Back in 1993, Vertigo comics was created to deliver more adult-oriented themes to the DC Comics library. A little over two decades later, it looks like another shift is taking place as New Line Cinema will be the new home of the mature line’s properties currently in development.
Warner Bros. has a huge slate of DC superhero films scheduled for the coming years. However, titles like Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Sandman movie — which he will direct and star in — will now be housed under New Line’s umbrella. Given the more mature and subversive themes of the subject matter in question, the move should guarantee Levitt’s adaptation won’t be watered down or compromised…but then again, it’s complicated.
To add some confusion to this story, The Hollywood Reporter states Dwayne Johnson’s Shazam! movie will stay at New Line, even though the superhero story falls more in line with the DC projects at Warner Bros. The other side of that proverbial coin has the Dark Universe movie — featuring the team up of Swamp Thing, Constantine, Deadman and Zatanna — staying at Warner/DC even though the characters once existed under the Vertigo banner.
With Guillermo del Toro dropping out of Justice League Dark and their plans to pretty much dominate San Diego Comic-Con next week, a whole hell of a lot is going on at Warner Bros…and it seems pretty complicated.
(Via Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter)
