Last weekend, Murphy and Gal Gadot had hosted David Robbie and Margot Robbie at their estate. While certain things were left unsaid, it was clear that if Margot Robbie performed well in the audition, she would be given priority. This practice of using familiar actors was common among Hollywood directors, including Murphy.
Murphy didn't really care if Margot Robbie thanked him in person or not. They had known each other for nearly a decade, and she was Gal Gadot's best friend and David Robbie's sister. His comment about her thanking him was just a joke.
However, Gal Gadot responded seriously, "She plans to thank you in person later. She went to the Death Star Building now and said she would come by after the audition to avoid any bad impressions."
"Bad impressions?" Murphy raised an eyebrow. "Maggie still cares about that?"
Gal Gadot shrugged, "She's worried it might affect you negatively."
Murphy shook his head, "I don't care about that."
What's wrong with using familiar actors? In Hollywood, directors using familiar faces was a well-accepted, unspoken rule.
Gal Gadot took Murphy's coffee cup, sipped it lightly, then moved to sit across from him. "You're a director, you don't understand how tough it is for actors."
"As if you do?" Murphy rolled his eyes playfully.
Besides a cameo as Wonder Woman in "Man of Steel," Gal Gadot hadn't taken on many other roles.
Ignoring Murphy's remark, Gal Gadot continued, "Actors like Maggie, who are on a smooth career path, often face exclusion from other actors."
Murphy nodded slightly. This was true.
Although Margot Robbie hadn't become a massive star yet, her role in "The Wolf of Wall Street" had made her name known worldwide. People knew she had close ties with Murphy's team, and some tabloids even speculated she and Gal Gadot were a couple.
Murphy had seen those reports too. Tabloid gossip never feared fabrication.
For example, even now, some tabloids claimed he and James Franco were a couple and that Gal Gadot and Lily Collins were merely their beards.
After a few more words, Gal Gadot stood up. "Kara is checking with Warner about their plans for Maggie and Harley Quinn. There should be results by now, I'll give her a call."
"Okay," Murphy waved her off.
Ever since he quoted a high fee to Warner Bros. and DC Comics, they had essentially cut off contact with him. Reportedly, Zack Snyder had been confirmed to continue directing future "Justice League" movies.
Thinking of "Justice League," Murphy couldn't help but shake his head. He alone couldn't change the direction of a giant like Warner Bros.
He couldn't understand what the Warner Bros. executives were thinking. They had better cards than Marvel—Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were far more recognizable than Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America—yet their movies didn't reflect this advantage.
Due to his involvement in "Man of Steel," Murphy had been following the DC superhero series, especially "Batman v Superman."
The film had grossed over $260 million domestically, largely thanks to the combined appeal of Superman and Batman. However, after its opening weekend, it only made about $80 million more, which was barely half of its opening weekend gross, a rather awkward performance.
The decline in "Batman v Superman's" box office was evident, and its critical reception was even worse.
The film's Rotten Tomatoes score had dropped to 28%, its Metacritic score was 39, and its IMDb rating was only 7.2. The audience reception was poor, and critics were even harsher.
As one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the year, with a star-studded cast and top-tier production, it shouldn't have flopped this badly by any normal standards.
This was a painful lesson, especially for a director like Murphy, who focused on commercial films that were more than just typical popcorn flicks.
With no pressing matters at hand, Murphy began reflecting on this film and its predecessor, analyzing the mistakes that had been made, which were valuable lessons for him.
First and foremost, Murphy thought about adaptation. Any Hollywood director dealing with adaptations must understand that it cannot be a simple replication of the original events or works.
"Batman v Superman" was a prime example of this.
To fully enjoy "Batman v Superman," viewers needed to have read DC Comics like "The Death of Superman," "The Dark Knight Returns," "Kingdom Come," "Injustice: Gods Among Us," "Superman: Red Son," and "Justice League: Origin." However, expecting a general audience to be familiar with these niche comics for a $250 million mainstream film was a major oversight.
Moreover, Warner Bros. had always made the mistake of being too hasty, both in the past and now, and the director, instead of adjusting, only made things more rushed.
This urgency was particularly evident in the past. Warner Bros. was eager to release a "Justice League" movie to compete with Marvel. They aimed to match Marvel's progress, skipping straight to a "Justice League" film with a storyline that should have been built over several movies.
Marvel spent eight years and over ten films constructing their cinematic universe from "Iron Man" in 2008. In contrast, DC tried to catch up with just one movie, "Batman v Superman," a feat akin to pushing a duck into the water and expecting it to swim instantly.
As a result, "Batman v Superman" ended up as a three-hour movie, cramming in five or more comic book storylines, featuring the entire Justice League lineup. Such a convoluted setup required a deft hand, but Zack Snyder, known for his often criticized narrative skills, directed it, turning the final product into a chaotic mess.
It's not that Zack Snyder was the problem; it was the way Warner Bros. collaborated with him.
Snyder is a highly stylized director, focusing on visual aesthetics—highly saturated colors, slow-motion sequences, montage, and comic book-like framing. His films often resemble violent, artistic comic books or stylish music videos, prioritizing visual over narrative.
Snyder himself admitted that he approached filmmaking from a comic book fan's perspective, infusing his movies with comic book aesthetics whenever possible.
In "Batman v Superman," Snyder continued his unique visual style—slow-motion, extreme close-ups, and cross-cutting montages during emotional scenes, creating visually striking but disjointed sequences.
However, without these stylistic elements, Snyder's films often fell apart. Basic dialogue scenes lacked energy, and his use of dream sequences and flashbacks further disrupted the narrative flow, leading to disjointed and unbalanced storytelling.
Additionally, the film's basic logic was flawed, something Murphy always emphasized. Batman and Superman's reconciliation lacked convincing reasoning, failing to meet the basic storytelling standard of being unexpected yet reasonable. Such a clumsy dramatic shift felt forced, as if Snyder simply checked the clock and decided it was time for the climax.
These issues stemmed more from Warner Bros.' decisions than Snyder's direction.
Hiring a visually driven director for a narrative-heavy film without allowing him to play to his strengths was a significant misstep. Snyder ended up focusing on visual form rather than narrative grammar.
Comic book adaptations are no longer niche, subcultural entertainments. With audiences becoming more discerning, these films must offer more than just visual spectacle—they must provide unique entertainment experiences.
Moreover, Warner Bros.' insistence on a PG-13 rating severely limited Snyder's potential.
But with a $200 million investment, no production company would let a director turn the film into an R-rated one.
Thinking about this, Murphy shook his head. It was an unsolvable problem unless Warner Bros. took significant risks, otherwise, DC superhero films would see no fundamental changes.
Even now, the DC series was starting early but still making mistakes...
Murphy felt that "Batman Begins" was actually a good starting point for the DC universe.
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