Rumor: Warner Bros. Imposes "No Jokes" Rule On DC Comics Movies

[CommanderL]

really a flash without jokes that will be hell
in other news the flash tv show looks amazing and fun
so movies you can suck it

 

[lacktheknack]

I find a deep irony that they've extracted the jokes out of something based on "comics".

Ever looked up the definition of "comic"? (Not the drawn story definition.)

 

[Kuredan]

So Marvel has made an ever-increasing stable of personable, flawed, human, superheroes while DC is building a group of joyless f***s in a series overly-gritty, hyper-dramatic, slogfests that miss the tones needed by a a wide mark. As misguided as I believe the recent Spiderman movies are, they at least tried to convey some levity in a characters: they tried to make it fun. If DC want's to see serious superhero movies done right, they need look no further than the two most recent X Men movies. They weren't perfect, but they told poignant stories of sadness and loss, fear and bravery with enough style and skill to succeed in portraying the characters consistently.

I was fine with Nolan's Batman for the most part because if there were one hero to take himself that seriously, it'd be Batman. But even the Bat has a sense of humor (and famously doesn't like chocolate ice cream). But the disappointments that were Green Lantern and Man of Steel just cemented in my head that the writers DC gets to make their movies just don't understand comics or super heroes. In what universe does Superman allow and contribute to the wanton destruction of his home town, then an entire city. Not even Batman would go that far.

 

[Scarim Coral]

So they are taking dark and gritty to full 100%??!!

It make me wonder how they can even get The Flash into the rouster in the future if they are having no jokes rule.

 

[wswordsmen]

I am very scared of what BvSoJ will be like now.

 

[TheSYLOH]

It's sad really.
So many people mistake a lack of humor and fun for depth, and ignore that the film is superficial and stupid in addition to being unfun.
Man of Steel was a terrible movie, not because it was dark and joyless, but because it was STUPID.
And yet I've seen idiots defend even the Tornado Scene! OOOH ITS DEEP BECAUSE OF THE WORDS DADDY KENT DIDNT SAY WHEN HE POINTLESSLY MARTYRED HIMSELF FOR A DOG!

So far it seems like it headed for a Green Lantern scale flop.

 

[Evonisia]

There's a difference between being light hearted and having jokes. The Marvel films are the former, and the Nolan Batman movies are the latter.

If you're gonna do neither (which is odd because Man of Steel had some humour) then you're just going to get either too morose or too lacking in anything.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

DC may want their upcoming movie to be taken seriously, but every time i look at the picture at the top of the post of the strange looking Wonder Women, the photoshoped looking Superman and the pissed because someone pissed in his bat cereal, Batman.. i can't help but laugh and makes jokes..

the whole thing looks like a fan made poster of random people trying to look serious but can't because Wonder women farted, Superman's in disbelieve that she let one rip and Batman's lowering his head in shame of the whole thing lol

 

[danielcofour]

Yeah, cause god forbid a superhero movie be any fun. That would be just ludicrous. Yes, real life isn't depressing enough, I need to watch broody Superman brood the broody Batman brooding broody Wonder Woman to feel especially miserable. Thanks DC Comics. PS: f**k you.

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

I can appreciate that.

I mean I want both. I want the serious action-hero flick along side the more cheesy kid versions. Especially since the cheesy kid versions are the only good ones right now.

Guardians of the Galaxy is great, but it does not mean every movie has to follow their formula.

 

[SilverUchiha]

While i'm not opposed to different approaches...

...

... how the fuck do they expect to do The Flash properly if jokes aren't made? He's the light-hearted fun-guy of the group. Or Shazam who is literally a kid in a man's body? I'm not opposed to a more serious band of heroes... but being 100% serious will likely be what kills the interest of these films if they're all work and no play.

 

[rosac]

justified anger

what really got to me was the scene where he explains the symbol on his chest means "hope" in kryptonian, and it's still gritty to the point you could make several driveways out of it. And I'm one of the "he shouldn't have snapped Zod's neck" people. There's always another way, leave the killing to Lobo and the Justice Lords.

 

[hermes]

Admittedly, Warner/DC has done little to warrant defense as of late but allow me to play Devil's Advocate for a moment and suggest that this mandate can simply be interpreted as "take the material seriously."

DC, more than most Marvel comics, has characters that are much easier to treat as jokes based on their very concept. Aquaman alone tends to be a walking punchline to a joke nobody told. Look at the new 52 Aquaman comics for example wherein the first few issues he's the target of a running joke that he's nobody's favorite hero.

It's entirely too easy to take that idea and run with it and I can entertain the notion that the "No Jokes" policy is simply meant to deter that kind of treatment.

Its an interesting read, but I think the main problem with Man of Steel was that they took the "material seriously".

I think a better mandate would be "take the material lovingly". There is a reason why many of those characters are cultural icons, but WB and its team doesn't seem to get it. To put it simply, if you don't care about the original characters, you have no place in these adaptations. Many of the issues with DC in movies so far is that it looks like the people in charge feel somewhat embarrassed of the source material: Superman is not tragic, make it more like Batman. Green Lantern can't be in space, make it more on Earth. Even the last Nolan movie looked like he was tired of the character, have nothing of interest to say and was just contractually obligated to make another one. Not everything needs to be lighthearted, but even when it is, it looks like everyone has to act outside their established characters and turned into a goofball to have humor (look at Catwoman or Green Lantern).

And, unfortunately, it seems like they haven't learned the lesson. Things like this "no jokes" policy (rumored, but likely given their history), or people like Goyer dismissing characters, misreading them or insulting their audience, constantly reminds me of this problem: people in charge of the DC Cinematic Universe are ashamed of the source material, of the audience, and believe everything has to be Dark Knight Returns (bleak and moody) to make DKR numbers.

 

[Kalashnikov2092]

They'd best not mess up superman again. They missed what I believe is the most integral part of superman- Hope, and the fact he looks after as many people as possible. No matter the situation, he wants to help. This is my favourite superman scene ever, it actually brought a tear to my eye at how touching it is:

Spoiler

It's things like this that make me love Superman. He's like everyone's super nice older brother who flies out of nowhere to save you when you think there's no hope. He's supposed to be what humanity aspires to be. A Super Man. The DC movies really need to pick up on this. It would be awesome for Superman to be the ray of sunlight in all the darkness these films are trying to convey.

 

[faefrost]

The full implication of the "no jokes" mandate (which was also mentioned by Badass Digest writer Devin Faraci on in the near future. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fqIi3o5S2k]

whoa, wait a second, using Devin Faraci as a source?

http://www.edrants.com/why-devin-faraci-is-unfit-to-practice-journalism/

Spoiler: twitter screenshot

http://badassdigest.com/2014/08/26/video-games-misogyny-and-terrorism-a-guide-to-assholes/

This Devin Faraci? that says he has more respect for journalist murdering terrorists than gamers?

Honestly I wouldn't take anything he says for even face value. Not after the Batman Trilogy had it's comedic moments. Not sure about the Superman films, didn't watch them myself, but comedy comes in many forms.

Plan 9 from Outer Space, for example.

EDIT for clarity: Calling out a source that has been known to make inflammatory comments and generate click-bait articles.

Exactly. I think a rather sizable portion of The Escapists readership has learned for the first time this week exactly who and what Devin Faraci is. He is not a valid source, he is not a journalist or reviewer. He is an unethical troll who says outlandish bullshit for click bait. Until something has been 100% confirmed by someone else don't believe anything, don't click on the link.

Speaking of which, given The Escapists recent controversy, the current seeming links and relationships below the boards, mr. Tito's promise to do better regarding single sourced material, and the overall feeling of pessimism permeating gamers regarding the gaming and media press, the skeptic in me has to suddenly wonder if this badly sourced rumor article is simply Bob generating click throughout for Faraci as a thank you for Faraci attacking and harassing the people that Bob doesn't like. Namely the Escapists actual readership. Not saying its true. But given Bob and Devins statements this week directly at US the impression is left there. And this Mr. Tito is why rules of tight journalistc ethics and behavior exist. It tends to cast doubt accross your publication and undermine and damage your brand. Please stop acting like we're stupid.

 

[vid87]

Okay, no. Even Nolan was able to crack a joke once in a while.


http://youtu.be/X4P-MMgwS7A

 

[GodzillaGuy92]

Because that one big success of yours that you guys (and the rest of the industry) have been trying and failing to replicate for the past six years never employed any hilarious moments to offset the rest of the movie's darkness, right? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvKZq705t1Q]

 

[Shiftygiant]

Makes me want to go see guardians of the galaxy again.

Did you need an excuse?

 

[scorptatious]

It's too bad that Wonder Woman's very first official movie (besides the Lego Movie) is not even her movie. :/

Not that I really give a crap about her, it just seems a little weird is all.

Anyway yeah, I can't see this working out. As others have said, it's not a bad thing to have a bit of levity and humor in a serious story. In my opinion, it makes the characters more human and more relatable. It doesn't have to be Guardians of the Galaxy level of goofiness just something to break the tension every now and again.

 

[Something Amyss]

I don't mind this, to an extent. It will help set them apart from Marvel's movies but if true, WB is kidding themselves if they are not going to allow any kinds of moments of levity in their films. They would just get too exhausting to watch.

Thing is, even the Nolan Batman movies had jokes, so yeah. But more to the point, I would think that the better way to distinguish themselves was with solid writing in a different writing style, rather than handicapping the already limited talent pool of David Goyer.

Even Man of Steel had jokes. Remember that comical scene where Superman snaps Zods neck, screams about it, and then almost immediately forgets it? Good God, I nearly died laughing.

I dunno guys, I have the feeling that total seriousness and people dressed in silly costumes with silly names punching other people dressed in silly costumes and even sillier names, don't go all that well together.

Isn't it funny how ashamed of the source material most comic book movies are? I can't wait for a reboot where Bruce Wayne develops an array of military hardware called Battle Armour for Total Military Assistance via Nanomachines (son). That way, they can put Batman (or, should I say, B.A.T.M.A.N) in a battle suit and give him guns or something while trying to make a dude dressed as a flying rat seem more serious.

I don't have a problem with it in theory. Hell, it's actually a good decision to contrast with Marvel's films. It's just that, considering their track record so far, I really don't trust they have the talent to pull it off.

I've got to say, I'd rather have a good DC movie regardless of whether it copies (or appears to copy) the success of another movie. In theory, this is distinction solely for the sake of distinction. I'm not sure I can sign on with that.