DC Comics Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

was unceremoniously shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav last year, and actor Henry Cavill was fired from the role of Superman shortly after.

so serious?“Joker: Folie à Deux” has been given an R rating, according to the MPA’s daily ratings bulletin, for “some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality, and brief full nudity.”The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, is a sequel to 2019’s “Joker,” which was also rated R but not because too much skin was bared.An R classification is fairly rare in the world of comic book movies. In the 33-flick Marvel Cinematic Universe, only “Deadpool” and “Deadpool 2” were slapped with it.Racy subject matter is slightly more common for the old DC Extended Universe (of which “Joker” and its sequel exist separately from): “Birds of Prey,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” and “The Suicide Squad” are all rated R.Despite requiring adult supervision for any ticket buyer under 17, “Joker” grossed over $1 billion worldwide — the first R-rated film to ever do so.

With shows like “American Gods,” “Good Omens,” and Netflix’s “Sandman” series based on his works, author Neil Gaiman has really been leading the charge for fantasy shows in the streaming age. And yet Another series adaptation of his work is coming to Netflix on April 25, helping to expand “The Sandman” universe.

didn’t steal the plot for its 2022 blockbuster “The Batman” from a writer who created a story about the Caped Crusader three decades earlier, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday.US District Judge Paul Engelmayer also said the writer Christopher Wozniak infringed copyrights belonging to DC Comics, which employed him as a freelance artist in 1990 when he wrote “The Ultimate Riddle,” later retitled “The Blind Man’s Hat.”“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and are considering our next steps,” Wozniak’s lawyer, Terry Parker, said in an email.Wozniak claimed he was “stunned” to learn that “The Batman” was a near copy of “The Ultimate Riddle,” with the Riddler terrorizing a Gotham City beset by crime and controlled by a corrupt banking cartel.But in a 45-page decision, Engelmayer said Wozniak intentionally and without consent lifted material from DC Comics’ works to create his story, which “liberally exploits –indeed, is rife with” Batman characters and plot elements.“The story’s use of the Batman character and the surrounding protected elements is an act of clear and blatant copyright infringement,” the judge wrote.Engelmayer also said key similarities between the works — serial killers who are loners bent on destroying society, villains who taunt pursuers with “clues and riddles,” and moments of “clarity or epiphany” that propel villains to crime — were too commonplace to support Wozniak’s copyright claim.For the latter, the judge in a footnote cited movies including “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” where Anakin Skywalker succumbs to the dark side of the Force and becomes Darth Vader.Engelmayer also rejected Wozniak’s “wholly speculative” claim for how Warner Bros might have gotten

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The Jason Momoa-led movie is expected to earn over $40 million plus on the four-day Christmas weekend, according to Deadline. However, if those numbers are correct, it will have a worse opening weekend than Marvel’s biggest bomb, “The Marvels,” which was released in November.The Post said the DC Studios film “isn’t well done, but it isn’t miserable either.”“Wonka,” which held the No.

Yahoo! Entertainment Wednesday that he filmed a very different cameo as the Man of Steel for DC’s “The Flash” compared to the one that made the final cut. “First and foremost, I was on set,” Cage, 59, said, dispelling rumors that the footage of the “National Treasure” star was simply a repurposed costume test from Tim Burton’s never-made film “Superman Lives.”“What I was supposed to do was literally just be standing in an alternate dimension, if you will, and witnessing the destruction of the universe.” Cage continued. “Kal-El was bearing witness [to] the end of a universe, and you can imagine with that short amount of time that I had, what that would mean in terms of what I can convey.”“I had no dialogue [so had to] convey with my eyes the emotion.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The flick, which CNN said “moves, ironically, too slow to deliver as a big-screen attraction,” tells the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player who became a professional race car driver. “Barbie,” which is now officially the highest-grossing movie of the year in North America, remained in second place, with $4 million in sales.She beat out “Blue Beetle,” which earned $2.6 million and landed in third place.The DC Comics film, which was in the No.

Blue Beetle,” part of the DC Extended Universe, was squished last weekend when it made a measly $45 million at the worldwide box office. That floperoo follows a string of embarrassing DC bombs in the past year, including “Black Adam,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash.” Losers, all.Over at Marvel, the situation isn’t as bleak, but the party is winding down.

DC’s latest addition to superhero cinema, Blue Beetle (★★☆☆☆), seems to thread together two disparate films that the makers struggle mightily to fuse into a satisfying, cohesive whole.At its most successful, the movie, directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings), introduces Mexican college grad Jaime Reyes, played by Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña, along with Jaime’s loving, but financially imperiled family. Dad Alberto (Damián Alcázar), mom Rocio (Elpidio Carrillo), younger sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), crazy conspiracy theory-addled uncle Rudy (George Lopez), and feisty matriarch Nana (Adriana Barraza, who almost steals the show) all rally around Jaime when a mysterious sapphire-blue scarab latches onto his body and consciousness, making him an unwilling host to a “world-destroying weapon.” Time spent with Jaime and the Reyes family, steeped in authentic Latino culture, humor, and relationships, plays like the warmly comic pilot episode of a sitcom I’d gladly binge.Each episode could include a flashback to the adventures of Nana Reyes, which, based on the hints she drops, would be as thrilling and dangerous as anything Jaime encounters in his new scarab-assisted superhero form as Blue Beetle.That brings us to the other, less successful counterpart to the Meet the Reyes Family sitcom: the relatively lame-ass origin story of another DC Comics hero that’s so clearly intended as a setup for future appearances that it fails to do anything interesting with the character’s big-screen debut.

Harvey Pekar maintained, “Comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures.” The potential of that sacred combination and the history of DC Comics began nearly a century ago. In 1934 an enterprising Capricorn (aren’t they all) and pulp writer by the name of Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson started National Allied Publications, the company that would become DC Comics and go on to beget such super hero luminaries as Batman and Superman.

DC Comics’ dreadful movies deserve to be violently squished, but not “Blue Beetle,” a refreshingly spry new film featuring the lesser-loved, bug-shaped superhero who’s been crawling around in some form since 1939.Running time: 127 minutes. Rated PG-13 (sequences of action and violence, language, and some suggestive references.) In theaters Aug.

revealed as DC’s new Superman and Lois Lane on Tuesday, it was hard to get revved up about the news.That’s not to diss the casting for 2025’s “Superman: Legacy.” Corenswet, the 29-year-old freshly minted Clark Kent, appropriately looks like a younger version ofhis predecessor Henry Cavill and was charismatic on the Netflix series “Hollywood” and “The Politician.” And 32-year-old Brosnahan, the lovable star of Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” is ideal as his Daily Planet counterpart.I’m sure they’ll do fine.But the casting change-up didn’t come across as a major victory for Warner Bros.

The Post noted in a review that called the flick “solidly entertaining.”The film is tracking to open in the $70 million range over the long Father’s Day and Juneteenth weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Next in line was Pixar’s new animated adventure film “Elemental,” which grossed $11.8 million in its opening night on Friday. It could end up being Pixar’s lowest debut, wrote the blog Slashfilm.The family flick is set in a New York-esque metropolis inhabited by anthropomorphic wind, water, fire and Earth citizens, and is sweet but underwhelming, said The Post.“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” took third in the box office, raking in $8.1 million.

The Flash (★★★☆☆), look no further than IMDb, which has listed every single (uncredited) appearance on the movie’s full cast list. Some cameos are clever, while others are slightly creepy –- yet another example of CGI eerily resurrecting the dead.

Miller’s well-documented antics in the months following filming — it was the first time the actor had been seen in public in almost a year.Sporting a white suit jacket with black detailing and long wavy hair with a topknot and braids, Miller told “Flash” director Andy Muschietti on the red carpet: “I love you, maestro. I think you are amazing, and I think your work is monumental.”It was the actor’s first public comments since a raft of stories last year about erratic behavior in Hawaii and Iceland as well as their home in Vermont.Miller, who uses them/they pronouns, has been holed up at their Vermont farm for the past year while undergoing outpatient mental health treatment, their publicist told The Post.“The Flash” has gotten good-to-mixed reviews, with The Post’s Johnny Oleksinski calling it “good fun” and raving that Miller “is DC’s much-needed answer to Tom Holland’s embraceable Spider-Man.”Meanwhile, Twitter was awash with criticism of the actor this week, calling Miller an “abuser” and a “groomer,” but their rep said Miller is getting real help and is recovering.“This is not a publicity thing,” the rep said.

Ezra Miller’s erratic behavior that landed the star in court in Hawaii and Vermont in 2022, to the Warner Bros. shakeup in October 2022 that led to James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over the limping DC Studios.Running time: 144 minutes.

the Hollywood Reporter. Corenswet is best known for “Hollywood” and “The Politician,” which are both Ryan Murphy Netflix series. British actors Tom Brittney, 32 (“Grantchester”), and Andrew Richardson, 31 (“The Last O.G.”), were also reportedly being considered. Cavill, 40, has played Superman since 2013’s “Man of Steel,” and reprised the role in 2016’s “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and 2017’s “Justice League.”  In October, he announced that he would be donning the famous cape again. “I wanted to make it official that I am back as Superman and the image you see on this post and what you saw in ‘Black Adam’ are just a very small taste of things to come,” he said on Instagram. However, in a bizarre and humiliating turn of events for him, that announcement was short-lived. Just two months later in November, DC fired Cavill, and he had to post an awkward announcement revoking his previous announcement about returning.

the word villain translates to common villager and comes from the Medieval belief, held by the aristocracy, (and let’s be real those motherf—ers hold everything) that the less wealthy among them were persons “of uncouth mind and manners.” Class struggles man, then, now and always. Over time, the definition grew, uncouth became criminal behaviors and villain become synonymous with bad guys, low lives, fiends and foes.

second official trailer for “The Flash” on Tuesday — with its troubled starEzra Miller front and center.The 30-year-old actor, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, reprises their role as Barry Allen in the movie, which hits theaters June 16. The trailer premiered at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.Director Andy Muschietti, 49, attended the event and called Miller “one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with.”“Every tool in the toolkit… [Miller] is an incredible comedian, and [has] all the action required for a big spectacle like this,” he added, per Deadline, which reported Miller wasn’t at the CinemaCon presentation.The Post has contacted reps for DC Films and Miller for comment.Miller first portrayed Allen in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” They have continued to do so in films such as “Suicide Squad” and “Justice League,” while also making a cameo in the 2022 TV series “Peacemaker.”But over the last year, Miller’s legal troubles have included accusations of disorderly conduct, abuse, assault, and burglary — as well as grooming minors.Miller’s representative told Variety in August that they were seeking treatment for “complex mental health issues.” The move followed reports that Warner Bros.

When the first handful of projects were announced for DC Studios, one of them was an animated series based on the DC Comics team “Creature Commandos.” The project would see the voice cast making the transition to live-action incarnations as well down the road. The new genre series was announced alongside a string of feature films such as James Gunn‘s “Superman: Legacy,” a new Batman project called “The Brave & The Bold,” “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” and James Mangold‘s “Swamp Thing” remake as part of their “Chapter One: Gods & Monsters” lineup.

both superhero comics franchises — has revealed that an epic blend is possible after taking over as head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran.“I’m certain that’s more likely now that I’m in charge,” Gunn, 56, told Esquire on Thursday. “Who knows?” “[However,] that’s many years away, though.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo. The Post gave the sequel to the 2019 original “0 stars for a teenage train wreck.”“Scream VI” which was in the number one spot last week, shrieked its way down to second, with close to $5.2 million in sales.The horror film, the first in the slasher series to be set in New York City, enjoyed a $44.5 million opening weekend, the highest out of any in the franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Michael B.

on the auction block, and the final bid could approach the rare issue’s record price of $1.74 million, according to an independent seller. “$1.5 million is not an unreasonable guess,” said Ted VanLiew, owner of Super World Comics in Holden, Mass.

the world saw “Black Adam” and was fully convinced that the movie was as low as DC Comics could possibly go, here comes “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” to outdo it in the limbo line of awfulness.We’re talking about a film in which the sentence “The most powerful thing about you… is you!” is uttered twice.A film with a character named Steve, who is an all-knowing, enchanted pen.Zero stars. Running time: 130 minutes.

HBO Max series “The Penguin.”The Irishman — a Best Actor nominee at the 2023 Oscars for “The Banshees of Inishiren” — is reprising his role as DC Comics supervillain Penguin, a part he first played in last year’s blockbuster movie, “The Batman.”Penguin, a Gotham City mobster also known as Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, is one of Batman’s most enduring enemies, famed for his heavyset frame and receding hairline.In order to transform into the bulging baddie, Farrell wore facial prosthetics that gave him multiple chins and pockmarked skin. The star’s signature bushy eyebrows and thick dark locks were also obscured by the work of Hollywood cosmetics.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” had been forced to work non-stop for two hours sans bathroom or water breaks during production at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

It’s been a deeply turbulent week for DC fans of late. After news broke of some potentially drastic changes—a potential reboot of the entire Universe, which could include recasting of major characters—all kinds of details and ramifications started surfacing, including the news that Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 3” treatment was nixed by the studio, effectively killing her proposed version of that film (and it sounds like she’s walked away from the franchise entirely, upset that her pitch was rejected).