The Batman
The Trailer
Garnering twice the views as the trailer for the Snyder Cut, the trailer for The Batman was arguably the biggest event during FanDome. It showed Robert Pattinson in action as the title hero for the first time. It also shows the Riddler (played by Paul Dano) as the main villain lurking in the background in addition to Catwoman (played by Zoë Kravitz) and the Penguin (Colin Farrell). Curiously, it also shows Batman working alongside the Gotham PD solving vague clues from the Riddler. Batman appears with new, slick versions of his classic gear in action: his Batsuit, Batmobile, and Batbike. Lastly, the trailer ends by showing a release date in 2021.
The Panel
Robert Pattinson started off the panel by addressing how COVID disrupted production, but he showed his excitement for returning to work to finish the film. Director of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes, and Cloverfield, Matt Reeves, answered various questions regarding his new project about the Caped Crusader. In regards to the setting, Reeves said that it takes place in Bruce’s 2nd year as Batman. Because of this, he is still learning how to effectively fight crime and fix Gotham. Reeves also talked about how the main plot will be a detective story. As Bruce investigates murders, he begins to unravel a much greater corruption in Gotham and his family’s place within it.
He also mentioned how the movie will be a form of an origin story for its villains. Selena Kyle evolves into Catwoman while the Riddler and the Penguin emerge in Gotham for the first time. Reeves stated that he hopes to mold new and unique iterations for his characters. He mentioned how Andy Serkis as Alfred and Jeffrey Wright playing the role of Commissioner Gordon will help achieve this goal.
Before revealing the trailer, Reeves delved into some fan questions about the movie. He talked about Batman’s emerging presence in Gotham. Some citizens are averse to the idea of a vigilante exacting justice on his own. Others view him as a legend, questioning his existence. He also expanded upon his experience designing the new gear and Batcave. His main focus is to make it very practical and realistic. Since this is his version of Batman, Reeves hopes to distinguish him by focusing on his detective skills. More importantly, he wants to focus on how he makes mistakes due to his flawed nature to make him appear more human than other iterations.
Gotham PD
Reeves also spoke about Gotham PD, an upcoming TV show which will take place a year before the events of The Batman. It will take place during Bruce’s origins as Batman in the backdrop of the corrupt workings of Gotham’s police department. It is set from the point of view of a cop struggling with his morals and his role as an officer.
The Suicide Squad
Roll Call
Arguably one of the coolest and most exciting aspects of the sequel to The Suicide Squad is its new cast. Some film stars are returning to reprise their roles from the previous film, most notably Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. However, the new movie has a huge number of new actors and actresses joining the DCEU to comprise the movie’s namesake and much bigger team. FanDome released a short, 2 minute video showing all 17 team members in costume with their names and respective actors. The most recognizable new additions were John Cena as the Peacemaker and Idris Elba as Bloodsport.
Sneak Peek
FanDome also released a sneak peek for the movie, showing the behind-the-scenes-look for the movie’s production. Director James Gunn, famous for the Guardians of the Galaxy Franchise, alongside the film’s cast give their optimistic thoughts on their movie while the featurette shows action scenes being shot.
The Panel
As usual, the panel opened with the director of the project, James Gunn. Gunn enthusiastically answered fan questions about his love for the Suicide Squad, his inspirations, and his experience with making the movie. Gunn also claimed that one of his VFX supervisors confirmed that he had added more explosion effects than any other movie he had done combined. On that note, Gunn promised a visual extravaganza for viewers once post-production is finished. After a fan asked which actors were playing which characters, Gunn showed the Roll Call, which showed all the actors in costume for their roles. Directly after, Gunn introduced all the team’s cast members virtually. Together, the cast selected teams and had fun playing comic trivia about the Suicide Squad. Lastly, Gunn showed the Sneak Peek and thanked the cast.
Black Adam
The Sneak Peek
FanDome released a short teaser for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s newest involvement in the DCEU, Black Adam. In it, Adam narrates a quick summary of his life with concept art portraying his story. In summary, he revolted against his slavers in the fictional country of Kahndaq, which is similar to Egypt. He was imprisoned for 5000 years before finally freeing himself, hungry for revenge, in the present day.
The Panel
After debuting the sneak peek to the world, Dwayne promised a great movie for his fans, explaining how it is still in the early stages of production. As usual, he answered fan questions from around the world. Noah Centineo also showed up and talked with Dwayne about his expectations for playing Atom Smasher, an anti-hero in the comics known for his relationship with Black Adam.
Dwayne then introduced a short teaser for the Justice Society of America, a group of heroes debuting in Black Adam, naming several of its members with respective concept art. Among them were Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, and the aforementioned Atom Smasher, all of whom will be trying to stop Black Adam. The movie is still very early in its production and is set for release in late 2021.
Much, Much More
Without rambling on forever, the DC FanDome introduced plenty more exciting news and content for fans to enjoy.
Movies
Shazam! and Aquaman both received their own panels, although not much new info was announced. For Aquaman, director James Wan and star Patrick Wilson, who played Ocean Master, talked about their experiences filming the first movie. Wan talked about what he hopes to do for his sequel, which he said will have a setting that takes place more in the human world than in Atlantis. It is set for release in late 2022.
Shazam! had a panel with Zachary Levi, who plays the titular character, at its helm. He later introduced more of the cast for the first movie to help answer fan questions. Although they did not have much new information to say, they revealed the title of the movie to be Shazam! Fury of the Gods. As of writing, it will release in late 2022.
TV
DC has many properties and successful TV shows throughout modern media. CW’s Arrowverse encompasses many different shows, each of which had their own panels and trailer drops during DC FanDome. The Arrowverse encompasses many different characters and shows. Some older shows like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow received trailers and panels during the event. Additionally, DC’s Titans, which is separate from the Arrowverse, received a panel.
Gaming
Two new video games based on DC characters were announced, Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Gotham Knights released a trailer and a gameplay walkthrough, which excited fans. The premise for the Gotham Knights surrounds Batman’s death, and how the Batman family will pick up his mantle in protecting Gotham. The 4 main heroes are Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood. Together, they will face off against the likes of Mr. Freeze and the Court of Owls, a powerful mob group in Gotham from the comics. The game will be an open world crime-fighting story in Gotham.
The second game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, received a panel and a trailer drop. After Brainiac has invaded Metropolis and seized control of the Justice League, Amanda Waller has asked for the Suicide Squad to take them down. Taking part of the squad are Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark. Gotham Knights will release next year while Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is still a ways away, releasing in 2022.
If you missed it, check out the first half of this article here, covering the incredible push for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and the new content for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Flash movies.
