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Saving a Studio? This Looks Like a Job for Superman! (msn.com) 146

Warner Bros. releases a $225 million Superman reboot this week that executives consider the studio's final chance to build a successful cinematic universe rivaling Marvel's dominance. The film, written and directed by James Gunn, serves as the foundation for DC Studios' planned expansion into multiple films and television shows.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav appointed Gunn and producer Peter Safran to lead the newly unified DC Studios in 2022, ending decades of corporate infighting that prevented the company's superheroes from matching Marvel's success. The Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe has generated $32 billion across 36 films since 2008. Warner executives want the movie to gross over $500 million globally, according to WSJ. If successful, this would mark the first year since 2008 that DC outperforms Marvel at the box office.

Saving a Studio? This Looks Like a Job for Superman!

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  • I see the same Superman movie every few years but with a different actor. Same goes for all the comic book movies.

    • by drnb ( 2434720 )

      I see the same Superman movie every few years but with a different actor. Same goes for all the comic book movies.

      Yeah but 1980s special effects won't "fly" for the kids today. They need something more state of the art. So, remakes kinda make a little bit of sense.

    • by vlad30 ( 44644 )
      Superman used to stand for Truth Justice and the American Way. Thats been changed to Truth Justice and the Human way.

      As most Humans on this planet are garbage that just is plain stupid and as for Justice what type of Justice if its Human Justice Sharia is not the type of Justice I would like superman to hold up. The American justice in the comic universe is much more preferable Why does the movie industry hate America? except when they can make dollars of it

      • Superman used to stand for Truth Justice and the American Way. Thats been changed to Truth Justice and the Human way.

        As most Humans on this planet are garbage that just is plain stupid

        Most Americans are garbage though, right? So it kinda cancels out.

      • Does Superman have to do with Sharia?

        If you want to find Taliban-style authoritarian moralism, you don't have the leave the country. Book bans [cfpublic.org], secret police [nycbar.org], explicitly religious political messaging (Can't find the URL of the whitehouse propaganda video, I was thinking of, but you can find your own examples) , surveillance of political speech [nextgov.com]...

        That's The American Way at the moment.

      • Why does the movie industry hate America?

        Because "The American Way" means something entirely different today than it used to mean in the 1980s. It's nothing to aspire to. Not even remotely.

    • Any time DC starts floundering they pump out a superman or Batman "reboot." Up until the success of Iron Man kicked off the MCU, Marvel's "go-to" was Spiderman, and to a lesser degree Hulk. But they managed to "mainstream" a bunch of properties (xmen, avengers, etc.) while DC has struggled to get any new "franchises" to really gain traction. So back to Supes and Batty they go for a cash infusion.
    • I see the same Superman movie every few years but with a different actor. Same goes for all the comic book movies.

      Yup. "Reboot" seems to be studio-speak for "rehash" - though they don't seem to put much effort into mixing up the hash. While not an exact corollary, as Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) said in The Good Place [wikipedia.org], "They made a second Spider-Man? What is there left to say?" I feel the same about (most) reboots. The 2003/4 BSG [wikipedia.org] reboot being one of the exceptions.

    • by piojo ( 995934 )

      I see the same Superman movie every few years but with a different actor. Same goes for all the comic book movies.

      Yep. I only watch them on long haul flights, because I'd normally have something better to do.

      I think the problem is that the characters don't develop relationships and thus the problems in the plot have no stakes. Saving the world against near-omnipotent aliens is not is interesting as the slow descent into ruin of a character that the audience has come to care about. The better superhero movies have some of both of these elements, but most of them don't.

      I really liked The Incredibles. I liked the characte

    • by torkus ( 1133985 )

      I saw the new one, it seemed like a cheezy generic attempt at he MCU playbook. Faux Ironman and bots, obviously fake CGI (why? WHY???) over and over including the "star" of the movie.

      Oh, and at least they skipped the gender politics (kinda) and only threw in mockery of other political topics. Eh. The movie wasn't really that good and seemed very formulaic.

  • Fire Zaslav (Score:5, Insightful)

    by El_Muerte_TDS ( 592157 ) on Friday July 11, 2025 @02:07PM (#65513104) Homepage

    If you want to save Warner Bros, et. al.

    That idiot has done nothing but drive the company further into the ground, and profiting massively from it.

    • Magary on Zaslav [sfgate.com] The next article has a photo of Zaslav alongside Ivanka Trump. Emesis warning: article opens with a photo of Sam Altman: Summer camp for billionaires [sfgate.com]
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Appointing Gunn was a good idea though. His DC movies and TV show (Peacemaker) have all been good. Reviews for Superman suggest that it's a great movie and is likely to kick off the next big cinematic universe. Gunn has taken it in a new direction by going back to being more like Reeves' Superman movies. A bit goofy, a bit silly, but compelling. He leans in to how silly the comics are, a big departure from the trend since the late 80s Batman movies of getting darker and grimmer.

      • a big departure from the trend since the late 80s Batman movies of getting darker and grimmer.

        Have you seen 1997's Batman and Robin? If not, I recommend getting many beers and watching it. Many beers.

  • Remember, if trying to establish a foundation with mass appeal, try not to offend half the country. The traditional phrase "The American Way" includes kindness and morality. IFF they interpret the phrase as colonialism or other such nonsense, that would be a terrible mistake. Not everything needs to be a vehicle for the director's dislike of Trump. Sometimes we can just ignore the temporary occupant of the White House and just have some old fashioned American fun.. We'll see which path those chose soon enou
    • On the other hand, if you're aiming at an international market, dropping a line easily perceived as American jingoism might be a net gain.
      • by drnb ( 2434720 ) on Friday July 11, 2025 @02:20PM (#65513162)

        On the other hand, if you're aiming at an international market, dropping a line easily perceived as American jingoism might be a net gain.

        To interpret Superman's "historical" behaviors as jingoist would be a quite radical political interpretation. I think he is known for what is considered some of the best attributes of America. The attributes the world wishes it would see more of.

        • Is it still common courtesy to punch nazis? https://www.ign.com/articles/p... [ign.com]

          • by drnb ( 2434720 )

            Is it still common courtesy to punch nazis? https://www.ign.com/articles/p... [ign.com]

            A real one. Not a political hyperbole one.

            • I mean if you salute like one and you're the keynote speaker at a German far right political party https://www.npr.org/2025/01/27... [npr.org] Well people might start to say something.

        • Which is an easy point of view to have, should you be a western / American person.

          Now look at that through the lens of China. I'm pretty sure the folks in charge want absolutely nothing to do with "the American Way" but the studio is very much interested in the Chinese Yuan.

          • by drnb ( 2434720 )

            Now look at that through the lens of China.

            How about through the lens of people wanting to leave China and move to the USA? Rather than the lens of the CCP.

            • by jsepeta ( 412566 )

              Anyone wanting to come to the United States in 2025 is a moron. We're no longer the land of opportunity. Instead we're the land of a criminal, pedophile President rapist who sends masked men to major cities to unconstitutionally kidnap and torture people before sending them to prisons or to foreign nations to be tortured. America sucks in 2025.

              • by drnb ( 2434720 )

                Anyone wanting to come to the United States in 2025 is a moron. We're no longer the land of opportunity. Instead we're the land of a criminal, pedophile President rapist who sends masked men to major cities to unconstitutionally kidnap and torture people before sending them to prisons or to foreign nations to be tortured. America sucks in 2025.

                You got the years wrong. That was 2021-2025 with Biden deploying the cartel and traffickers to American cities.

                See how easy politics is. Now for reality.

                "unconstitutionally kidnap" - Nope, a political fiction. Most of those being sought have legal extradition orders. And when sanctuary cities refuse to cooperate with ICE and release the wanted who happened to be in custody back into the community, well now ICE has to go into the community to find them. And now we have collateral arrests of other illeg

                • Biden deploying the cartel and traffickers to American cities.

                  Makin' shit up doesn't justify your position. It simply means that you know your position is wrong, but wish to hold it anyway. It would be nice if you told the real underlying truth about your opinions.

                  • by drnb ( 2434720 )

                    Biden deploying the cartel and traffickers to American cities.

                    Makin' shit up doesn't justify your position. It simply means that you know your position is wrong, but wish to hold it anyway. It would be nice if you told the real underlying truth about your opinions.

                    LOL. Woosh. Did you read the next line "See how easy politics is. Now for reality."?

                    If you are still to dim to realize, that Biden line is an example of how the other side can fabricate a false political narrative describing events, just as your side manufactured a false political narrative describing events. Both false narratives being accepted by political zealots within their respective information silos.

                    What I wrote after "Now for reality" is reality.

                    • LOL. Woosh. Did you read the next line "See how easy politics is. Now for reality."?

                      Oh shit apparently not :(

                      oops! I plead being a victim of Poe's Law (and also er not reading far enough).

                • Defending Nazi Elon AND licking boots in one thread? No one can accuse you of not trying hard, that's for sure.
                  • by drnb ( 2434720 )

                    Defending Nazi Elon AND licking boots in one thread? No one can accuse you of not trying hard, that's for sure.

                    No one is defending nazis. Elon is being falsely accused of being a nazi. Idiots are taking political hyperbole seriously, idiots are taking the naive actions of a guy on the autism spectrum acting out the a gesture of the literal words he is speaking, "My heart goes out to you". As the ADL and other Jewish organization have noted:

                    "It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute"
                    https://x.com/ADL/status/18814... [x.com]

                    ADL - Anti Defamation League - "To stop the

    • But they certainly don't give a shit about your petty grievances. Yeah I know right wing media which is now all media can gin up a little bit of grievance inorganically but not to the levels you're at

      In other words, yes you are the baddies. No nobody agrees with you except the handful of weirdos you hang out with online. It seems like more people agree with you because those are Russian bots pushing your buttons for political gain and to hurt the country you claim the love so much but always seem to be
      • In other words, yes you are the baddies.

        Nope. I never voted for Trump. I think we do not have to think about him every moment of the day. I think we can have a fun movie without injecting politics into it. Imagine that, a movie being an escape from the mess of the real world.

        No nobody agrees with you except the handful of weirdos you hang out with online.

        I think you may want to read up on the topic of psychological projection. In the real world I think you will find plenty of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who would enjoy a moment without politics. Just old fashioned American fun as Superman has historically deliver

        • In the real world I think you will find plenty of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who would enjoy a moment without politics.

          We got a Cheeto Benito presidency specifically because of Democrats and Independents who enjoyed too many moments without politics.

          • by drnb ( 2434720 )

            In the real world I think you will find plenty of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who would enjoy a moment without politics.

            We got a Cheeto Benito presidency specifically because of Democrats and Independents who enjoyed too many moments without politics.

            Actually we got the Orange Man because Democrats selected two insanely bad candidate, once in 2016 and again in 2024. Candidates so bad that enough Democrats thought Orange Man would do less damage than their own candidate and they voted for him. Dems put Trump over the top, twice. And I am using "selected" quite loosely. Both of these terrible candidates were largely "coronated" by party insiders. Had the democrats had real primaries with a robust set of candidates, they would have had two properly vetted

            • Democrat here I can explain why we got the two shitty candidates we got.

              Hillary was forced on us. She spent decades and literally tens of millions of dollars doing that. She also had the support of a large number of women who are absolutely obsessed with having the first female president. We didn't select Hillary though she was literally forced on us. To be fair when I say forced on us I mean the general voter she did actually win her primary election because old people vote and old people were scared o
              • I agree with all of that stuff, but there's also Biden going around congress to fund genocide, and Kamala saying she would be different from Biden but not saying she would stop the funding of the genocide. I can tell you that a whole lot of people were talking about that constantly, and stayed home because of it. That was fucking stupid, but we need votes from the stupid too.

                Democrats have power but they absolutely despise using it

                They love using it to crush actual progressives.

        • And neither does anybody here. Assuming you're not just a Russian or you don't live in America otherwise yeah you voted for trump. All three times. Possibly multiple times.

          It's always funny to watch you guys deny what you are because you know you're terrible. Like you know you're doing bad things so you deny that you're doing the bad things in order to derail the conversation ala sea lioning.

          Dude it's 2025. You won. Civilization will now collapse into brutal techno feudalism like you wanted. You can
    • The traditional phrase "The American Way" includes kindness and morality.

      Or so the cold war era propagandists wanted you to believe. Today it's just cringe.

      • by drnb ( 2434720 )

        The traditional phrase "The American Way" includes kindness and morality.

        Or so the cold war era propagandists wanted you to believe. Today it's just cringe.

        To the political zealots. Meanwhile to the millions from so many different national, ethnic and religious backgrounds, etc who want to emigrate to America tell us something different. Similar to those who want to emulate America more in their own nations.

        • Today [the phrase "the American way" is] just cringe.

          To the political zealots.

          Are you trolling? Because "the American Way" has been considered a cliche on and off since 1958. [smithsonianmag.com]

          So I think it's well past time to get over it and move on.

        • Yes, it tells us that there is latency between current events and mass world view being updated sufficiently.

          Please enumerate what parts of the current "American Way" of mass deportations, stripping foreign aid funding, and not upholding ourselves to previously ratified trade treaties lends itself to "kindness and morality" because that's the current "American Way."

          Please wake up.

          • by drnb ( 2434720 )

            Yes, it tells us that there is latency between current events and mass world view being updated sufficiently.

            LOL. Trump gained support among legal immigrants, Biden lost support.

            Please enumerate what parts of the current "American Way" of mass deportations, ...

            Not a thing. A political misrepresentation. Have we reached Obama levels of deportation yet? Also, some of those deportations are collateral of sanctuary city policy. City refuses to hand over someone in their custody for whom there is a legal deportation order, and releases him into the community. ICE then has to go to the community to pick him up, others around him may get caught that way. Want to avoid the collateral, reduce forays into

    • According to the Timcast review (spoilers) he never says either phrase in the movie.

      Just some dope making posters, reportedly.

      Apparently all the immigrant and Israel propaganda stuff is fake too.

      Marketing Buzz achieved - don't believe anybody without verifying.

    • In 2006, Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns movie had Daily Planet editor Perry White ask, “Does he still stand for truth, justice, all that other stuff?”

      In 2011, the 900th issue of Action Comics had Superman renounce his U.S. citizenship and declared, “I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy. ‘Truth, Justice and the American Way’ — it’s not enough anymore. The world’s too small. T
  • Well, looks like a bold strategy for the director to be running his mouth kinda like Zegler did - will be interesting to see how much of a final nail in the coffin of terrible movies this one will be! The age of horribly written entertainment just needs to come to an end eventually.

  • I spent 20 minutes in a bagel shop and got sick for 3 weeks so I'm not going to go into a theater. My back is kind of a mess anyway so... What I'm saying is getting old sucks and so does covid

    But by all accounts they made a fun comic book movie instead of a edge fest. DC has been plagued by Zack Snyder making shitty movies because he doesn't like comic books but for some reason we keep giving him comic book movies to make.

    I guess they do make money but nobody goes to a Superman movie to watch him kill
  • by rtkluttz ( 244325 ) on Friday July 11, 2025 @02:36PM (#65513218) Homepage

    As a child of the 70's who lived through the stupid ass Super Friends age, I want no part of this new Superman that brings stupid shit like Krypto back into this. Marvel used to rock because it was much darker and everyone wrote off DC from the 70's on because Marvel got it. But then finally DC got dark and brooding and it was wonderful, but now the pendulum has swung back to this level of shit and Marvel is not immune. I would say the enshitification started with Thor Ragnarok and having Taika Waititi be the director. Taika is a enormously talented COMEDIAN. But he should not be driving any franchise that thrived on being serious, dark and brooding. He threw in humour in places and ways that just did not fit. Like Thor throwing a bouncy ball up against a glass window that did not break, but the ball knocks Thor down. I just about got up and walked out. Now you have DC bringing back the childish shit that I had to endure in the 70's and 80's. Give me back my dark and brooding and get rid of this crap. I won't be watching this new superman.

    • You must be ecstatic over Fantastic Four bringing back HERBIE... :^D

    • I would say the enshitification started with Thor Ragnarok and having Taika Waititi be the director.

      Enshitification has a specific meaning and that meaning is not "I don't like the direction it went". Enshitification is largely anti-consumer and immune to differences in opinion. And to be clear it is *just* an opinion. My opinion differs. Thor Ragnarok was great and I love the light hearted direction Marvel was *ALREADY GOING*. The fact you think it started with Waititi shows you weren't even remotely paying attention, there were actual outright comedies in the marvel cinematic universe years before that

  • by SlashbotAgent ( 6477336 ) on Friday July 11, 2025 @02:45PM (#65513250)

    Fuck your "cinematic universe". An expression that translates to; we are lazy and cheap and would like to keep remaking the same drek from an 87 year old comic book for maximal profit.

    Write something new. Write something interesting. Write something funny. Don't be lazy profiteering fucks! Don't try to, yet again, phone it in by using AI as your writers to regurgitate the same shit that has been passe since the 1950's.

    There are 36, thirty six!, Marvel movies. There are perhaps three that are worth watching even once. Stop trying to squeeze horseshit and expect to get gold.

    • Fuck your "cinematic universe". An expression that translates to; we are lazy and cheap and would like to keep remaking the same drek from an 87 year old comic book for maximal profit.

      Write something new. Write something interesting. Write something funny. Don't be lazy profiteering fucks! Don't try to, yet again, phone it in by using AI as your writers to regurgitate the same shit that has been passe since the 1950's.

      There are 36, thirty six!, Marvel movies. There are perhaps three that are worth watching even once. Stop trying to squeeze horseshit and expect to get gold.

      Studios write new stuff constantly and adapt any good book they can find. They're doing Superman because there's a huge audience for it and a lot of people like it. It's like bitching that a restaurant serves burgers instead of something "new."

      Also, I challenge you to find a "new" movie. Most of my favorites?...just familiar stories with a twist...blade runner...just a film noir movie in space...Star Wars is just and adventure movie in space...my all time favorite, Aliens...a mashup of existing genres.

    • There are 110 Hollywood movies set for theatrical release in 2025, and over 100 of them have nothing to do with comic books. If you think you're not getting original content simply because the only movie you seem to know about is a Superman movie it's a demonstration that you haven't the slightest interest in cinema in the first place; in which case why should anyone give a crap about your opinion?

      Stop trying to squeeze horseshit and expect to get gold.

      Speak up, they can't hear you over the sound of the money counting machines powered by people who don't share

  • by aldousd666 ( 640240 ) on Friday July 11, 2025 @02:49PM (#65513256) Journal
    Now TV will be an endless string of sequals and reboots for 70 year old franchises too, just like Movies. Great. I can hardly wait.
    • Like what movies? No seriously, name the 110 movies that are scheduled for release this year and tell us how many of them are sequels and rehashes. Either that or admit that you don't actually have a clue what movies are coming out and are ranting because the only think you know and care about seems to be comic books.

  • Gonna see it cause it looks fun. Bonus that driving up numbers will piss off maggots.
  • Make some new shit up already, you lazy fucks. Zaslav is involved, so ten thousand people will get laid off in the end.
  • They should have kept Henry Cavil as superman. This new guy looks horrible for the part imho.
  • Zaslav is going to fuck this up and the linear television / cable division will be the one that survives.

  • Looks like the Fantastic Four will finally have a movie worthy of their legacy. Should be more interesting than a reboot of Superman. Of course Marvel still hasn't fixed the issues with the X-Men, which would be helpful as they move towards $50B in profits.

  • If this Superman is the DCCU's last gasp, then the DCCU is doomed. From everything I've seen of the trailer and other snippets, this movie is terrible.

In seeking the unattainable, simplicity only gets in the way. -- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982

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