To the rescue ...
Director warned of superhero doom, now he’ll work with DC on Blackhawk
It was just three summers ago that Steven Spielberg was speculating about the death of the superhero movie, assuring that it would go the way of the Western. Now the influential director seems to see creative life where he once envisioned a funeral.
Warner Bros. and Spielberg ’s Amblin Entertainment announced this week that they’d produce Blackhawk, a film based on the DC Comics property, with Spielberg intending to direct.
At first glance, the deal can be interpreted as a sign: Spielberg doesn’t see the superhero trend cashing in its commercial chips any year soon.
On the other hand, it bears noting: Spielberg ’s Blackhawk might not be a true superhero story at all, despite the DC Comics badge (and despite the fact some are already tabbing it a superhero movie).
Which means this might well be less of a directing departure for Spielberg than Hollywood watchers foresee.
First, Blackhawk and his squadron of ace pilots were rendered for decades not as superheroes, but rather as Second World War heroes who happened to have super skills. Quality Comics launched the line during the war — in the same era as Captain America’s debut — and the multinational cast created by Chuck Cuidera, Bob Powell and Will Eisner for Military Comics (August 1941), engages in action-adventure tales that require no capes or tech worthy of Batman.
So the question becomes: What iteration of the Blackhawk Squadron will Spielberg bring to the screen, as he decides how connected these heroes are — or not — to the larger DC Universe? In DC comics history, most of the squadron members eventually donned superheroic alter egos and fought costumed baddies and supervillains.
Yet because Spielberg has shown such an affinity for choosing projects set during the Second World War and Nazi Germany — including Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List and Raiders of the Lost Ark — it’s easy to see him harking back to the pre-superheroic Blackhawk team, even if Warner Bros./DC wants some of its better known superheroes to make an appearance.
In other words: A Steven Spielberg DC Comics movie might not feel like a DC Comics superhero movie at all. It’s worth noting, too, that this isn’t even Spielberg ’s first prominent comicbook adaptation. He directed 2011’s The Adventures of Tintin, a Golden Globe-winning animated feature drawn from Herge’s iconic comic.
So it’s no surprise Spielberg should relish mining more vintage comics for story material. What is an especially noteworthy turn, though, is that the filmmaker is betting on DC’s larger success years into the future.
Coming off the Oscar-nominated The Post and nearly a half-billion dollars in box-office returns for Ready Player One, Spielberg still has a fifth Indiana Jones film and a new West Side Story to direct before he could potentially turn fully to Blackhawk, which has no announced release date.
Yet that doesn’t mean scriptwork hasn’t begun. Spielberg collaborator David Koepp (Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), is already launched in the screenplay.
“It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bring Ready Player One to the screen,” Spielberg said. “They bring a blend of passion and professionalism to everything they do and have a tremendous history in this genre. I am excited to reunite with them on Blackhawk.”
Whether they’re superheroic or not.