To Fix DC Universe, Comic Book Expert, Geoff Johns, Named to Co-Lead DC Films

For a number of years, Kevin Feige has been the executive producer for Marvel Studios and has carefully guided that Marvel Cinematic Universe to what it has become today. Fans have clamored for Warner Bros. to do the same. Fans want someone who understands and loves the characters that can weave an overarching story for the purpose of creating a DC film universe as extensive as Marvel's. Well, Warner Bros. has finally listened as, Geoff Johns, Chief Content Officer of DC, and Jon Berg, a Warner Bros. Vice President, have both been named co-leads of the newly formed DC Films.

What Lead to the Change:

Although Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made $868.2 Million in theaters, many believed that the tone was completely wrong for the characters and have clamored that Zack Snyder, the director, is wrong for the project.

Zack Snyder

Good news began to come in last week when Ben Affleck was named a producer on Justice League Part 1. It was believed that Warner Bros. have become worried about Zack Snyder's vision for the films and the hope was that Ben Affleck could help guide Zack Snyder into creating a film that pleases both fans and critics.

Ben Affleck as Batman

Who is Geoff Johns:

Geoff Johns is currently the Chief Content Officer of DC Comics. Most of his time currently is overseeing the overall direction of the comics. Although he has done this for a time, he is much more known as being a comic book writer. His most recent works include the 50 issue run on Justice League. In addition to this, he also has written years of experience writing stories on other iconic DC characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Superman. Almost every character he touches becomes an instant hit.

Geoff Johns

The only sad news to him becoming a lead on DC Films is that he will have less time to devote to writing comic books.

Why You Should Care:

Everyone has different opinions on Batman v Superman, but one semi-consistent criticism is that Zack Snyder doesn't understand the characters and should not be leading the charge in creating the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Zack Snyder as I've state before (here), is a very visual director, but he lacks the ability to create realistic stories and compelling characters. Geoff Johns, on the other hand, has written these characters for years. He understands how they tick, what people like about them and how to incorporate them into a story. Geoff Johns also has experience in creating small stories that complement a larger overarching story line.

Conclusion:

Although I have always been excited for where the DCEU was going, Zack Snyder's direction was making me increasingly more worried. However, now with Ben Affleck as a producer and Geoff Johns overseeing the entire project, I am not only excited, I'm ecstatic to see what great movies will come out of the DCEU.

DC Director Runs From The Flash Movie And Aquaman Director Might Torpedo Away As Well

Seth Grahame-Smith has officially stepped away from directing The Flash movie that is scheduled to be released on March 16, 2018. The official reason is "creative differences." Surprisingly, this is not the first DC movie that has lost its director early in the development stage. Michelle MacLaren left as director of Wonder Woman in April of 2015. Wonder Woman was able to find a replacement director in Patty Jenkins a few days later and was able to keep its release schedule of June of 2017.

With The Flash still being two years away, there is time to find a placement director. However, usually when a new director steps onto a project there are script rewrites and other pre-production shifts. So even though there is plenty of time, a new director will need to be hired soon in order to account for these changes.

I wish this was the only bad news to report about the DC Extended Universe, but there is another rumor currently brewing. It is rumored that director James Wan may be leaving the Aquaman movie that is also set to release in 2018.

When James Wan was announced to direct the movie featuring DC's King of Atlantis, it was believed that Warner Bros traded directing Aquaman for him developing and directing a sequel to the 2013 horror hit The Conjuring. With the sequel The Conjuring 2 entering theaters in June of 2016 he has apparently fulfilled his end of the bargain. Even with this though, James Wan can choose to leave the project if he feels that the movie he wants to make doesn't align with WB's vision.

So why the sudden departure of Seth Grahame-Smith and possibly James Wan? Well, Seth Grahame-Smith has historically been known for script writing and has yet to direct a feature length movie. So it is very possible that he simply wasn't up to the task and was asked or decided to step down. James Wan has directed multiple horror films such as Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring, but he has also shown his skills in directing with 2015's Furious 7. So his departure is a little more puzzling.

The answer may lie in the aftermath of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Although the movie had considerable support and did fairly well at the box office (depending who you ask) there are still many fans and critics that are asking for Warner Bros to fire Zack Snyder and move in a different direction for future films. However, since Justice League started shooting a mere week after BvS released, Zack Snyder could not possibly be taken off of Justice League: Part 1. However, it is possible that the current round of directors exiting projects is a result of the reaction to BvS.

I still stand by the fact that I'm excited for the DC movies to come, as you can read here, but these increasing rumors of creative teams dissolving is certainly putting a damper on my expectations.

What do you think of Seth Grahame-Smith leaving The Flash? How would you react if the rumor of James Wan leaving proves to be true? Comment below to let me know of your unpopped comments.