'The Batman' gets 1st look, 'Wonder Woman 1984' gets new trailer, 'The Suicide Squad' cast revealed
With COVID-19 shuttering major pop culture events like San Diego Comic-Con, some might have been skeptical that the 24-hour online DC Fandome event could match the hype of an in-person convention.
Warner Bros.' DC Comics universe, however, put that skepticism to rest over the weekend, with a marathon online event that showed fans sneak peeks of upcoming projects on the small and big screen, including the highly anticipated first look at "The Batman" from director Matt Reeves, another "Wonder Woman 1984" trailer and the reveal of writer-director James Gunn's star-studded "The Suicide Squad" cast.
Also revealed was a teaser to the fan-hyped "Justice League: The Snyder Cut," which will run on HBO Max sometime in 2021, as well as video games set in the DC Universe.
Earlier in the event, Ezra Miller, who played Barry Allen/The Flash in "Justice League," introduced a new costume for his scarlet speedster and explained his upcoming stand-alone film's time-bending Flashpoint event could bring together various iterations of beloved characters, like two Batmen, played by Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton.
"Wonder Woman 1984"
The "Wonder Woman 1984" teaser not only gave fans a look at Chris Pine's time-transplanted WWI hero Steve Trevor learning the finer points of '80s fashion, they also saw Gal Gadot's Diana Prince/Wonder Woman literally grappling with Kristen Wiig's Barbara Minerva/Cheetah.
"You've always had everything," Wiig's character says to Wonder Woman. "Well, now it's my turn." The movie tracks her transformation from human to a human-like cheetah, tail and all -- and yes, in her final form, the felonious feline looks worlds better than the cats in "Cats."
"Wonder Woman 1984" is -- so far -- set for theatrical release on Oct. 2, 2020.
"The Suicide Squad"
Gunn and his cast of "The Suicide Squad" also appeared via Zoom. The stand-alone sequel will again feature Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Oscar winner Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang.
This time around, Waller's squad of villains also includes several recurring Gunn players, like "Guardians of the Galaxy" vet Michael Rooker as the super-smart fighter Savant, Nathan Fillion as TDK and Gunn's brother Sean, who performed Rocket Raccoon on set in the Marvel movies as the man-sized rodent Weasel.
The cast also includes Idris Elba as the armored vigilante Bloodsport, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, David Dastmalchian as the dot-slinging Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as the rodent-controlling Ratcatcher II, Steve Agee motion-capture performing the shark-headed baddie King Shark, John Cena as the ruthless extremist Peacemaker, Flula Borg as the spear-throwing Javelin, Mayling Ng as the super-strong Mongal, Peter Capaldi playing criminal mastermind The Thinker and more.
Gunn also unveiled a behind-the-scenes clip of his squad in action -- and it certainly doesn't skimp on the action, to say the least. "It's going to be different from any superhero movie ever made," he promised.
"The Suicide Squad" is set for launch in theaters Aug. 6, 2021.
"The Batman"
It was Reeves and Robert Pattinson introducing "The Batman" that really got fans hyped. Pattinson explained that 25% of shooting was completed before COVID-19 shut down production. The actor said he was a "massive fan" of the superhero all his life, and "now he's very anxious to get back to work and continue to form this beloved character."
Reeves revealed the movie will follow the second year of Bruce Wayne's donning the cape and cowl. Reeves introduced a teaser for the film, set to Nirvana's "Something in the Way," that shows Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon as well as Paul Dano's The Riddler, here re-imagined as a duct tape-masked serial killer obsessed with matching wits with the Dark Knight. Zoe Kravitz can be seen as Selina Kyle, the cat burglar who becomes Catwoman, and Colin Farrell looked unrecognizable as The Penguin.
Of course, we also see Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, and as Bats himself, fully suited up, beating the snot out of a thug. "The hell are you supposed to be?" one of the victim's comrades asks, with Pattinson's Batman answering, "I'm vengeance."
"The Batman" hits theaters Oct. 1, 2021.
