When it comes to things that split opinions in the world of movies, then the casting of big comic book movies is always pretty near the top of the list. This time around, it is the recent announcement around the casting of Green Lantern in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU that has caused many fans to vent their feelings across social media, with many having one of two issues with Nathan Fillion’s casting as Guy Gardner.
Having appeared in every James Gunn projects somewhere along the line, Fillion’s appearance in the new DCU is not exactly a surprise, which is the first thing that has been pointed out. However, those who don’t have a problem with Fillion being cast in yet another Gunn movie have instead complained that they wanted someone younger to play the role.
However, the reactions were not all bad, and there seems to be a high number of fans who are excited about the most recent castings. The biggest challenge that Superman: Legacy has is to bring back audiences who have pretty much abandoned the world DC movies in the last few years. Superman, very much like Batman, is always a big draw when heading their own movies, so in that respect it seemed like the most sensible option to kick off the new DCU with DC Comics’ iconic Kryptonian. Whether it is going to pay off is something we have a while to wait to find out.
The New DCU Will Not Look Back Much to the DCEU
Although there seems to be certain characters that will be bridging the gap between the old and new DC franchises, on the who Peter Safran has recently made it clear that no one needs to have any knowledge to what came before to step into the new DCU and Superman: Legacy. While this is both a way of setting out a “we are not the MCU” stall and at the same time trying to distance from the disappointing turn out for every DCEU movie of the last year, audiences will make up their own minds about it all when things really kick off in 2025.
In the meantime, Blue Beetle will be the next DC release and after releasing a second trailer, the character’s position within the franchise is another “hedging-bets” move. According to Gunn, the movie will feature some DCEU cameos, just like The Flash, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Black Adam, but that certainly doesn’t guarantee success these days. Additionally, Blue Beetle himself, aka Jamie Reyes, will be continuing on into the DCU in future, making this a real stepping stone movie that people may or may not decide to care about.
Rounding out the old DCEU, and 2023, will be the much-delayed Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Jason Momoa will be back as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman, after his most recent short cameo in The Flash, but exactly where his future lies is something that has yet to be confirmed. So far it has been made clear that Momoa will still be part of the franchise, but in what capacity is still a mystery, despite many rumors around him taking on the role of Lobos and leaving Aquaman behind.