Fans have been speculating how the Arrowverse creators will handle Crisis On Infinite Earths since its announcement almost a year ago. At San Diego Comic-Con fans were finally given some answers.
Perhaps the biggest bombshell revealed at the Arrow panel is that Brandon Routh will play two characters. His regular character, Ray Palmer/The Atom, and Superman.
Routh, of course, portrayed The Man Of Steel in 2006’s feature film Superman Returns. Released as a direct sequel to 1980’sSuperman II, which is widely considered the best of the Christopher Reeve films, Superman Returns established that Routh’s Superman and Reeve’s Superman were one and the same.
As if that wasn’t enough, Routh came on stage during the panel to reveal his costume.
Brandon Routh reveals a Kingdom Come Superman shirt
Routh will indeed be playing Superman as he appeared in the epic 1996 comics story Kingdom Come, which takes place in the future. In it, Superman is older and more of a grizzled veteran than the current day one.
Superman as he appears in Kingdom Come #1. Art by Alex Ross
This would also seem to imply that this aging badass Superman is that same Reeve/Routh movie version. How he will fit into the Crisis story was not revealed, but it sure whets fans’ appetite for the series when it airs this Fall.
As DC Comics fans know, Crisis On Infinite Earths was an epic universe-wide crossover event that rebooted the DC Universe continuity. All of the “other universes”, or Multi-verse as they might be called now, were streamlined into one congruent universe.
Arrow will be ending its eight-year run this season and will be part of the annual crossover event.
Robert Pattinson will be playing Batman in future big screen Justice League films, but another fellow teenage heartthrob may be headed to TV for the same role.
It is worth noting there is no official confirmation on what Welling’s role is as of yet. However, the show has an October start date. Whether the Dark Knight talk was a teaser or just a throwaway statement, will be known soon. If it does happen, it would make Welling the first actor to portray both Batman and Superman in live action productions.
It’s been rumored for the last few weeks, but today it has been confirmed. Variety reports that Robert Pattinson, probably best known from the Twilight films, has been cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne for the oft delayed film The Batman.
Pattinson will take over the role from departing actor Ben Affleck, who himself faced backlash over being cast in Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman film.
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman is scheduled for a Summer 2021 release. It is rumored to be the first of a new trilogy of films based on DC Comics’ popular Dark Knight.
We spoke a bit about this casting in the final segment of our last podcast, Episode 234, linked above. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Post them below or on our Facebook and Twitter!
Last month Disney held an investor’s conference where they unveiled their highly anticipated streaming service, Disney+. The presentation answered a lot of questions about what is in store for subscribers this coming Fall.
Pricing
Disney+
Starting Price will be $6.99 per month and will be ad-free
Annual price of $69.99
Hulu
$5.99 – Basic Plan will have ads
$11.99 – Ad-Free plan
$44.99 – Ad Free with Live TV
Hulu fans have been affectionately dubbed Hulugans
Programming
Between Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, Disney will have three popular but very different streaming services that can be subscribed to individually or in a package.
Disney+
All existing Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars films at launch
Falcon & Winter Soldier Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan confirmed to reprise their roles
WandaVison – Effectively Vision & The Scarlet Witch series
Loki – Tom Hiddleston will reprise as well
The Mandalorian – Created and written by Jon Favreau
Cassian Andor – Pre-Rogue One series
Obi-Wan – Rumored more heavily lately that it will be a a Disney+ series and not a movie.
Deadpool 3 – This would seem to be the most likely possibility.
Miniseries – Since Disney+ will be family friendly, the chances of “Hard R” content, such as the Deadpool movies, are pretty slim. However, Hulu has several TV-M series.
Spider-Man 3 – This might be the most entertaining option, even if the content is toned down for PG-13 content. While some fans question putting a mature audience in a PG-13 movie, there is precedent in the comics for this. Spider-Man and Deadpool already have an ongoing series.
Aladdin’s Opening Weekend
Disney’s latest live action adaption of an animated film opened to the tune of $122 million dollars. Compared to the previous Dumbo, it was more successful. The trend to adapt animated films to live-action will likely continue.
At this time, there is no confirmation of any connections to the trilogies from Rian Johnson or Game Of Thrones creators David Benoiff and Dan Weiss. The first Benoiff & Weiss film will be in December 2022
Pattinson has been no stranger to genre roles. He was rumored to be one of the finalists to replace Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man,
before the part was given to Andrew Garfield. He appeared alongside
current Spider-Man Tom Holland and Emperor Palpatine himself Ian
McDiarmid in The Lost City Of Z.
As we keep saying, actors act for directors, not necessarily for the audience. Similar reactions to Michael Keaton, Heath Ledger, and Ben Affleck have happened before, but their performances impressed audiences.
Looks like Bruce Wayne to me…
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Of course, such a move has not come without controversy. Multiple petitions have already arisen, demanding that Pattinson not be given the coveted role.
Since Twilight wrapped up in 2012, Pattinson has been no stranger to genre roles. He was rumored to be one of the finalists to replace Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, before the part was given to Andrew Garfield. He appeared alongside current Spider-Man Tom Holland and Emperor Palpatine himself Ian McDiarmid in The Lost City Of Z.
She first gained national prominence in the FOX drama House as Dr. Cameron. She played The Chosen One, and The Dark One, Emma Swan in ABC’s Once Upon A Time. She’s even been Captain Kirk’s mother in 2009’s Star Trek reboot.
This summer, Jennifer Morrison will add another geek-cred role to her resume. She will provide the voice of Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, in the upcoming animated adaption of the famous Batman story Hush.
Based on the year-long comic story of the same name, Hush will also feature Jason O’Mara (Agents Of SHIELD) as Batman, Rainn Wilson (The Office) as Lex Luthor, and real life husband and wife Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn as Superman and Lois Lane respectively.
Hush was notable for being a fan favorite story written by Smallville co-creator Jeph Loeb, and drawn by comics legend Jim Lee. In it, the mysterious villain Hush sets into motion several actions to sabotage and destroy Batman from afar. It also featured the first “In Continuity” fight between Batman and Superman.
No exact date has been officially released, but previews have been leaked to the internet. Check one out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCbh2LOzWUU
Batman: Hush will be produced by Warner Bros. animation, and will have a PG-13 rating.
We did predict on Episode 225 that this would happen, because it’s common sense. Though it will likely be several years before we get the MCU Proper X-Men film.
The creation of Batman has its roots in the pulp crime magazines of the 30s. Several of the panelists mentioned the characters of The Shadow, The Phantom, and Green Hornet as pre-Batman inspirations.
Well, who are three out of the first four entrants in our Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame? The Shadow, The Phantom, and Green Hornet
Is there a favorite incarnation of Batman?
All this and more in another fun-filled edition of Geekville Radio!
It’s a mega-sized collection of news on this episode of Geekville Radio. Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick return to talk some of the major headlines
Perhaps the biggest news, possibly even bigger than the obvious Star Wars distribution rights, is the Fox owned Marvel properties that can now be incorporated into the MCU.
The most obvious addition would be that of The X-Men. One of fans’ biggest complaints about the MCU is it never incorporated Marvel’s famous mutants. Now, that plethora of of characters can be introduced in Phase Four.
The other Fox owned Marvel property is The Fantastic Four. While the three movies may not have been as successful as most MCU movies, two characters linked to that specific brand could easily become major players as villains in future films. Those are of course Doctor Doom and Galactus.
While many fans are understandably thrilled about this, it is very possible there may be some major changes in store for the franchise.
First off, it is not a given that the existing X-Men actors will carry over into The MCU. And yes, that includes Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Despite already having five films’ worth of Spider-Man films, Marvel still recast Tom Holland in the role.
There is also the possibility that, by using the same actors, continuity just would be less sensical. After all, if the X-Men movies are considered part of the MCU, why didn’t The Avengers assist with any of those world-threatening situations.
Deadpool may stay according to reports, though as Train points out, the studio change may legally be a recasting of the role to Ryan Reynolds, just under a new company.
Disney/Fox Merger and Star Wars (19:20)
Another fan friendly wish that may become a reality is the re-release of the Original Trilogy, aka “Non-Special Editions”, Star Wars films. As discussed before, Fox owned the distribution rights to Star Wars. Thus, any theater or home video release could only be through Fox, unless some deal was worked out with Disney. That of course is no longer an obstacle.
Disney Rehires James Gunn (32:10)
Disney announced the return of director James Gunn to Guardians Of The Galaxy vol. 3. Was the reaction to past controversial tweets overblown? Did Disney cave? Was it just trolls? Or did they have this planned all along? There is evidence for all of these possibilities.
Gunn will still be writing and directing Suicide Squad 2, so Guardians 3 will have to wait for that project to finish before it starts filming.
Oliver Queen himself revealing that Arrow is coming to an end
We already know that Crisis on Infinite Earthswill be next years crossover. We also know they’ve been teasing Crisis since the pilot episode of Flash.
In the comics, Flash and Supergirl die during Crisis. Does this mean their respective TV shows will end as well?
Speaking of deaths, Oliver Queen did die in the DC Universe, but was brought back by Hal Jordan as Spectre. So it is very possible that Ollie may bite the big one, and be brought back in some capacity later on.
Bill And Ted 3 (52:40)
The last segment off the show is devoted to the long-awaited confirmation that a third Bill An Ted movie, now titled Bill And Ted Face The Music, has begun filming. Could a sequel to a 30 year old cult classic work in mainstream 2019?
As always, we welcome your thoughts on all these stories. Let us know in the comments section or on our social media
For 35 years, fans have enjoyed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adventures in various incarnations. In 2015, the heroes in a half shell crossed paths with The Dark Knight himself, Batman, in a limited series by DC Comics and IDW.
Now that story has been adapted for an animated release entitled Batman vs. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which hits shelves at the end of the month. Check out the trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGTeehoG0xI
Batman meets the TMNT
While the art in the comic book version seems to pay homage to the original Eastman & Laird artwork, the movie looks more like the Batman: Brave And The Bold format. The cast consists of Troy Baker taking on the roles of both Batman and The Joker (a first for the same release), Tara Strong as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, John DiMaggio (Futurama) as Mr. Freeze, Darren Criss (Glee) as Raphael, Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) as Michelangelo, and Tom Kenny (SpongeBob Squarepants) as The Penguin.
