18/07/2025

LYFE FRIDAY | JULY 18, 2025

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New Superman to save DCU franchise S UPERMAN is often called upon to save the world from evildoers, but in his latest big-screen incarnation, he is also being asked to swoop in and save a franchise. o Reboot aims at relaunching flagging universe returns with the recent Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World .

Gross explained superhero films hit a peak right before the Covid-19 pandemic, with box office earnings and audience enthusiasm waning ever since that time. “It is really a diminished genre,” Gross said. However, the analyst said early buzz for Superman was “really good”. The film stars up-and-comer David Corenswet as the new Superman/Clark Kent, with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan playing love interest Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as arch-villain Lex Luthor. The story follows the Man of Steel coming to terms with his alien identity as he finds his place in the human world. The supporting cast boasts a selection of other DC Comics characters, from the peacekeeping Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) – who is scheduled to reprise the role in upcoming TV series Lanterns – to the mace-wielding Hawkgirl. Gross noted July “is the top moviegoing month of the year”, leading tracking estimates to forecast a total of more than US$100 million for the film’s opening weekend in North America. The story of America DC Studios however must shake off a reputation for producing mediocre films that did not score well with audiences. The last round of DC Extended

James Gunn’s Superman , which opened in theatres worldwide this week, is a reboot aimed at relaunching the so-called DC Universe of comic book-based superhero movies, which also features Wonder Woman and Batman. The celluloid efforts of Warner Bros and DC Studios have been widely eclipsed by Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe – the world of Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and the Fantastic Four, who are getting their own reboot later this month. “Warner Bros has invested a lot of energy and money in trying to refocus and renew DC Studios, and this is going to be the big release from that,” analyst David A. Gross from Franchise Entertainment Research told AFP. The heavy task falls on the shoulders of Gunn, the writer director who won praise from fans of the genre with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The movie’s rollout has already encountered several headwinds, including a right-wing backlash to Gunn’s comments on Superman’s role as an immigrant, and skepticism from fans of the previous Superman films helmed by director Zack Snyder. Gunn has shrugged off the high stakes surrounding the movie’s box office success. “Is there something riding on it? Yeah, but it is not as big as people make it out to be,” he told GQ Magazine . “They hear these numbers that the movie is only going to be successful if it makes US$700 million (RM2.9 billion) or something and it is just complete and utter nonsense.” The hype around the movie is real – the White House even superimposed President Donald Trump onto one of the movie’s official posters with the caption, “The symbol of hope. Truth. Justice. The American Way. Superman Trump”. A diminished genre Warner Bros expressed hopes the DC Universe can catch up with Marvel which, after years of huge successes with the Avengers movies, has seen more muted box office

Brosnahan (right) plays Lois Lane, who is Superman’s (Corenswet) love interest.

Universe films included the well-liked Wonder Woman (2017) starring Gal Gadot – but also box office flops such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and the under-performing Aquaman sequel with Jason Momoa. “The success was mixed, and they were spending a lot of money on some of the new spinoff characters who were not working particularly well,” Gross said, pointing at 2021’s The Suicide Squad , directed by Gunn, as an example. The last films featuring Superman , starring Henry Cavill and directed by Snyder, were relatively successful for Warner Bros until Justice League – DC’s effort at recreating the Avengers vibe – which lost millions of dollars. Fans of Snyder have stirred up negative buzz for the new

Superman movie, voicing hope online that the reboot fails out of a sense of loyalty to the previous films. The backlash was further widened after right-wing pundits groaned about Superman’s specific characterisation as an immigrant, lamenting the superhero had become “woke”. Gunn addressed the criticism, telling The Times newspaper that “Superman is the story of America”, with the character reflecting those who “came from other places and populated the country”. “I am telling a story about a guy who is uniquely good, and that feels needed now,” he added. Ultimately, time will soon tell if Corenswet’s chiseled looks and Gunn’s directorial vision will be the superpowers that DC Studios need – or prove to be its Kryptonite.

Cavill’s portayal of Superman has set the precedent for the new Superman. – ALL PICS FROM AFP

Harry Potter TV series in pipeline this week.

Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Rowling has faced accusations of prejudism in recent years over insensitive comments on a marginalised community which have received backlash from netizens. However, she denies the accusation. – AFP

Potter will be played by Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton will star as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout will take on the role of Ron Weasley. Established stars will appear alongside them, with John Lithgow playing headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Paapa

he and his close friends Ron and Hermione battle against the forces of darkness. With the mega-selling books’ author JK Rowling among its executive producers, the show is envisaged as “a decade-long series” featuring a new cast from the films.

FILMING has begun on a Harry Potter TV series that will debut in 2027, bringing the Hollywood hit to the small screen for the first time. Adapted from the wildly popular books, which have also yielded blockbuster films and stage shows, the latest outing for the boy who lived is being filmed at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, Britain, the studio revealed earlier

While no exact release date has been confirmed, the show will be available on the HBO Max streaming platform. The franchise sees the eponymous Potter plucked from non-magical obscurity and thrust into a wizarding world in which