It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Money is money, right?
The Monday total for the Avengers is higher than HP7(2)’s first Monday by about $600K, and about $6million lower than The Dark Knight’s. My guess is that it’s still early May and most are not out of school yet.
Saw it last night. Very enjoyable movie, though I wasn’t blown away. The crowd ate it up.
the spiderman trailer got Booo’d. Anyone else seen this?
The Potter movies have traditionally opened huge and then dropped off significantly — it’s a front-loaded franchise. Avengers obviously just got started, but it’s already showing signs of being much less front-loaded: here in the US its midnights were a fraction of DH2’s, Saturday increased from Friday’s non-midnights, Sunday had a tiny drop, etc. Plus its Monday was bigger than DH2’s.
Avengers is gonna outgross DH2 domestically by around a couple hundred million — all it needs to do is get close to it overseas to cruise right on past DH2’s final WW numbers. Which, let’s remember, are the highest of any non-Cameron movie.
So I’d say it’s safe to say Avengers is the juggernaut that the media hype says it is.
I think Potter dominated exUs and Avengers dominated domestic, at least for openings. What will be interesting is if it falls behind Potter domestically because school is not out yet. And also, if it can have a big second weekend to buffer that ($100M). I would imagine that Avengers should surpass Potter domestically but that Potter will have the higher total due to foreign.
To be fair, THE AVENGERS will pass HP7P2’s domestic total in less than two weeks. It’s also going to clear 1.5 billion worldwide. You should probably hold off on the articles for a bit.
To be fair, Think, you have already determined the future while you are suggesting I hold off on the current facts.
Okay. I’ll check in this time next month.
So should Cameron be nervous for his precious 1-2 worldwide standings? That dude is not a friend of the interweb when it comes to box office. You would think he killed people’s puppies and grandmothers with one fell swoop.
As always David is just stating that numbers can be misleading and used by anyone to further agenda. I think that’s the intention here. The number is massive to be sure but it’s like everyone has already forgotten about how huge HP72 was less than a year ago. I’m looking forward to that second weekend number. That’s where this could all ramp up to some crazy level or remind us that sometimes a huge opening weekend is just that. Second weekend is where the term “phenomenon” could be used
“the spiderman trailer got Booo’d. Anyone else seen this?”
I havn’t heard anyone boo it outright, but when I saw Avengers and the Spidey trailer played, the woman behind me barked out in exasperation: “And now they are officially remaking every movie, ever. Great.”
I had to laugh.
Well anyone can easily look at Avengers int’l 2nd weekends drops and use that data to easily predict the US dom drop.
Keoki – “. I’m looking forward to that second weekend number. That’s where this could all ramp up to some crazy level or remind us that sometimes a huge opening weekend is just that. Second weekend is where the term “phenomenon” could be used
I agree. I keep feeling 125M. Big repeat business ahead of them.
I was at first a doubter, but seeing it last night the crowd I was with (granted in Los Angeles) love it. Applauded several times, laughed at all the jokes. Ate it up. I think if Battleship opened next week it would give it more of a dent, but nope it’s going to be riding high.
We are getting another Avengers movie in like 4 years! Yay!
I saw it last night in 3D. I was impressed by the 3D. But I would say that at my twenty plex that for every 3D ticket sold four were sold for 2D. I’m fact I would say that only twenty people were at my screening.
Got one doozy of a rumor this week. Theres speculation thay marvel likes the deal theyre getting in NC so much that they might end up shooting two more marvel films after Iron Man 3 wraps.
Id be lying if I didnt say the geek in me wasnt doing cartwheels. We’ll see if it pans out.
And you know whats hilarious? Reading all the fanboys getting angry about all these “fake” Avengers fans, crying that all these people seeing the movie are bandwagon jumpers and not “real fans”. Youd think comic fans would be pleased as punch the movie exists and is doing remarkably well. And yet you have this weird sense of ownership going on now that the property has become bigger than the comic book shops it sprung from.
this might not be the best night to rally happiness for the fine state of nc…. frankly, i hope hollywood has the sense to pull everything out (but i’m afraid finance will rule in the end)….
Not so sure about that, Scooterzz. I foresee actors banding together to note their displeasure with the state and to make it known how unhappy they would be to shoot there. Could make a difference and tip some projects to, say, Louisiana.
i hope with all my heart you’re right chris…if i were a filmmaker with plans to shoot in north carolina, the plug would be pulled immediately…..
I get what DP is saying about the intial opening, but at this point the level of business between the two will not even be close. “The Avengers” will win out internationally, and at this point it is way bigger than Potter ever was in the states. I know Harry Potter is the biggest literary phenomenom of the last fifty years, but that series was essentially “inside baseball” for non-fans by film three or so. Unless you had seen all of the prior films or read the books, the films were incomprehensible. Once the fans had seen the movie twice in the first week, business dried up fast for those films.
“The Avengers” appeals across all demographics and languages. It requires no comic book knowledge and is sort of just a big dumb action film with above average writing. It’s going to be the kind of thing that people who see three movies a year decide to go see on a night they have no plans a month from now.
“To be fair, Think, you have already determined the future while you are suggesting I hold off on the current facts.”
The future is not determined but the basic numbers are easily extrapolated. No, AVENGERS is (probably) not going to be the biggest domestic film ever (beating AVATAR). No, it won’t beat TITANIC for #2 (though this might end up being close). But it’s really, really friggin’ huge. I mean, its second weekend is going to outgross Deathly Hallows 2 by $50 million (easily).
I really don’t get the point of these types of posts. All they do is show you can’t or won’t do the extrapolations that thousands of box-office geeks take for granted.
As a north carolina filmmaker i cant name a single person who voted for prop one. My facebook page today is nothing but angry posts about god fearing red necks. i get the indignation but didnt California have the same problem a few years back with prop 8?
Plus, money talks. With the 25 million in tax incentives marvel is getting theyre probably willing to overlook the idiotic percentage of our population.
Prop one is embarassing but knew it would pass. I like wilmington and asheville but the majority of this state is filled with jesus freaks. Religion is poison and theres still too much of it in the well here.
If one pop entertainment makes more money than another pop entertainment, Cuddle bear is sad. Because that means Cuddle bear was WRONG.
I am amused by that, bunny… but no idea what it’s meant to mean.
Prop 8 was not as bad as this one, anghus, but the more telling point is that it was, as you say, a couple years ago. The tide has turned further and now I suspect the good people of North Carolina will be judged based on the actions of the disgusting majority there.
So… what… The Avengers isn’t one of the biggest hits of all-time? What are we trying to say here?
Avengers will easily pass HP7-2 domestically. Internationally, it’s passed $500 million already so it looks good to hit $1 billion, which HP7-2 didn’t.
@Telemachos – I’m inclined to agree with you, as much as i would love for “Avengers” to top “Avatar’s” domestic box office take, i really don’t see that happening. 760 million domestically is just too much to surpass in my opinion. That being said, i believe the sky’s the limit for “Avengers”, if it get’s 60-70 million monday-thursday and 100-125 million this weekend, which is highly possible, than i see at least 500 million domestically and possibly 600 million domestically.
Sorry–posted something on the wrong thread.
@Orlando: yeah, it’s not going to get close to AVATAR. But it’s got an excellent chance to beat DARK KNIGHT.
David:
Domestically, Avengers will probably be past the last Potter films total on or before Tues with plenty more mileage left. If we are to be fair about the “revolution” as u call it — international i.e both domestic and foreign, then lets be fair. Domestic is no less important as foreign if it is HUGE. And foreign is no more important than domestic unless it yields formidable results. The Dark Knight grossed less than Spiderman 3 overseas but its domestic was so high that combined it became the highest grossing superhero film of all time…until now. Combining foreign and domestic, Avengers is on target to be at least the 4th highest grossing film of all time and has a likely shot of taking the last Potter movies place as the third right behind Avatar and Titanic. The hype is well deserved.
Hi Dan –
I’ve been trying to stay out of this drama, as so many of y’all have these fantastical projections. But…
Avengers should be around $273m domestic going into its second weekend. Reasonable, not anti-Avenger people would suggest that the weekend will be $80m or less, not over $100m. So it will likely catch Potter 7b domestically by Friday of next week.
Avengers may pass Dark Knight domestically… but it’s unlikely to be by a whole lot.
Foreign is no more important than domestic… except that the money all goes in the same pot. And we’ll see whether Avengers can catch up with Potter internationally. My point in this post was to debunk the illusion that somehow Avengers got to $700m on opening weekend, which was not the case. No one hid the earlier international opening, but it was kind of blurred into the excitement last weekend.
Avengers will pass The Dark Knight by more than $100m specifically because it’s doing better internationally.
As for the hype… I have NEVER said that these numbers are not worth being very excited about or remarkable. I have compared them to Shrek 2, which made a huge leap for DreamWorks Animation and became, at the time, the #2 domestic grosser of all-time. But the “It’s going to chase down Titanic/Avatar” kind of stuff is a bit out of control.
And again, hype is deserved… but these numbers represent a click up in terms of the overall industry, and not a game changer or trend setter. The absurdity is the people are expected to be either pro or anti the film. The truth is, great success… majority of its revenue will be from overseas… and without that big embrace internationally, another massive opening that would have stopped before $900m. But it has that international embrace.
But my point remains… whether #4 all-time or #3 all-time, it is not a non-issue that the 2 in the top 4 that Avengers is battling with are both from LAST YEAR. That is not just some coincidence of 2 massive hits happening to occur in a particular year. Avengers will be the 11th film to hit $1b in first run… the 8th in the last 4 years.
Every film that has hit $1b worldwide – or anything close to it – has a lot to crow about. But do Pirates 4 and Transformers 3 put Avengers in some perspective, in terms of being the brightest light on earth? You tell me.
David,David,David, come now. To me Dan has a valid point. I’m being reasonable with you here on this issue. “TDK” made 158 million it’s first weekend and 75 million it’s second weekend, that’s about a 53% drop. If “The Avengers” plays out the same way, it’s second week numbers will roughly be 98 million, and if it has a drop like the first “Spider-Man” film which made 114.8 million it’s first week and 71.4 million it’s second week,it’s total will be 129 million. So are you’re saying eventhough ‘Avengers’ opened nearly 50 million higher than the “TDK” it will only make about 5 million more in it’s second week than the “TDK” did. Considering how much money it’s going to make fri-thu 65-70 million which is a lot of money and even more impressive when you consider that it’s not summer when kids are out of school, plus it’s as well reviewed and even more talked about than “TDK” was, to me that means demand is not nearly satisfied yet. This past tuesday a friend and i went to go see ‘Avengers’ for a evening show, and every show was sold out from 7:30 to 11:00PM, except for a 10:10 3D showing, and we we’re there by 7 PM. To me 100 million this weekend is not as far fetched as you say at all, and i’m giving you REASONABLE valid points on why ‘Avengers’ can make that. Like i said if it just plays out roughly like “TDK’s” second weekend, it should hit around 100 million on the nose, and if it plays out more like the first “Spider-Man” film, close to 130 million, i say it might play somewhere in between. What can i say, i do my homework on films box office history, if i end up being wrong David you can tell me so, i guess we’ll all find soon won’t we.
@Telemachos – Yes it does friend. It’s early so we’ll see, but right now i’m thinking at least 500 million domestically and possibly 600 million. However, how this second weekend plays out will have huge a deteriming factor on that. If “Avengers” strong weekday numbers (65-70 million) gives us any indication, than that bodes very well for it having a shot at a 100 plus miilion second weekend.
This is not a prediction, but one of the reasons Avengers may not beat TDK domestic gross are those weekly grosses. Thus far, TDK is kicking Avengers ass Mon-Wed. What was a $50m lead out of Sunday, is now by Wednesday down to $35m. Over three days that’s $15m.
And TDK definitely had an easier path to longevity than Avengers will face, with Battleship and MIB taking away eyeballs in the next two weeks. No one expects them to do similiar business as Avengers, but it’s still going after the same demo.
Also on the international front, the only major market Avengers has left is Japan, so the issue with these huge saturations is that it opens in many markets with not much left, so the drop off rate is faster. I honestly don’t think Avengers will catch HP7.2’s $1.3B, because you’re basically asking it to almost double what itnhas already made, and I don’t see that happening. I could be wrong.
This second weekend, as always, will tell us a whole lot more about the true trajectory of what is undoubtedly a huge success story. Where it eventually ends up, is only semantics.
Greetings from puerto viejo Costa Rica where there dont seem to be any movie theaters and avengers bootlegs are everywhere.
Im curious to see if theres an avengers ripple effect. Do we get more people to the theaters this summer? Does Dark Shadows benefit from sold out avengers screening overflow? Does the Amazing Spiderman get a marvel bump? Is having your first big summer movie such an unqualified hit that it gets people excited about the remaining summer blockbuster season?
Its been a long time since the first summer movie out of the gate hit with such force. Are we in for a dynamic hype filled summer?
Heres hoping.
Orlando – This is all extrapolation on top of extrapolation.
There was nothing ordinary about Dark Knight’s run. And Avengers will be what it is.
This notion out there that we know whether it’s Harry Potter’s drop or Hunger Games’ drop or TDK’s drop is just a Rorschach test. With numbers like this, there is no norm… there is no “obviously, it will be…”
What we know is that about 23m tickets were sold by TDK in its first 6 days in domestic theaters.
About 22m tickets have been sold for Avengers in its first 6 days (taking the 3D bump into account).
TDK sold about 11m more tickets in the next 4 days.
And you feel Avengers will sell about 10 million more tickets in the next 4 days (including today).
Completely possible. And I never said otherwise.
It’s also completely possible that Avengers isn’t on the same expansive engine that TDK was… that it’s lost $15m of its lead as of yesterday and will probably lose another $5m today… and that the audience for this film had more opportunity to get into screenings last weekend than people did for TDK in 2008, so you might see a 65% – 70% drop-off because circumstances have changed considerably in 4 years.
Knowing your history means knowing that when the first Spider-Man opened, the exhibition world was very, very different… and that infrastructure matters a lot.
When Spidey opened, there will limited advanced ticket sales, there were a lot fewer actual screens accordioning out, and theaters were routinely sold out. I wasn’t at any multiplex last weekend, so I can’t speak to local experiences, but a hugely popular theater like The Grove almost never sells out shows in advance anymore… for anything… because they successfully expand the number of seats they sell to create opportunity for as many people as may want tickets within any period… even prime time on the weekends. (There are many full theaters and more sell-outs within 30 minutes of any particular screening.)
Of course, none of this speaks in a clear way to putting butts in seats. And the answer remains, we do not know. However, if there is any indicator right now, it’s not huge weekdays… which may be a function of the date or may be a function of the film and how big its base is or is not. We don’t really know right now.
A 65 to 70 percent drop off? Yeah I’ll take that action.
Dave:
Actually the money doesn’t all go into the same pot. The split on rentals for distributors is far more favorable on domestic grosses, especially for front-loaded releases. But that aside… we’re talking about Worldwide grosses, not profits. And if your point was merely to “debunk the illusion that somehow Avengers got to $700m on opening weekend” then that would be fine. But there is a difference between this movie vs. Pirates 4, Transformers 3, and Harry Potter 7b. The difference is the disparity in worldwide gross between the previous entries in those franchises vs. the most recent incarnations. Despite additions to 3d by all of them, they weren’t anywhere close to as much as a mark-up as Avengers is to Iron Man 2. The last Spider-man made nearly 900 million worldwide. 5 years worth of inflation/emerging foreign markets and 3d ticket prices…it better do 1.1 billion. The Dark Knight made a billion 4 years ago. Same sentiment (minus the 3d of course) goes for it. But do we fathom a possibility where either comes close to 2 billion? Absolutely not. Yet here Avengers is all but certain to double Iron Man 2’s take from only 3 years ago. Just because more movies can more easily gross 1.1 billion today doesn’t mean we should judge them all equally. Now you do accurately compare the mark up to Shrek 2 but then you go on to say its not a game changer or a trend setter. This is different. You don’t think Warner Bros is having a lot of internal discussions about Justice League this week, or Universal is thinking about monster mash movies, or Fox is re-evaluating X-men or Paramount is thinking about Transformers Vs. G.I. Joe..?! Whether it drops to 80 million this week-end or — based on mid-week trends that show it playing far more like the original Spider-Man, iron man and Thor (you tell Orlando he cant do a “Rorschach test” but then compare it to TDK’s smack dab middle of the summer’s numbers?!) — does 100m plus minus a percent or two….it’s a already game-changer!
As you bring up Justice League Dan, something that most people including myself have forgotten, is that the maligned Superman Returns, did not have a massive opening weekend, and actually opened below the two Hulks, Thor, and Cpt America, but still crept across the $200m line. Something that the 2011’s marvel movies did not do, but they still helped to generate the massive Avengers result.
People love these characters, with Superman being one of the most loved and well known. You bet your ass Justice League is a major discussion. If Snyder’s Superman makes something coin, and the bendchmark does not have to be $250m for Superman, then I think within this decade, Justice League will be coming to a theater near you.
Dan – You’re a big apple & orange mixer.
First, you’re (mostly) wrong on your point about the rental split. It’s not the only 90/10 and down system anymore. Hasn’t been for years.
Second, the point on P2, T3, and HP7b is that crossing $1b is still great, but not shocking anymore… however you get there.
You’re right that all billion $ grossing movies should not be judged equally. If someone made one for $100 million and spent $75m on marketing, it would be very different. But of all the movies that have done $900m, much less $1b, only Jurassic Park and The Lion King represent investments of less than $350m in production and marketing.
Third, so you care about the mark-up between Iron Man 2 and Avengers. Great. That is where the Shrek 2 analogy starts and ends.
No idea what your 2 billion thing is. No one has any reason to think Avengers will close in on $2b, unless they don’t know that it was open for a week (and change) overseas before it opened here.
As for studios considering strategies after a big hit… DUH! Do you think of Transformers as a game changer because they made Battleship? I don’t. I think Transformers was a really great idea from Don Murphy that happened to come to life just as technology allowed the key experience to work for audiences… that the robots felt real in live action. But in the end, it’s a very successful effects franchise, not a game changer, because it can’t be repeated, really.
“hether it drops to 80 million this week-end or — based on mid-week trends that show it playing far more like the original Spider-Man, iron man and Thor, does 100m plus minus a percent or two….it’s a already game-changer!”
How? Because it might inspire WB to risk a billion on three 2nd tier DC characters? They should have made Batman vs Superman years ago, as they developed it. And Fox has been doing X-Men “prequels” for years already.
Dave…
Don’t call me an apple and orange mixer and then move onto a new subject like budgets.
My “two billion thing” is the number spider-man or dark knight would have to do or what the last potter or pirates would have had to do to compare with the mark up from Iron Man 2 to Avengers. Never said anything about The Avengers doing 2 billion.
And I didn’t say anything bout 90/10 down. I simply said the rentals are more favorable domestically than foreign…which they are.
In both situations you’re just having a problem doing math; kind of like when you forget to mention the other half of the transformers equation….Tom Desanto. And Transformers was a bit of a game-changer actually. Though not as big a one as The Avengers. And if you cant figure out why/the affect on JLA or future X-men plans, etc…your just still having a problem with math.
No worries. Re: math — I think I’ve wasted a little bit too much of my time on this. But it was fun while it lasted!
It stands to reason that Avengers would be making less on weekdays than TDK did – school is still in. Theatres in my area don’t even have screenings before 3pm on weekdays until school is out.
Sorry Dan.. was just trying to deconstruct your post so I could speak to it clearly.
I wasn’t trying to diss Tom DeSanto (oy) or anyone else responsible for Transformers.
And you cover a lot with the word “math.”
There are TWO comic book franchises with these kinds of characters of value. One is WB’s. They have flailed trying to make JLA, Superman, Batman vs Superman, etc for years. We’ll see how Superman does. And whether this means that WB will try to make a series of movies with JLA characters other than Batman & Superman, we’ll see. But clearly, the big dog for Marvel, Spider-Man, was not necessary to drive Avengers.
Of course, the bigger question, which you haven’t answered, is whether you think Avengers is a good template for any of these other projects.
Because studios doing stupid hit to chase the idea of how a hit happened is the oldest thing in the movie world.
And we’ve already seen, Daredevil, Elektra, Silver Surfer, and Fantastic Four linger in mediocrity at Fox. Wolverine did okay, but not so much so that I’m expecting a Cyclops movie.
So I’m not convinced. I think Feige & Co learned from the weak showing of Hulk and circled the horses effectively. But unless Iron Man 3 is much better than Iron Man 2, I don’t expect a big increase in gross. And same with Thor and Cap.
But then again, I didn’t expect Thor and/or Cap to do as well as they did. So…
Dave, what do you think the hire of Shane Black says about where Marvel is wanting to go with the next set of films? Is it a sign of things to come or more along the lines of wanting to give RDJ a warm fuzzy.
WB/DC are going to address JLA at SDCC.
They can go with Goyer and Snyder, or they can try and bring the Nolan’s on board, as a way to entice Bale.
What Avengers did was remove the belief that they needed World’s Finest as a transition into JLA. Marvel actually compressed the time frame for WB, by making audiences open to the superhero team.
So WB is going to do Marvel in reverse; intro all the characters in JLA, then spin them out. This way, you cut out the risk of a GL disaster by being able to gauge which secondary character was best received. For example, if Marvel knew Avengers Hulk was going take off as he did, they would have loved to never made Norton Hulk.
If I had to bet, JLA will be on screen by 2015. Man of Steel has just become the prologue, and don’t be shocked if we hear about Snyder adding elements to MoS to foreshadow future events.
As for this weekend, I still say Avengers clears 100, and is closer to 125. Even if the fanboys went 3D/Imax during the week, you’re going to have massive repeat business with the 8-12 crowd.
Putting Nolan’s Batman in THE JUSTICE LEAGUE is like putting Popeye Doyle in POLICE ACADEMY.
Yeah, I don’t think for a second they’ll use the Bale Bats in Justice League. But it will serve as the launching ground for the post-Nolan reboot they’ve been talking about for a year now.
Actually, I would buy a ticket to see Popeye Doyle in Police Academy.
The thought of Popeye Doyle in Police Academy bring to mind the Funny or Die video I wish someone would make. Frances McDormand in her Marge from Fargo role recreating all the great tough cop scenes from film history, Did you Pick your feet in Poughkeepsie, Do you feel Lucky etc.. in her MineeesOda accent.
Who launched the new Man Of Steel?
Nolan Bros and Goyer.
They saved WB from themselves.
If the Nolan’s take interest in a JLA project, it’s going to fit their perception, not WB’s half-baked ideas.
This is where JS would be right to say the Nolan’s have taken over DC by proxy. The comic division rebooted itself to be inline with their visuals for the core characters.
Reynold’s GL has made it even moreso imperative that they have first some kind of hand in DC productions.
So if they get in, which is what Robinov wants to announce at SDCC, JLA will fit their Batman/Superman vision, and not try and ape Whedon’s Avenger’s tone.
Robinov is going to want Nolan to direct, but he takes more time to get a production rolling then they can afford. So, it will be Snyder with the other three as writer/producers.
Also, Snyder isn’t 3D/digital adverse, which will be another imperative.
If a Nolan deal can’t be made, Robniov needs to bring Paul Dini and Bruce Timm on board to work with Snyder.
Anything outside of that mix, and Danger, Will Robinson.
” Robniov needs to bring Paul Dini and Bruce Timm on board ”
That would be GREAT! Id rather them than Nolan, personally.
Dark works for Batman but would be a big mistake for DC on the whole. Aren’t their heros the more ‘comic-booky’ of the two companies?
She who must not be named is reporting a $25m Friday for Avengers. If this even close to the actual figure then there will be no $100m 2nd weekend, but more like $75-$85m weekend, which should be enough for the biggest 2nd weekend in movie history. TDK made $23m in it’s 2nd Friday.
Hcat: Funny you say that. Years ago, when I interviewed Frances McDormand after she won her Oscar for Fargo, I told her that I thought most folks rushed to judgment when they reviewed that film. And that, actually, I thot that if you really paid attention to the film, you would pick up on indications that her character had seen violent crimes before — had touched evil, if you will — and that, in fact, she treasured the time she spent with her illustrator husband because he kinda-sorta provided her with respite from the evil she had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. As I recall, she didn’t argue the point with me.
Let Dini and Timm be the showrunners for the entire DC lineup moving forward, similar to what Kevin Feige does for the Marvel movies.
Maybe someone should tell J Hoberman that Marvel was destroying NYC’s skyscrapers forty years before bin Laden suddenly made it symbolic.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/may/11/avengers-hollywood-afraid-tackle-9-11
You know its interesting that the tone of Avengers works so well because of the snappy banter that Iron Man helped establish for the brand. The moments people talk about from Avengers are the comedic ones.
DC doesnt have that in their wheelhouse, cinematically speaking. And the word from the Autumn Frost set is were getting a sprawling sci fi epic with this Superman. Batman isnt exactly the life of the party. And everyone hated Green Lantern who was their best attempt at cloning RDJ style for their JLA pic.
The biggest problem facing JLA is the fact that none of their characters in film have any kind of defined personality that would flourish in a crossover film. The second problem is the reverse egineering theyre going to attempt stocking a movie full of characters with no prior cinematic exposure and then spin the breakouts into solo films. On paper it sounds great. In reality i think this strategy will explode in their faces.