Everything’s a little topsy-turvy this year and while things are slowly, maybe, sort of getting back to normal in some parts of the country, large-scale events like concerts and conventions are still off the table. That means film festivals are going digital and other organizations and companies are getting creative when it comes to the idea of the fan con in 2020.
Today, Warner Bros. officially announced DC FanDome, a virtual event to be held Saturday, August 22nd. The 24-hour, immersive event is set to feature all things DC, from games to comics to TV to movies. From the sounds of it, it’s everything they would have brought to San Diego Comic-Con on a normal year, with announcements, breaking news, and exclusive footage planned for the event.
Naturally, the film and TV divisions will feature heavily. Quite a few of the cast and creators for each will be in attendance. Movies will include Aquaman, The Batman, Black Adam, The Flash, Shazam!, The Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman 1984. And, yes, the Snyder Cut of Justice League. TV series will include Batwoman, Black Lightning, DC Super Hero Girls, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, DC’s Stargirl, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, Lucifer, Pennyworth, Supergirl, Superman & Lois, Teen Titans GO!, Titans, Watchmen, and Young Justice: Outsiders.
It’s unlikely that Wonder Woman 1984‘s recent release date change has to do with anything other than wanting to get a more secure slot in the fall, but it will get a nice boost and some pre-hype thanks to DC FanDome now. It’s likely they’ll release one final trailer for the film, now set to release on October 2nd.
As for the rest, we can imagine we’ll get footage for Matt Reeves’ The Batman and potentially a teaser trailer for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Gunn’s movie is already in post and Reeves’ movie got about a quarter of the way through shooting before Hollywood shut down. It’s been given the green light to resume production in the UK in July, so there will be enough footage for a sizzle reel at the very least.
There are two big question marks regarding a few projects named for DC FanDome, however. The first is The Flash, which, at the moment, is still slated for release on June 3, 2022. However, it’s a film that’s been in development hell for quite some time and the last substantial news to come out of it is that it was heading back in for yet another top-to-bottom script rewrite and was still without a director. For a tentpole film with that level of VFX work required, filming should begin within the next few months at least. DC will have to work double-time to finish the script to its liking, find a director, get casting in place and head to production. Perhaps those announcements are coming during the FanDome event.
The second doesn’t have to do with movies but one of DC’s many TV shows, namely Batwoman. A few weeks ago, it was announced in a surprise move that lead actress Ruby Rose would be stepping away from the role of Kate Kane/Batwoman after just one season. In the words of John Mulaney, now, we don’t have time to unpack all of that, but it was a messy situation that left showrunners and writers scrambling. Interestingly, instead of recasting the role, they announced they would not be killing off the character of Kate Kane. Instead, they’re introducing Ryan Wilder, a brand-new character to take up the Batwoman mantle, and Season 2 will chronicle how she gets there. The choice means a more challenging transition for the creative team behind it, as they have to rewrite previously written episodes and also create a brand new lead character arc from scratch. But the harder decision was made to respect the work Rose put into the character of Kate Kane and so that fans wouldn’t be thinking about the elephant in the room when tuning in for Season 2. It’s likely we’ll get a casting announcement at the virtual event.
But beyond film and TV, Warner Bros. is really pulling out all the stops for DC FanDome, with its press release indicating a truly immersive event:
The epicenter of the DC FanDome is the Hall of Heroes, where you can experience special programming, panels and content reveals from a wide variety of films, TV series and games, available in several languages, including Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. From there, navigate deeper into the DC Multiverse, exploring five additional satellite worlds, each with its own localized content and unique activities and one world fully devoted to our younger fans.
Those satellite worlds will include the following:
● DC WatchVerse: Here’s where you grab a seat, sit back and join our virtual audience and become completely engrossed in hours of must-see content from around the world. Everything from panels and exclusive screenings to never-before-seen footage, featuring cast, creators and behind-the-scenes crew from across DC Films, TV, Home Entertainment and Games.
● DC YouVerse: Venture into this world where the FANS are the stars to see the most amazing user-generated content, cosplay and fan art from around the world, including, perhaps, your own.
● DC KidsVerse: Need a way to entertain your kids for hours on end? We’ve got you covered inside a special world, which can be accessed directly at DCKidsFanDome.com. This area features a broad range of family-friendly activations for our younger fans.
● DC InsiderVerse: This creativity-based world contains a centerpiece video featuring legendary artist and DC CCO/Publisher Jim Lee, President of DC-Based Film Production Walter Hamada, and creator of the DC TV Arrowverse, Executive Producer Greg Berlanti, welcoming fans with a 101-style introduction to the DC Multiverse. From there, go behind the scenes with the master artisans who bring DC to life in all its forms, from comic books to games, TV, movies, theme parks, consumer products and more.
● DC FunVerse: Take your DC FanDome experience and gather cool shareables; check out our comic book reader; DIY cool WW84 Golden Armor and Batmobile kits; plus digital giveaways and a store filled with merchandise, including some limited-edition exclusives.
Best of all, the DC FanDome event will be free – no pricey badges or tickets required.
You can check out full details of the event at the official DC FanDome site.