by Hyped as “the best superhero movie ever”, The flash has instead been planted in box office disgrace, falling so far short of its lofty expectations that Ezra Miller’s vehicle seems destined to rank alongside DC and Warner Bros. cat lady and that of Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern.
As the autopsy continues to roll in on what went wrong with the meta-multiverse-spanning movie, which reunites screen versions of DC characters dating all the way back to the 1950s, a real-world look at the storied history of the iconic comic book publisher is on the line. point to unfold. The three-part original Max documentary Superpowered: The DC Story explores the company’s nearly nine-decade history, from its founding in 1934 as National Comics Publications to the present day.
Co-directors Leslie Iwerks and Mark Catalena, who previously worked on the 2019 Disney+ documentary, spoke to Yahoo Entertainment after a screening The Imagineering Storycommented frankly on the mixed success of DC-based adaptations and shared their thoughts on what might happen under James Gunn’s new leadership.
From comics to movies
Working on the documentary gave Iwerks the chance to rewatch every DC movie and TV show from the original Superman series from the 1940s to the current DCEU. This gave her a new perspective for both the adaptations and the characters themselves.
“I enjoyed seeing how the DC movies were influenced by the original comics, which is obvious,” says Iwerks. “But how they transformed, how they evolved, how they reflected ‘today’ and how the effects got better. And ultimately how the characters themselves changed. It’s just fascinating to see it through the prism of time.”
Catalena specifically cited Richard Donner’s Superman as the benchmark for DC cinema, as well as sharing an aside about the landmark film’s influence on Marvel.
“The original Superman“I think without that nothing happens,” says Catalena. “I can’t even remember who told us this, which isn’t in the [documentary]but Kevin Feige even shows the original Superman to all his Marvel filmmakers. It’s like, ‘This is the blueprint. This is the tone.’”
DC vs Marvel
Super powerful doesn’t shy away from delving into DC’s rivalry with Marvel, even when the fight turned in Marvel’s favor.
“In all three episodes, we go into the ups and downs of the battle between Marvel and DC,” says Iwerks. “First DC’s business story that Marvel doesn’t take seriously, and then Marvel ends up being this powerhouse that DC has to worry about.”
“There is more writing about Marvel taking on DC at the box office,” added Catalena.
“But when you look at television, video games and animation, DC is way above Marvel in many ways. We wanted to touch on it, but we didn’t want it to be just a story about the rivalry.”
Green Lantern‘s Light
While Super powerful does not dwell on the will of cat lady (2004) or Green Lantern (2011), Catalena says the filmmakers explored Reynolds’ blockbuster epic; however, the segments ended up on the floor of the cutting room.
“We were more focused on talking about the big swings they made,” the filmmaker explains. “Look, we’ve interviewed people about it Green Lantern. We have the stories, we just choose not to focus on them. When we had so much to consider, and so much material that was really good, that one [bad films] just fell off naturally.
A new legacy
Last year, Gunn and Peter Safran were hired as DC Studios’ new co-CEOs. Gunn subsequently announced plans to write and direct Superman: Legacy, the first movie in a new chapter for the DC Universe. (Gunn David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as the new Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane.) Although Gunn is only briefly present in Super powerfulIwerks and Catalena both express optimism about him.
Iwerks praises the “new regime” and their work so far, saying that “they really know what they are doing”.
“I think they will continue to be brave and take bold turns,” added Catalena. “This isn’t in the show because it happened after we were done, but James Gunn is already tying what he’s trying to do in the movies to the comic books. That hadn’t necessarily been done before, and I think that’s key. The ideas start in the comic books and then blossom elsewhere. He embraces that, because he is a fan himself.”
Catalena says Gunn’s The suicide squad is proof that all these secondary characters can work. … I have every confidence that he will make it all.”
Superpowered: The DC Story premieres July 20 on Max.
