Warner Bros. pours on the DC Comics charm offensive at Comic-Con
SAN DIEGO -- Warner Bros. knew the stakes coming into Comic-Con: Batman v Superman, a crucial pivot in the construction of the DC Comics universe, was not beloved. It wasn’t even beliked.
They needed this moment, in front of these fans, to restore the faith. And Great Hera, they seem to have done it!
The massive charm offensive began late Saturday morning in Hall H, where the home of DC Comics unfurled first-look footage from two flagship franchise films: Wonder Woman and Justice League.
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While both immediately appeared online -- that’s just the way they do it since pirates spooked studios out of revealing true Hall H “exclusives” -- what the Comic-Con crowd got that the internet did not was a two-hour visit from every big name in the DC cinematic universe.
And by now, there are so very many.
Ben Affleck. Will Smith. Gal Gadot. Chris Pine. Margot Robbie. Jared Leto. Henry Cavill. Jason Momoa. Et cetera, et cetera … look, if they’re in a DC movie on the slate, they were here in San Diego. And that's despite Justice League currently shooting in London. (Word around the 'Con was that WB flew them in just before the panel and was instantaneously flying them back.)
With Conan O’Brien acting as emcee, the studio kicked things off by assembling onstage its own directors Hall of Justice – Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Zack Snyder (Batman v Superman, Justice League), Rick Famuyiwa (The Flash), James Wan (Aquaman) and David Ayer (Suicide Squad).
With Wonder Woman coming next June, Jenkins and Gadot headlined the panel for what will be the first standalone female superhero film in the modern, connected-universe era.
“She is Wonder Woman,” Jenkins said while introducing Gadot. “She is the kindest, strongest, most amazing person I have ever worked with. She is truly a superhero in her life.”
Though there have been Wonder Woman sizzle reels out in the wilds, Warner Bros. chose Comic-Con to release its first bonafide full-length trailer.
Snyder, who hosted a group of journalists for a visit to the London set of Justice League earlier this year (it marked the beginning of DC’s ongoing PR reclamation project) has acknowledged a shift in tone for his follow-up to Batman v Superman.
"We cut together a teeny -- it’s really just a taste -- should we show it?" Snyder teased, before, obviously, showing it.
And by the look of this footage, prepared especially for Comic-Con, he's not lying about the tone thing:
But the real savior of goodwill for the DC movie universe has to be Suicide Squad, which is due right around the corner, on Aug. 5.
The entire Squad assembled onstage to tell a tale that's become somewhat familiar: These are bad guys, doing good. But according to Smith, there's a bit more nuance than that:
"This is not a movie about good vs. evil. This is a movie about bad vs. evil. And l like that distinction," he said.
The erstwhile Fresh Prince also told the crowd a story that's been going around on the press tour: the director's unorthodox method of applying manipulative psychotherapy to the method.
"What I would say that David’s superpower is is helping actors fall into your characters and your relationships," Smith said. "He does a really extended rehearsal process. You don’t realize you’re rehearsing. He digs into your lives. We all shared really deep stories about ourselves, about each other ... and you thought he was just being nice. And then when you're on set, he throws your biggest childhood drama at you. And then says ‘The Joker did it!’"
Suicide Squad is already tracking for a huge opening weekend and looks well on its way to becoming a massive multipart superhero franchise of its own. Smith figures it may even help him in the parenting department.
"Something about this idea and something about this cast has really captured something," Smith said. "My kids are doing what I say for at least a couple of months. It’s a really good look."
Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music, gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards, shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.
