One of the most common criticisms of the recent DC films (Man of Steel and Bvs) is that they were too dark. That’s pretty funny when you consider Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is one of their most successful comic book movie runs, but this was a different kind of dark. They were mopey and the audience just didn’t have a lot of fun. A lot of the blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of Zak Snyder. Now that Geoff Johns is in charge of the franchise, he’s making some adjustments, and he’s not afraid to talk about them.
“Mistakenly in the past I think the studio has said, ‘Oh, DC films are gritty and dark and that’s what makes them different.’ That couldn’t be more wrong. It’s a hopeful and optimistic view of life. Even Batman has a glimmer of that in him. If he didn’t think he’d make tomorrow better, he’d stop.”
He went on to address that it doesn’t mean that they’ll ignore what’s already happened. In fact, the upcoming Justice League film will see the ramification for Batman’s behavior towards Superman and other criminals during the course of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Executive Producer Jon Berg also had a lot to say when the two sat down with the Wall Street Journal.
“To have these characters be part of the fabric of pop culture is so rewarding, though of course we’re disappointed the movies weren’t better reviewed.”
He added that this will definitely be reflected in upcoming films. Both Johns and Berg worked with writer Chris Terrio to change the tone of the movie.
“We accelerated the story to get to the hope and optimism a little faster.”