One obvious result of the incredible success of Spider-Man 3* (see item below) is that that big budget superhero movies are going to become even hotter. Things slowed down a little when Superman Returns underperformed, but an entire slate of superhero projects that have been in limbo are now going to be rushed further into the production chain, following the success of the mega-budgeted Spider-Man 3, the comparatively cheap 300, and even the decent success of the uninspired Ghost Rider.
[*Also bolstered: Sequels. And wait until this month’s third Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean movies also rake in the bucks.]
The gambles are big. Apparently there will be another Superman movie, especially, again, after this. I imagine they’ll try to scale back from that film’s $250 million budget, though, and presumably have Superman fight an actual supervillain this time.
However, fittingly Marvel is in the best position to strike. DC will have a second Batman movie out next year, but other character adaptations, ranging from Wonder Woman to the Flash, have been moribund. In contrast, Marvel has both a highly anticipated Iron Man movie, and a second, more commercially friendly Hulk film also headed for theaters next summer. And buzz about this summer’s upcoming Fantastic Four sequel is fairly strong. I’m expecting / hoping the FF sequel will better the OK first film, but there’s a good chance that the Batman and Iron Man movies will be pretty great, and the Hulk film should be cool. Assuming none of these movies completely blows, all should make a lot of money.
After that, expect le deluge. From DC, expect at a third Batman, a second Superman, and for those Flash and Wonder Woman movies to start ramping up. There’s also been words of a possible Justice League movie, although the logistics and expense of such a thing would be mind-boggling. Also expect the adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen to move further forward.
Again, though, Marvel is in the cat bird seat. Even if none of the present creators of the Spider-Man series return, expect more Spidey movies at some point, and quite possibly a third Fantastic Four. Aside from the already in production Fantastic Four 2, Iron Man and Incredible Hulk, expect Thor and Captain America movies to begin moving forward. Solo movies for Wolverine and Magneto are now almost guaranteed. Even Ant-Man (!) is supposedly also on the docket, and there might be another Punisher movie, hopefully better than the last one.
And, of course, assuming some of those new movies do well, there would be sequels to those, too.
And again, if Ghost Rider can make a decent buck, even with a mediocre film, even less popular characters could hit screens. After all, the Blade series was very popular, and Hellboy did well enough to spark an upcoming sequel. Perhaps John Singleton’s long-stalled Luke Cage movie will move forward. (Although I’d rather see Quentin Tarantino make one and shot like it was a ’70s Blaxploitation movie.) Aside from those mentioned above, a partial list of properties currently being kicked around include:
DC: Deadman, Doom Patrol, Sgt. Rock, Shazam/Captain Marvel.
Marvel: Werewolf by Night (!), Silver Surfer, She-Hulk, Nick Fury, The Avengers.
Independents: The Spirit (Frank Miller directing), Ronin (from a Frank Miller mini-series, although it’s a bit too much like Samurai Jack), Ex Machina, Invincible, another Sin City movie.
Not all of those will get made, of course, but it now likes like more of them will be. Then, of course, there’s TV. Aside from cable shows like Witchblade and Painkiller Jane, there’s the fact that the year’s biggest new show was the X-Men inspired Heroes on NBC. So expect more superheroes on the home screen as well.
Of course, at some point the films will get worse, and the audiences will get bored, and things will peter out. It looks like it will be a while before that happens, though.
