UPDATE: From the rumors El Mayimbe continues to drop, it looks like DC is considering some Batman spinoff titles, and the big one right now would be Red Hood. This must be the version of the character portrayed by the resurrected Robin, Jason Todd. It looks like this is the project that Stahelski and Leitch are circling, and the violent gunplay that the character is known for certainly fits within their John Wick framework. I’m not crazy about Jason Todd/Red Hood (except when Grant Morrison dolled him up in the Batman & Robin run he did), but I’m definitely intrigued at what Stahelski and Leitch could bring to the film. Could DC nut up and deliver an R-rated superhero flick? I bet the success/failure of Deadpool will be a big factor in how DC moves forward with such a possibility.
Slowly but surely, John Wick has become my favorite film of 2014. It’s certainly the film from 2014 that I’ve watched the most, so that has to count for something. So hearing today’s rumor (courtesy of the Rumor King, El Mayimbe) that the directors of that film (Chad Stahelski and David Leitch) could possibly get to play in the DC cinematic sandbox has me a touch excited.
DC certainly is doing one thing different from Marvel: they are picking vivid directors. While Marvel’s films certainly have had great direction, their desire to unify their films thematically has led to a less personal stamp when it comes to the directors’ voices. For good or ill, Zack Snyder is a director that makes a film his own, and I’m hoping DC will use that kind of mindset to help separate their films from the Marvel output.
The big question is: what could Stahelski and Leitch be up for? With David Ayer tackling the increasingly bizarre Suicide Squad and Michelle MacLaren lined up for Wonder Woman, it seems like there are few choices left. Aquaman? Shazam? Cyborg? I know Phil Lord and Chris Miller are wanted for The Flash, but they’re wanted for everything right now. I think The Flash would be a good pairing for the John Wick directors, if just because they know how to make a movie visually propulsive. Still, it’s a bummer they won’t be tackling something like a Nightwing spin-off. That’s would be too perfect to exist.
What DC character do you think the John Wick directors might be involved with? And if someone says B’wana Beaat, I will simultaneously punch you and hug you.
For more news, you can follow me on Twitter @DrewDietsch