Editorial

The Past Week: 4 BATMAN Films Reportedly Planned, Werner Herzog Talks SALT AND FIRE, Ian McShane Talks AMERICAN GODS

Werner Herzog

The Past Week: Batman, Salt And Fire, American Gods

Although it might have been hard to focus on film and TV news this past week due to certain, more serious developments (i.e. airstrikes in Syria), there was nevertheless much that warranted discussion. Not only were there some exciting casting announcements such as Jeffrey Dean Morgan joining Rampage and Michael Keaton being in talks to play the villain in Dumbo, but several interesting news items have popped up over the course of the weekend. From interviews with directors and actors to rumors about big-budget franchises, much has happened during the past week.

Warner Bros. Rumored To Be Planning Four Batman Movies In 2019

As far as credible sources for news on the Internet goes, 4chan is probably not the first place that comes to mind. Indeed, the anonymous messaging board is better suited to spreading memes and embarrassing green text stories than developments in the worlds of film and TV. Yet all that being said, some of the stuff that has been said on the site regarding one of the biggest film franchises today is big enough to merit coverage regardless of whether it turns out to be true or not.

The stuff in question, of course, is the content of an anonymous post claiming to detail Warner Bros.‘ plans for its revamped Batman franchise. If the source is to be believed, the studio is planning not one, not two, not even three but four separate Batman movies for 2019. In addition to the already-confirmed The Batman, the other titles are said to include Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, and Batgirl. Now as much as I like Batman, I can’t help but feel that four movies starring the Caped Crusader is just a little bit too much for one year to take. If Warner Bros. is able to make all four films without it feeling like we are being completely oversaturated by Batman movies, then it will certainly be an accomplishment for the studio.

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Werner Herzog Talks About Salt And Fire

One of the great directors whose work I have only recently become acquainted with is Werner Herzog, the stern-faced, existentialist-minded helmsman of such classic films as Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. Even his foray into the realm of horror, Nosferatu The Vampyre, is a masterpiece of cinema, exceeding even the original silent film in sheer brilliance.

To this day, Herzog remains a trooper of film, with his latest project being the Michael Shannon-starring Salt and Fire. Speaking to Comingsoon.net about the movie, the director reveals some interesting details about the production, including the fact that he originally planned to shoot it in a massive dried out lake in the middle of Central Asia before abandoning the idea due to the landscape not “look[ing] so interesting” to him. Personally, I am fascinated with this long-neglected region, so I really think it’s a lost opportunity to not see Herzog try his hand at making a film in a part of the world that seems to be so ignored in the popular imagination.

Ian McShane Opens Up About American Gods

I tend to be wary of novel and comic adaptations because past experience has led me to conclude that even the best ones will leave out crucial information or details that make the source material powerful in the first place, but I must admit that I don’t feel any such apprehension about the coming American Gods series from Starz. Perhaps it’s because the medium of television, with its serialized nature, is better suited for incorporating elements that might have to be cut for time constraints in film, but I like to think its because everything I have seen so far indicates the project is in good hands.

This was apparent at a recent panel covering the show, where show star Ian McShane said that unlike every other show that claims to be “groundbreaking” or “game-changing”, American Gods “actually might be”. Additionally, he echoed the novel’s author Neil Gaiman when he said that the property was not meant to be political when it was first conceived but now “things have happened in this country” and now it definitely will be seen as such. In short, it sounds like the cast and crew have given as much thought to American Gods as Gaiman did when he wrote the book almost 20 years ago.

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Reggie Peralta

**** We hired Reggie, fulfilled our obligations to him, and he quit in the middle of covering two TV series w/ no notice and no explanation. He then ignored our emails asking him to complete his coverage (we had no one else to cover those TV shows). He didn't care. We regret hiring him and we regret putting our trust in him. **** An aspiring writer, longtime film junkie, and former UCLARadio.com disc jockey (where I graduated with a BA in Political Science), I've made the jump from penning book reviews and current events editorials for HonorSociety.org to writing movie and TV news and reviews. When I'm not working towards my certificate in Radio and Television/Video Production at Fullerton College, I enjoy reading (horror, science fiction, and historical/political nonfiction are particular favorites), participating in my school's TV and theatre clubs, attending movie screenings, plays, concerts, and other events, and trying to come up with pithy things to say on social media. Believe it or not, there are occasions where I find time to write for my own leisure.
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