Wonder Woman Movie

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001

#76: Nov 12th 2015 at 11:57:38 AM

Both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton have had to deal with the fact their non-Batman works will never be as popular, which is sort of the point behind Birdman.

Except Burton's Batman came at a point in time when everyone still remembered the campy '60s show. So it had much more work to do than Whedon's Wonder Woman (Diana isn't on the same level as Batman, popularity wise, but she's up there - most people know who she is, unlike, say, Iron Man). And Burton's Batman became a huge hit. It's not unreasonable to say that Whedon's Wonder Woman would have become a hit as well.

edited 12th Nov '15 11:58:09 AM by alliterator

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013

#77: Nov 12th 2015 at 2:23:09 PM

Burton has done a lot of Non-Batman work which is beloved. Though he might be bothered by the fact that what would I consider his most popular movie actually wasn't directed by him...but "Nightmare before Christmas" is based on his story and has his style. And everyone knows its by him because it is right there in the full title.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001

#78: Nov 12th 2015 at 2:36:53 PM

Nightmare Before Christmas came out in 1993. Edward Scissorhands came out in 1990. Burton's Batman came out in 1989. So the only movies he had done before that were Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice. So most people, when seeing Burton's name, would think "The Beeltejuice guy?" if they knew who he was at all.

edited 12th Nov '15 2:37:25 PM by alliterator

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013

#79: Nov 12th 2015 at 3:30:19 PM

I didn't try to claim that Burton was a well-known director when he made Batman, I dispute the notion that his other Work will "never be as popular". That's the guy who made Ed Woods. He had good movies before Batman and good movies after Batman and with a little bit luck, he might make another good movie one day instead of ruining Alice in Wonderland.

KJMackley Since: Jan, 2001

#80: Nov 12th 2015 at 6:48:16 PM

Magnum Opus Dissonance is a very real thing. Burton is not a huge fan of the '89 Batman and is more fond of Batman Returns, while the fan and box office reception is definitely on the first film. In the long run Burton has had a varied enough career that he has kind of escaped from it. But to bring it back around, do you think anything Whedon does will come close to The Avengers financially? He's actually done a smart thing by not even trying, focusing on indie movies filmed in his own home. Jon Favreau has also really struggled with that, his smaller art films and big movies will never get the same recognition as Iron Man.

And I have to complete disagree that a standalone Wonder Woman is a better bet over a Shared Universe installment. Having another movie beforehand is a big motivator to get made because sequels, reboots and spin-offs are guaranteed a certain amount of money based on brand recognition alone, and Wonder Woman would be a spin-off/sequel that way. Batman v Superman would have to be a Fantastic Four level of disaster to sully Wonder Woman. Even then the movie will easily break 500 million, the question is not if it will make money but how much.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001

#81: Nov 12th 2015 at 8:50:03 PM

Huh? I wasn't trying to claim that he would never make a good film again (although his recent track record isn't that good). And I never said I disliked his previous films. I was just pointing out that, when he made Batman, he was still relatively unknown. It wasn't until after Batman that he became a more well known director.

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013

#82: Nov 12th 2015 at 11:38:38 PM

Actually Whedon himself made less on The Avengers than on a lot of his other projects. I suspect though that he made the big bucks with Age of Ultron.

Success is not just about Box office. A lot of the most famous movies of all time weren't box office hits. I doubt though that Whedon will ever made another movie which is a game changer like The Avengers, simply because those movies are so rare.

Sorry, I misunderstood.

edited 12th Nov '15 11:39:38 PM by Swanpride

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001

#83: Nov 12th 2015 at 11:45:53 PM

Yep, you are entirely correct. Whedon said that he made more money with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog than he did with The Avengers, but once he was hired to helm Age of Ultron, he found out "what it feels like to get paid."

KJMackley Since: Jan, 2001

#84: Nov 13th 2015 at 12:13:34 AM

I wasn't referring to his personal paycheck, but in terms of how much the movie makes and how famous it got (depending on the contract, some people get paid handsomely even for flops). Whedon will likely never be able to top any project in box office.

Some people are okay with that, Whedon does seem happier doing No Budget features. Others get frustrated that they lose funding for personal projects because they aren't matching their prior box office returns. That's why some directors turn down those projects. That's what happened to Sam Raimi. Bryan Singer too before he got back into the X-Men movies. I'll admit there are exceptions. People like Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan made sure they had other big but personal projects going on at the same as making the comic book movies. Nolan especially, taking three years to make a single film can easily take up your life. He made sure he was making other movies (The Prestige, Inception) in between his Batman trilogy. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back lampshaded the hell out of this "First you do the paycheck film, then you do the arthouse film. And then you do the film for a buddy because they say you owe him." (aside glance)

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013

#85: Nov 13th 2015 at 12:23:04 AM

Whedon already did a ground-breaking TV show (Buffy) beforehand and launched a new sci-fi fandom (Firefly). I am sure he will be fine. After all, he is more than "just" a director, he is also a writer. It's more dangerous when the big movie is the only thing you are known for.

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001

#86: Nov 13th 2015 at 7:10:21 AM

Yeah, I mean, after The Avengers, he did Much Ado About Nothing. Which he filmed in a week. In his home. I think he's good for personal projects.