DC Announces New Movie and TV Plans

[trappedslider]

And future movies are going to be informed one way or the other by what Snyder was doing with the Justice League characters until everyone who remembers his movies are dead I suspect.

I keep saying that but only with star wars and the OT

 

[Rabulias]

Nevermind. Nothing to see here.

 

[Dausuul]

Yes! Someone finally gets that superheroes are supposed to be superheroes. None of this killer supers or murderous supers or genre killing shades of grey morality...

Oh...never mind.

What's interesting, though, is that "shades of gray" here doesn't seem to be a euphemism for "our hero is a murdering jerk but you have to root for him because the people he's murdering are worse."

The Scylla and Charybdis of stories that delve into moral dilemmas are "Doing the right thing is doomed to fail, you have to discard your scruples and let the ends justify the means" and "Doing the right thing always works just because it's the right thing." Not a lot of writers/directors are up to steering a course between them, but it's amazing when someone pulls it off.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

"our hero is a murdering jerk but you have to root for him because the people he's murdering are worse."

Weirdly, this is also the synopsis of the Bargle/Aleena story.


ETA- Zack Snyder's Bargle. Coming soon to a streamer near you.

 

[overgeeked]

What's interesting, though, is that "shades of gray" here doesn't seem to be a euphemism for "our hero is a murdering jerk but you have to root for him because the people he's murdering are worse."

The Scylla and Charybdis of stories that delve into moral dilemmas are "Doing the right thing is doomed to fail, you have to discard your scruples and let the ends justify the means" and "Doing the right thing always works just because it's the right thing." Not a lot of writers/directors are up to steering a course between them, but it's amazing when someone pulls it off.

Sure. But that's not what I'm looking for in spandex-wearing superhero fiction. It doesn't need to be Shakespeare or Kafka. I don't need navel gazing faux philosophical treatises either. It is what it is. Just lean into it. Let it be its own thing. It doesn't need to pretend to be grown up or deep. We're talking about people dressing up in spandex with the underwear on the outside going out to vanquish evil. It's okay to let superhero fiction be superhero fiction. Stop with the pretending the genre is something it's not.

I say that as a life-long fan of comics and superheroes. To anyone outside the fandom I will defend comics and superheroes until my last breath. But...come on. They're silly childish nonsense. And I love them for that. We need more silly childish nonsense. They don't need to be grown up. They don't need to be adult. They don't need to justify their existence by telling "deep" or "meaningful" stories. They're spandex-clad soap operas with eye beams and gods. They're a bit of good goofy-ass fun. It's okay to just let them be that.

Superhero stories are fairy tales for modern readers...

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” ―G.K. Chesterton

 

[Ryujin]

I'm mostly worried because the Authority as a concept works when it's used as a commentary/contrast on traditional superheroes, but Snyder's Justice League is already informed by the Authority and so there's no real contrast there. And future movies are going to be informed one way or the other by what Snyder was doing with the Justice League characters until everyone who remembers his movies are dead I suspect.

In fact I remember a discussion with a friend back when Batman v. Superman was out that if it were an Apollo/Midnighter movie with that kind of tone and even a modified version of the same story, I'd have been on board for all of it. His vision of the Justice League was basically "what if the Authority, but instead of being Justice League expys, we used the real League characters?" (And not that she's a WW expy, but that the scene at the party would have absolutely been better if it had been Jenny Sparks instead of Diana.)

Of course, nobody was going to pay Zak Snyder to make an Apollo vs. Midnighter movie.

Who is this Slider person, of which you speak? I have no memory of them, though I do have burn marks on either side of my temple that I'm told I acquired after watching some movie...

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Sure. But that's not what I'm looking for in spandex-wearing superhero fiction. It doesn't need to be Shakespeare or Kafka. I don't need navel gazing faux philosophical treatises either. It is what it is. Just lean into it. Let it be its own thing. It doesn't need to pretend to be grown up or deep. We're talking about people dressing up in spandex with the underwear on the outside going out to vanquish evil. It's okay to let superhero fiction be superhero fiction. Stop with the pretending the genre is something it's not.

I say that as a life-long fan of comics and superheroes. To anyone outside the fandom I will defend comics and superheroes until my last breath. But...come on. They're silly childish nonsense. And I love them for that. We need more silly childish nonsense. They don't need to be grown up. They don't need to be adult. They don't need to justify their existence by telling "deep" or "meaningful" stories. They're spandex-clad soap operas with eye beams and gods. They're a bit of good goofy-ass fun. It's okay to just let them be that.

Superhero stories are fairy tales for modern readers...

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” ―G.K. Chesterton

You'll get your moral paragons, foremost among them Superman, maybe Batman too as he has to chart a more moral path then just violence if he's to set a good example for his son. When they get to Wonder Woman her too and maybe the Laterns or at least John Stewart. Problably Blue Beetle as well.

The Authority and maybe a couple others is provide a contrast that makes the JLA's morality stand out that much more.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm mostly worried because the Authority as a concept works when it's used as a commentary/contrast on traditional superheroes, but Snyder's Justice League is already informed by the Authority and so there's no real contrast there. And future movies are going to be informed one way or the other by what Snyder was doing with the Justice League characters until everyone who remembers his movies are dead I suspect.

In fact I remember a discussion with a friend back when Batman v. Superman was out that if it were an Apollo/Midnighter movie with that kind of tone and even a modified version of the same story, I'd have been on board for all of it. His vision of the Justice League was basically "what if the Authority, but instead of being Justice League expys, we used the real League characters?" (And not that she's a WW expy, but that the scene at the party would have absolutely been better if it had been Jenny Sparks instead of Diana.)

Of course, nobody was going to pay Zak Snyder to make an Apollo vs. Midnighter movie.

I completely agree with you with the caveat that Gunn actually understands the Authority (and the JLA) whereas Snyder clearly doesn't. If Gunn has greenlit the Authority, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. His Peacemaker series shows he understands superheroes and how the grim and gritty antiheroes aren't their kewler betters, but kind of sad and awful.

 

[Ryujin]

I completely agree with you with the caveat that Gunn actually understands the Authority (and the JLA) whereas Snyder clearly doesn't. If Gunn has greenlit the Authority, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. His Peacemaker series shows he understands superheroes and how the grim and gritty antiheroes aren't their kewler betters, but kind of sad and awful.

Sounds like The Authority might make a good stand-in for The Elite from "Superman vs. The Elite" animated movie.

 

[Reynard]

I would LOVE an Authority movie if it wasn't connected to the DCU at all. The Authority doesn't make sense in the DCU, except as foils (and the DCU has The Elite for that, as other folks have mentioned). But seeing Ellis' vision on the big screen would be great.

Of course what I really want is a prestige streaming Astro City series. ::sad sigh::