There seems to be even more trouble brewing within DC’s Extended Universe. Rumor has it that Ray Fisher may want out as Cyborg, adding to an already tumultuous 2 years for the company competing with Marvel’s highly successful Cinematic Universe. What can DC and Warner Bros. do to save their characters (and actors) and set their movies up for financial gain and critical acclaim?

With movies like Suicide Squad, Batman V. Superman and Justice League dividing critics and moviegoers alike, the seemingly never ending rumor mill regarding Batfleck, the “ousting” of divisive DC orchestrator Zack Snyder, and “mustache-gate”, the DC Extended Universe is in need of a break. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon.

A rumor originating from a user (H/t Cbm) on 4Chan indicates that Victor Stone/Cyborg actor Ray Fisher wants out of the role, and the DC Extended Universe as a whole. Fisher, it reports, is incredibly upset with the way his character was handled in the rewriting & reshooting of Justice League. Not only that, but due to the decision from the powers that be to scrap the plot of Flashpoint from the upcoming Flash solo flick, Fisher loses the chance to reprise his character in what was sure to be a defining role alongside Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen.

Is that enough to walk away from a “once in a lifetime” charac-… oh there’s more? Yep. There’s more. DC has ALSO taken the Cyborg solo flick off of the docket for 2020, leaving the character in big screen limbo, especially since they’ve given the “thumbs up” to the small screen side of things, as Cyborg is set to be a TV-exclusive character in the Doom Patrol series expected to role out with DC’s streaming service.

With Ray Fisher supposedly wanting out-making a recasting inevitable- along with the Ben Affleck drama, the Flash solo flick back and forth, and the divisiveness that accompanies nearly every DC movie not titled Wonder Woman, what are Geoff Johns and the “big wigs” at WB going to do to save their product?

Simple. Kill the Extended Universe.

Let me start by clarifying: I do not want to get rid of the things that worked so well within the 5 DCEU films that have come to fruition. Gal Gadot is a quintessential Wonder Woman. Henry Cavill, while many would disagree, is one hell of a Superman, and to me the best big screen iteration of the character we’ve ever seen. Hell, I’d even be on board for keeping the Affleck Batman, as his turn as a grizzled vet in Dawn of Justice is universally agreed upon as the best thing about the movie. Just because they all started off as characters based in a bigger, broader universe, doesn’t mean they can’t carry that over to alternate worlds, plots, films. Which leads me to a concept that it seems DC is ALREADY starting to plant the seeds for.

Elseworlds stand alone films.

Word has already permeated that Matt Reeve’s solo Batman flick would adapt a “Year One” standpoint of a young and not yet experienced Dark Knight, which would stand apart from the current connected movie-verse. Also, Todd Phillips is set to direct a Joker stand alone origin film starring Joaquin Phoenix. As the character of the Joker is already in play in the DCEU, polarizingly portrayed by method actor extraordinaire Jared Leto, it has already been reported that this film would take on an Elseworlds feel. But what do they mean by that? And why is it that I believe these films could be the answer to saving DC films?

The Elseworlds comics, beginning in 1989, are often one shot imprints of DC’s vast and legendary stable of characters that do not fit in with the connected canon of the DC universe. These stories explore themes and stories that wouldn’t or couldn’t be explored within the mainstream continuity that most comic book fans came to expect. A Flash story in which he’s the only superhero in existence, and in saving President Kennedy from an assassins bullet, becomes a quadriplegic just doesn’t seem to fit with the day to day narrative of DC’s connective thread, yet it makes one hell of a story otherwise (and yes, this is a real Elseworlds story, entitled Flashpoint….but no, not that one.)

In scrapping the Extended Universe, DC films can focus on the multitude of incredible Elseworlds stories, all of which could have their own version(s) of the comic world’s most iconic characters. To me, the idea of a Henry Cavill led Superman: Red Son film, in which Kal-El’s ship crash lands in the Soviet Union in the 1950’s instead of a cornfield in Kansas, would be a must see movie. The thought that a Hiketeia film starring the always incredible Gal Gadot could be a possibility, well I’m going to buy in. What about a Kingdom Come 2-parter based on the classic graphic novel? Or a The Long Halloween Batman film with all new iterations of the legendary characters, including the Dark Knight himself? While I’m all about finding a definitive live action version of a character, I would love to see multiple takes on my favorite heroes and villains as well. The rumor mill has thrown Jake Gyllenhaal and Jon Hamm into the Batman mix over the last year or 2, and I would be happy to see both performances come to fruition, with Gyllenhaal playing the Bat in a Year One version, and Hamm showing an older, wiser Wayne that earns the nickname “The World’s Greatest Detective.”

All of these are just random ideas that came to the brain of a father on too little sleep, so take them for what you will. One thing, though, is for sure: DC needs to steady this train before it is completely derailed. The solution? Take the train completely off the track, and set it off on another course.

Kill the Extended Universe.

Elseworlds films are the future of DC films.

Lou Mattiuzzo is a full time teacher, full time husband, full time father & full time superhero enthusiast. If you care about any of the mindless stuff he writes, please give him a follow on Twitter

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