I realize the title of this letter may be a little off putting but considering the recent movie releases of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, if language like this isn’t being thrown around the office, then perhaps you haven’t considered the sense of urgency this new direction is creating.
So to the executives of the Warner Bros and DC, I have to say I am sincerely disappointed with the way the cinematic universe is being handled. These are beloved characters that have been around for decades, established entire generations of fan bases, and have been going on strong since their creation.
Now you folks have been in the movie and entertainment industry for many many years. And for many of those years, you have provided us with a large amount of enjoyable material that we still
1. Stop relying on being dark and hyper-realistic.
Dark and gritty may work for some characters but it does not work for all of them. Christopher Nola’s representation of Batman worked so well not because being dark and realistic was a steeple of the Batman universe but because every facet of his films represented the Batman universe so well. Batman, his character, his narrative, even the bad guys he fights against, all come from a place that translate into something hyper-realistic and a gritty crime drama.
Superman on the other hand does not. Because it’s Superman. He flies around in a bright red and blue costume while shooting lasers from his eyes. A character like him doesn’t belong in the hyper-realistic world you’ve attempted to create. So forcing him into that mold has done nothing but make many wonder why they liked the character to begin with.
The Dark Knight Trilogy was popular because it accentuated all the things that make Batman and his story great to watch as the avenger cloaked in shadow.
The Richard Donner Superman movies with Christopher Reeves were great because they brought to life the bright, fun, superhero we all loved because he was that beacon of hope.
If you make an entire team of people the same as Batman, then there is nothing special about them anymore. These characters all have their own personalities, their own feel, and their own story to tell that were and still are popular for a reason: Because they are each one of them unique.
So keep them that way.
2. No more disconnect from the television shows
I’m not sure why this decision was made or what the purpose behind it might have been but this was a mistake.
The first episode of The Flash was watched by 4.8 million viewers, 1.9 of which were in the 18–49 demographic. Factoring Live + 7 day ratings, the pilot was watched by a total of 6.8 million viewers, becoming The CW's most-watched telecast and the highest-rated premiere among men 18–34. Those numbers were pretty consistent into season two.
Arrow averages 2.9 to 3.6 million viewers per season and that’s after being on the air for 4 seasons.
Supergirl premiered with over 16 million viewers for the first episode and averaged 9.8 million viewers per episode for the first season.
Legends of Tomorrow, the newest DC based series, is already averaging between 2 to 5 million viewers per episode.
Whatever formula you’re looking for to get people watching the movies, they have found it. So why would you cut off what looks, by the numbers, to be a vast and loyal fan base that’s already been won over by telling them what they see on the big screen has absolutely no relation to what happens on the smaller one?
Break down this wall between movie and television. Bring the characters together for what the public demands. But I understand with what you’ve done so far, that might be an issue to have to write from a creative standpoint which brings me to my next suggestion.
3. You can keep what you’ve done while making something new.
The beautiful thing about doing works based off a long running set of comic book characters is that the writers and artist and companies behind these characters and story lines have run them through the ringer many times. Over and over again have characters and plots been re-imagined, tried out, abandoned, and sometimes all out retconned. What you’ve done is nothing new. You’ve written yourself into a corner. It happens. It –has- happened. And it it’s been fixed before.
This universe you’re bringing to life has a major pillar of the narrative that only the TV series has touched on that could solve many of the issues people have with your films: it’s a universe with different dimensions.
Different Earths with the same characters but slightly changed. Another piece of popular media that’s an opportunity to grow and expand the DC Cinematic Universe is the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us. It is a popular game involving all the most notable DC heroes and villains revolving around a plot that involves different dimensions interacting with one another. The game sold incredibly well and there is now a sequel on the way.
Use this to your advantage. Do away with the timeline you've set and start over. It's possible to use all of this to your advantage and build a universe even better that what has been done with Marvel and Disney. This is all coming from a fan that wishes to see these characters represented in the best way possible. Forget dark and gritty and just accentuate all the things that made people fall in love with these characters and stories in the first place.
Sincerely,
A comic book fan.
