewart In DC Comics Series
Posted on in News, Television News

‘Lanterns’: Aaron Pierre & Stephan James Are Reportedly Finalists To Play John Stewart In DC Comics Series

We have our Hal Jordan, and now it looks like HBO and DC Studios are zeroing in on who will play fellow Earthling Geen Lantern, John Stewart. A new report from Deadline reveals that actors Aaron Pierre (“Rebel Ridge”) and Stephan James (“Race”) are being positioned as the two finalists to take the John Stewart part in the upcoming DCU series, “Lanterns.”

I’ve been personally campaigning on Twitter all month for Pierre to get the role of Stewart and even suggested him recently when the news broke earlier in the week that Kyle Chandler (“Bloodline”) was in talks to play Hal Jordan. The British actor isn’t a stranger to comic book projects as he appeared in the short-lived “Superman” prequel series “Krypton” before being tapped by Marvel Studios to join the cast of “Blade” in a supporting role, only for him to exit the reboot.

James is a Canadian actor, most notably playing US Olympic athlete Jesse Owens in the biopic “Race” and the Chadwick Boseman NYC thriller “21 Bridges.”

“Snowfall” actor Damson Idris, a talented young actor on the rise, was also in the mix but is no longer in the running.

It won’t be long before we find out who has nabbed the Green Lantern role that is assumed to be also part of the new “Justice League” lineup once DC Studio figures out when they want to make that DCU event film. Possibly in a couple of years to give the audience time to reset from the previous incarnation.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

DC Studios Developing Mystery Film With 'Captain America 4' Writer Featuring Bane & Deathstroke, Are We Getting 'Suicide Squad 3'?
Posted on in Film News, News

DC Studios Developing Mystery Film With ‘Captain America 4’ Writer Featuring Bane & Deathstroke, Are We Getting ‘Suicide Squad 3’?

With “The Penguin” giving audiences another DC Comics villain to root for on the small screen, DC Studios is looking to give fans more baddies on the big screen, too. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed in a new report that the studio is looking to make a new feature film that includes both “Teen Titans” (a feature film has been in the works for a while) villain Deathstroke and longtime Batman rogue Bane.

We don’t have much to go on other than they’ve hired “Captain America: Brave New World” screenwriter Matthew Orton to pen the script. However, a film with two high-profile DC villains paired up begs the question, are they simply developing “Suicide Squad 3” set within the new DCU?

Concept art from James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” revealed that in one incarnation, Slade Wilson was being considered to be part of the sequel’s roster and was seemingly replaced with Bloodsport (Idris Elba). Bane has also been a longtime fan favorite in the franchise, with the fan community once campaigning for Dave Bautista to take the role of the hulking DC Comics villain, who has been part of the team in the comics and was born/raised in prison.

CDN media

Also, at one time during the Snyderverse era, a solo film about Deathstroke was in the works from writer/director Gareth Edwards (“The Raid”), but that all fizzled out. Joe Mangellio had been in the role previously showing up in a button scene at the end of “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” teasing the Legion of Doom for “Justice League,” that never materialized. The actor was expected to not only lead his own solo film but appear as an antagonist in the Ben Affleck solo “Batman” movie that ended up pivoting to Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”

Gunn once teased his interest in reviving another DC character with feature film aspirations at Warner Bros., that being Lobo. This foul-mouthed bounty hunter character (comparable to Marvel’s Deadpool and Wolverine) has been inferred before that he could be played by former “Aquaman” actor Jason Momoa. Placing Lobo into the fray of a third “Suicide Squad” film could be just as satisfying as a solo romp, honestly.

Another possibility is that this film could be a “Secret Six” film, given that Bane and Deathstroke were on that DC team together. But it seems odd that they just wouldn’t want to use the existing “Suicide Squad” branding for a villain team-up project for the reasons mentioned above.

“The Suicide Squad” elements are still going strong from Gunn/DC Studios with “Peacemaker” (A “The Suicide Squad” spinoff) season two on the horizon, “Creature Commandos,” and Viola Davis is expected to lead the “Waller” show, too. It should be noted that “The Suicide Squad” characters Weasel and Waller feature in “Creature Commandos,” a live-action Rick Flagg Sr. is appearing in “Peacemaker,” and the upcoming “Waller” series could easily plant seeds for the next “Suicide Squad” installment.

We’ll have to wait for further details and confirmation from the studio before getting our hopes up.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Former Batman Contender Matthias Schoenaerts Tapped To Play 'Supergirl' Villain In DCU Reboot
Posted on in Film News

Former Batman Contender Matthias Schoenaerts Tapped To Play ‘Supergirl’ Villain In New DCU Movie

“Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” has landed its second actor as DC Studios, and Warner Bros. has selected the person who will play the reboot’s main villain. Deadline has revealed that Matthias Schoenaerts (“The Old Guard”) has been tapped, assuming the part will be Krem of The Yellow Hills from the comic book the studio is adapting for this new off-world adventure.

According to director Zack Snyder, Schoenaerts had been once considered to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League” had Ben Affleck backed out of the role. So, returning to the world of DC Comics is certainly a full-circle moment for the Belgian actor. He was recently seen alongside actress Kate Winslet in the HBO series “The Regime.”

Of course, this isn’t the first casting on the film as fellow HBO alumni Milly Alcock from “House of The Dragon” was previously announced as the titular superhero.

Aussie filmmaker Craig Gillespie (“Cruella,” ‘Dumb Money,” “I, Tonya”) is set in the director’s chair for the superhero flick that is currently eying a January start in England and was previously announced to have a June 26, 2026, release date.

More casting announcements are expected in the coming weeks and months, leading up to the production start next year.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News, News

New ‘Supergirl’ Role Down To Actresses Milly Alcock & Meg Donnelly, Will First Appear In ‘Superman: Legacy’

DC Studios and Warners are gearing up to give DC fans a second version of their interconnected cinematic universe as the newly formed DC Studios hopes to bring a large swath of heroes and villains to the big and small screens. One of those priority characters besides Superman, Batman, and the Green Lantern Corps. is also Supergirl (Clark Kent’s Kryptonian cousin) with casting underway.

Today, the big Supdate hails from The Hollywood Reporter and they state that only two actresses are currently vying for the part with Aussie Milly Alcock (“House of The Dragon”) and Meg Donnelly. Adding that the two have already done screen tests for the part in Atlanta that had James Gunn and Peter Safran in attendance. It’s hard not to see the potential with Alock in the role after the newcomer held her own in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spinoff/prequel and despite that global awareness, she hasn’t signed herself up to any other big franchises.

UPDATE: THR has now confirmed that Milly Alcock has landed the Supergirl role. Although, in the new reporting they’re unsure if “Superman: Legacy” will indeed be that first outing ahead of her solo film “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.” Perhaps, that hasn’t been entirely determined or the studio isn’t exactly ready to spoil something in their upcoming Superman flick. It should be pointed out the outlet mentioned “Legacy” as the character’s first appearance in the original report and that “Woman of Tomorrow” could begin shooting as early as this fall. That production target may signal a director is being eyed or may be announced shortly.

The outlet is also confirming previous rumblings that Supergirl would be making her first big screen introduction in James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy” before moving on to her own solo film. A project that has been confirmed to be inspired by the recent comic run of “Superman: Woman of Tomorrow” and will likely be the film’s title as well with Ana Nogueira assigned to tackle a script.

Supergirl would eventually have her own solo pic in 1984 and decades later land her own CW series that aired from 2015 to 2021. More recently actress Sasha Calle played a new cinematic incarnation of the DC heroine in “The Flash” only to have the entire cinematic universe reset, even before audiences got a chance to see her performance. We still don’t know the size or scope of her appearance in “Superman: Legacy” or if it’s simply going to be a cameo/button scene situation.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News, News

Charlie Hunnam Declined Offer To Play DC Comics Hero Green Arrow: “I Did Not Share Their Enthusiasm”

As you might be already aware, director Zack Snyder (“Army of The Dead”) is returning to genre filmmaking with his latest installment at Netflix, “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire” and it features British actor Charlie Hunnam (“Pacific Rim”) as part of the ensemble cast. Like his director, Hunnam has a slim connection to the world of DC Comics films as fans have long campaigned to get him to play the feature film version of Oliver Queen, aka, Green Arrow.

It sounds like the role was once on the table but the actor declined the part. While speaking with Comic Book he clarified that Snyder didn’t approach him to play the character, Hunnam admitted he wasn’t unaware of the character and couldn’t exactly remember who asked him to play Green Arrow.

“I did not share their enthusiasm,” Hannum said of how he declined the mystery project. “I don’t know who Green Arrow is and don’t want to offend anyone.”

This might go back to the era of David S. Goyer‘s unmade “Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max” pitch, a prison-set action pic with Green Arrow unmasked and jailed having to deal with a Super Max Prison filled with violent inmates and DC villains like The Joker and Lex Luthor alongside more obscure ones. It was penned by Goyer and Justin Marks. Eerily, the Ben Affleck solo “Batman” film was expected to take some cues from it with the setting taking place in Arkham Asylum and Wayne having to work with/fight various rogues.

As far as we know, there aren’t current plans for Green Arrow in the new DCU spearheaded by James Gunn and Peter Safran, the new heads of DC Studios. Things could change very quickly given that Gunn has been trying to flesh out his new cinematic universe rather quickly as the production of “Superman: Legacy” is about to begin soon in Atlanta.

“Rebel Moon” will drop this December on Netflix.

SOURCE: COMIC BOOK

Posted on in Film News, News, Trailers

‘Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom’ Trailer: Black Manta Is On A Mission Of Revenge This December

There had been suspicions that Warner Bros. was holding back a trailer for their “Aquaman” sequel because of a potential release date shift amid moving “Dune: Part Two” from November to March of next year. The studio has dropped a first-look trailer for the DC Comics film that is a follow-up to the billion-dollar hit and looks like “Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom” will indeed make that December 20 date as promised.

We’re not expecting too much in the way of plot and character depth, but it looks like director James Wan has cooked up something that doubles down on the spectacle. We now see Black Manta has the means and power via The Black Trident to get revenge for the death of his father. The villain was slowly being set up in the first installment as a future antagonist. As Black Manta threatens Atlantis and the other kingdoms, Arthur will have to team up with his villainous brother, Orm, to save their people from this deadly menace from the surface.

“Aquaman 2” is now the last feature film from the previous regime as James Gunn and Peter Safran look to reset the DCU with “Blue Beetle” confirmed to be part of that new vision. Gunn is gearing up to shoot “Superman: Legacy” next year in Atlanta with actors David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion as Guy Garnder/Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jason Momoa ends up getting a second DC Comics role in the new DCU as there have been hints that he may just happen to end up landing to Lobo if his tenure as Aquaman is truly finished. Momoa is the spitting image of the alien bounty hunter and certainly would be a comedic/mature character that fits nicely alongside Gunn’s own “The Suicide Squad.” A “Lobo” movie has been in the works for ages with a string of directors being involved/wanted at different points such as Guy Ritchie, Michael Bay, and Brad Peyton.


Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction. All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, now balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother’s reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis’ Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father’s death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.

SOURCE: WARNER BROS PICTURES

Posted on in Television News

‘Jack Ryan’ Actor Michael Kelly & More Join Cast Of ‘The Penguin’ Series

This month sees the production start on the high-profile series The Penguin, which will be an eight-episode run on HBO Max and focuses on Oscar-nominee Colin Farrell‘s standout villain, Oz, from Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Reeves will produce the series and will follow the power-vacuum in Gotham after Carmine Falcone is removed from his leadership position after his death with The Penguin making his big move to oversee Gotham’s criminal underworld.

It looks like Farrell is going to have an interesting of collection of actors surrounding him. Deadline states that a string of actors have joined the project such as Michael Kelly (House of Cards, Jack Ryan), Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse), and Deirdre O’Connell (Outer Range).

 Variety also reports that Rhenzy Feliz has nabbed a lead role in the streaming series spinoff. Actress Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs, Black Mirror) was previously the first big addition to the show.

The Batman Part II is set for release on October 3, 2025 and there is an expectation the spinoff project will have a direct impact on the villain lineup in the second pic. It’ll be curious to see if we’ll actually see other Batman rogues make their debut on The Penguin before making their way onto the big screen.

SOURCE: DEADLINE & VARIETY

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Batgirl’: Brendan Fraser Reportedly Playing A Batman Villain In DC Comics Flick

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys For Life) are continuing their run of tackling female superheroes after directing episodes of Marvel’s series Ms. Marvel and will helm the upcoming Batgirl film that will be exclusively released on HBO Max.

Batgirl is a protege of Bruce Wayne’s Batman, similar to Robin/Nightwing.

Deadline is reporting on the first confirmed villain casting for the DC project, as Brendan Fraser (Killers of The Flower Moon, The Whale, No Sudden Move) is potentially playing Batman villain Firefly. The actor currently playing Robotman in the DC Comics series Doom Patrol, so he’s not new to the comic book universe.

Fraser joins Leslie Grace (In The Heights), who plays the titular Batgirl and J.K. Simmons reprises the Justice League role of Barbara Gordon’s father, Jim Gordon. This element would suggest that Batgirl takes place directly within the DCEU, given Simmons’ return. However, if they end up using Michael Keaton’s Batman as her mentor (teased by THR Keaton is involved), that could suggest that the cinematic universe is turning more into a hodgepodge of connective tissue.

Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys For Life) also has a mystery part in the superhero flick.

The Hollywood Reporter believes the role is Gotham criminal syndicate boss Carmine Falcone. The Batman rogue has been previously seen in Batman Begins and will be played by John Turturro in The Batman, neither are incarnations from the DCEU.

The Batgirl will be released sometime in 2022 on HBO Max.

SOURCE: DEADLINE