The DCEU is a franchise that has not quite found its feet. After numerous critical bombs at the box office, fans are wondering if the DCEU will ever get on track. Never fear DC Comics fans, Marvel screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus might have a solution for you. In fact, they claim to know how to fix the DC film universe.
There is no denying that all DC movies make a ton of money at the box office. For years, Batman and Superman retain their box office power. The critical reception for the films is not good, with the last few DC films (not counting Wonder Woman) hitting record lows. McFeely and Markus are responsible for Marvel films Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: Winter Soldier. So does the DCEU need to be fixed?
In a recent interview with Kevin Smith’s Fat Man on Batman, McFeely and Markus were asked how they would approach the DCEU and how they would ‘fix’ the franchise. According to Markus, it’s all about Warner Bros. approach:
“I would look at what Marvel did, out of necessity, in that they didn’t have their A-list characters, they didn’t have Spider-Man, they didn’t have the X-Men, and they went down the line and found, I mean he’s pretty fucking famous as Iron Man, but he’s, you know, he wasn’t there, and they made a really good movie out of it.
I might put Batman and Superman and everybody else, I mean, Wonder Woman is doing fine, aside for a second and go through the vast world and go ‘that guy, or that girl’ and go, ‘let’s just make a really good movie and not a universe and see what happens.’ You know, there’s a lot of spaghetti being thrown at the wall.”
It is apparent that Warner Bros. has been attempting to replicate Marvel’s formula but repeatedly falls short. Markus may be on to something. Marvel had to dig deep, and pretty much bet it all on Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. It was an unprecedented move that began to lay the foundation of Marvel’s dominance.
The DCEU tried to change gears at the last-minute with Justice League by bringing on Marvel heavy-hitter Joss Whedon. But heavy studio influence was still apparent throughout the film. Marvel allowed their directors to make the film they wanted, with a few guiding rules. This contrasts Warner Bros., as numerous reports exist that catalog their long history of film interference.
The DCEU is not dead yet though. In the next eighteen months, there are three more films hitting theaters (Wonder Woman 2, Aquaman, and Shazam). Could James Wan’s Aquaman change the tides for DC?
