Without a traditional San Diego Comic-Con this year (canceled because of you-know-what) to showcase a bunch of new projects, Warner Bros. and DC decided to take matters into their own hands and set up a brand new virtual event for fans. Called the DC FanDome (get it, fandom?), the live experience featured a series of Zoom panels with the cast and creative talent behind the scenes of anticipated movies like The Batman, Wonder Woman 1984, the Snyder Cut of Justice League, and more.
FanDome successfully translated what it’s like to sit through panels at Comic-Con, while also packing the day’s events full of new announcements, trailers, and footage for DC’s entire cinematic slate from now well into 2022. For the first time since the end of Justice League, the future of the DCEU is starting to come into focus—and it’s an exciting time, full of promise.
A lot of info and teases were given out, so instead of sifting through it all across different articles, we’re here to break down all the highlights in one place and contextualize a few things along the way. Let’s dive in below.
'Wonder Woman 1984'
![“I really think the movie is so great on the big screen...We’re going to stick it out, and we believe in putting it in the cinema.” That’s how Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins started the virtual panel for the COVID-19 delayed sequel. Much like Warner Bros. has a continued commitment to ensuring Tenet makes a theatrical window, so too will Wonder Woman 1984. While the complete cast—Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, and Kristen Wiig—were also in (virtual) attendance, viewers saw special cameos from Venus Williams and the OG Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter.
While there’s no new date for the release of 1984, there was a new trailer which officially debuted Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah’s look. The film’s plot seems to focus on an offer from Pascal’s Maxwell Lord to the public, stating that anything people want or anything they can “dream of, [they] can have.” The sudden and mysterious reappearance of Chris Pine’s long-departed Steve Trevor, combined with this menacing statement from Lord, hints that the power suit-clad villain may be responsible for bringing back Diana’s (Gal Gadot) lover.
Meanwhile, Kristen Wiig’s Barbara Ann Minerva and Diana’s dynamic hinges around a perceived wrong. “You’ve always had everything, while people like me have had nothing,” Minerva states. This pits the two against one another while Maxwell pulls strings as the master puppeteer. Minerva fully embraces her “apex predator” status towards the end of the trailer with some special effects work that puts Cats to absolute shame. Oh, and in the same way we had Steve being a guide for a fish-out-water-Diana in the first movie, the roles will be reversed in 1984; the trailer ends with Steve getting his own fashion montage in the same way Diana had hers in the first movie. Steve seems to adapt well enough, as the sporty Nike Cortez’s that briefly appear look great on Chris Pine.](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XW2E2Fnh52w/mqdefault.jpg)
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“I really think the movie is so great on the big screen...We’re going to stick it out, and we believe in putting it in the cinema.” That’s how Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins started the virtual panel for the COVID-19 delayed sequel. Much like Warner Bros. has a continued commitment to ensuring Tenet makes a theatrical window, so too will Wonder Woman 1984. While the complete cast—Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, and Kristen Wiig—were also in (virtual) attendance, viewers saw special cameos from Venus Williams and the OG Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter.
While there’s no new date for the release of 1984, there was a new trailer which officially debuted Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah’s look. The film’s plot seems to focus on an offer from Pascal’s Maxwell Lord to the public, stating that anything people want or anything they can “dream of, [they] can have.” The sudden and mysterious reappearance of Chris Pine’s long-departed Steve Trevor, combined with this menacing statement from Lord, hints that the power suit-clad villain may be responsible for bringing back Diana’s (Gal Gadot) lover.
Meanwhile, Kristen Wiig’s Barbara Ann Minerva and Diana’s dynamic hinges around a perceived wrong. “You’ve always had everything, while people like me have had nothing,” Minerva states. This pits the two against one another while Maxwell pulls strings as the master puppeteer. Minerva fully embraces her “apex predator” status towards the end of the trailer with some special effects work that puts Cats to absolute shame. Oh, and in the same way we had Steve being a guide for a fish-out-water-Diana in the first movie, the roles will be reversed in 1984; the trailer ends with Steve getting his own fashion montage in the same way Diana had hers in the first movie. Steve seems to adapt well enough, as the sporty Nike Cortez’s that briefly appear look great on Chris Pine.
'The Flash'
'The Suicide Squad'
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“[This was] a warm and wonderful set.” This quote from actor Peter Capaldi was earnest, sure, but I can’t help but think of it as a direct contrast and resetting of expectations around The Suicide Squad. The sequel is helmed by Guardians of the Galaxy director/writer James Gunn in what was initially a bit of a coup for DC after he was dismissed from Marvel over some bad tweets. While Gunn eventually found his way back into the director’s chair for the third Guardians movie, he made a pit stop to revamp DC’s ragtag group of villains entirely. If Capaldi’s note isn’t just lip service, he seemingly brought a nice bit of comradery to the set too—something that was perhaps missing on the shenanigans-filled set of David Ayer’s original movie.
While Gunn is still working on editing the film, he revealed who each of his star-studded cast would be playing. Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis will all return as Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag, and Amanda Waller respectively. Joining them this go-round is a combination of beloved character actors, Gunn-troupe favorites, and others including Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, John Cena as Peacemaker, Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Mayling Ng as a gender-swapped Mongal, Sean Gunn as Weasel, and Steve Agee as King Shark. You can see the full cast reveal video below.
There are many deep-cut DC characters here—I sincerely cannot believe we’re getting Polka-Dot Man and The Thinker in a major blockbuster, for example. While that’s exciting for diehard comic book fans, the inherent danger of the missions the Squad undertakes means that not everyone is bound to make it out alive. It is fitting, as gritty war movies of the 1970s-inspired Gunn’s take on the sequel. You can see more in this behind-the-scenes video feature that was also released.
While we’re still pretty far out from the films August 2021 release, but even in this early look, The Suicide Squad is certainly shaping up nicely under Gunn’s warm leadership.
'Static Shock' and Milestone Comics
The Snyder Cut
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I still, really, cannot believe this movie is even happening—but it is. And so director/writer Zack Snyder took the virtual stage at Fandome to talk about his version of Justice League. Snyder confirmed that Cyborg (Ray Fisher) will be the “heart” of the movie and will see his storyline fleshed out considerably from the version that Joss Whedon finished. The director also hinted at a particular sequence involving some unknown bits of The Flash’s powers and an increased role in the movie’s plot.
Additionally, Snyder revealed that the movie would drop in four, one-hour installments with an eventual theatrical-type cut to come later. The trailer included below, is set to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and features previously unseen footage, including Darkseid (DC’s version of Thanos, basically), Kiersey Clemons’ version of Flash paramour Iris West, the Hall of Justice, and more. The trailer ends with Ben Affleck’s Batman saying while Darkseid has faced all kinds of enemies, he hasn’t met the Justice League “united.”
'Aquaman' sequel
'Shazam!'
'The Batman'
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What a wonder a well-cut trailer can do to change the public perspective. Initial buzz around the first trailer for the Matt Reeves-written and directed, Robert Pattinson-starring Batman reboot appeared to be extremely strong if my timeline was any indication.
While Batman is often known as “The World’s Greatest Detective,” other cinematic versions haven’t fully explored this element until now. The Batman will see Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne take on a mystery haunting Gotham courtesy of Paul Dano’s The Riddler. Reeves revealed the movie’s tone draws its influence from noir films like Chinatown, Taxi Driver, and The French Connection with a real-world grounding to make it seem as if it could all “really happen.” The trailer itself comprises about “25%” of the final film, as corona-related complications shut down production earlier this year.
Reeves also stated this story is essentially a “Year Two” version of the character. We’re moving past the tired origin story of Batman (which hopefully means R.I.P. to seeing Martha and Thomas Wayne, well, R.I.P.) into a world wherein everyone, including the villains, is still coming into the identities we know and love. We see brief glimpses of Zoë Kravitz in burglar mode wearing a ski mask with just a touch of cat ears. Meanwhile, there’s an otherwise unrecognizable Colin Farrell as the Penguin— although Reeves stated he doesn’t like being called by that name. And Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Gordon gets a fair amount of screentime in the first part of the trailer while Andy Serkis’ Alfred is heard in voiceover.
The Riddler’s menacing, uh, riddles seem to indicate there’s more to Batman and Gotham’s past than perhaps even Bruce knows. However, one thing that’s abundantly clear to a group of Joker-inspired goons is this: While he might not be wholly Batman in name, this version of the infamous character is undoubtedly full of rage. And this trailer is loaded with enough tantalizing details and bold new directions to make the wait until October 21, 2021 all the more grueling.
