The DC Universe arrived at CinemaCon Tuesday, with Warner Bros. looking to the future even as it rolls out three films made by a previous regime. DC Studios co-head Peter Safran appeared in person, while his partner James Gunn sent in a video message (he is busy overseas promoting Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). Among the films touted were The Flash (June 16), Blue Beetle (Aug. 18) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 20).
“Each of these films not only delivers a stunning cinematic experience that uniquely highlights our iconic DC heroes, they also blaze a trail forward into our DC universe that we are cracking with our next chapter,” said Safran.
DC is in a time of transition, with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO tapping Gunn and Safran to take over as co-heads of DC Studios as of last November.
The studio is particularly high on The Flash, which will screen in full later Tuesday for attendees. “It’s a very emotional movie,” Zaslav said of The Flash. “To me, it’s the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen.”
Andy Muschietti directed The Flash, which stars Ezra Miller in the title role, with Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck playing different versions of Batman, and Sashe Calle starring as Supergirl. Michael Shannon reprises his role of General Zod from the 2013 feature Man of Steel. Safran noted that Barry Allen/The Flash has the power to change the past and future, and that this film “resets the DC universe” using that power. Amid the panel, Warners released a new trailer for the feature.
Miller, who was not in attendance at CinemaCon, was arrested multiple times last year and subject to controversies, culminating in the actor issuing a statement Aug. 15 apologizing for their behavior and saying they would receive help for “complex mental health issues.”
“They are an incredible actor and the chance to work with one of the best actors that I’ve ever worked with,” Muschietti said at CinemaCon. “I discovered they are an incredible comedian and also [handled] all the action required for a big spectacle like this. They wanted to do all the stunts, and I let them.”
Safran also shared a look Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which revealed Momoa’s hero has a baby boy. More of the plot was shared, including that Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ) — using a Black trident that gives him greater powers — is threatening the surface world, with Aquaman needing to team up with his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to stop him.
James Wan once again directs Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with Momoa leading a cast that includes Amber Heard, who was pictured briefly several times in the trailer. Nicole Kidman — seen in several action sequences — and Temuera Morrison also return. It is due out Dec. 20. The first Aquaman defied the odds to become a $1 billion hit, making it the first DC film outside of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy to do so.
Xolo Maridueña in ‘Blue Beetle’
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics
Blue Beetle also got the spotlight on Tuesday. Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña stars in DC’s first movie to center on a Latino superhero. In a move that pleased theater owners, Blue Beetle was upgraded to a theatrical release after initially being developed for streaming service HBO Max.
Angel Manuel Soto directs the feature from a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. Maridueña plays recent college grad Jaime Reyes, who acquires superpowered armor after an encounter with an alien scarab. He must learn to harness his new powers while learning the reason the scarab traveled to Earth. One thing that makes this superhero story different, according to the filmmakers, is Jaime’s family knows of his powers and his struggles.
“Good luck hiding something from your Latino mother,” Soto said to laughs, while Maridueña described his character as the only superhero who doesn’t seem to want his powers.
Soto brought an extended trailer for the film similar to one previously released.
The feature also stars Adriana Barraza as Jaime’s grandmother, Nana, Damían Alcázar as his father, Elpidia Carrillo as his mother, Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo as Carapax, with Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord, and George Lopez as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy. The film also stars Belissa Escobedo as Jaime’s sister, Milagro, and Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez.
Gunn and Safran have charted out a new slate that will revamp DC’s universe, with upcoming titles including Superman: Legacy and the Batman feature The Brave and the Bold. All of these will take place in a shared universe, while a few select films will stand on their own, such as The Batman Part Two and Joker: Folie a Deux.
Zaslav recalls a meeting with Gunn while he was writing his script for Superman: Legacy. Gunn spoke about these characters being his family growing up and Zaslav was struck by that notion, saying he would like to see these characters be like family to audiences globally.
Warner Bros.’ DC slate comes at a challenging time for superhero movies. Its previous effort, March’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods, earned just $132.9 million globally, while rival Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underwhelmed upon release a month earlier. Still, Warners is bullish on its next release, June 16’s The Flash, having so much confidence in it that the film will screen nearly two months early at CinemaCon Tuesday.
Said Gunn in a video to theater owners Tuesday: “I’d like to thank all of you for all of your support over the years. One of the main reasons I took this job is because I truly in the bottom of my heart believe in the theatrical experience for film.”
