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

[Fappy]

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.

I was speaking from a purely marketing point-of-view. It's smart to differentiate your brand when the market is already over saturated with similar products. From the layman's perspective they should theoretically be able to identify the different brands by categorizing them as the "funny ones" and the "serious ones".

As for whether that's good for the story, well, pretty much any restraints you put on a narrative can weaken it. Hollywood certainly is no stranger to consciously complicating their own projects. Marvel is doing the same thing by making screenwriters and directors shoehorn in continuity connections that some may rather do without.

All that said, I hope "no jokes" does not translate to "no levity". Without the 'ups' the 'downs' mean very little, and would be especially jarring when the central characters are running around in colorful, spangling leotards.

 

[cikame]

Where i come from, "serious" is commonly associated with "boring".
Being serious is easy, getting people to laugh is really hard and highlights a good script.

 

[FPLOON]

Awesome! I can't wait to laugh at all of the unexpected humor from the non-existing jokes in this movie!

...Also, I keep reading the "No jokes" line in an Edna Mode voice for some reason...

 

[The Great JT]

They don't want Batman to be funny, they clearly don't want Superman to be heroic, what DO you want, Warner Bros.?

 

[thewatergamer]

Yeah because EVERYBODY LOVED IT WHEN YOU DID IT IN MAN OF STEEL

Look I don't have a problem with you wanting to make a more serious story, and I get this in theory, but come on, if their is no humor whatsoever that's not exactly going to make people enjoy it...

More and more I am getting concerned about this movie and WB's treatment of DC comics in general...

 

[spoonybard.hahs]

Well, DC did tell a writer [http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/news/123464-dc-comics-told-paul-pope-they-only-publish-comics-for-45-year-olds.html] they only make comics for 45-year-olds.

 

[Random Argument Man]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/6281-Crying-Through-The-Laughs

Old Jim Sterling said it best. If you want us to accept the dark times, you need to compensate with some lighter tones here and there.

*Warning, the video has some Tidus laugh.

 

[Aeshi]

I admit I'm not a comic connoisseur, but isn't DCs main draw that it's the lighter-hearted of the 2 Universes for the most part?

What, did they decide "they're going on our turf, lets go onto theirs!" with Marvel or something?

 

[Redryhno]

I guess you could call this The Killing Joke

I can find the exit on my own...

 

[keniakittykat]

evidently DC are going the Lego Movie Batman route of maturity.

And ironically enough was the Lego movie more complex than 'Man of steel'.

 

[EinSoph]

Stupid. This immediately shows an assumption that 'comedy' and 'jokes' are these unitary things that you check off on a list when determining genre, rather than whole diverse modes of expression in their own right. Marvel movies have a silly, irreverent sense of humour, which is why they're light and fun, but you can have sly, cynical, intelligent humour in a dark film with complex themes that in no way makes it light nor fun (and that second word being a slur here is why darker films tend to be very cloying/dreary unless done well). Yes, DC needs to be distinct from Marvel, no, removing a basic form of human interaction does not do that.

 

[KDR_11k]

I can do without the lame attempts at humor that litter Hollywood productions and games wanting to be like them.

 

[Mangod]

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.

Coming this summer! *bwaaa!* The biggest blockbuster of the year! *bwaaa!* From director Michael Bay, the man behind Transformers and TNMT! *bwaaa!*

Batman: Knightfall!

*bwaaa!*

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Was honestly surprised to see that this wasn't a News feed done by Taco News...

OT: Well, looks like they're taking the 'comic' out of comic book movies. Guess we've got a good 10 years of grim, grey, joyless action from DC. Makes me wonder what will happen if they throw in Plastic Man...

 

[CaitSeith]

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.

For a moment I thought that when you said "take the material seriously", it meant "no joking about the script, no matter how bad it seems".

 

[Edguy]

I'm all for a super serious DC universe if they could pull it off. Sadly, making superhero movies who take themselves 100% seriously, and much less a whole cinematic universe of them, is really hard. In other words, I doubt it's a smart move. Thanks Nolan, for ruining DC movies for the next decade.

 

[chocolate pickles]

Serious is one thing, and i can respect if they want to go that route. But 100% straight face seems a bad idea with a premise as ridiculous as superheroes running around in bat costumes beating the shit out of people.

 

[TheDoctor455]

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.

Yeah... I don't really have a problem with Batman pulling a joke...

I mean... take a look at this clip and just try to tell me that it isn't quintessential Batman (no matter how dark he gets)... and hilarious at the same time:

 

[angel85]

Warner Brothers: "So, the other guys made the highest grossing movie of the year...let's make it a point to do the exact opposite of what they did."

 

[coheedswicked]

I like the fact that they want their movies to be distinctive and different from others out there... we'll see how this goes