The debut of DC Comics’ own version of Comic-Con has come and gone, but they left us with a lot of content to talk about and look forward to! The teasers were plentiful.
Of course, since we’re Black as hell at The Root, I’m going to focus on the Blackness. So, here’s some Black-ass highlights of DC FanDome 2020:
Robert Pattinson’s Eyeliner Ain’t the Only Thing That’s Black in The Batman
The first teaser of The Batman dropped and we got some first-look peeks at Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) doing what he does best (investigating crime scenes) and Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) doing what she does best (fancy burglary and flipping around to kick a confused Batman’s ass). This trailer was pretty damn impressive, especially given the fact that director Matt Reeves confirmed they’ve only filmed 25 percent of the film so far. The film is scheduled to resume production in September.
And since we’re on the Batman wave, we got word via DC’s press release that a Batman limited series is also coming up, which will be written by John Ridley (12 Years a Slave). “I think it’s a pretty safe bet that if I’m writing Batman, it’s probably a little better than a 47 percent chance he’s going to be a person of color,” Ridley said.
Folks Are Buzzing About an Upcoming Static Shock Movie
The unsung character known as Static Shock is coming to the front of the line, y’all! I thoroughly enjoyed this Milestone Media/DC Comics animated series as a teen when it premiered in the 2000s and was happy to see filmmaker Reginald Hudlin confirm there have been “serious conversations” about the character coming to the big screen. Finally!
“One of the things we’re really excited about, we really want to live up to the name of the company, Milestone Media,” Hudlin said at a panel on Saturday. “When we spoke to Jim [Lee] about reviving the Milestone line, we said ‘Look, we all know this has been a hit comic book and hit animated series. It’s time to expand back into all those areas and then some.’ So we’re in serious conversations about, as we’re launching the comic book series, developing the ‘Static Shock’ movie. That will be a theatrical feature film.”
Speaking of the Milestone Media, Milestone Comics are returning to DC publishing in 2021!
Fingers Crossed That the Snyder Cut Gives Justice to Cyborg
Aptly set to a cover of “Hallelujah” (there are many of these), the long-awaited Snyder Cut of Justice League has an official trailer. In Justice League, Cyborg (Ray Fisher) wasn’t developed enough to fans’ liking, so it’s good news to see that director Zack Snyder will be giving Cyborg the attention he deserves, especially given everything that has happened with Fisher of late (when he called out Joss Whedon for his alleged behavior on the Justice League set).
“The characters that I’m excited to fully flesh out? Of course, it’s Cyborg. He’s the heart of the movie. He holds the team together in a lot of ways and I’m excited for fans to see how it’s realized,” Snyder said at the panel promoting the cut, which comes to HBO Max in 2021.
Justice League?! Black Adam Is About That Justice Society Life
In his true sensational fashion, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson introduced the first teaser clip for Black Adam, which is set to premiere on Dec. 22, 2021. Black Adam (previously known as Mighty Adam or Teth-Adam) got his name because he was essentially blacklisted by Shazam due to his betrayal (he was basically outside of the wizard club and couldn’t even get in). But, to me, he’s Black Adam because he’s Black (an ancient Egyptian to be specific).
Anyway, something tells me Kid Cudi will be a tad annoyed at this news given his fatigue at Black superheroes with “Black” in their names.
DC Stands for Diversity & Color
A panel hosted by Estelle and DJ D-Nice specifically highlighted the women of color in the DC Universe: Meagan Good (Shazam!), Candice Patton (The Flash), Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning), Chantal Thuy (Black Lightning), Anna Diop (Titans) Damaris Lewis (Titans), Tala Ashe (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Javicia Leslie (Batwoman).
“There was a lot of backlash because some people were upset that it was a Black woman that they cast. And I had to lean into my friends and my family and my faith in a way that I haven’t really had to do before,” Diop said, on being cast as Starfire in Titans. “But, it’s incredible to see what that meant for a lot of people, a lot of marginalized people reached out to me, be it Black or gay or trans or whatever, and it’s incredible to be even some small inspiration for them.”
“I’m really honored to play this role of the first Black lesbian superhero. Because when I think of that, I think of all the Black lesbians who have not been able to visually see themselves when they go to the cinema or they watch their favorite TV shows,” Williams noted, in regards to portraying Thunder in Black Lightning. “And for me, it’s one thing knowing that there is a role for it, but when you’re in that role and you’re getting feedback, you realize the importance of it and how much it is necessary and how much you need it.”
With 24 hours of content, of course, I can’t touch on everything, but those were the highlights! We already touched on this last week when we debuted the invite art for the Blerd and Boujee afterparty, but here’s a reminder—DC FanDome is not just the 24-hour event that was initially announced! Things have expanded and there is more content to be consumed on Sept. 12.
Join the discussion! The Root is hosting its first-ever, virtual Root Institute, presented by Target, featuring several of the leading minds in our community talking about politics, culture, health, community building and social impact. Subscribe for updates today!