Ben Affleck to Direct and Star in Solo Batman Film
The Knight Arrives After the Dawn
By Alex Burns
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is still playing out across cinema screens the world over but the wheels of the DC Universe on film continue to turn. Today we have news that Ben Affleck will reprise his role as the Dark Knight for a solo Batman film not only that but Affleck will also be directing as well! Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara confirmed the news on Tuesday while attending CinemaCon and it's a move that puts a positive outlook on the DC Extended Universe after an ice cold critical reception to Dawn of Justice. Warner Bros. will be hoping to capitalise on the positive feedback Affleck received for his performance in BvS and of course build on the impressive but slightly disappointing box office pull of that film. Dawn of Justice is hovering just below $800 million worldwide currently but considering the pop culture icons in the title you'd really have expected a bigger gross, bad reviews it seems do still matter somewhat. Overall, I'm pleased with the announcement, Ben Affleck was a serious positive from Dawn of Justice but, as with so many other aspects of that film, there is still much more we need to know to get a true idea of what really makes this Batman tick. Ben Affleck has always impressed me more as a writer and a director and the fact that he is coming in to helm this film from the beginning, as opposed to re-working Batman v Superman several months in with Chris Terrio, gives me more confidence that he'll get the job done right. One suggestion though; we have to move on from Frank Miller's Batman stories, I love them of course they are amazing but there's over 75 years worth of lore to pick from, do some digging guys you've got the time and money! No word on a release date but we'll be sure to keep you updated on all the developments for this new solo Batman film.
With all the focus on next years big marvel movie 'Captain America: Civil War' there's been little in the way of 'Thor: Ragnarock' news. In a recent interview Actress Jamie Alexander, who plays the formidable Asgardian warrior Sif, has spoken out about Ragnarok and how the movie will be teased in Civil War. “There’s a lot of great stuff they’ve peppered in through ‘Agents of SHIELD,’ [‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’], ‘Captain [America: Civil War’] will have some stuff,” Alexander confirmed. “There’s just all kind of Easter eggs and hunts, if you’re really paying attention. They’re so good at interweaving everything throughout those films.”
The actress was a little unsure as to whether Sif will be back with the rest of Thor's warrior buddies in any other Marvel movies but confirmed Sif will play a crucial part in 'Thor: Ragnarok',
“Marvel, I think on purpose, they don’t tell me certain things,” she said, “because they know I’ll be like, ‘So here’s what’s gonna happen.’ But I do know I will be in ‘Thor 3′ and that Sif will have a very pivotal part in that movie. I just can’t tell you what because I’ll get shot.”
A lot was made of the sequence in 'Age of Ultron' where Thor takes a dip in a mystical pool and then seriously trips out having a vision that shows the end of the world. The seemingly out of place scene has been addressed by Ultron director Joss Whedon and looks to have been included as a tease for the upcoming Thor movie. Looks like that may be explored a little more in Civil War will the famous Marvel end credits scene be a tease for Ragnarok? 'Captain America: Civil War' bows May 6th 2016 and 'Thor: Ragnarok' is set for release October 27th 2017.
DC Entertainment and The CW have given everyone's favourite emerald archer a costume upgrade for season 4 of their hit show “Arrow,”. The image shows Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen in his new duds overlooking Starling City and looking mighty fierce, the most notable changes are the new hood to replace the one Olvier picked up whilst stranded on Lian-Yu island and the gauntlets and exposed arms that are more in keeping with the comic book appearance of the character.
Production on Season 4 begins soon for a premier date of October this year, the tease for the start of the new episodes is as follows:
After defeating his most formidable foe to date and riding off into the sunset with longtime flame Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen (a.k.a. The Arrow) left Starling City with the hopes of beginning a new life. But will Oliver ever truly be able to leave behind his past as the Arrow, and, if so, what becomes of the team he has worked so hard to assemble? Will Diggle, Thea, and Laurel be left to continue Oliver’s crusade without him? And with Malcolm Merlyn having ascended to the top of the League of Assassins as the new Ra’s al Ghul, is anyone really safe?
Stephen Amell has also confirmed that the vigilante will change his name to the Green Arrow in the show and this all seems part of an effort by the creators to brighten the show up alongside fellow superhero shows 'The Flash' and 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow'. The show had a great presence at the San Diego Comic-Con check out a few snaps of the cast at the event below.
“Arrow” also stars Katie Cassidy as Dinah “Laurel” Lance, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, John Barrowman as Malcom Merlyn, with Paul Blackthorne as Detective Lance, and the recently announced Neal McDonough as big bad Damien Darhk. The series is executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg and Sarah Schechter.
Do you guys like the new costume design or were you a fan of the original? We'll have more on Arrow as the new season approaches, for a catch up on season 3 check out the 'Arrow' highlight reel in the video player below!
