The June 2023 BOF Mailbag

By
Bill "Jett" Ramey
-
562

THE FLASH…oy vey!

It’s well past the midway point of June 2023, and well past time for a new BOF Mailbag.  Let’s get cracking!

Is the DCU dead?

JETT SAYS: I presume you’re referring to the new DCU under James Gunn and Peter Safran at Warner Bros.  People I know who know WAY more about this stuff than me have told me it’s a “dead brand.” Oof!  It may not be totally dead, but it’s in pretty bad shape, no two ways about it…other than THE BATMAN SAGA stuff under Matt Reeves.  I think they should just let Reeves do what he wants and finish his story and THEN move forward with a new DCU on film — which should be solo, self-contained movies and character universes and no damn shared universe stuff.

But alas, they’re going to push forward with it regardless ’cause they’ve just gotta have their version of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  Insanity.

JETT SAYS: I see what he said this was the best stuff he did as Batman and Bruce Wayne as well as really enjoying it.  I really liked it — mostly his scene as Bruce Wayne.

As far as the Batsuit they put him in, it looked…terrible. And no, I don’t think a blue and gray Batsuit works — really the blue.  I mean, why would Batman — an urban, street-level crime fighter — where blue?  It blows my mind that there are fans who actually want that!

And for the record, Batman was never supposed to be blue — the cowl, cape, gloves, boots, etc. were always intended to be black.  The restraints on comic book coloring back in the day made them have to color it mostly blue (as a highlight/lighting) and just a little bit of black.  Just like Superman’s hair.

Now that you’ve retired, and BOF is 25, how would you characterize your enjoyment level of running the site, as opposed to when you were working? Is it the same, better, easier, etc.?

JETT SAYS: “Retired” is a relative term!😂

I’d say my enjoyment level is the same — it’s still very fun and I have a blast running the site and doing THE BOF SOCIAL HOUR podcast.  I’ve had a few downtimes where I damn near shut it down — the “DCEU” era from 2016 up until THE BATMAN was announced was the lowest point for me in the 25 years I’ve had running the website.  But THE BATMAN pulled me out of that funk and I’m back to having a blast.

I will say that not having to work every day — I work when I want and consider BOF my “full-time job” now — it is much easier to run since I have more time.

JETT SAYS: Not really.  I was so happy to see Keaton back as Batman that I overlooked the fact that he was part of a defacto Justice League with the 2 Flashes and Supergirl.  And since that reality no longer existed after Barry “fixed” things, I can still watch BATMAN ’89 knowing that there probably aren’t superpowered beings in that universe and that Batman’s ultimate fate is still unknown.

Can we just please be done with anything related to the Snyderverse? Has WB accepted that the remaining movies in this universe are just not going to make money, no matter how much the vocal minority of loyal Snyder fans want to boast about how great these movies are? Time to move on.

JETT SAYS: That is pretty much happening…though Viola Davis will return in that WALLER series on MAX and apparently Gunn is going to helm PEACEMAKER season 2 on the same platform.  I get why there’s going to be more PEACEMAKER with John Cena because it was a big hit and one of the best things in live-action DC since THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY. Not sure what the point of this WALLER series is.

What is your educated speculation regarding the announcement DCU projects? Is David Zaslav going to be reactionary and tell Gunn & Safran to rethink everything?

JETT SAYS: Nah, he’ll probably double down on it even more now.  The dude has a serious jones for a shared DC universe on film to rival Disney’s MCU…and it’s a futile endeavor.

ALSO READ | OPINION: So, WB/DC Studios…Y’all May Want to Rethink the New DCU Shared Universe Thing

JETT SAYS: I’d dig it.  She was Bruce Wayne’s first girlfriend in the comics.

Isn’t it strange that there’s new footage of Michael Keaton as Batman that we’ll never see? Teenage me would never have believed that. With that being said, is there any chance that we get an Elseworlds BATMAN BEYOND film that was rumored?

JETT SAYS: I assume you’re talking about stuff from BATGIRL.  Yeah, it’s kinda crazy, but it’s really not all that much — it was basically an extended cameo.

As far as an ELSEWORLDS Batman movie with Keaton, if THE FLASH hadn’t bombed like a MF’er, then I think it would’ve happened.  Now, not a chance in hell…which bums me out because I had been banging the drum for it to happen for a while now.

Do you think DC on film needs to be more series driven? Bar Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, everything has pretty much bombed. Could DC find its footing on streaming gaining a following then moving back onto the big screen?

JETT SAYS: I think they need to shut everything down except for Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN SAGA stuff for about 5 years.  And then get back to making DC movies that are self-contained and are not part of a shared universe.  But that’s not going to happen, unfortunately.

JETT SAYS: I’m not sure…but I will say that it looks as if THE LONG HALLOWEEN will continue to be an influence on THE BATMAN SAGA since Reeves has said he’s making an “epic crime saga.”  I can see Reeves and Mattson Tomlin pulling from it for Harvey Dent…if he’s in the film.  As far as others, we’ll have to wait until we see the movie.

JETT SAYS: As I said on THE BOF SOCIAL HOUR when we discussed THE FLASH, when would it have fit in the story?  There was no reason for him to get in it and ride around Gotham.  And he couldn’t drive it to Russia, you know?  I think it was just fine that we got to see it in the Batcave again.

Is it possible that Sasha Calle will be in the Supergirl movie as a new version, not the one we saw from THE FLASH?

JETT SAYS: No…it’ll be someone new.

What happens if SUPERMAN: LEGACY bombs?

JETT SAYS: Then DC on film — other than Batman, of course — is F**KED!

JETT SAYS: Well, I hate post-credits scenes for one thing!  But yeah, there was no point in the one they included in THE FLASH other than, maybe, to tell audiences that the Jason Momoa version of Aquaman still exists…well, until after AQUAMAN 2 comes out.

Do you think Andy Muchetti will direct THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD? Surely THE FLASH’s performance rules him out?

JETT SAYS: Probably — they’ve already announced it!  Plus, THE FLASH bombing wasn’t his fault.  And don’t call me Shirley.

Any Predictions for Comic-Con or is it wait and see?

JETT SAYS: If I’m Warner Bros., I’m totally skipping San Diego Comic Con.  I suppose they may do something for BLUE BEETLE, but who cares?  I don’t.  And if I don’t what does that say about the general audience?  Personally, I couldn’t care about SDCC anymore.  I see what many studios are not going nowadays because it’s kinda pointless.

1. Even though I liked the ending and it works with the multiverse theme, the original would have been better on an emotional and story level.

2. Just curious do you think the movie could have worked the same or perhaps better with Bale instead of Keaton?

3. It seems weird that they couldn’t give Cavill a cool way to segue out as well. Especially since Supergirl plays a part and his solo film factors into the plot. The way his depiction and service have been treated, it’s like WB blames the failure of DCEU solely on him.

JETT SAYS: Well…

1. You’re referring to it being Keaton’s Bruce Wayne that gets out of the limo at the end, right?  I’m fine that they changed it to George Clooney’s BW because it says that no matter what he does, no matter how much he “fixes” things, his universe will never be the same.

2. No — leave THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY be!  I will say that if Christian Bale had played the Batman role instead of Keaton, it might’ve interested 20 to 40-year-olds a bit more.  I will say that I would’ve liked to see a clip of Bale’s Batman from the TRILOGY as one of the cameos in the movie.

3. I mean, we saw him in THE FLASH…sorta.  I don’t believe that Warner Bros. blames Henry Cavill for the failure of the DCEU.  I do think they realize that his Superman simply wasn’t popular and didn’t jibe with the general audience — and that is NOT his fault at all.

Do you believe, objectively and with what inside knowledge on how things work in hand you may have, that there’s a realistic chance “The Red Diary Cut” [of BATMAN FOREVER] could be released now more than it’s ever been?

JETT SAYS: I’d say the possibility is probably greater than ever, but I just doubt they’ll do it…for whatever lame reason.  I certainly wouldn’t call it “The Schumacher Cut” because that was the version we got in theaters back in 1995.  I’d probably go with BATMAN FOREVER: THE EXTENDED CUT.

ALSO READ | BATMAN FOREVER: The Film That Should’ve Been

We know a Grant Morrison-style Batman with the Batman Family is not your preference and that you don’t like there being two Batmen at once but as a proponent of Batman on film will you give DCU Batman a fair chance and judge THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD on its own merits?

JETT SAYS: Of course, I will…I have always done that.  If anyone remembers, I was hyping BATMAN v SUPERMAN up a storm back in 2015-2016 and was excited to see it.  And then I saw it out at the presser in Hollywood and…well…didn’t like it. At all…and that disappointed me tremendously.

The thing about THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is that I have very little interest in it for the reasons you listed, so my expectations are very low.  If I like it, I will say so.  If I don’t, I’ll say so as well.

Is there room for villains like Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and other more fantastical characters to appear as villains in THE BATMAN’s future sequels, or should the filmmakers decide to keep utilizing villains who are more grounded in realism in the series?

JETT SAYS: I think it’s the tone and setting Matt Reeves is going for in THE BATMAN SAGA is grounded and “realistic” — even more so than Chris Nolan’s Batman film.  So I don’t think the uber-fantastical versions of the characters you mentioned will show up in the SAGA.  BUT…

All 3 of them can certainly be adapted to fit the world of THE BATMAN SAGA.  We’ll see!

So…who killed Barry’s mom in THE FLASH?

JETT SAYS: Andy Muschetti has said it was indeed The Reverse Flash and that it was going to be addressed in the sequel…which isn’t gonna happen, obviously.

Since BATMAN v SUPERMAN has been discussed a lot lately if Warner Bros. was smart and fired [Zack] Snyder after MAN OF STEEL, what director or directors do you think could have stepped in and helped get the show back on track back then?

JETT SAYS: I’m not going to totally blame Zack Snyder (Shocker!).  2 things should’ve happened — or at least I wished had happened…

One, they made MAN OF STEEL 2 — a straight-up TRUE sequel to MOS – and two, Chris Nolan stayed on to co-write the film’s story (with David Goyer) and produce it.  If those two things had happened, things would’ve likely turned out a lot differently. But yeah, BvS just sent the whole thing completely off the rail and they never recovered.

Oh yeah, a third thing should’ve happened and frankly, it’s 100% WB’s fault — Snyder should’ve never had full creative control of the DCEU or whatever it was really called.

Is it possible for Bruce Wayne to have a beard like George Clooney did at the end of THE FLASH with nobody noticing that Batman also has a beard?

JETT SAYS: Maybe he started wearing a Bat-cowl/helmet that covered his entire face ala BATMAN BEYOND?

Do you think THE FLASH bombing is the final nail in the coffin for DC films? How many more failures does it take for THE BATMAN saga (the only thing I care about with DC films right now) to be in danger as well? Is PART 2 set in stone and happening no matter what?

JETT SAYS: THE BATMAN: PART II is firmly set in stone, so don’t worry.

I’d say that Warner Bros./DC Studios needs Matt Reeves more than Matt Reeves needs them…you know what I’m sayin’?  So I don’t see WB f**king with Mr. Reeves or his plan for THE BATMAN SAGA…and honest to hell, they’d be DUMB AF to run him out simply because they need a Batman in their new DCU.  BUT…

If they do…well…bless their hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

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