DC underutilizing characters??

[Ekko]

Ok, I'm not going to just start bashing DC, cause I know they're with the WB and there might be stuff going on behind the scenes that I'm unaware of. Still, why in the heck doesn't DC utilize characters like Batman. Wonder Woman, and Aquaman a lot more when it comes to stuff like movies, cartoons, and live action t.v.?

I mean really, with the success of Smallville, and Lois and Clark was very successful for awhile (their problems later where self inflicted with a bad plot arc: frog clones!), why in the world isn't DC pimping characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman in live t.v. I mean, these characters are household names. Same thing with cartoons, and movies. Marvel pumps out cartoons, and movies about b and c-list characters all the time, shouldn't DC be at least trying to get on the gravy train.

Superman is the one character they do stretch, but even with him, it took over a decade to get him back on the big screen, and they're not doing a solo Superman cartoon becuase of the Legion. Why aren't these guys pumping stuff out?

[Astonishing X-Fan]

I wish we had JLU back. If you haven't watched that show, go buy the DVDs, now.

[Pól Rua]

Because it's expensive and it takes time.
Also, a lot of DC's big money characters are tied up in existing licensing agreements.
Plus, the average cinemagoer is resistant to superheroes.

My big gripe with DC is the fact that they aren't making use of their historical, Western, science fiction and war characters, which would be much more easily and readily translated into TV series or movies.

[The Mutt]

My big gripe with DC is the fact that they aren't making use of their historical, Western, science fiction and war characters, which would be much more easily and readily translated into TV series or movies.

I have to disagree with this. I've been hearing talk of a Sgt. Rock movie for years. But what would it be, really? Just another WWII movie, but the Sarge happens to be named Rock. Batlash = Maverick. Jonah Hex = Josey Wales. Adam Strange = John Carter/Buck Rogers/Flash Gorden.

Why would Hollywood pay to license a character that nobody has ever heard of just to make a movie they could have made without the name?

Then again, Hollywood made a movie about a cop who lived in a sewer and didn't wear a skull on his chest, and they paid to call him The Punisher.

[Kid Kamikaze10]

I blame Warner Bros. more than DC in this department, as well as video games, toys, and sometimes, even comics.

[Ekko]

Because it's expensive and it takes time..
I understand that argument for the movies but my God man, they can't get it together for some live action Batman or Wonderwoman stuff, or some Aquaman or Wonderwoman cartoon stuff?

Also, a lot of DC's big money characters are tied up in existing licensing agreements.
Could you or someone who is real knowledgeable about that enlighten me about it. I've always wondered how that could be such a problem if DC owns the characters?

[Titan76]

Could you or someone who is real knowledgeable about that enlighten me about it. I've always wondered how that could be such a problem if DC owns the characters?
DC doesn't own its characters(like Marvel owns their's), WB does. DC has no control over which characters get movies, cartoons, or video games. All of that is decided by WB. WB could even make DC kill Bruce Wane forever and make Nightwing the new Batman in the comic if they wanted too.

[Jared]

Plus, the average cinemagoer is resistant to superheroes.


That's not the case at all, or there would be so many superhero movies grossing over 100 million. Remember, young males make up the biggest segment of the cinema-going audience.

[Pól Rua]

Could you or someone who is real knowledgeable about that enlighten me about it. I've always wondered how that could be such a problem if DC owns the characters?

The way licenses work is that a production company buys the rights to any film featuring a character for a certain duration.
If DC/Warner Brothers sells said rights for a period of five years, then in that time, nobody else can produce a movie featuring that character. Lots of times, production companies will buy up characters with no intention of producing a film, but they'll do it just in case they MIGHT want to do so, and they don't want anyone else doing it.
A good example of that is when Artisan Entertainment bought up an absolute swag of Marvel Characters following the success of Spider-Man and X-Men.

[StoneGold]

It really is an example of WB handling their licenses poorly. About a year ago, WB licensing made a big stink about how if video games based on their licenses were rated poorly, regardless on how well they sold, there might be some deal restructuring. It was basically a threat to EA about the Harry Potter game. And then Superman Returns came out almost immediately afterward.

[J. Robb]

Plus, the average cinemagoer is resistant to superheroes.
I don't agree at all. The superhero genre is probably one of the most profitable right now.

[KenK]

I understand that argument for the movies but my God man, they can't get it together for some live action Batman or Wonderwoman stuff, or some Aquaman or Wonderwoman cartoon stuff?

It hasn't been for lack of trying! They managed to do a at least half of a network season's worth of episodes for Birds Of Prey, the fact that they even saw potential in a live-action series revolving around those characters is admirable enough. Yeah, the show ended up sucking like a White House intern, but it got a helluva lot further than Auqaman! And again, it's enough that someone even said, "Hey, let's make a live-action show revolving around AUQAMAN!!!" At various points in the last half century, this man's been the zeppo of the DC universe! The butt of countless jokes, and someone at WB actually approved a pilot for a series, at the very least!

[The Mutt]

After seeing The Incredibles, I don't care if I never see another live-action superhero movie again. When are people going to realize that comic book characters virtually always look ridiculous on screen.

[KenK]

After seeing The Incredibles, I don't care if I never see another live-action superhero movie again. When are people going to realize that comic book characters virtually always look ridiculous on screen.

When the movies stop grossing over 200 million dollars a pop and making studio executives richer than shit.

[J. Robb]

After seeing The Incredibles, I don't care if I never see another live-action superhero movie again. When are people going to realize that comic book characters virtually always look ridiculous on screen.
I have nothing against live action superhero movies, but I'd also like to see more Incredibles-style animated ones. I think I suggested this in the JLA movie thread.

[StoneGold]

I think part of the problem might be profit motivation. WB doesn't really make any extra money if they do a Superman film, vs. a film starring a Superman-like character. Stockholders still get the same amount, regardless. Whereas Marvel stockholders have a huge interest in getting movies made. As do stockholders of various film studios, as the superhero films make money.

On the other hand, WB doesn't have any external forces pushing them to make a superhero movie. So DC doesn't become quite the licensing machine Marvel is.

[The Mutt]

I think there is just an inherent problem with live action superheroes in that they set up an expectation of realism in our minds, and even though we know what Superman is capable of, seeing a human actor do it just looks wrong. A few movies have beaten this problem, but not many.

And I think the problem is worse in super gang fights. In JLU, I could accept that Batman could survive being anywhere near a battle with Supeman-level folks slugging it out. In a live action JLA movie, I'd keep waiting for the shockwaves to kill him.

[The Xenos]

I blame Warner Bros. more than DC in this department, as well as video games, toys, and sometimes, even comics.

Yup. DC can't do crap with film. They're merely the comics division of the giant media company AOL Time Warner. I sometimes call them DC AOL Time Warner Comics just to be mean sometimes. Though really I guess it's also kinda being nice to the poor people who work there as it's not always their fault when things are messed up. Well, except Dan Didio. We can always blame him. :rolleyes:

[Deep_Sleeper]

I can agree about superhero properties, but there's some stuff going on at Vertigo and Wildstorm that people just have to see.

I'd kill to see a 100 Bullets TV show.

Hell, we've seen good superheroes and tough vigilantes. What movie goers haven't seen yet is a human being flying through a gigantic human being's head moving at the speed of 212 km/s!

[Gary Joyce]

If they ever made a 100 Bullets TV show (and i do pray for the day it happens) Ed Harris has be Agent Graves.

Entourage probably did more to whet the appetite for an Aquaman movie then anything i can remember i half expected one to be announced.

[The Xenos]

For Vertigo, I sure hope Preacher get in at HBO and Vertigo opens up. We also have Y the Last Man possibly moving. Though I reaaaaally dislike Shia LeBouf. Plus we got Gaiman possibly making a Death film. Though again I reaaaaally really dislike Shia LeBouf. Dammit. Why does this jerk get involved with all these movies I like? Really, I didn't dislike him at first, but then he got so overhyped.

[Deep_Sleeper]

The thing I hope for the most is that the Vertigo property like 100 Bullets, Preacher, Y-The Last Man, etc. become TV shows rather than movies.

Anyone else not as compelled to go see movies in the theater anymore, but are much more psyched about the possibilities of DVD box sets of TV shows coming out? I'm in that place, right now.

[Ekko]

DC doesn't own its characters(like Marvel owns their's), WB does. DC has no control over which characters get movies, cartoons, or video games. All of that is decided by WB. WB could even make DC kill Bruce Wane forever and make Nightwing the new Batman in the comic if they wanted too.

The way licenses work is that a production company buys the rights to any film featuring a character for a certain duration.
If DC/Warner Brothers sells said rights for a period of five years, then in that time, nobody else can produce a movie featuring that character. Lots of times, production companies will buy up characters with no intention of producing a film, but they'll do it just in case they MIGHT want to do so, and they don't want anyone else doing it.
A good example of that is when Artisan Entertainment bought up an absolute swag of Marvel Characters following the success of Spider-Man and X-Men.

Thanks for the answers guys. So I guess it's WB's fault and not so much DC's. Unbelievable. It just seems to me with the success of shows like Xena, Buffy, Alias, and the new Bionic Woman series set to air this fall, a live action WW tv series would be worth doing. And with the success of Smallville, why not do a Bruce Wayne Chronicles type show, which follow his travels around the world right before he returns to Gotham to become the Bat.

[The Xenos]

The thing I hope for the most is that the Vertigo property like 100 Bullets, Preacher, Y-The Last Man, etc. become TV shows rather than movies.

Anyone else not as compelled to go see movies in the theater anymore, but are much more psyched about the possibilities of DVD box sets of TV shows coming out? I'm in that place, right now.

Shh. The studios want you buying movie tickets, not watching television. Though I guess the market is changing.

Plus I totally agree. Most comics are serial in nature and thus would better adapt as television shows, not movies. Unless it was originally a mini series, it wouldn't make for a good film.

Thanks for the answers guys. So I guess it's WB's fault and not so much DC's. Unbelievable. It just seems to me with the success of shows like Xena, Buffy, Alias, and the new Bionic Woman series set to air this fall, a live action WW tv series would be worth doing. And with the success of Smallville, why not do a Bruce Wayne Chronicles type show, which follow his travels around the world right before he returns to Gotham to become the Bat.

They couldn't even get Birds of Prey right, nevermind Wonder Woman.