Not long ago, legendary director Steven Spielberg skeptical of the ‘implosion’ in Hollywood of big-budgeted movies commented that, “We were around when the Western died and there will be a time when the superhero movie goes the way of the Western.”
However whenever that time comes it’s nowhere soon, as post the Avengers landscape, things have changed. The entire built-up of superhero franchises and Marvel’s money-churning Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has got other studios and artists to follow suit.
Walt Disney owned Marvel’s longtime rival, Warner Bros. and DC Comics are weaving carefully their own DC Cinematic Universe with the reboot of Zack Synder’s Man of Steel (2013). Cashing on the craze of its properties, DC Comics is spawning the DCCU across mediums and this has surely trickled down to the TV space.
With already hit shows such as Arrow and The Flash on The CW, DC Comics is already a step ahead of its rival Marvel studios who are struggling with their shows Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Carter (notable exception is the hit Netflix series, Daredevil).
For DC Comics, the world is the oyster and every other month, the comic house is bringing live one or the other of its properties on-screen. Apart from Fox’s Gotham which is doing a tad bit better than its previous season, there is the upcoming Supergirl on CBS which will hit the TV early next month.
At The CW too, DC Comics have churned their new spin off series of Arrow and The Flash with Legends of Tomorrow premiering sometime next year. Little has the dust settled over these that Man of Steel writer, David Goyer has announced the development of another exciting facet of the DC comic universe, Krypton. Being developed at Syfy, Krypton will be an addition to the DC Comic TV space and be rooted in the newly formed DCCU.
Fans attuned with the comic-lore know that Krypton is the abode of Superman’s race. Krypton is a planet far distant from Earth which succumbed and exploded due to generations of abuse by its people. Zor-El a scientist on Krypton foreseeing the inevitable end sends his new-born son, (Kal-El, a.k.a Superman) to planet Earth.
At a recent press release for Da Vinci’s Demons comic book, Goyer let slip a few insights into Krypton stating that “It (Krypton) takes place 200 years before Man of Steel and we’re treating Krypton like it’s a historical piece.”
Goyer who penned the story arc for Man of Steel, an integral tent-pole in building up the DCCU will be shaping up Krypton too. While Synder’s blockbuster Man of Steel sure showed us a glimpse of the doomed planet, however jogging back 200 years before the birth of Superman, would mean a peak into Krypton at its prime along with the cultures at Krypton and the 20 houses that Synder’s Man of Steel reflected upon. Also if staying true to the comic-arc, the show would delve deeper into Krypton’s history bringing out more about its capital city Kryptopolis and other cities like Supergirl’s birthplace Argo city and Kandor which has comic ties with the superman villain Brainiac. The show might also play upon the origin of Krypton’s Army Chief General Zod too (of course we may not see Michael Shannon) who initiated a military coup towards the end of Krypton but was thwarted and banished into the cosmos thereby also surviving the explosion of Krypton.
So excited fans can eagerly wait for Kryptonians to come on-screen soon! Stay tuned!