Ever since the Joker trailer came out, nearly two weeks ago, I haven’t stopped thinking about. I’ve watched the trailer multiple times and watched different trailer reactions.
I haven’t this excited for a DC movie since Batman v Superman and while I love and enjoy what Warner Brothers and DC Films are doing within the larger DCEU but I like having superhero movies doing something different and slightly darker, which is why for example my favourite Marvel Studios films are Captain America: Winter Solider and Infinity War.
I hope Joker will be the launch for more lower/medium budget DC one-shots and use take the name from the current comics label.
Ideally at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con after the Joker panel announces Joker will beginning a new series of films from DC Black Label Films and to make sure they’re separate from the DCEU and use the same logo as the comic line.
During the announcement, the use of the logo and repeating these are one-shot/single Elseworlds stories that don’t affect what the DCEU is currently doing or in the future.
Now let’s focus on some of the stories WB/DC Black Label Films could tell:
Lex Luthor 2020
What an ideal way to follow Joker by reimagining Superman’s greatest villain Lex Luthor and use a famous trope of the billionaire coming president of the United States.
The main core of the story would be taken from the Lex 2000 storyline when Lex’s popularity grew after he restored Gotham City following an earthquake (taken from the No Man’s Land arc) and he went into politics and after winning the election went into the Oval Office.
You can use the angle of corruption and deception was part of his reign but was brought down by Lois Lane secretly recording him admitting some sort of crime.
So if Joker is a human tragedy then Lex Luthor 2020 could be a political thriller.
As for the writer, this would be right up Aaron Sorkin’s ally as the screenwriter for both The West Wing and Newsroom. Meanwhile, I’d do everything possible to bring David Fincher on board to direct and reunite the duo that did fantastic work with The Social Network.
If not Fincher and Sorkin, then Spotlight writer-director Tom McCarthy would be an ideal choice as he won Best Film and Original Screenplay at the 2016 Oscars.
Either way, what a way to get talent wanting to get involved and if Joaquin Phoenix goes on to win an Oscar for his performance it would add serious credentials to trying to get talented interested.
Speaking of talent, for Lois, the likes of Jessica Chastain (who has worked with Sorkin on Molly’s Game) and Rosamond Pike (worked with Fincher on Gone Girl) would probably be in the running.
Meanwhile, outside those two who I see as frontrunners, I think Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Felicity Jones would be great choices as well.
Elsewhere, the casting of Lex would be massive and while I’m sure Bryan Cranston would the top choice for many fans, I’m thinking of someone completely different.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andre Braugher would be a fantastic choice to play Lex Luthor.
He has repeatedly proven in the US comedy he has incredible acting chops and he has the power and presence to control a scene without saying a word. When he does speak he has a fantastic voice that brings respect and control.
In the film, I’d also have Superman characters like Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and Mercy Graves. As for Clark Kent, that’s honestly a question mark because Joker does have Bruce Wayne in but he’s a child. The only thing I can currently think of is Clark is dead, but that’s lazy in my eyes.
The important thing about this film is it can’t come across as Trump bashing as that doesn’t have any interest around the world and I think if they did that it would be lazy.
Task Force X
I think Suicide Squad can work as a film next to the DCEU version as long as you make it clear again with the logo and the title, which is why I chose Task Force X as the title, this is a different movie.
The director I picked would be S. Craig Zahler as I think he can have a ball building out his world as he likes having creative control and this route, instead of working in the wider DCEU, would suit him better.
If films like Brawl In Cell Block 99 and even his new film Drugged Across Concrete shows he doesn’t shy away from brutal violence and I think if he did this film, Zahler would shake the superhero genre.
As for the cast, I can see Zahler pick DC characters that would be more human and military based as with his previous films he’s done western, prison thriller and cop thriller, so a war movie would be ideal.
Vince Vaughn would be my pick for Rick Flagg as he’s worked with the filmmaker on his two previous movies, and the same can be said for Jennifer Carpenter, who would be a great Plastique.
Bronze Tiger would have to be involved and Omari Hardwick a smart choice to keep the budget down. Additionally, I’d get superb Aussie actor Aaron Pedersen to be Captain Boomerang.
The final two members of this Task Force X would be Deadshot and Vixen, Kerry Washington would be my choice for Vixen and finally the incredibly respected actor Michael Kenneth Williams as Floyd Lawton.
Amanda Waller is DC scariest characters as she has no moral centre and it’s going to be hard to find some half as good and screen dominating as Viola Davis, but if one actress could do the role justice, Angela Bassett or Regina King.
I can see Mel Gibson having some role in this and I’d go with a villain.
I could see everyone besides Waller being killed in some sort of brutal way and this film would be over two hours.
Booster Gold: It’s A Superhero Life
If you’re doing a darker/more adult DC line of films, they can’t all be dramatic. Which is why I’m going to add an R-rated comedy and Booster Gold would be my character of choice.
This is basically a simple pitch of what if Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was a superhero film?
This has been my thought since 2017 as Booster Gold is the perfect character have a mockumentary. You can have a documentary crew follow him this futuristic superhero travels into the past and becomes the world’s great hero and have other DC superheroes being interviewed saying how great he is.
Again Popstar is the blueprint, The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone handle the directing and Andy Samberg is Booster Gold with all three writing the script.
You could also have Schaffer and Taccone starring as the documentary crew.
It would break things up a little bit for the DC Black Label Films and inject some comedy.
Injustice: Gods Amongst Us
I’ve always thought Injustice would’ve been ideal as a limited animated series and still believe that. However, after seeing the superb Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, I now think it could work as a film.
It would have to be a series of 5 films or maybe a trilogy if you put Years 1 & 2 for the first film, three and four as the middle and the final film is a longer year five.
The reason for animation is because DC has been bossing the medium for years with their straight to home entertainment movies and they can do new things with making an animated film, similar to how beautiful and ground-breaking Spider-Verse was.
As for the cast, looking at some known names, Armie Hammer could finally become Batman, Jon Hamm lends his voice to Superman and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Wonder Woman.
The rest of the voice cast throughout the trilogy can include previous DC voice actors like Clancy Brown comes back to voice Lex Luthor.
There are more roles but I’d take forever to list them, maybe a fancast piece in the future.
Finally, if there was some way in mending the bridge, I’d look at Zack Snyder. Fans would love it and his only animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a seriously underrated, beautiful animated movie.
These are my choices and thoughts. If you think of any more please let me know.
The Bear Cave 