Well it appearsSteven Spielberghad a great relationship with Warner Bros. onReady Player One, because the acclaimed filmmaker is now looking to make his first-ever superhero movie with the studio’s DC Films. Warner Bros. announced today that Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment are partnering up with WB to take onBlackhawk, an adaptation of the World War II-centric comics team. Spielberg will produce the action adventure film with an eye to direct.
In a statement, Spielberg expressed his enthusiasm towards reteaming with hisReady Player Onestudio:
“It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bringReady Player Oneto the screen. 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 onBlackhawk.”
First appearing in DC Comics in 1941, the Blackhawks are a small team of World War II-era ace pilots of diverse nationalities who fight tyranny. Given the subject matter and Spielberg’s political tear lately, it’s no surprise he sparked to the material. WithLincoln,Bridge of Spies, andThe PostSpielberg crafted a thematically connected trilogy about what it means to be an American, andBlackhawkappears to allow the filmmaker to blend his more blockbuster sensibilities with the thematic weight of his historical dramas.
Spielberg’s frequent collaboratorDavid Koepp, who wroteJurassic Park,War of the Worlds, and the upcomingIndiana Jones 5, is writing the screenplay forBlackhawk. In addition to Spielberg, the film will be produced byKristie Macosko Krieger, withSue Krollonboard to executive produce through her newly formed Kroll & Co. Entertainment banner.
While this is extremely exciting news,Blackhawkwill not be Spielberg’s next movie. He’s spending 2018 preppingIndiana Jones 5, which will shoot next year, as well as aWest Side Storyremake. He still intends for those to be his next two films, so even in the best case scenarioBlackhawkwon’t be filming until 2020 at the very earliest. It’s also important to remember that Spielberg has a habit of attaching himself to a number of projects at once, but that doesn’t mean he makes all of them. He was going to shootThe Kidnapping of Edgardo MortaraafterReady Player One, but opted to makeThe Postinstead.Mortaranow appears to be on the backburner or potentially dead altogether.
Still, this is hugely exciting and is a massive coup for Warner Bros., who really seems eager to right the DC ship after a disappointing launch. Warner Bros. Picture Group ChairmanToby Emmerichhas made a concerted effort to woo exciting filmmakers for the studio’s DC adaptations in the post-Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceera. There’sTodd Phillips' potentialone-off Joker moviethat may or may not starJoaquin Phoenix,Matthew Vaughnhas been eyed to doa newSupermanmoviewithHenry Cavill,Matt Reevesis working onThe Batman, and just today the studio made a tremendously exciting hire bysetting indie filmmakerCathy Yanto directthe female-drivenBirds of Preymovie withMargot Robbieproducing and starring as Harley Quinn.
If the studio does indeed get Spielberg to commit to directingBlackhawk, that’s a huge announcement to other filmmakers that DC is a swell place to work. This is likely just the beginning, folks…
For a full list of upcoming DC movies in development,click here.
