Justin Bieber gave me the scare of my life the other day. He posted the image above on his Instagram account. What seems like an obvious joke is complicated by the presence of a script. It’s the real script, people. Justin Bieber has the real script for the Superman vs. Batman flick… And then, of course, came the purest form of relief: it really was a hoax, part of a (truly brilliant) prank from Funny or Die. Justin Bieber will not be taking on the role of Robin. The world can resume spinning.
As we continue to thank God every day that Biebs will not be destroying the beloved Robin, this prank still leads to something that has been on my mind recently: stunt casting. Perhaps the most horrifying part about the Bieber prank is that it didn’t totally surprise me. The Superman vs. Batman film has been struggling and I wouldn’t put stunt casting past them. Though they won’t admit it, Warner Brothers must be re-considering their audience. They lost fans from the poorly Man of Steel, they made skeptics of an entire audience with the Affleck casting, and they continue to be out-done by Marvel (see my past post about this). Warner Bros would likely argue that they have a market for this film regardless of these blunders, and perhaps they are right. But you know that they will consider every option to make their film desirable, even if that means reaching into an untapped market for their audience. That audience could very well be the teenage audience, and namely the teenage girl audience. Hence, Bieber.
So, we can breathe a sigh of relief that that is not happening, but who’s to say that it won’t happen with another teenage idol or even another star with too much baggage to his or her name? The brilliance of the Funny or Die joke lies in the shaky grounds of the Warner Bros wannabe superhero juggernaut. Superman vs. Batman is already a joke that our entire culture can get behind. Snyder’s latest project has faced too much bad press and speculation and it’s barely in pre-production. His only shot to redeem his Man of Steel debut and the entire Warner Brothers/DC credibility is if he reveals a masterful second act: a Superman that does not kill and has a real story to tell, and a Batman that does not replace Christian Bale but instead forms a powerful alternate to a story we all know too well.
Right now, a masterpiece does not seem very likely. While I wish studios would focus on building a strong story and an excellent film, I know better: they want box office money first, critical success second. And again, we are lead to stunt casting. There are few better ways to ensure box office success than combining a big budget superhero flick with a high-earning star. This is why Bieber’s prank is both hilarious and saddening: we know the nature of the industry too well to view it as an immediate joke. This is exactly the sort of terrible move that a studio with an unpredictable big-budget film would make simply to gain viewers and ensure financial success.
More and more, we’re seeing big-budget films that seem to be on a fast track to top spot opening weekends are actually missing their mark by serious degrees. We’ve got The Green Lantern, The Green Hornet, After Earth, Elysium, The Lone Ranger, The Mortal Instruments, and many more. These films all hit the right notes with their subject, but they are late additions to stacked categories. We’ve seen all of films before. Studios forget that originality can get you somewhere, and thus we are subjected to formulaic productions that we have seen time and time again. Superman vs. Batman is following this equation a little too closely for most fans liking. By placing Batman into the mix, they are very literally pulling the formula from one film to another. Though I’m hoping for an intriguing story, I already know that nothing I see will surprise me. It’s going to follow the same linear progression of every big-budget film we’ll see in 2014 and 2015. By the time its released, we’re going to be exhausted by this mold.
I know that my arguments here are a little all over the place, but what I’m ultimately trying to suggest is that Snyder and Warner Brothers need to be incredibly careful as they move further into production. Though stunt casting might seem like a great way to ensure an audience, don’t do it. Though formulaic mega-movies might seem to guarantee box office success, look at some recent flops and don’t assume that your Superman and Batman film will not apply to these errors. This film is already on the fast track to Green Lantern-type mockery. Many are expecting the worst. I’m willing to give them a chance, but every step from here on out will be severely judged by die-hard comic fans and non-interested TV viewers and tweeters. Everyone has an opinion of this film, and it’s up to Snyder and the studio to spin that into positive favor. Both Superman and Batman have the most incredible legacies and Warner Brothers must honor that.
The Nerdy Girl 