Welcome back to Collider's “This Week in Superhero News”! The place to go to find the latest news of each week regarding the various superhero projects in movies, television, and other mediums. Trying to keep up with all of the superhero news that drop daily can be a daunting task, so we make it easier for you by compiling them in one place. The superhero news of this week includes the newest trailers for Wonder Woman and The LEGO Batman Movie, who will play villain Steppenwolf in Justice League, The Flash losing its director, composer Junkie XL dropping out of Deadpool 2, and more. Get caught up below.
‘Wonder Woman’: New Trailer Sees Gal Gadot Joining World War I
Director Patty Jenkins’ entry into the DCEU and the first female-led film of this modern superhero movie genre is hitting theaters next summer, and Warner Bros. reminded us of said event this week by releasing a new trailer for Wonder Woman. In this latest trailer we are further introduced to Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) and the journey she will embark on in this origin story, as she travels to the chaotic world of man alongside pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to fight in World War I. As far as footage goes, there is plenty of action to be seen, and we also get new brighter and colorful looks at the island of Themyscira. Gadot’s Wonder Woman shines through the trailer with plenty of moments of grace and plain badassery, hinting that the iconic character is getting a proper big screen adaptation in her upcoming film.
Wonder Woman doesn’t only have the pressures of successfully introducing this character, her story and what she represents, but will also look to connect all of it into the existing universe. The DCEU has yet to find solid footing, so a lot of fans are hoping this will be the film to do it, or at least be the big step in that direction. Putting everything else aside, on its own Wonder Woman has gotten great responses from the promotional material so far and audiences are still very much looking forward to the film.
‘Justice League’: ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Ciaran Hinds to Play Villain Steppenwolf
Zack Snyder’s Justice League will see the titular team of superheroes uniting to face a common threat, and at this point we know it to be DC villain Steppenwolf. While we knew the character our heroes would be facing, we had yet to find out who would bring Steppenwolf to life, but this week it was revealed which actor will be playing the main villain in Justice League. According to reports, Game of Thrones actor Ciaran Hinds has landed the role of the villainous Steppenwolf, which he will play through a mo-capped performance. We got a glimpse of Steppenwolf from a Batman v. Superman deleted scene, but the character will reportedly look different than what was seen there. If you know Hinds as Mance Rayder from Game of Thrones or some of his other work, you know that the talent is there. What will be interesting to see is if Steppenwolf ends up being an unmemorable villain in Justice League, something most superhero movies suffer from.
‘The LEGO Batman Movie’: The Dark Knight Swings into Action in New Trailer
At one point or another we’ve all thought, “It must be great to be Batman” but turns out it’s a bit of a lonely life, something well pointed out in the new trailer for The LEGO Batman Movie. The Batman many people know and love comes from a very dark, serious, and lonely place, but as this trailer and eventually the entire movie will show, there’s nothing wrong with seeing a light and funny Dark Knight. The LEGO Batman Movie is going to be a Batman movie that makes fun of Batman movies, including Batman v. Superman apparently. From what the trailer shows, the animation looks fantastic, the comedy in on point, and I can’t wait to get to see it at full length. This is the Batman movie we deserve, and the one we need right now (see what I did there?).
‘The Flash’: Director Rick Famuyiwa Exits
There appears to be a dark cloud surrounding superhero movies recently, and the latest project to suffer a setback is The Flash as director Rick Famuyiwa has exited from the upcoming DC superhero film. Famuyiwa has reportedly departed from The Flash due to “creative differences” with Warner Bros., and while specific details aren’t know, reports are that Famuyiwa’s edgier vision for the film conflicted with that of the studio’s. This marks the second time a director drops out of the project (or third if you want to count Phil Lord and Christopher Miller) with screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith, who would’ve made his directing debut with The Flash, also departing from the film earlier this year. Whether you were onboard with Famuyiwa directing The Flash or not, it’s still bad news for the project and leaves the question of how this setback will impact the film’s 2018 release date.
‘Deadpool 2’ Loses Composer Junkie XL
In more disappointing superhero news, this week we also got the announcement that composer Junkie XL, a.k.a. Tom Holkenborg, is the latest talent to drop out of Deadpool 2. The composer himself made an official statement through social media where he announced that he has “decided not to score the upcoming Deadpool Movie.” The statement points out that the composer’s decision to exit the project is directly related to the departure of director Tim Miller. It’s never good news to lose talent on a project, especially when it was part of a team what worked so well the first time around, so this is another tough blow for Deadpool 2. The majority of the modern superhero movies haven’t been particularly characterized by their scores, but Deadpool did have some memorable music. Sadly, Deadpool 2 is gonna have to fill another empty seat.
‘The Defenders’: First Set Photos And Cast Updates
The ball continues to roll on Marvel and Netflix’s The Defenders as the cameras have started rolling in NYC for the upcoming series. The start of filming on the series that will see Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) unite brought with it the first set photos and a couple of cast confirmations, plus a bit of ass-kicking from Jessica Henwick as martial artist Colleen Wing. The set photos gave us a glimpse at something that promises to be very entertaining with a not-so-friendly meeting between Jessica Jones and Misty Knight (Simone Missick), this also confirms Missick’s appearance on the miniseries. Through a video promo we got to see a very quick look at Colleen Wing bringing the pain, and we also got confirmation on her appearance on The Defenders. The list of characters also joining The Defenders includes Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), Malcolm Ducasse (Eka Darville), Trish Walker (Rachel Taylor), Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), Stick (Scott Glenn), and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson). It’ll be interesting to see how all of their personalities interact and are handled together in The Defenders.