While we are learning a lot about the upcoming The Flash movie thanks to some set leaks and paparazzi photos, there are still a lot of unknowns. Rumor has it that we will be seeing a new version of the universe altering “Flashpoint” storyline that originated in the comic and was adapted into an animated movie and in season 3 of The CW Flash series. In the comic, that storyline ended an era of DC Comics stories, introduced us to an alternate timeline with Wonder Woman & Aquaman at war, and launched “The New 52”. The movie seems to be leaning more into the multiverse and (maybe?) less with changes due to time travel.

We know a lot about heroes that will appear in the upcoming DCEU movie that stars Ezra Miller as the title character, including the return of both Ben Affleck’s and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman, a new version of Supergirl portrayed by Sasha Calle, and potentially a cameo from The CW’s Flash Grant Gustin. What we do not know a lot about are the villains in the movie. Who will Flash, the Batmen, and Supergirl be fighting? Lets take some guesses…

Mirror Master

Okay, I know he can be silly, but what if the Mirror Master is not the big bad, but an opening villain. The Flash has some of the most colorful and fun villains and we need to see at least one of his classic “rogues” on his first big screen adventure. Also, the mirrors could be used to show Flash a “reverse” version of himself and foreshadow the real threat of the movie…

Professor Eobard Thawne, aka Zoom/The Reverse-Flash

…Professor Eobard Thawne, aka the Reverse-Flash! The villain also known as Zoom is the main villain in the original “Flashpoint” storyline, which makes him a perfect candidate for the movie. But in the same sense, that makes me not want him in the movie. We have had two adaptations of the storyline already and do we need another rehash of it? Having the Michael Keaton version of Batman is already an unexpected twist, maybe the true villain will be another twist? Could that lead us to a different “Thawne”?

Inertia

How about Thaddeus Thawne? Also known as Inertia, he is the evil clone of Barry Allen and Iris West’s grandson. Using Inertia as the main baddie gives us a villain who is mixed in with time travel and alternate realities, but would be a twist with what audiences expect. Thaddeus is younger, and a bit crazier than Eobard Thawne, and could be a good “mirror” to Barry Allen, who is young and at the start of his superhero career after Justice League. I’m also pretty sure that Inertia has not appeared in other media outside of the comic books, unlike Eobard Thawne, who has been in multiple animated movies/shows/video games and in live action. It is time for someone new!

Who would you like to see as a villain in The Flash?

It has been a while since we took a trip into The Pit and I can honestly say that I’ve missed writing the column. What started as a way to throw out some opinions on various news stories turned into a fun way to spotlight multiple topics without the need to do a full blown articles on any of the subjects. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to write this column daily, but I’m going to try to make it a weekly thing.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is getting closer and closer (the movie is only a little more than 6 months away!!!). New photos from the movie has been released online, you can check them out in a Gallery on the movie’s official website (the site also features the movie’s trailer and some other goodies).

A new rumor cropped up today via Heroic Hollywood that Warner Brothers is so trilled with Ben Affleck’s performance that they want even more Batman in the film and are working to make that happen. Personally I hope they don’t over do it. Sometimes, less is more. If the movie is working and Batman is the standout, keep it that way. Don’t try to force more of a good thing, just let it happen organically. Either way, I’ll be seeing  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on opening night.

Unfortunately, Hugh Jackman is sticking to his story that Wolverine III will be his last movie as the beloved gruff X-Man. On the plus side, there is rumor has it that he has a role (or cameo) in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, so while Wolverine III might be his last ride as the hero, it will not be the only movie we have to look forward to with Jackman in the role.

Another awesome rumor is that we will see the return of Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth, in the new solo Wolverine outing. Creed was played by ex-wrestler Tyler Mane in X-Men, but recast with Liev Schreiber in the prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Schreiber was easily the best part of a otherwise disappointing first Wolverine solo outing, but I’d welcome seeing him have another go at the villain. Hopefully the material in the new movie will be up to par (it better be if its the last time we’ll see Jackman as the Wolverine.

We are just a month and a half away from the premiere of Ash vs Evil Dead on STARZ! I can not wait to see Bruce Campbell return to the iconic role and face-off with a new crop of Deadites!

The series has a new official description: “Ash vs Evil Dead follows Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.” The show also has a new behind the scenes video, click here to watch the “First Look” for Ash vs Evil Dead.

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Check out these Batman related products…

So the Batman will back and the man who will be donning the cape and cowl is Ben Affleck.

As expected, when the news hit the internet exploded with mostly negative comments from the fan boys. Then again these are the same fan boys that made the same comments and negative buzz about Heath Ledger being cast as the Joker in The Dark Knight… and look at how that one turned out. I think this is a brilliant choice and for one simple reason: Ben Affleck is not the same Ben Affleck from mid-2000.

Hear me out here. Aflleck has grown  and matured as an actor and also happened to become one of the best directors around. Anyone who doesn’t believe me has not seen Argo or The Town, which were two of the best films I have seen in recent years. I believe he’s a guy who has learned from his mistakes. I thought he was the right choice years ago when they were going to go with a younger Batman and I still think he’s the right choice, now as the older grizzled veteran Batman. There’s no doubting his ability or look when it comes to Bruce Wayne. I think a lot of fan boys are concerned with his Batman, but again, I say to those people to go and watch The Town. He plays the anti-hero with a mixture of coolness and darkness that could easily translate in parts to the Dark Knight.

I am excited for this Batman and Superman (or Batman vs Superman) movie and to quote a friend; “Man of Steel was like B., It was good, but by no means perfect. Hopefully Batman/Superman will be what The Dark Knight was for the Nolan trilogy.” I think it will be. It can easily build the DC cinematic universe the way it should be and hopefully lead to a Justice League film. I’m intrigued to see where they go from here with casting as well. They are certainly thinking outside the box.  Let’s hope more announcements are forthcoming. Bring on 2015!

There is no doubt that everyone has a hidden passion. For some it may be rare coins, for the others – often visits to a local liquor store. There is poignant passion, enthralling passion, bizarre passion, dubious passion, and there is disparaging passion. Disparaging passions include addictions, manias and obsessions. But where is the line between a disparaging passion and mental illness?

Perchance everybody is keen for movies. Everyone loves different movies, there is a lot of people and there is, respectively, a lot of movies, so that there is no lack of choice. And it is reasonable to assume that movies embody the hidden passion of men, somehow exposing itself in the exciting plot, in the subtle details, or in the heated atmosphere. The Runner-Runner trailer is an undeniable passion. It is a touching, exciting, unusual, doubtful and destructive passion. It is a passion to passion, passion for excitement, a passion for speed, a passion for adventure, a passion for life.

A first impression about the Runner Runner trailer makes: touching and poignant. It is a mundane story of a gifted boy, who is terribly unfortunate and unappreciated. A boy of marvelous intentions and incomparable brilliance, whose name was Richie (Justin Timberlake), had a noble goal: he wanted to graduate from the most prestigious math school and become a man, who will become worth of his talents. But he has no money for education and he is desperate to find a respectful job. No wonder that a desperate lad found his way to the one of the most dishonorable fields of profit. He started online gambling and soon he realized, that he could be smarter than the system. Getting drawn deeper and deeper, Richie loses control and after his first big loss he is already too obsessed and too determined. Here are the obsessions in the Runner-Runner trailer, but the passions only begin.

In a desperate bid to achieve much more power than he deserves, Richie travels to Costa Rica, where he hopes to battle one of the giants of this dubious industry for his prestigious position. Nevertheless, the aforementioned businessman (Ben Affleck), sees the Richie’s gifts and talents and offers him a job of his dreams. This is where the Runner-Runner starts to gain some serious speed, and soon enough you are going to find yourself dizzy. Richie’s life is paradise, everything he dreams of basically instantly comes true. But the obsessions and passions inevitable lead man to failure. So the fiasco approaches, and that is the exact moment when the Runner-Runner trailer becomes so flashing, dazzling and glistering, that even Richie himself cannot stop running. Our job is now to try not to fall behind from Richie and wait anxiously for the Runner-Runner release. Because very soon our hidden passions will cease to be a secret.

The Golden Globe winners have been announced! Head over here to check out the full list of nominees.

• Motion Picture (Drama): Argo
• Best Director: Ben Affleck, Argo
• Best Actor (Drama): Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
• Best Actress (Drama): Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
• Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical): Les Misérables
• Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
• Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
• Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
• Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
• Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
• Foreign Language Film: Amour (Austria)
• Animated Feature Film: Brave
• Original Score: Life of Pi by Mychael Danna
• Original Song: “Skyfall” from Skyfall by Adele & Paul Epworth
• Cecil B DeMille Award: Jodie Foster

• TV Series (Drama): Homeland
• TV Series (Comedy): Girls
• Actor in a TV Series (Drama): Damian Lewis, Homeland
• Actress in a TV Series (Drama): Claire Danes, Homeland
• Actor in a TV Series (Comedy): Don Cheadle, House of Lies
• Actress in a TV Series (Comedy): Lena Dunham, Girls
• TV Movie or Miniseries: Game Change
• Actor in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys
• Actress in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Julianne Moore, Game Change
• Supporting Actor in a Series/Miniseries/TV Movie: Ed Harris, Game Change
• Supporting Actress in a Series/Miniseries/TV Movie: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Finally Warner Brothers and DC Comics are getting their act together! The behemoth that was The Avengers this summer seems to have lit a fire underneath the suits in Burbank. First Gangster Squad writer Will Beall was given the task of scripting the film that will finally (hopefully) bring all of the big DC comics Titans together on the big screen for the first time. Last week the studio was reportedly eying Ben Affleck to direct with Harry Potter alum David Yates next on their list. Could we be finally seeing this happen? If it does here are some suggestions that I think WB/DC should take into consideration.

Story and Villains
Give the Justice League a full on challenge, not just something like the Injustice Gang plotting to take over the world. Put the whole world in danger and have this be the reason for why they have to team up. Don’t team them up simply because Joker, Luthor, Trickster, and Star Sapphire have joined forces so that means Batman, Superman, Flash and Green Lantern should team up. Throw the team together because Earth is being invaded by Darkseid and his forces from Apokolips. The story from the recent reboot, DC’s “New 52” is perfect for that. Have the Earth be in serious trouble from a real threat. Give us the full fight of the league vs Darkseid. That was my biggest complaint about The Avengers. When you took away all the geek factors and other story parts you essentially had an Alien Invasion movie with no real pay-off at the end. Instead it was a mid credits teaser where the big villain was revealed and now you have to wait presumably until The Avengers 2 to see it. Don’t do that here! Make the league face Darkseid individually and fail then lead up to them fighting together to stop him.

Creative and Personnel
Get the right people involved on the production, Hire Paul Dini and Bruce Timm from every recent memory DC Comics animated series and features to look over scripting and story details. Get Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, and Dan Jurgens to make sure DC’s interests are kept true to the comic universe. These are key to the process. Warner Brothers need to do what they been doing wrong all these years. Make this a collaborative film, pick the right storylines from the comics to help inspire the story. Now we’ve seen Ben Afflec’sk name come up already in line for the gig though his rep’s reportedly say he has passed (which I don’t believe). My gut tells me he is probably still talking to them. Yes he turned down the Man Of Steel allegedly, but he is obviously impressing people at Warner Brothers with his work. I’m a fan of his directorial work, Gone Baby, Gone and The Town were two of the best crime films I’ve seen in a long time. The guy knows his stuff, but the question remains can he do a big action film. My answer to that would be yes he probably can. He’s worked on those type films as an actor, so he would have had to picked up something along the way (good or bad). He is also a comic book geek so he will know what kind of audience he has to aim the film for as well. I think Affleck’s previous work has earned him a shot. I would also be happy with Warner’s rumored second choice, David Yates. He can make a solid film and has huge spectacle film experience. Some of the action sequences from the Harry Potter films he has directed have been nothing short of excellent. I would hope Warners interviews or talks to a few more directors before anything is made official and I hope we get to hear who they are.

Check out Part 2 of my Justice League Movie Suggestions: Casting the Big Three.

With the recent rumors of Ben Affleck sliding into the director’s chair for a big budget Justice League movie (I’ll believe it when I see it), lets take a look at some of the possible villains that the DC Comics heroes might faceoff against.

Starro. We might as well start at the beginning with the first villain that the League faced off against, Starro the Conqueror. Created way back in 1960 in Brave and the Bold #28, Starro has had a very long career of giving the Justice League headaches (literately, he grows little parasite starfish that latch onto their heads and takes control of their bodies). Visually Starro is a little goofy- he is a giant purple and blue starfish with a target logo as an eye and, oh, did I mention he can fly and shoot energy blasts? Yeah, he was born in the silver age of comics where everyone had a smorgasbord of powers. In story terms, Starro could do a lot to help push the Justice League together. Nothing rallies the troops better than an alien that comes to earth and enslaves humans. Even better, Starro can pit the Justice League against each other by taking control of their bodies. He can help fans finally decide who would win in a fight, Superman or Batman? Green Lantern or Flash? Visually, that aspect could be a lot of fun (maybe have the parasites latch onto the heroes backs or go inside their bodies as to not cover their faces).

Black Adam. In terms of power level and personality, Black Adam flies above the pack of possible Justice League villains. Single handed, he could take out each individual League member and could give them a pretty impressive battle all together as well. A team of archaeologists accidentally awaken the ancient Egyptian prince named Teth-Adam, who proceeds to assert his power over the people to declare himself King Black Adam of the world. After taking out each of the Justice League members in their own cities (and countries like Atlantis and Themyscira), the heroes must ban together to distract Black Adam long enough so they can find a way to awaken the legend known as Captain Marvel- the key to which might be a little boy named Billy Batson. Sure it is a Captain Marvel/Shazam origin story, but who is to say that something like that couldn’t tie all of the heroes together and give them purpose. In terms of visuals, Black Atom is a powerful villain and the lightening effects alone while he fights could be a real visual treat (especially in 3D). With people used to DC heroes fighting Lex Luthor, the Joker, and evil clouds (why Green Lantern movie, why?), Black Adam could give the team a villain that is as powerful and charismatic as they are. On the other hand, Black Adam might just be a bit too similar to the Avenger’s Loki with Captain Marvel as his Thor.

Darkseid. Enough is enough with all of the cameos, hints to bigger threads, etc. Do you know who would have been a cooler villain then Loki for The Avengers? Thanos. Instead we got a weaker threat and more set up. With Warner Brothers and DC Comics jumping right into Justice League without a series of solo movies, why don’t they jump right ahead to the biggest thread of the DC Universe, Darkseid and Apokolips. Not only could he take down the Justice League on his own, making him the highest level of threat, but he has a planet of warriors created by comic legend Jack Kirby that could also take down the Justice League. Superman The Animated Series did an awesome multiple episode Darkseid invasion, and now imagine that live action and with the whole Justice League. You have seven heroes standing against an army with super powerful generals (Desaad, Godfrey, Granny Goodness, Mantis, Female Furies to name a few) and a warlord who is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Don’t use Justice League to hype up future movies, let the s#it hit the fan from the get go and prove why the Earth (and universe) needs the Justice League.