After restarting the comic book adaptation project, Warner Bros., Hollywood's bravest and most generous top studio, swaggered to put many DC Comics characters on the big screen, hoping to develop another "Spider-Man" or "X-Men", but the results were a big disappointment.

"Catwoman", who appeared as a stone-throwing and asking for directions, ushered in a crash-like fiasco, from word-of-mouth to box office, and even made Halle Berry, who had just won the Oscar, point out that her career plummeted and has been in a slump ever since; In the time since, "Constantine", "The Shining", "Watchmen", "Green Lantern" and so on have all failed, and at the same time, Marvel's adaptation of the movie "Daredevil Man" and "Punisher" have suffered landslide-like failures, with losses of more than $100 million, which also strengthened Warner Bros.'s determination to develop around Superman and Batman-

But the result was disappointing again, Superman never improved, and there was no successor to Nolan's version of Batman, and the director Warner Bros. had to reconsider other roles, but they couldn't find a breakthrough, so they could only return to Superman and Batman, who have a huge mass base...... So, once again, it entered a vicious cycle.

Warner Bros. holds the rights to adapt DC Comics, which is a big plus because they can adapt all the works and all the characters freely, but it is also a limitation, because a single mistake in decision-making can lead to a chain reaction, and there is no chance of turning over.

Especially when inspiration is blocked, Warner Bros. lacks change and response, which makes it difficult for the series to make a difference.

For reference, the Marvel Comics adaptation rights are scattered among major companies, with Sony developing "Spider-Man", Universal Pictures developing "Hulk", Twentieth Century Fox developing "Fantastic Four", and Paramount developing "Iron Man", "Captain America" and "Thor...... Although scattered, the competition between each other is fierce, with one superhero failing, and countless superheroes standing up, and then a virtuous circle is formed.

Even if Disney later acquired Marvel Comics, many adaptation copyrights, including "Spider-Man" and "Fantastic Four", have not been recovered, which is an obstacle to Disney's long-term development, but for Marvel adaptations, competition is opening up more possibilities.

In fact, Marvel's success can be simply attributed to three points: the first is the development of **-type superheroes, such as Thor, Deadpool, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Ant-Man These small characters have won a lot of popularity; The second is to bring the spirit of entertainment to the extreme, not to mention the open/swinging/uninhibited Iron Man, even the serious Captain America, Thor, and Hulk have joined the ranks of spoofs and self-blackening, which coincides with the spirit of pop entertainment culture; The third is the maturity of the production of genre films, from the script structure to the high/tide control zhì, and then to the burden of foreshadowing, forming a fixed routine, and implementing the entertainment elements of popcorn throughout.

Of course, the most important thing is timing. The perfection of computer special effects technology makes all the ideas in the comics can be truly restored, and truly establishes a magical two-dimensional world, which also makes the comic book adaptation film a branch of the special effects blockbuster, establishes an unshakable fan culture, and becomes one of the most watched genres in the film market.

Warner Bros. is obviously aware of this problem, shame and courage, before Lance was reborn, Warner Bros. joined the ranks of the creation of the DC universe, in addition to the "Superman" series reboot, the "Batman v Superman" publicity is also vigorous, in addition to "Suicide Squad", "Wonder Woman", "The Flash", "Justice League" and other works have been put on the agenda, the momentum is huge, eye-catching.

What's even more rare is that DC Comics started from the small screen of the TV series, and it was so lively and lively, and it suppressed the footsteps of its opponent Marvel and achieved an incredible victory. Extending from small screens to large screens, this also opens up more possibilities for success for the DC universe.

However, from the layman's point of view of Lance, Warner Bros. adaptation is a little sluggish, because the comic book adaptation has begun to produce aesthetic fatigue, and the audience's support for Marvel movies has obviously declined; At the same time, Warner Bros. was a little too eager to create more sparks, even to follow the path of Marvel's success, but instead seemed nondescript.

Of course, Lance is just a layman, his views are not accurate, and he has no idea what happened after 2016, whether DC Comics can regain the commanding heights, and how Marvel Comics will respond, all are unknown. At least, in terms of development potential, at the moment, DC is indeed much higher than Marvel, if the two cards of Superman and Batman can be used well, it is not difficult for DC to regain the commanding heights.

Tonight, when Lance and Barry were chatting, he vaguely felt the formality and deep meaning in Barry's words, but he never expected that it would be Superman, and Barry actually wanted to put the responsibility of restarting the Superman series in his hands, which was obviously an important recognition for Lance.

For the current North American market, the comic book adaptation led by "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" means a money printing machine, and any studio wants a piece of the pie. In such a situation, Barry targeted Lance, and it was also through Guò George's matchmaking, which made a big circle, showing sincerity and proving Lance's ability.

Especially considering that the "Catwoman" released in the summer of this year has encountered a flood of bad reviews, with a box office of only 16 million in the opening weekend, a cumulative box office of 40 million in North America, and a cumulative box office of 81 million worldwide, with an investment of up to 100 million US dollars, which made Warner Bros. look like dirt.

The rebooted version of Batman has been handed over to Christopher Nolan, but the rebooted version of Superman has never found a suitable place to stay. The fiasco of "Catwoman" is a wake-up call for Warner Bros., and the comic book adaptation is not just as simple as satisfying the fantasies of fans, the story must also stand up to scrutiny and truly show the whole magical world, so the director's choice becomes crucial.

As one of the two major characters in DC Comics that has swept the movie screen for two decades, Superman is even heavier than Batman.

In June 1938, a man in a blue leotard and a red cape appeared, undoubtedly becoming the first and greatest superhero in history; Over the past four decades, from the big screen to the small screen, from comics to books, Clark Kent's character has taken the world by storm and become a benchmark for countless superhero characters. As Lance and Barry just said, even at the lowest point of comic book adaptations, TV series featuring Superman still emerged one after another, which shows the popularity of Superman's character.

It is no exaggeration to say that Superman is one of the most important symbols of American pop culture, comparable to the British Three Treasures "Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Who, 007". The significance of restarting the Superman project for Warner Bros. is far more than just a movie, and it is an important step to reintroduce DC Comics into the market.

In such a situation, Lance came into Barry's sight.

Just half a year ago, Lance had to rack his brains and calculate carefully for a film project, but now, Barry is visiting in person with a project worth a thousand dollars, and the change in status and prestige has come so quickly and so ferociously.

No wonder George didn't turn down Barry, because he clearly knew how important the Superman reboot project was, when "Batman and Robin" directly directed the comic book adaptation of the movie was suspended for nearly ten years, as the leading actor, the film became a stain that George couldn't get rid of throughout his career, and he knew better than anyone how rare Barry's invitation was.

It's no wonder that Barry went around in big circles, because he knew deep down that the Superman reboot project was related to Warner Bros.' next five-year plan, and hiring Christopher Nolan to direct "Batman" was a gamble; Hiring Lance to direct "Superman" was an adventure - the success of three consecutive works has already given Lance a reputation as a veteran director as a rookie director.

Lance couldn't help but be thrilled at this time, not because of the "Superman" reboot project, but because of the deep meaning hidden behind Barry's invitation, which came from the recognition of the top production company group, proving that he had earned a place in the upper pyramid; This is the recognition of industry veterans, whether it is word of mouth or prestige, including trust, these are priceless treasures, which will become the cornerstone of Reims's further development.

From passive to active, in just two years, Lance has completed the road of six years of Diorama Pictures. Even if the third life is human and the heart is like a rock, at this moment, Lance is inevitably agitated - the seemingly impossible task has now evolved into a reality, and the goal of defeating Diorama Pictures has gradually become clear, as if he can reach the end of his hand.

However, the flattering mood only lasted for a short time, but on the contrary, he quickly calmed down, because he knew that sitting opposite was Barry, who was at the helm of Warner Bros., and the old fox who could not afford to be early; More because he knows that this is Hollywood, there are countless overnight successes, but it is not uncommon to fall overnight, not to mention that he has not really stood at the top of the pyramid, even if he reaches it, the earth will not revolve around him.

Therefore, Lance calmed down and seriously thought about Barry's proposal, Superman's restart project, the much-anticipated but heavy project, even if he didn't have the memory of the previous life, he knew that he must not let his guard down; What's more, he clearly remembered that the superhuman reboot journey in the previous life was a disaster. (To be continued.) )