HBO Max launched late last month, but it’s been faced with problems since day one. For starters, there’s no 4K or enhanced sound options, while the list of missing films and TV shows is a long one. Unfortunately, it’s now set to get even longer as nearly a dozen DC Films will leave the service on July 1st.

Those include Justice League, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad, Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Catwoman, Jonah Hex, and The Losers. As a result, the only DC Comics movies you’ll find after that date will be Aquaman, Shazam!, Joker, Supergirl, and, uh, Green Lantern. That’s a mixed bag of films to choose from.

ComicBook.com reached out to HBO Max, and were told: “We have a collection of DC films that will rotate on the platform. We have a new batch coming in July and then another batch coming in August.” It’s hard to say what that’s supposed to mean, but it looks like titles like these will be continuously disappearing and then re-appearing from the platform moving forward. 

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is, of course, coming to the service next year, but will that be enough to entice fans back? Right now, it feels like WarnerMedia is just looking for ways to ensure that DC Comics fans subscribe to both HBO Max and DC Universe to ensure they get all this content! 

Do you still think HBO Max is worth paying for each month?

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Captain Marvel took us into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s past, and re-introduced us to Ronan the Accuser. We first met the villain in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Marvel Studios concept artist Aleksi Briclot has now shared an early, comic accurate design for Lee Pace’s character. 

As he explains, “I’ve stayed quite close to his original look and also how he appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy. Trying to find a good balance. Also working on some commander vibe. The pattern in the background is inspired by his hammer. I found more interesting to have it as a logo than carrying a real hammer when you’re commanding a whole float of spaceships.”

Looking at the comparison below, it’s clear that this take on Ronan was meant to remind fans of the one legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby helped create back in 1967. However, in order to have the villain line up with what we saw in James Gunn’s 2014 movie, the colour scheme is quite a bit different. It’s a nice balance, though, and a shame we didn’t see this on screen. 

Ultimately, Ronan’s role in Captain Marvel ended up being somewhat disappointing, with the only memorable moment coming when he stared down Carol Danvers during that final battle. 

Check out the concept art below:
 

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As first reported by Deadline, AMC Theaters plan to re-open theaters across the globe this July. That means their doors should be open in time for both Tenet and Mulan, though it remains unclear whether Warner Bros. and Disney will choose to release them (especially with many cities and countries still under lockdown for the foreseeable future). 

However, the biggest question when it comes to AMC – which also runs Odeon Cinemas in the UK – is what the plan is for Universal Pictures movies. After that studio decided to send Trolls World Tour straight to VOD platforms and talked about shortening the window between theatrical and Digital releases, the theater chain decided to ban their films from their screens. 

The trade notes that the two companies are now in active discussions to try and resolve this dispute, but Universal has reportedly not backed down from its stance on how to handle future releases. Given the financial troubles faced by AMC, it seems likely they will have to give in.

After all, should AMC stick to its guns here, their customers will miss out on major franchises like Despicable Me, Fast & Furious, Jurassic World, and James Bond (that’s a lot of missed revenue).

Are you looking forward to heading back into theaters as soon as next month? 

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James Mangold is set to take the helm of the next Indiana Jones movie for Disney and Lucasfilm, but one project he worked on which never came to fruition was The Sandman for HBO. The filmmaker is no stranger to comic book properties after directing Logan, but Vertigo’s seemingly impossible to adapt series is something he simply couldn’t get off the ground. 

“I pitched it to HBO years ago and they bought the pitch as a long form series and then it got undone by a political turf war at WB. Regardless, now it’s happening and I am so happy for Neil who I think is a marvelous person as well as a supremely brilliant artist,” Mangold told Discussing Film, referring to the version of The Sandman now being developed for Netflix.

“His unique vision weaves the psychological, psychedelic, romantic, sexual and fantastical in a way that is both personal and epic. Anyway, in regard to other projects of the future, I couldn’t possibly speak about conjecture because anything I say in the realm of comic books becomes instant nitro-glycerine ready to haunt me for the next 10 years on Twitter.”

Mangold clearly isn’t going to be baited into revealing which other comic book properties he would be interested in developing down the line, but fans of The Sandman are no doubt just happy to see it finally starting come together. Neil Gaiman’s involvement is certainly a positive, while Allan Heinberg is set to serve as showrunner and David S. Goyer is attached to executive produce.

Do you wish we’d seen Mangold’s take on the classic Vertigo Comics series?

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Having successfully recruited a new Wildcat in Yolanda Montez (Yvette Monreal), next week’s episode will continue to see Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) fill out her new Justice Society of America and it looks like she’s on the verge of finding the new Hourman and Doctor Mid-Nite, respectively, in fellow outcast classmates Beth Chapel (Anjelika Washington) and Rick Tyler (Cameron Gellman). 

Meanwhile, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) continues his investigation into the town and begins to determine which members of the Injustice Society are still active in Blue Valley. Plus, it looks like it’ll be a Halloween episode as the photos reveal Barbara (Amy Smart) putting on some bunny makeup for her costume.

Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite (Ep# 105)

HALLOWEEN IN BLUE VALLEY — As Courtney (Brec Bassinger) sets her sights on recruiting more members to the Justice Society of America, Pat (Luke Wilson) finds himself one step closer to learning which ISA members may be in Blue Valley. Meanwhile, a search for Rick (Cameron Gellman) leads Courtney, Yolanda (Yvette Monreal) and Beth (Anjelika Washington) to Cindy Burman’s (Meg DeLacy) Halloween party. David Straiton directed the episode written by Melissa Carter (#105). Amy Smart, Trae Romano, Jake Austin Walker, Hunter Sansone and Christopher James Baker also star. Original airdate 6/16/2020.

 

The new DC UNIVERSE drama series DC’s STARGIRL follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. This new drama reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in an unpredictable series that focuses on the character that started creator Geoff Johns’ career as a comic book writer when he created her in 1999, lovingly inspired by his late sister who was killed in a 1996 plane explosion.

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