The second half of Season 14 starts off in the biggest way possible with a film that has the whole town abuzz. In a lot of ways, the special nature of Superman: The Man of Tomorrow is very circumstantial. On one hand, you have John Malone - one of the studio’s most legendary writers. His films are more infrequent than others and so, when they do come out, they are true events themselves. Interestingly, after establishing himself as Mr. Adaptation in his first few seasons at the studio, this will only be his second adaptation in the last eight seasons - thus raising the stakes a little further. Plus John has never worked on a superhero film before, a rarity here as most of the studio’s writers have at least one hero that they are synonymous with.
But of course, this is not just any superhero. It is perhaps the most well-known superhero of all time, a property so big that Phil Dolan has been extremely hesitant in how the studio would adapt it. It is not like LRF’s DC Universe has been hurting in his absence but, with the massive success of the Batman series, this is an absence that has become increasingly hard to ignore (even if a series like Booster Gold has found ways to tread the Superman waters a bit). Which adds another element to this upcoming blockbuster: will it connect to the studio’s larger expanded DC Comics universe? Like Batman, it is a character who is so big that he does not need that additional connection but this is still a topic that is hot on the tongues of DC fans and film junkies alike as the earlier trailers have yet to tip their hat in any certain direction. We do know that Amanda Waller will be at least
Which brings us to the film itself. Again, with the amount of money being poured into the production and marketing of this one, the studio needs it to succeed. We’ve yet to see a huge hit this season and this seems like it is too big to fail. Luckily, it is in some of the safest hands possible. Not just Malone but also Jeff Nichols, obviously a trusted name by the studio after shepherding the studio’s premier original sci-fi saga that was co-written by Malone. This makes a logical next step for Nichols and could cement him into the director version of Alden Ehrenreich here at LRF: someone who entered into the studio on the fringes of the mainstream and exploded here into superstardom at the studio. As for the cast, there are some exciting elements and some that are more question marks.
To start with the good, Daniel Craig as Lex Luthor seems like a no-brainer. For a guy good-looking enough to be Bond, Craig does menacing very well and that should pair nicely with this iconic villain (who some might argue could use some rehabilitation after his last few portrayals since Gene Hackman). Seeing that Frances McDormand had been cast in a superhero movie was surprising knowing her but I absolutely love the choice to give her Martha Kent. And lastly, while not a huge name or role, Bradley Whitford as Perry White should work just fine.
That brings us to Clark Kent and Lois Lane. The casting process of Superman has been well-documented going back to at least Season 11 and that goes to show that studio knows that they have to get this right. Looking back at his “Inside the Writer’s Studio” with Chad Taylor, Malone said that he wasn’t looking for a big name but instead someone could grow into the role (citing the example of - coincidentally enough - Craig as Bond). When the trades got ahold of the casting shortlist, this was evident as Benjamin Walker (based on his work at this studio) was probably the biggest name on the list. The eventual choice, Aidan Turner, is perhaps best known for his role in The Hobbit movies but also the titular role on the BBC’s ‘Poldark’. Thus, as it stands, he is unproven in leading a film of any kind (not just a tentpole blockbuster). But so was Billy Magnussen and Glenn Howerton and both of those worked out for the studio. As for Dakota Johnson, she is definitely the better known of the two but still has something to prove in the eyes of some. Her major introduction onto the main scene was Fifty Shades of Grey but - similar to the likes of Robert Pattinson or Kristen Stewart - she has also been quietly working with some of the industry’s best in smaller films and this could establish her as a real star. Both of those remain to be seen upon the film’s release.
Looking elsewhere, there are a lot of interesting things remaining on this season’s slate. In this same next round alone we have two hallmarks of the studio: a Ben Collins creature feature and an Alex Conn teenage drama. Could this finally be the time that one of those breaks through to be a major success? We shall see.
After helping build up his reputation at the studio to new heights on the television front, Dwight Gallo’s Born in Brooklyn has been circled on the calendars of a lot of fellow awards prognosticators for a while now. After a blistering start to his directorial career, Affleck is looking to rebound from the relative anonymity of Live By Night and this sounds right up his alley. And it doesn’t hurt landing Christina Hendricks, at one point one of the studio’s hottest commodities but someone whose star has faded a bit since the end of The Question series.
If you pay attention to the trades as closely as I do, you would recognize Sabbatical Recovery as a film that has been on the studio’s production slate for quite some time. Sometimes that can spell doom for a project but it could also mean it was being perfected over that time (Mad Max: Fury Road was in development hell for a long while and we saw how that turned out). Certainly the biggest headline regarding this film is the reunion of Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire, two actors that have gone down much different paths since their days as Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson.
Per usual, there are “known” properties still remaining. Making its debut this season is Y: The Last Man, a property that has itself dabbled in development hell a bit (I still remember when it was in the hands of McG or DJ Caruso...I always get those two mixed up). After Days Without End, Jack Reynor could become a real thing if this proves to be a hit and I’m really intrigued by the choice of Ana Lily Amirpour for director, who herself is looking to bounce back after the relative failure of Crimson Fox. The other two are sequels, Uncharted and Silver Surfer, the latter of which we haven’t heard from since Season 3. Again, there are two ways you can look at a movie that has lingered for that long but it seems clear from everything we are hearing that this falls in line with a reinvigorated effort by the studio to build its own Marvel universe.
In terms of my area of specialty (awards), it is looking like a lot of races are wide open. There have only been a handful of films that have made a real critical impact thus far so I would say that at least two (possibly three) Best Picture slots are still up for grabs up until this point. That should make for an exciting second half of the season. Of course, with the original or lesser known properties, everything is up in the air. Even the trades only get slivers of information - casting, basic plot synopsis, etc. - so we all don’t really know until those films are released. Particularly lacking in the first half of this season were female leads so that could category could find all of its nominees from the second half. That being said, the actor categories also have more question marks than usual (perhaps due to the amount of genre fare in this first half).
To bring this all full circle, one thing that I will say to keep an eye out for with this open field is a possible awards season run for The Man of Tomorrow (contingent upon its quality, of course). We’ve yet to see a superhero film nominated for Best Picture, with the closest probably being Caped Crusader back in Season 9. The right ingredients seem to be in place here but, as I said before, a lot remains to be seen.
Next time you hear from me will be the For Your Consideration post at the end of the season. Until then, I'll see you at the movies!
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