Who Will Save The DC Universe?

Okay, so we have heard a lot of awful things about Zack Snyder’s ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice’. The actual film might not be as terrible as the critics make it out to be- come on, people, what else did you expect from the director of ‘300’? But it is definitely a resounding alarm to the DC Universe and Hollywood in general that they need to take in someone else to sit over the director’s chair and tell us the tales of the Caped Crusader and the Son of Krypton, before both are doomed into oblivion. The boffins at DC Universe and Warner Brothers have indulged Snyder an awful lot- even as both promising rookies and veterans are available to them. 

And then, there was recently David Ayer’s ‘Suicide Squad’- a sort of a wannabe ‘Deadpool’- in which the super-villains of Gotham are crammed in a ‘Dirty Dozen’-style outfit to save the world. Yet, it is not even half as fun as these two films and ends up being a stylish-looking yet boringly sentimental look at villains trying to get redeemed.

For a long time, films based on comics and superhero stories were not million-dollar franchises. DC and Marvel had not started to intervene in the creative process of the individual filmmakers and writers who came up with these films; it was enough to give credit to the creators who had first penned these comic titles. While I am not saying that the recent DC and Marvel outings are inferior or equal to, say, the terrible ‘Superman IV- The Quest for Peace’ and the even more disastrous Joel Schumacher Batman outings of the 90s, it should be said that directors had more creative rein in those days as compared with today. This is exactly why you can see the distinctive stylistic stamp of the respective makers of the first two Superman and Batman movies- the bizarre vision of Tim Burton coming alive in his freaked-out version of Gotham City, the lean discipline of Richard Donner in his sensible handling of the origins of Superman and the comic flair of Richard Lester in the witticisms of the 1980 sequel.

Still, even with studio influence and all, a director’s inherent strengths will always remain intact and that explains why even DC’s intervention cannot contain Snyder’s overblown and ham-fisted style or Marvel could not rescue the Hulk, the Wolverine origins and- most recently- the Fantastic Four debacle from the filmmaking problems that condemned them to their doom. That also explains why DC had a ball with Christopher Nolan in charge, rebooting the Batman story with such gusto and narrative grit that the entire genre got a solid shot in the arm. The same would also apply to Marvel turning to ace entertainers like Sam Raimi and Bryan Singer, along with newbies like Joss Whedon and Matthew Vaughn, for their biggest and most loved outings. 

All this actually makes it easy for DC Comics to choose a really reliable director who can actually give the genre a twist and create better films that entertain even as they stay fairly loyal to the spirit of the original comics.

David Lynch

Robert Zemeckis

As it turns out, there is a lot of choice for DC, especially among the veterans. Some of our most legendary directors have been telling us tales of men and women with supernatural capabilities rather well and we can turn to them if the occasion arises. The way I see it, ace old-school entertainers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis can do a  grand job of Superman, with darker fantasists like David Lynch or David Cronenberg doing a bang-up job of turning ‘Batman’ into literally every crooked Gotham citizen’s ‘worst nightmare’.

The problem: the legends, they are a changing. Spielberg rarely does science fiction and he is content with Indiana Jones and the rare extra-terrestrial adventure. Zemeckis is a possibility but, with his focus shifting from classic fantasy to real-life subjects, he too is toeing Steve’s line. Cronenberg is too alienating while Lynch, the unrivalled master of dark fantasy, might have been a solid choice for bringing the surreal darkness of the Batman stories of the 80s to the screen, had not a major studio messed with his original, ambitious version of Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ and turned it into a messy space saga that still managed to have, thankfully, all the trademark Lynch bizarreness in it. As it happens, the elusive artist has mostly gone solo from then on and there is no chance that he would submit to a major studio again. 

It is a shame really because we get to miss seeing Spielberg and Zemeckis take on the Man Of Steel in their own charming, small-town American way and making him literally the symbol of good old America in his charged adventures across the globe. We also end up missing the chance to see Cronenberg infuse the genre with creepy body horror and Lynch bringing in unforgettably grotesque villains and twisted, dream-like cityscapes of Gotham that would have given the entire Batman saga really its edge.

Yet, we should not lose hope for there are other alternatives to look for too. David Fincher instantly leaps to the mind when it comes to Batman; indeed, the filmmaker has built something of a reputation for nocturnal neo-noir thrillers and his sombre, no-nonsense yet hypnotic style would give the Caped Crusader a very thrilling makeover indeed. Brad Bird would be a lock for Superman, so would be Andrew Stanton or any of the younger, happier wizards, though I sincerely pray that they somehow buy out Joss Whedon from Marvel. Once we could get down to better Batman and Superman outings, we can have the other plans- Justice League, or spinoffs on its members- in safer hands too.

Guillermo Del Toro

There are two directors, however, who seem like very real possibilities for both Warner Brothers as well as for DC. One is Guillermo Del Toro, who has cemented something of a reputation as a dark, twisted fantasist who can also handle Gothic chills and exciting thrills in equal measure. Del Toro’s incredibly entertaining ‘Hellboy’ movies have demonstrated that he can really get the feel of comic books right while also serve up ample doses of thrills, chills and dry-witted humour in the proceedings. Taking on Batman seems to be the logical choice; it would be fun to see him indulge his dark fantasist streak in telling the Caped Crusader’s adventures and also bring back the unhinged bizarre streak of Gotham’s villains with his fabulous reinventions (to imagine his take on The Joker and the Riddler, as well as Gotham, would be an orgasmic delight).

George Miller

Finally, we have the man himself- the belatedly crowned star of the action movie genre- George Miller. After making the rowdy, roaring roller-coaster ride that was ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, every big studio must be foaming at the mouth to get a piece out of Miller for their big franchises. To be honest, the Australian visionary is himself a bit too low-key to be wooed by these big wigs but Warner Brothers has the luck of having him on its side. If they do plan a total revamp of the genre, or even someone to replace Snyder and the other hacks hired for the Extended Universe, Miller should be perfect. He can be also a thrillingly radical choice to bring us a darker, edgier Superman (just think of what he can do with General Zod, Brainiac or even with the origins in Krypton) and he can alone make a thrillingly epic film as the planned ‘Justice League’ instalments are supposed to be. 

All this is, however, simply wishful thinking. But I seriously hope that the guys at DC and Warner Brothers know better. From the way things are now, I seriously doubt that. The new ‘Justice League’ movie looks like another hammy bore-fest (did Aquaman really have to look like a wrestling dork?) and the only saving grace in the dead-serious ‘Wonder Woman’ trailer is Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman herself. No wonder then that Christopher Nolan moved away from all this nonsense after Snyder blew his ‘Man Of Steel’ story out of proportion. Thank god, he is making films like ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Dunkirk’. The question remains- who will save the DC Universe?