The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has had a rocky history. DC’s attempt to form a connected universe starting with Man of Steel was misguided from the beginning. One of the primary issues with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is that it tried to cram years of storytelling into a single, over-packed narrative. Ironically, the DC universe has found greater success in the past few years when it told stories outside the DCEU. Both The Batman and Joker were acclaimed for their ability to tell isolated, standalone stories.
The fate of the DCEU is particularly shaky given the merger between Warner Brothers and Discovery. Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zazlav has already made some bold movies for the future of the universe. Multiple projects were pushed back, several shows were scrapped, and of course, the completed film Batgirl has been completely canceled. Among the changes that Zazlav has made was naming Dan Lin as the new head of the DCEU.
Fans are justified in their skepticism about the future of the franchise. That being said, Lin has a very solid track record within the industry. He has produced projects that are both artistically ambitious and satisfying for mass audiences. Here are some of the strongest movies and shows that he has been involved with.
Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
Since the “Sherlock Holmes” character is within the public domain, there have been countless adaptations of the classical detective on both the big and small screens. However, British filmmaker Guy Ritchie managed to make the story feel fresh again by turning Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his loyal sidekick John Watson (Jude Law) into a bickering, buddy duo. Lin helped transform Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories into a modern action franchise.
The two Sherlock Holmes films represent how to do a franchise correctly. Although the first film tells a standalone story, it brilliantly teases the existence of Holmes’ arch nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Jared Harris portrayed Moriarty in the 2011 sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. It’s a shame that production of the third film has been beset with delays; A Game of Shadows hints at Holmes’ survival in a hilarious final scene.
Gangster Squad (2013)
The gangster genre has been wildly popular on television thanks to the success of series like Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders, but we haven’t seen a lot of recent films about the historical mafia. Gangster Squad isn’t high art, but it's a fun throwback to an older age of cinema. Lin shepherded a Black List screenplay before handing the project to Zombieland filmmaker Ruben Fleischer.
Lin will be involved with some hefty casting announcements during his tenure at DC. Gangster Squad showed that he can certainly assemble a stacked ensemble; it’s fun to see Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin in action roles, as they generally appear in smaller, arthouse fare. We also have Lin to thank for Sean Penn’s hilariously over-the-top performance as the Los Angeles mobster Mickey Cohen.
Forever (2014)
This short-run science fiction series was unfortunately canceled before it reached a second season. The ABC show starred Ioan Gruffudd as the New York medical examiner Dr. Henry Morgan, who has been alive for over two centuries. Although he privately searches for a cure to immortality, Morgan uses his years of knowledge to solve crimes within the Big Apple.
Forever showed how Lin was able to merge deeper philosophical themes within an exciting weekly series; Forever wasn’t quite a standard procedural, but it didn’t feel burdened by its own mythology. Perhaps the series would have fared better if it had been released a few years later after the streaming boom. Fans of the series were notoriously furious at its cancellation, and began an active campaign to save the show after it became an international hit.
The LEGO Movie (2014) and The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
On paper, The LEGO Movie sounded like the most cynical concept ever. Who wants to see a 90-minute toy commercial? However, Lin understood the importance of hiring a talented creative team. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were able to use the LEGO universe as the setting for an endearing adventure about the power of creativity. The live-action moments are brilliantly incorporated, and the film isn’t burdened by references to other franchises.
Lin showed his love for the DC universe with The LEGO Batman Movie. Even though it's a comical take on the character, The LEGO Batman Movie does a great job at dissecting the psychology of Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett). There are also some deep references to the character’s history that comic book readers appreciated.
It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019)
Stephen King’s It is a beautiful, overwritten, rambling epic. Although King’s novel has its defenders, the book is plagued by an unsatisfying ending and a confusing mythology. Dividing the project into two separate chapters was the best way to tell the story. It allowed each film to address a different question. How do our childhood fears emerge, and how do they affect us when we grow up?
Andy Muschetti was able to capitalize on the popularity of Stranger Things (which ironically was inspired by It) and turn the first film into a fun, 1980s coming-of-age story. While It: Chapter Two struggled to capture the charisma of the younger cast, Lin managed to assemble an impressive ensemble for the older version of the “Loser’s Club.”
The Two Popes (2019)
Although it seems like an oddity within Lin’s filmography, The Two Popes was a risky project from the beginning. The film recounts a recent event that affected a significant portion of the worldwide population, and had to recreate some of the most well-known locations in world history. There was also an inherent level of controversy. How would The Two Popes address the sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church?
Despite these difficulties, The Two Popes became a breezy, engaging crowd pleaser that found success during awards season. Although it doesn’t shy away from the gravity of its subject material, there’s a light, comic touch to the interactions between Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) and Pope Benedict XVI (Sir Anthony Hopkins). Pryce, Hopkins, and screenwriter Anthony McCarten all received Academy Award nominations, and Lin received a nod at the BAFTA awards for Best British Film.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
2014’s Godzilla may have been a box office smash hit, but it left some kaiju fans underwhelmed. The lack of action was disappointing, especially given the popularity of Pacific Rim a year earlier. Lin listened to these complaints and steered the sequel in a completely different direction. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is straight-up campy nonsense from beginning to end. It was able to tease the larger “Monsterverse” by tying into the events of Kong: Skull Island.
This laid the groundwork for Godzilla vs. Kong, which became a hit amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though it was simultaneously streaming on HBO Max, the monster brawl became one of the first films to get audiences back to theaters. Godzilla vs. Kong lives up to everything that its title suggests; if you want a big, goofy monster mash, you’re unlikely to leave the film disappointed.