Comics
‘The Batman’ Will Open the Doors to Arkham Asylum and Could Spawn Spinoff Movies for Its Villains
Variety shared a lengthy story that roadmaps Warner Bros. potential early plans for a new shared Batman universe; one that’s allowed to breathe, unlike Zack Snyder‘s films that were rushed into production to compete against Marvel.
The success of The Joker has signaled creative freedom to the studio, showing that a single character can hold his or her own and that an R-rating is a mere illusion if they back a director-driven film that connects with the audience.
While Todd Phillips’ The Joker (probably) lives in its own universe, Warners is going to use the Matt Reeves-directed The Batman as a possible springboard into several R-rated villain-centric spinoffs. (Remember, studios are reactionary and with success comes more and failure comes less.)
According to the site, “a handful of scenes” in the film will be set at Arkham Asylum, the high-security prison known to comic book fans for housing super-criminals.
“If the movie works, Warner Bros. and DC believe that any of these villains could headline their own spinoff movies.”
It’s also extremely important to note that key cast members in both The Batman and Birds of Prey have contract options to appear in sequels and standalone films.
For those not keeping tabs, Robert Pattinson is locked in as your new Bruce Wayne/Batman, while villains introduced in The Batman will be Riddler (Paul Dano), Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz).
Why should horror fans care? Well, the new direction is backed by Walter Hamada, “the longtime New Line executive who was brought on board in 2018 as president of DC Films,” and Warner Bros. film chief Toby Emmerich, with both men having worked together on past New Line hits such as It and The Conjuring.
As the site notes, “Under Hamada and Emmerich, the studio has become more comfortable with backing comic book movies for adults. Joker became the first DC release to nab an R rating, but it won’t be the last. Birds of Prey is also expected to get a similar rating and insiders predict that James Gunn’s upcoming Suicide Squad sequel will also be R-rated.”
Here’s an interesting bit: “Analysts believe the studio has hit upon a smart strategy — 20th Century Fox had backed R-rated comic book movies such as Deadpool and Logan, but after being bought by Disney, which prefers its heroes to be cleaner and less prone to f-bombs, it’s unclear if it will continue to back those type of projects.”
In short, Warner Bros. and DC are going to fill the hole in the marketplace created by Disney’s family-friendly directive. It’s a win-win.
If you want to read more, there’s also chatter about the resurrection of Superman (they spoke with J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, as well as Michael B. Jordan to star) and Green Lantern, as well as Batgirl and The Flash. They also note that the horror-tinged Aquaman spinoff The Trench is seeking a director, meaning James Wan won’t be getting behind the camera for that one.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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