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Since the controversial fall of the DCEU regime, the remainder of the projects under development receded back into the shadows. Among the many whose names stuck out isJustice League Dark, a film that once sought out the great Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro as its director. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Over time, and with a mighty push fromBlack Adam, the DCEU was officially dismantled in October 2022. As such, the Guillermo del Toro project fell through as well despite the master of horror devoting his career to bringing such characters as Swamp Thing and Etrigan the Demon to life.
Now, under the light of the new DC leadership, wandering minds cannot help but think of what greatness could be accomplished if only the suits and the execs had put studio politics aside to make one of the greatest movies happen.
Guillermo del Toro’s lost vision forJustice League Dark
In 2006,Guillermo del Toroproved he meant business withEl Laberinto del Fauno, anglicized asPan’s Labyrinth. Since then, every film affected by his endless imagination has been a masterpiece, including the 2017 Best Picture Oscar winnerThe Shape of Water.
But when it comes to his love for creatures, there is no better template than the world of comic books, where imagination runs amok, the supernatural exists in abundance, and monsters lurk at every corner.
Justice League Dark, which contained all of those elements, was meant to bethe legacy left behind by Guillermo del Toro for DCwith his signature noir tone and inimitable cinematography.
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However, when asked byComicbookabout whether he would ever consider directing the film, Guillermo del Toro replied:
Oh, I don’t know. My love for Swamp Thing, The Demon, knows no bounds, but I don’t know. You don’t get a manicure from a big machine, that’s what I learn, you lose a few fingers. So I don’t know if I want a manicure from a big machine. As Danny Glover would say, ‘I’m too old for this sh-t.’
In hindsight, Guillermo del Toro is not the only filmmaker whose love for the art form was deformed by studio politics.Christopher Nolan, who helped clinch the first-ever Oscar won by an actor in a superhero movie, was also disillusioned by the superhero industry after working on the Dark Knight trilogy and has vocally refused to direct such a project again in his illustrious career.
Comic book franchises need a better direction
The Marvel and DC universes have been cohabiting for the past century through times of war and peace alike. Like music and film, comic books have dealt refuge from trauma, violence, and the cruel reality of the world outside.
While the entertainment industry may now want to draw as much commercial profitability as possible from both these franchises, there exists a moral and ethical backbone behind each of these stories and characters that make up the fictional worlds within the glossy pages.
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Now that Superhero fatigue has set in, both comic book franchises need to radically reorient their storytelling structure and marketing strategy. A phenomenon likeAvengers: EndgameorZack Snyder’s Justice Leaguecomes by only once in a lifetime. Attempting to recreate a moment of greater magnitude only ends up in a disaster that ultimately disappoints the fans.
Rather, the industry needs singular and intricate surprises likeBatman: Caped CrusaderandX-Men ’97that can revive the love for comic book storytelling among a new and emerging generation of fans and audiences.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2409
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
