Here’s How Warner Bros.’ Efforts With ‘Batman V Superman’ Highlight The Problem Of Shared Universes

Throwing a movie franchise into a shared universe seems to be the trend these days. Marvel has laid the groundwork on how to do it well, and everybody else seemingly wants to follow or at least find the fast track to copy their success. We’ve got the Ghostbusters universe coming soon, Transformers is branching out into the universe, and there’s even a 21 Jump Street universe brewing now.

The most notable comparison is Warner Bros. and their DC Comics films set to hit theaters beginning next year. We’ve had Man of Steel as a rough, admirable beginning to set the stage, but it seems like the stakes were launched skyward almost immediately. The slow build that Marvel unleashed with Iron Man isn’t here, replaced with fans griping that Batman is being shoe horned into a Superman film, with Justice League hot on its heels.

Turns out, the fans weren’t the only ones griping. A nice piece by Kim Masters at the Hollywood Reporter highlights a few of the glaring issues hampering the DC Universe’s entrance into film, including the worried reactions of the many suits involved around Hollywood:

In the early going, some in Hollywood are questioning whether Warners has acted too much in haste without having fleshed out the world on which so much hinges. Grumbling among talent reps came especially in response to the studio’s strategy of hiring five writers to compete for a job on Wonder Woman, which has a June 2017 release date. On Aquaman, set for 2018, sources say Warners commissioned scripts from three writers, one of whom followed the studio’s direction only to be told the rules governing the universe had changed and his work no longer was usable. Another writer has been on hold for the film for months as the studio works to define its vision. “They just haven’t been thorough about their whole world and how each character fits and how to get the most out of each writer’s time by giving them direction,” says a rep with knowledge of the process. “Obviously, Marvel’s very good at that.”

If that sounds like a familiar complaint, it’s because fans and shadowy internet users have been saying the same thing since Warner Bros. announced their plans for their connected film universe. What wasn’t obvious was just how much of a cluster it actually seems to be, with writers competing for a chance to craft a screenplay for Wonder Woman, something described as “throwing shit against a wall to see what stuck.” It helps to shine more light on the departures that have happened in the past months.

As THR notes, the library of characters is there and a lot of them are seeing the light of day via David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. But if there’s a lack of direction or real groundwork built up for a shared universe, how will that film turn out? Will it even utilize the characters in a way that another writer will want to use them? The same thing happens in comics all the time (think Grant Morrison’s X-Men run), and that can have odd effects when you’re trying to have a cohesive vision.

On the flip side, you can understand why Warner Bros. wants to push these movies out and why everybody else is attempting the same. This is a hot idea and people will get tired of it at some point. Read a few reviews on Avengers: Age of Ultron, and you’ll see that people are already feeling it. By not taking advantage of it now, Warner Bros. and others will miss the window. For DC Comics legendary characters, that window was already shutting due to the competition from Marvel.

I like the idea of waiting to see how the films turn out before passing full judgment on them. I’m disappointed as a fan so far, but I also think it is important to keep an open mind. It’s probably naive to think that at this point, but the creators haven’t lost the full trust yet. I would definitely check out the full piece for an in-depth look at where it seems Warner Bros. stands on their DC film properties.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

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