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Man of Steel’s release in 2013 came out of the gate, setting the tone for WB’s superhero universe going forward. Or so everyone thought. The film’s dark, gritty, and grounded nature seamlessly made its way into Batman v Superman last spring. To a lesser extent, the same can be said of Suicide Squad. So what does that mean for films such as Wonder Woman and Aquaman? According to the former’s director, Patty Jenkins, absolutely nothing. The DCEU may, so far, have a specific look and feel, but that can vary based on who’s sitting behind the camera.
The studio has prided itself on giving their directors full creative range. However, claims of their interfering with production and post-production allege otherwise. Consequently, many have been left curious as to whether or not creativity is being stymied. As far as the tone of these films is concerned, Jenkins told Collider:
“All I can say is that from my point of view, there is no mandate on tone that I experienced. So I think every filmmaker is making their own movie in the tone that they see right for that movie. So I have no pressure on me to not do the same. So I came in saying, “Superman 1” and “It’s an origin story” and casting Chris, who I knew and was so funny, and all of these things. And they were seeing it shape up as what it shaped up as and supporting it. I think that will also be true with Aquaman and Flash all of those movies. I don’t think there is one tone.
“I think maybe Christopher Nolan had a serious tone, and Zack [Snyder] has a different tone that is also serious in a different way. So I think it became a perception that there was one tone, but that’s not what I had heard. I heard that there were these different superheroes and I was coming in to make one. And I was supported it making it the tone I wanted to make it.”
As we’ve seen in trailers, both Justice League and Wonder Woman appear to offer something different from what’s been shown previously. Specifically, Wonder Woman appears to have a much lighter tone, though it will certainly deal with grim circumstances in its WW1 setting. Aquaman’s director, James Wan, has teased that his horror expertise will seep into some elements of the King of Atlantis’ solo. Needless to say, the DCEU has an interesting few years ahead of it.
Wonder Woman opens this summer on June 2; Justice League follows not too far behind with its November 17 release.
Image: Warner Bros.
