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From The Batman’s gritty vibe to Cheetah in action: 10 big reveals from Day 1 of DC FanDome
Now that DC FanDome has wrapped up its first day of events, it's time to take stock of what we saw and learned during the digital comic book convention. The panels may have been short, but they were no less informative in what they were able to give away in terms of teasers, hints, and, of course, fresh footage. Across the world of film, comics, and video games, here are 10 of the biggest reveals from Saturday's super-heroic lineup. There's plenty here to keep you busy until the second day of programming next month.
Cheetah shows her claws:
After eight months, fans of the DCEU's Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) were finally gifted with the second trailer for Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984. Promising an '80s fashion montage for Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), the trailer also shows off some primal footage of Cheetah (Kristen Wiig), who is seduced by the "greed is good" argument posited by Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). The film, which is scheduled to hit theaters Oct. 2, also enjoyed a special panel, which saw surprise appearances from Venus Williams and '70s-era Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter. Later in the day, Gadot, Carter, and Jenkins unveiled the 80th-anniversary logo for Themyscira's most famous daughter.
The Suicide Squad roll call:
We've known about the all-star ensemble for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad for quite some time now. Aside from a few returning faces (Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, and Jai Courtney), we didn't know what other characters Gunn would be tapping for his soft reboot.
Thanks to a nifty little "roll call" video released yesterday, we finally know who is playing who. In addition to Harley Quinn (Robbie), Rick Flagg (Kinnaman), Amanda Waller (Davis), and Captain Boomerang (Courtney), we've also got: Savant (Michael Rooker), Javelin (Flula Borg), Polka-Dot Man (Dastmalchian), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Mongal (Mayling Ng), Thinker (Peter Capaldi), Sol Soria (Alice Braga), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), Peacemaker (John Cena), Weasel (Sean Gunn), and King Shark (Steve Agee). Tinashe Kajese ("Flo Crawley") and Taika Waititi (character is TBD) are part of the cast as well, but for some reason were not a part of the video.
Set for release next August, The Suicide Squad also dropped a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Barry Allen's new duds:
The cameras have yet to roll on Andy Muschietti's solo Flash movie, but the It director was able to show off some snazzy concept art for Barry Allen's new costume. Muschietti described the costume redesign as "more organic," while also revealing that it was built by Bruce Wayne. Set to open in the summer of 2022, The Flash is being written by Birds of Prey's Christina Hodson, who promised the birth of a "cinematic multiverse."
Static Shock shocks with a movie announcement:
Fans of old-school Cartoon Network programming rejoiced yesterday when comics writer Reggie Hudlin teased that a Static Shock movie is currently being discussed at Warner Bros. Along with artists Kyle Baker and Denys Cowan, Hudlin is helping to revive the defunct Milestone Media with a Static Shock graphic novel (on sale February 2021) and new series starring Icon and Rocket (rollout is TBD).
Darkseid headlines Snyder Cut trailer:
A veritable treasure trove of never-before-seen footage was on display in the debut trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League. Arriving on HBO Max next year in four one-hour installments, the alternate cut of the 2017 team-up film will feature all sorts of cut content, like Darkseid (Ray Porter), Iris West (Kiersey Clemons), and the death of Silas Stone (Joe Morton). For our in-depth breakdown of the sneak peek, click here.
A Batman of color:
During the DC's Multiverse and diversity panel, John Ridley (writer of 12 Years a Slave and, as fate would have it, the old Static Shock TV show) teased his upcoming Batman comic, plainly stating that his take on the Caped Crusader won't be a white dude for a change.
"I think it's a pretty safe bet that if I'm writing Batman, it’s probably a little better than a 47% chance he’s going to be a person of color," he said.
This version of the character will exist alongside the current Batman continuity overseen by writer James Tynion IV and artist Jorge Jimenez.
Gaming:
James Gunn wasn't the only one to bring Task Force X to DC FanDome. Rocksteady Games (the studio behind the Batman: Arkham series) presented an extended sneak peek at Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The title won't be ready until 2022, but you can have some fun by watching Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark slowly realize they're going to have to take down a crazed Superman (possibly under the control of Brainiac).
Elsewhere, Warner Bros. Montreal announced Batman: Gotham Knights, the first Batman console title since Arkham Origins in 2013. The first gameplay footage features Bruce Wayne (obviously) and a few other members of the Bat Family: Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood.
Shazam 2's godly title:
Until yesterday, David Sandberg's Shazam! sequel only had a phony trailer. Now it has an official title (Fury of the Gods), some colorful artwork, and a fresh casting announcement in the form of comedian Sinbad. According to the actor, his role in the second installment will be both "big" and "prominent."
Black Adam recruits the Justice Society:
The shadowy counterpart to Billy Batson's Shazam, Black Adam, is on the way from Dwayne Johnson, who has made it his mission in life to bring Teth-Adam to big screen. When the ancient Egyptian antihero finally arrives in theaters (hopefully next December), he'll be joined by members of the Justice Society of America: Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone. Right now, only the role of Atom Smasher has been cast (he'll be played by Charlie's Angels' Noah Centineo). Warner Bros. dropped a smattering of concept art for the film, which is being directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously worked with Johnson on Disney's Jungle Cruise.
The Batman wows with first gritty teaser:
FanDome's first day of programming closed out in the best way possible: by dropping the first teaser trailer for Matt Reeves' The Batman. While the movie is only a quarter of the way through its shooting schedule (production was paused in March amid COVID-19 concerns), this initial batch of footage is enough to sustain our excitement for the movie until it arrives in theaters next October.
Adopting a gritty, nihilistic, and David Fincher-ian atmosphere, the teaser introduces us to most of the main players: Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Alfred (Andy Serkis), and Penguin (Colin Farrell). From the very first seconds, we learn that someone (most likely Paul Dano's Riddler) is leaving taunting messages for Gotham's Dark Knight. For our in-depth breakdown of the sneak peek, click here.
Reeves shed even more light on the project during a panel hosted by Aisha Tyler.
