Within the next few years, a few DC superhero movies are coming to theaters. Blue Beetle, Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom, Joker: Folie a Deux, Superman: Legacy, The Batman Part II, The Authority, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and, presumably, Swamp Thing. That’s not counting about a dozen television projects and a dozen other movies that are in development. Not all of those projects will fit neatly into the singular DCEU being revamped by James Gunn and Peter Safran, but many of them will, with aspirations to build a new superpowered empire.
When Superman: Legacy comes out, it will be during the 87th anniversary of the iconic character’s first appearance. It’s that long history (and potential future) that creators like Gunn and Patty Jenkins are celebrating in Superpowered: The DC Story.”
The trailer offers a glossy look at the complicated history of comic books, from their immense popularity, their effects on pushing progressive social issues, and to the backlash they’ve received both as the devil’s literature or simply as “lowbrow” art.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Narrated by Rosario Dawson, Superpowered: The DC Story takes an unprecedented look at the enduring and influential legacy of DC, allowing fans to rediscover the universe of characters, as well as the iconic comic book company’s origins, its evolution and its nearly nine-decade cultural impact across every artistic medium. Featuring a wealth of interviews with the industry’s most prolific creators and the actors who bring their iconic characters from the page to the screen, Superpowered: The DC Story reminds us that at the heart of DC are the comics – the four-color fantasies that forever spark the imagination and instill hope.”
It’s also a nice bit of marketing for DC properties, told in the gauziest way possible by the very people who make the film versions happen. The talking heads include Melissa Benoist, Greg Berlanti, Tim Burton, Mike Carlin, Lynda Carter, Henry Cavill, Kaley Cuoco, Gal Gadot, James Gunn, Patty Jenkins, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Jim Lee, Zachary Levi, Damon Lindelof, Tom Mankiewicz, Jason Momoa, Christopher Nolan, Robert Pattinson, Christopher Reeve, John Ridley, Margot Robbie, Bruce Timm, Michael E. Uslan and Mark Waid.
As much as it’s meant to be about comic book history, filmmakers and actors are the headliners here, so it’ll be interesting to see the full range of comic book figures involved in the doc. Directed by Leslie Iwerks (The Imagineering Story) and Mark A. Catalena (Inventing L.A.), the 3-part docuseries hits Max on July 20th.
