Last week, we reported that DC Comics films planned to launch Stage I of their own cinematic continuum. Despite her own reporting, even Ms. Finke herself admitted that the schedule wasn't exactly set in stone, and could change between now and Comic Con. Well, that possibility is looking less and less true, as another source has stepped forward to confirm that the list is indeed valid. That source is none other than the ultimate fanboy and Fatman on Batman host himself - Kevin Smith.
MStarz News reports that in Kevin Smith, in his latest episode of his Hollywood Babble-On podcast, admits that not only was Nikki Finke's scoop accurate, he's known about it for quite a while. His claim seems pretty accurate, as he's gone record as early as the beginning of this month stating that he knew Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice was the beginning of things to come. Apparently, Warner Bros trusts Smith enough to let him in on all of the inner workings of the DC Comics movie machine. This is kind of funny, considering that Kevin Smith's only film with the studio was the classically maligned Cop Out, but if he can start saying nice things about Bruce Willis while interviewing Rian Johnson, then maybe his relationship with Warner Bros has been mended to a good enough point that they trust him.
Now keep in mind, Kevin Smith was also trusted with seeing the new Batsuit before any news outlets even got a whiff of the story, so obviously the man is connected thanks to his filmmaking and geek connections. Which begs the ultimate question: besides his massive fan cred, why is Warner Bros keeping Smith, of all people, in the loop? Two reasons come to mind, one more grounded than the other.
The first, more grounded, answer is that Kevin Smith is pretty much an unofficial press agent for DC. His love of Batman led him to create the Fatman On Batman podcast, where he's had persons involved with various iterations of the franchise in his office to discuss the Caped Crusader. Keeping him updated just means that DC's groundwork for setting up a new series of films will be that much more solidified, considering that Kevin Smith is a snarky, take no prisoners fan. If he hates something you've done, he'll let you know. Also, it helps that Smith still owes comic geeks everywhere Batman: Bellicosity (pictured in the header), the concluding arc to his run of writing Batman comics. Knowing he still works with DC could mean he's just heard this information through the office grapevine, and isn't especially connected.
More outlandishly, I'd like to think that Warner Bros is keeping Kevin Smith in the information pool not only because of his ability to drum up fan interest, but also because they'll eventually want to offer him the chance to direct a DC Comics film. Think about it: Zack Snyder is the DC equivalent of Jon Favreau, the man who kickstarts everything and lays down a solid couple of films for the rest to take off from. Kevin Smith is the Joss Whedon of DC, the man with the knowledge and the passion to take the groundwork and push it to the next level, weaving everything into one gigantic arc of awesome. Bringing Smith into the fold, even if it was just for a movie or two, would benefit Warner Bros/DC, and would almost guarantee box office and fan credibility. It's the type of shot to the arm the DC cinematic continuum needs, and it's not too out of the realm of possibility. Unless Kevin Smith has progressed to the point where he'd turn down the chance to direct Ben Affleck in a standalone Batman movie, in which case all this is for naught.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice kicks off the expanding DC cinematic continuum on May 6th, 2016.
