DC Comics fans can rejoice.
Saturday marked the arrival of the DC FanDome event, which kicked off at 1 p.m. ET, and with it never-before-seen footage, special trailer releases from the company, and much more. Pretty much, it’s a big day for superhero fans.
While the afternoon is still unfolding, all-in-all, it’s set to feature a trailer for The Batman with Robert Pattinson, clips from DC League of Super-Pets, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom behind-the-scenes footage, some more from Shazam! Fury of the Gods, a sneak peak of Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam, footage from the new Peacemaker series, and plenty more.
Pattinson previously teased in an interview with Variety that there’d be some “The Batman” action at this year’s DC FanDome, sharing that he and “Zoë [Kravitz] did some stuff. It’s a fun little thing. There are lots of little surprises for it.”
Click here to check out a live stream on the event’s website, or take a look below at a YouTube livestream. The event will also feature Augmented reality (AR) experiences and activities involving QR codes, and those looking to take part don’t need to download any additional apps for the content.
Scroll down to check out all of the news from the DC FanDome event.
The show kicked off with a special presentation with none other than DC’s newest superstar addition in Dwayne Johnson. The Rock appeared at the virtual event to share that he’s been working “so hard” to bring the “passion project” together, as the film is currently in its post-production process. As he puts it, he was “born to play Black Adam.”
“What you’re gonna see here is why the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change,” Johnson said before revealing Adam’s first scene in the upcoming film. “I hope you enjoy this very first look at the Man in Black himself, Black Adam.”
The scene featured electrocution, grabbing bullets with fingers, and other unreal powers only to be expected from a superhero played by the Rock, who seemed just as excited for the film as any other DC fan.
This next one might come as a shock for fans of a certain series.
During the event, while discussing Next Generation DC and The Milestone Initiative, producer Reggie Hudlin and Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan joined each other to reveal that Warner Bros. Animation is developing an animated movie based on an ensemble cast of Milestone heroes, written by Brandon Thomas. Voice actors have not yet been revealed.
The film, which is set to feature “more than one character” within that universe—so not just Static— will be the first time the city of Dakota will see an animation since the beloved “Static Shock” series aired from 2000-2004.
That isn’t all though, as the pair also discussed a live-action Static Shock film, a Dakotaverse film which will scripted by Randy McKinnon and is said to be a a joint production between Warner Bros. and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society. So they’re bringing out the big names for this one.
“This has been the thing that Milestone fans have been dreaming about for a long time, and we’re happy to give it to you, finally,” Cowan said.
If seeing the Rock kicking some ass and hearing about Static Shock weren’t exciting enough, DC FanDome continued with news that HBO Max’s “Doom Patrol” has been extended for a fourth season.
The series, which is having new episodes of season 3 launch each Thursday until Nov. 11, now has an accompanying trailer for those remaining episodes in this current season—and things seem to get a bit wacky.
Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Joivan Wade, Timothy Dalton, Skye Roberts, and Michelle Gomez continue to star in season 3, which follows the beloved part support group, part superhero team as they get caught up in some time-machine action. The trailer features parasites, puppets, and plenty of problems, so DC fans now have a little something extra to hold them over until the new string of films comes to be.
Four seemed to be a lucky number during the DC event.
HBO Max’s Titans was also revealed to be renewed for a fourth season at DC FanDome, and now fans have a first-look of the season 3 finale before it becomes available to stream on the platform on Oct. 21.
As young heroes come of age and face new struggles in the current season, which stars Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, and others, they’re also facing plenty of action in the latest preview. The clip features security takedowns and plenty of gunshots, and it’s all pretty intense.
“We really hope that finale packs the punch and lands for you guys,” Thwaites said. “… We are very excited to go back to Canada and continue making this wonderful show. It’s been a wild ride. I love making it. Toronto is a wonderful place to work and this is such versatile, diverse content to work on as an actor.”
Another DC mainstay has an exciting film coming up.
During FanDome, Jason Momoa showed off some behind-the-scenes footage of Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, the latest installment in the series which is set to arrive on Dec. 16, 2022. The first look featured those behind the film claiming it has “action, fun, and heart” and showing off some brief peeks at the long-awaited sequel’s set, and Mamoa taking a massive leap in air—which is pretty hard to miss.
“I’m very proud of this sequel because it’s tackling a lot of issues environmentally,” Momoa said. “Stakes are higher and I’m just excited because I had a big part [with] my boy [producer] James [Wan].”
His new costume was previously unveiled. You can check that out here.
First looks don’t always mean new footage.
Future fans of Netflix’s The Sandman found that out when they got rewarded with a glimpse of Gwendoline Christie’s portrayal of Lucifer during the DC event Saturday.
The Game of Thrones star wears spooky attire and wings in the image, as she stars in the series opposite Tom Sturridge’s Dream/Morpheus. The series itself, which is a “rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven,” will be shared via the first season some time in 2022.
Another new season is on the way, this time for HBO Max’s Pennyworth.
The series’ third installment will premiere in 2022 as a Max original, as the first two seasons arrive on the platform in early 2022.
Starring Ben Aldridge as Thomas Wayne—Batman’s father—and Jack Bannon as Alfred Pennyworth, the third season jumps five years into the future after the war, when the world sees new heroes and villains. Emma Paetz, Paloma Faith, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson, Ramon Tikaram, Harriet Slater, and Simon Manyonda all appear in the new season.
The series is executive produced by Bruno Heller, Matthew Patnick, Danny Cannon, and John Stephens.
“We’ve had so much fun making Pennyworth over the past two seasons, and we just wanted to thank you all so much for your support,” Bannon said.
The moment DC fans were waiting for has finally arrived.
While you can view the trailer itself in our lenghtier write-up here, Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, and director Matt Reeves all sat down to premiere it, and gave some insight into what it was like to work on The Batman.
Reeves said the latest Batman film starts things in a new place, as it isn’t an origin story for Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, but rather one that goes on to “refer to his origins” and “shake him to his core.” In the film, Pattinson works out his own internal rage, and the fight scenes you see “seem personal,” according to the actor.
“I remember putting it on and thinking that this is gonna be absolutely impossible,” Pattinson shared of the first time he put on his bat gear. “Wearing a kind-of two-inch-thick rubber suit or latex suit and being incredibly nervous and full of adrenaline the whole time, I remember we did two takes and you saying, ‘What can we do about this sweat?’ Nothing. There’s nothing that can be done. I have to be drained in liquid.”
Kravitz, who plays Selina Kyle, explained that with her character, they wanted to “try and create a real human being.”
“I don’t want her to be an idea,” she said. “I want her to be a real human being in a real situation, in a real city trying to survive and reacting to her own pain in her history.”
Of course, the dark trailer features an ominous question mark inside a cup of coffee, some intense fight scenes, Batman and Catwoman nearly embracing and a declaration of “I’m vengeance” that’ll surely leave any theatre applauding. Plus, it ends with one massive explosion, and an upside-down camera angle, worth replaying over and over.
The film arrives in theaters on March 4.
