Justice League, Wonder Woman Come Out Swinging In Comic-Con Trailers
New trailers for Justice League and Wonder Woman were released during Comic-Con this weekend, and it looks like Warner Bros. is ready to go full throttle into its new DC Comics franchise.
The Justice League trailer gives us a new look Batman assembling the all-star crew of DC Comics superheroes: Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller). And according to director Zack Snyder, despite his believed death at the end of Batman v. Superman, Henry Cavill will return back as the caped Kryptonian. The trailer isn't heavy on action; mostly glamour shots of each hero and a few bits of dialogue. But the brief scenes that pair Affleck with Momoa and Miller have a more light-hearted sense of humor, a possible response to criticisms of Batman v. Superman about the film being too dark and gloomy for a superhero film.
The Wonder Woman trailer is more revealing. We see her interacting with her family, tending to a military man seemingly washed up from sea (played by Chris Pine), and of course, battling enemies with her impenetrable shield, her mighty sword, and her glowing, body-wrangling lasso. Wonder Woman was easily the most compelling part of Batman v. Superman, so hopefully her flagship film delivers.
The new films are DC Comics and Warner Bros.' shot at staking their own claim against the incredibly-successful Marvel Universe films, which built strong franchises with Iron-Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers before hitting a grand slam this year with the incredible Captain America: Civil War.
Batman v. Superman got mixed reviews. It was visually stunning, but Snyder's moody tone turned off some viewers, and the plot was too convoluted, seemingly placing too much of an emphasis on building a franchise instead of focusing on delivering one good film. Hopes are high for Suicide Squad, which stars Jared Leto, Will Smith, Margot Robbie and others as members of a team of super villains employed by the federal government. The latter hits theaters on Aug. 5, 2016, while Justice League is slated for a November 2017 release, and Wonder Woman is scheduled for a June 2017 release.
Releasing so many films in the same universe within a short amount of time seems like DC and Warner Bros. are rushing things, but we'll keep our fingers crossed that they can churn out quality.