Why are there not more DC superhero movies?

[mica]

Can't wait for the adventures of Jimmy Olsen.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

DC is developing scripts on just as many characters as Marvel. The real question is why more DC projects don't get beyond the development stage.

 

Because they dont have Stan Lee..... JK

[mica]

DC is developing scripts on just as many characters as Marvel. The real question is why more DC projects don't get beyond the development stage.

I think they start making the costumes and then look at them in the sunlight.

[goldust40]

Because Marvel characters are more marketible

 

How so?

 

Is that a serious question?

 

Write a list of characters known by non-comic fans from both companies and compare the lists.

 

It's basically true...Marvel has characters that translate better to the screen and are more contemporary than DC's best known properties, which have always been more monolithic in terms of characterization. Plus the film going public are more aware of lesser Marvel heroes (DD, Cap, Iron Man, etc.) than the second string DC ones.

 

The exception for DC is Batman, which has seen a new (and much improved) film franchise emerge and a second installment due any moment. The last two films from the first bunch did DC no favors in Hollywood, which may have some bearing on the argument.

[nearmint]

DC is developing scripts on just as many characters as Marvel. The real question is why more DC projects don't get beyond the development stage.

I think they start making the costumes and then look at them in the sunlight.

 

A friend of mine got paid good money to adapt The Question, but it went nowhere.

 

You'd think material from the Vertigo line would translate well to screen.

[agro23]

The fact that Marvel is a small independent company means that they are hungry for any incremental revenue that they can generate from film and they can nimbly and aggressively pursue opportunities. Being part of a giant corporation actually makes it less likely for DC to pursue film opportunities because of the difficulty of assigning who gets "credit" for the film. The Batman film rights are owned in whole/part by Michael Uslan and so have a different decision-making process.

You win the prize.

 

DC's parent Warner can't get out of their own way. There are too many people involved and the company is terminally trepidatious. There is more corporate CYA going on that there is any forward movement to the point it's a wonder anything gets made by those guys.

 

Warner won't move on a DC project unless it's guaranteed to be a box office hit in their eyes whereas Marvel doesn't care. Ever see the Captain America movie? Ever see the Power Pak pilot? Even when Marvel fails they dust themselves off and start again. With Warner only Batman has been given this sort of latitude (after the failure of the last couple they still did Begins). And to a lesser extent Superman if the post-strike Singer rumors are true.

 

Sadly, Warner also still keep their foot on DC's neck anyway when it comes to continuity of their characters. Plot lines for Batman, Superman and others have been shot down by corporate because it would "harm the franchise" even if there was no movie to speak of.

 

Meanwhile Marvel continues to print money in their basement. I honestly can't wait for Edgar Wright's Antman movie!

[mica]

DC is developing scripts on just as many characters as Marvel. The real question is why more DC projects don't get beyond the development stage.

I think they start making the costumes and then look at them in the sunlight.

 

A friend of mine got paid good money to adapt The Question, but it went nowhere.

 

You'd think material from the Vertigo line would translate well to screen.

I just think any clown wearing a Dr. Fate outfit would be laughable.

 

No offense to any clowns here.

[DrWatson]

I still think any of them would work if done correctly. Now, don't ask me what correctly is exactly, but if Sabrina the Teen Age Witch can be a successful TV show, then anything is possible.

[mica]

I still think any of them would work if done correctly.

Sugar and Spike?

[agro23]

And another thing:

 

Marvel properties take place in the real world. A threat to Manhattan gets attention whereas a threat to Metropolis is . Where's Metropolis? Central City? Gotham? Coast City?

 

This is partially why Dark Horse's universe fizzled (except Barb Wire at least had Pam Anderson which was enough for their target audience).

 

You're already hoping the audience can suspend disbelief when the guy dons a cape, you better strive to make everything else work or it becomes a distraction and the audience falls out of the story.

[chromium]

DC is developing scripts on just as many characters as Marvel. The real question is why more DC projects don't get beyond the development stage.

I think they start making the costumes and then look at them in the sunlight.

 

 

[agro23]

I still think any of them would work if done correctly.

Sugar and Spike?

I jokingly pitched a S & S update to a Vertigo asst Editor back in the 90's. Sugar was a hooker and Spike was a junkie. We were amused over drinks but that's as far as it could go. I have it on file with my proposed Spawn / Groovy Ghoulies crossover pitch from the same era.

[DrWatson]

I still think any of them would work if done correctly.

Sugar and Spike?

You bet, but my version might get an NC-17 rating.

[dekeuk]

Because they dont have Stan Lee..... JK

 

.... to rip off

[nearmint]

Meanwhile Marvel continues to print money in their basement. I honestly can't wait for Edgar Wright's Antman movie!

 

I pitched an Ant-Man movie to Artisan Entertainment back in 2000, when they had the rights to 15 Marvel characters. That would've been a fun one to develop.

[agro23]

Meanwhile Marvel continues to print money in their basement. I honestly can't wait for Edgar Wright's Antman movie!

 

I pitched an Ant-Man movie to Artisan Entertainment back in 2000, when they had the rights to 15 Marvel characters. That would've been a fun one to develop.

Weren't you pitching something to DC recently?

[paperheart]

avi arad is a whore and would pimp out aunt may if he thought she could turn a buck. warner bros is run by studio people who probably run numbers to see which characters could carry a movie and turn a profit.

[nearmint]

Meanwhile Marvel continues to print money in their basement. I honestly can't wait for Edgar Wright's Antman movie!

 

I pitched an Ant-Man movie to Artisan Entertainment back in 2000, when they had the rights to 15 Marvel characters. That would've been a fun one to develop.

Weren't you pitching something to DC recently?

 

There was a rumor just before the writers' strike that Warner Brothers was listening to pitches for the next Superman movie. We had a fun thread where a bunch of us came up with some cool ideas. Alas, the rumors were exaggerated.

[agro23]

avi arad is a whore and would pimp out aunt may if he thought she could turn a buck. warner bros is run by studio people who probably run numbers to see which characters could carry a movie and turn a profit.

And yet, when you add it all up Marvel pwns DC at the box office.

[sterlingcomics]

Marvel properties take place in the real world.

 

And this was the differentiator when Marvel introduced many of the characters at the start of the Silver Age. Readers could relate to events in a more realistic comic, whereas DC properties (primarily created during the Golden Age) were more wholesome entertainment, although the characters were not very diverse (in other words, their legacy limits their "relevance"). Stan the Man even denotes this fact in many documentaries, although it is common knowledge among comic collectors and readers. None of this REALLY impacts the movie biz, but it makes for interesting conversation.

 

We mentioned this in another thread as well, but DC has also expended many of their efforts in the last twenty years or so, whereas Marvel is just hitting their stride now. It's also cyclical.