Justice League

[GeneChing]

Another trailer in the wake of San Diego Comic Con.

[GeneChing]

Just a rumor, but it would be pretty cool.

#TheBatman
We Could Be Getting Our First Asian Robin / Nightwing, And That Is Perfectly OK
October 07, 2016 at 09:04AM



Posted by Kristy Anderson

Be prepared for more Batfleck. Since Warner Bros. revealed plans to prioritize work on a Batman solo film following Justice League, the web has been flooded with news, casting rumors, and theories surrounding the film.

The most persistent among these rumors is that Walking Dead star #StevenYeun is in talks for the role of #Nightwing, the adult incarnation of the first Robin, **** Grayson.



Many fans were excited by this rumor, but others have shown concern regarding staying true to the history of the character. In all previous comic and animated appearances, Grayson has been portrayed as white.

As it turns out, there is little basis for the rumors, aside from Yeun being a top choice for many "fan casts" of the film. But, should the rumors turn out to be true, it shouldn't be a problem. It is well past time we stopped crying foul whenever a character is cast outside of their original race.

In The Case Of Nightwing, Race Isn't All That Relevant To The Character



Now, I am not saying it would have been OK to cast a white guy as Black Panther, or an Asian woman as Storm. For them, racial identity forms a core part of the character. For Nightwing, though, it doesn't really matter what race he is.

**** Grayson, who became the first Robin (and later Nightwing), was introduced in Detective Comics #38, in April 1940. And yes, he was white. All the major superheroes at the time were white. Any other choice was entirely unheard of.

Aside from the fact that white was the default race for superheroes at the time of his introduction, no aspect of **** Grayson's character screams that he absolutely has to be white. Racial identity has never been a major part of his character development. It was just what was expected, and there is no reason that can't change.

A Change In Race Could Add New Depth To The Character



Casting Yeun, or any other racially diverse actor (and therefore giving Nightwing a new culture and racial identity) can only be a good thing. It adds a depth to the character that was not there before, leaving much more for the DCEU to explore should Nightwing become popular enough to appear in future films, or even headline a film of his own.

Taking into account the character's previous history, introducing an Asian background for him could make a lot of sense. Prior to taking on the mantle of Robin following the tragic deaths of his parents, **** performed with them as a member of acrobatic trio, The Flying Graysons.

Even now, as Nightwing, acrobatic ability remains one of the character's key talents. Asian countries have produced some of the best gymnasts and acrobats in the world, making it easy to incorporate one of those countries or cultures into Nightwing's background.

The MCU Has Already Race-Swapped One Major Character To Brilliant Effect



In all of Nick Fury's pre- #MCU comic book appearances, the character was portrayed as white. He was once played by a white actor, David Hasselhoff, in the TV movie Nick Fury: Agent Of SHIELD. However, when the character made his first MCU appearance (in the post-credits scene of Iron Man), popular Black actor Samuel L. Jackson had been cast in the role.

Jackson elevated Fury from a second or third tier character in the comics, to a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His portrayal has become so synonymous with the character that many of the comic incarnations of Nick Fury have been altered to reflect this.



The #DCEU has a chance to follow this success with their choice of Nightwing, breaking some new ground of their own. **** Grayson as Robin has appeared on the big screen before. **** Grayson as Nightwing has not.

Whoever is ultimately chosen has a good chance of giving us the definitive portrayal of the character, blazing a trail that any potential future Nightwing's will have to follow.



At the end of the day, what really matters is choosing the very best actor for the role, no matter what race they may be. I look forward to a day when we can all be a little more colorblind when it comes to casting decisions.

[@PLUGO]

[L-R] Batman, Flash, Cyborg & Wonder Woman

[GeneChing]

Although I confess I'm a huge fan of Nicole - me and Wang Jianlin. She started out as a ninjette in Nightmaster (1987) and I cannot believe we don't have a thread about that here.

JANUARY 31, 2017 1:25pm PT by Borys Kit
Nicole Kidman in Talks to Join 'Aquaman' (Exclusive)


Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Nicole Kidman

The actress is in early negotiations to play Aquaman’s mother.
Nicole Kidman may be joining the DC Cinematic Universe.

The actress, who is in the Oscar mix this awards season for her work in Lion, is in early talks to play Aquaman’s mother in Aquaman, the big-screen take of the underwater-breathing comic book superhero.

Jason Momoa is playing the title character in the Warner Bros/DC Entertainment production that James Wan is directing. The studio is cruising towards an April production start in Australia and is starting to round out key members of its cast.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who starred on Netflix’s Baz Lurhmann show The Get Down, is in early talks to play the villain known as Black Manta.

Amber Heard is on board as Mera, Aquaman's royal love interest, and Willem Dafoe will portray Aquaman’s advisor, scientist Dr. Vulko. Patrick Wilson, who starred in Wan’s Conjuring movies, will play Orm, a villain who happens to be Aquaman’s half-brother.

In traditional Aquaman lore, the hero’s mother is Atlanna, who hails from royalty in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. She escapes her kingdom and falls in love with a lighthouse keeper, giving birth to the boy who will one day grow up to be a bridge between two worlds.

If a deal is made — and it looks optimistic, as Kidman has been Wan's top choice for weeks, with an official offer finally going out on Monday — it will not be the actress' first swim in the DC superhero waters. Kidman starred opposite Val Kilmer in 1995's Batman Forever as Bruce Wayne's love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian.

Kidman currently is on the awards circuit for her role in Lion, the Weinstein Co. drama about an adopted man looking for his family. She also is one of the stars and executive producers of Big Little Lies, HBO’s dramatic miniseries that is set to premiere in February.

Kidman is repped by CAA, Shanahan Management and Media Talent Group.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

James Gunn reassures DC fans amid rumors about future movies: 'We're still just beginning'
"Building the next 10 years of story takes time," the new co-chair of DC Films tweeted following reports that projects like Wonder Woman 3 or a Black Adam sequel could be dead.

By Christian Holub
December 08, 2022 at 04:48 PM EST

James Gunn wants to reassure fans about his plans for future DC movies.

The Suicide Squad director was recently named co-chair of DC Films alongside producer Peter Safran, and though they won't present their plans to Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav until next week, The Hollywood Reporter reports that big changes could be in store, including the potential end of Gal Gadot's time as Wonder Woman.

Representatives for WBD have not responded to EW's request for comment on THR's report, but Gunn himself posted a thread to Twitter on Thursday directly referencing it. Although he didn't confirm or deny specifics, he communicated that he and Safran are prioritizing DC's stories and characters.

"As for the story yesterday in the Hollywood Reporter, some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true, & some of it we haven't decided yet whether it's true or not," Gunn wrote in the first tweet, without elaborating which was which.


James Gunn reassured DC fans on Twitter after reports emerged that future films like 'Wonder Woman 3' could be in trouble. | CREDIT: KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES; CLAY ENOS/ WARNER BROS.
In another tweet, Gunn continued, "Although this first month at DC has been fruitful, building the next ten years of story takes time & we're still just beginning."

WB representatives did not respond to EW's request for additional comment on Gunn's tweets.

Gunn first made his name as a superhero director at Marvel with the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. He recently oversaw the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and the new trailer for next year's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 teases one last adventure for the space-faring misfits as the director dedicates his full attention to DC (where he has already overseen the Peacemaker show for HBO Max, featuring John Cena's character from The Suicide Squad).

According to the aforementioned THR report, which was based entirely on unnamed sources, DC is not moving ahead with Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 3. A long-awaited Man of Steel sequel starring Henry Cavill's Superman may also be dead in the water, even though Cavill recently reprised the role in the post-credits scene for Black Adam. Shortly afterward, he ended his other big franchise commitment by departing Netflix's The Witcher.

Speaking of Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam, a sequel is also said to be "unlikely" given the film's middling box office performance. Tweets this week from Johnson and Gadot — the former asserting that Black Adam actually will turn a profit, and the latter saying she "can't wait to share [Wonder Woman's] next chapter with you" — could be indicative of ongoing debates within the studio.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the long-delayed The Flash starring Ezra Miller are still on track to hit theaters next year, but how they connect to other films remains unclear.

"As for more answers about the future of the DCU, I will sadly have to ask you to wait," Gunn wrote in the final tweet in his thread. "We are giving these characters & the stories the time & attention they deserve & we ourselves still have a lot more questions to ask & answer."

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