Podcast Excerpt – Geek Talk #70
Hosts: Derek Lun & Miles Bourne
Special Guest: JakeTalksComics
MILES: Welcome back, listeners, to episode 70 of Geek Talk! I'm Miles Bourne, here with my co-host Derek Lun, and today we have a very special guest and friend—welcome back, Jake from JakeTalksComics!
JAKE: Good to be here, guys.
DEREK: Always great to have you here, Jake.
MILES: Let's get right to it—lots to talk about. So, DC FanDome was last week, and wow… that teaser is still in my head.
DEREK: Dude, after seeing that… I'm more excited to watch Man of Tomorrow than Justice League, to be honest.
JAKE: I wouldn't say that. I mean, I'm counting down the days until the Justice League release, but my hype levels are through the roof after seeing that teaser. DC sure knows how to make them. Remember The Dark Knight one? Or Green Lantern? This one surpassed them all.
MILES: DC also has TV shows coming out—both look amazing, by the way. The Penguin, which will expand on Oswald Cobblepot and the Gotham underworld. And then we have Constantine, which looks like it'll be the start of exploring the more magical side of the DCU.
JAKE: I'm very excited for Constantine. I'm hoping Zatanna will make an appearance.
DEREK: Oh, you would love that, wouldn't you, Jake?
[Miles and Jake laugh]
DEREK: JakeTalksComics, if most of you don't know, is an avid simp for—
JAKE: Stop— [laughing]
DEREK: —a lover of Zatanna Zatara.
JAKE: Who isn't?
MILES: Okay, okay, getting back to it. We have a teaser to discuss and also the final trailer for Justice League, which came out yesterday.
DEREK: Okay, Man of Tomorrow first. Oh my God, they really get Superman.
MILES: Right?!
DEREK: Like, they just fully committed to comic-book insanity. The teaser shows Superman has this... I don't even know what to call it... this eldritch monstrosity, the Star Eater, and he's keeping it as a pet in the Fortress.
JAKE (laughing): Just casually feeding the cosmic horror.
JAKE: I love that they're not scared to embrace the weird.
DEREK: He's been visiting other worlds and making zoos of alien species."
JAKE: We don't know if he's gone to other worlds yet. It looks like that's being saved for World's Finest.
MILES: Oh, oh yeah. Fuck, the next two years really are going to be awesome. Like, from both Marvel and DC, it's just banger after banger. One interesting thing they revealed, or implied, from FanDome is that we might get a President Luthor storyline.
JAKE: It does look that way. From the looks of things, and how the tie-in comic for Superman suggests, Lex is basically facing jail time for the events of Superman. So I think the events of Man of Tomorrow, which Adler said in an interview doesn't really mean just Superman...
DEREK: Oh yeah, Prez Luthor is coming, all right. I think it could be the plotline leading to the Justice League sequel. Maybe a Legion of Doom with President Luthor hunting the League.
JAKE: That would be awesome. It would make sense. I mean, after Justice League and Man of Tomorrow, the world will have had two big invasions back to back. Things would be dire enough for Lex to manipulate and take over.
DEREK: Well, people are idiots, so...
[They discuss the FanDome reveals more and also pivot to some Marvel content, mainly the upcoming Black Widow movie and Thor: Ragnarok.]
MILES: But bringing the conversation back to DC, let's talk about the new Justice League trailer. The marketing for this movie has been crazy, man. You see that NBA stuff with the Warriors?
DEREK: Yeah, that was fun. It does help that Adler owns part of the Warriors now.
MILES: Like yesterday, I was watching that Variety interview, Actors on Actors, with Henry Cavill and Jensen Ackles.
JAKE: Oh, I haven't seen that yet.
MILES: It was good. They both talk about the DCU movie-making process, and from that, you can understand why the movies have been so good. It's like a good balance between the studio and the directors, not too much on either side. Somehow, Adler is able to maintain this balance, keeping everyone happy and bringing out the best in them.
DEREK: I saw some parts of it, and it made me even more excited for World's Finest. Those two have some good chemistry.
MILES: We'll see them both a lot in Justice League, and speaking of that, did you see the new trailer that dropped yesterday?
JAKE: From everything we've seen so far, I feel like they've done the League right. Like, you can tell they understand these characters.
DEREK: My only problem is the rumor that Batman's identity is going to be revealed to them in this movie. Like, what the fuck? Batman wouldn't just do that.
JAKE: I actually disagree.
MILES: Yeah, I'm with Jake on this one.
DEREK: Really?
MILES: Think about it. This might be the point where Bruce learns to trust these heroes. That would be the foundation of the League, right? The Founding Seven know his identity. I mean, only Barry seems to be the normal guy among them. Everyone else is either an alien, a demigod, royalty, or a Green Lantern.
JAKE: Superman is literally an alien. Wonder Woman is, well, Wonder Woman. She doesn't really have a secret identity in this universe. Everyone knows Diana is Wonder Woman. Aquaman is the King of Atlantis. Jon Stewart is a Green Lantern. J'onn is a Martian. And then you have Batman. I don't think, if it came to it and the situation called for it, Batman would mind revealing his identity to them.
DEREK: I get that, but it's Batman. You know he won't do that with people he just met.
[They discuss the topic more]
DEREK: Let's talk Malefic. What do you think, Jake?
JAKE: Honestly? He could be the weakest villain in the DCU so far, and that's saying something.
MILES: Really?
JAKE: Yeah, but I think that's intentional. He needs to be weak enough that the team shines. But I think the relationship between Jon and him could elevate him. From what I've seen so far, he doesn't really seem that great compared to the other villains in the DCU.
MILES: What do you think the plot is, Jake?
JAKE: Okay, so from what we've seen, Martians have already infiltrated governments. There are scenes that suggest they're actively weakening Earth, sabotaging defense systems, sowing distrust, maybe even replacing key figures. I think Jon will be the one who brings them all together. We see Green Lantern and Flash together, and then Wonder Woman and Aquaman seem to have a meeting, which they fight.
DEREK: Or it's the White Martians messing with their minds.
JAKE: Could be, yeah. The second act, I think, will be where their dynamics are developed. It doesn't really look like an Avengers-type situation where the invasion is fully stopped. It looks like the Martians might occupy Earth for a short while, maybe a few days.
JAKE: Waiting for a month seems like agony, but it's going to be great. I have full faith in this.
DEREK: Let's hope it's as good as The Avengers.
[They talk more and then end the show]
MILES: Alright, everyone, that's it for this week's episode. Thanks for joining us, Jake!
JAKE: Thanks for having me, guys.
MILES: And to all our listeners, what do you think? What are your theories? We'll discuss them in the next episode, so write them down in the comments.
DEREK: See you next week.
[End of podcast excerpt]
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I looked at the clip on screen where Henry, along with Damson, Grant, Alan, Sterling, Jensen, and Alexandra, were in an interview.
On screen, the interviewer, an enthusiastic entertainment reporter, asked about Man of Tomorrow.
Henry answered,"It's a perfect follow-up to Justice League, actually. We get to explore Superman in a much more personal way, dealing with threats that are uniquely his to handle. There's this amazing storyline with—"
He explained very passionately until he let it slip that Alexandra was in it, a slip of the tongue.
The others immediately reacted.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Grant said, leaning forward.
"Wait, what?" Damson added, grinning.
Jensen put his hand on Henry's shoulder. "I don't think you're supposed to say that, man."
The interviewer's eyes lit up. "So Wonder Woman is in Man of Tomorrow?"
Henry's face went red. "I... well..."
Alexandra reached over and tapped him on the head with her palm. "Good job."
"I'm sorry!" Henry said, laughing and covering his face with his hands. "It just slipped out!"
Jensen leaned back, shaking his head with mock seriousness. "Daniel is going to call in the hit squad on you, man. You know that, right?"
"They're coming for you as we speak," Grant added, looking around dramatically.
Damson made a joke about recasting Henry.
The whole panel erupted in laughter.
Henry was still red-faced but laughing. "Can we just... can we move on?"
The interviewer, thrilled, pressed on. "So Wonder Woman is in Man of Tomorrow—"
"No comment!" the entire panel said in unison.
It was fine that Henry had a slip-up. Nothing major. Many fans already knew that there were going to be other heroes appearing in solo movies, especially after Justice League.
And honestly, this only gave Man of Tomorrow free press.
I made a mental note to text Henry later and tell him not to worry about it.
I looked down at the magazines stacked on my desk.
They had just come out, the December issues of all major print media.
The Vanity Fair issue had a cover featuring all seven main cast members standing together in a dramatic group shot. The headline read, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (and Woman): The Making of the DCU."
It featured interviews with the entire cast, a lengthy profile about me and my role in building the DCU, behind-the-scenes photos from the set, and exclusive looks at the production design and visual effects.
The next one was Entertainment Weekly, which had all of the cast in full costume on its cover. Superman was front and center, flanked by Wonder Woman and Batman, with the others arranged around them. The headline read, "Justice League: Inside the DCU's Biggest Movie Yet."
Then there was The Hollywood Reporter, which took a more business-focused angle. The headline read, "Can Justice League Top $2 Billion?" It also included an exclusive interview with me discussing the future of the DCU and what comes after this film.
This was the final marketing push.
The world premiere for the movie had been three weeks ago in Los Angeles, a massive red carpet event at the Dolby Theatre attended by the entire cast and crew. Thousands of fans had lined the streets.
The entire cast then went on Jimmy Kimmel Live! afterward.
Soon after, the cast began the international press tour.
Mexico City was the first stop, with a massive fan event at the Auditorio Nacional, where over 10,000 fans showed up. São Paulo came next, another huge event. Brazilian fans were passionate, loud, and enthusiastic.
Tokyo was a spectacle. They made appearances on Japanese TV, including a hilarious segment on a variety show where Grant and Alexandra tried, and failed, to make traditional sushi.
Paris brought a more refined elegance to the tour. The cast did interviews with Canal+ and appeared on French talk shows. The Eiffel Tower was lit up in Justice League colors for one night.
Finally, London hosted the international premiere at Leicester Square. I was there for that.
The cast also had a marathon day of press:
BBC Radio 1 interviews in the morning
BBC Breakfast appearance
A sit-down with The Guardian and The Times
The Graham Norton Show taping in the evening, with all seven cast members crammed onto the couch
The Graham Norton Show episode had been absolute chaos in the best way. It had many viral moments between the cast that really helped with social media marketing.
The London premiere itself had been spectacular. I was there with Margot, and honestly, I liked the international premiere more than the one we did in the US. The overall energy was different, you could say.
Now, with the movie releasing internationally in just two days and the US release a week away, the final push was underway.
The cast was back in the States, doing the rounds:
Good Morning America – Morning show appearance with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and a surprise visit to a children's hospital in costume by Grant and Alan.
The Late Late Show with James Corden – Carpool Karaoke segment with Henry, Alexandra, and Jensen.
Ellen – Alexandra and Grant appeared together and played games while doing Ellen-style segments. For some reason, Ellen had to take a dig at me for not accepting her invitation to come on her show, which made me want to accelerate her downfall.
Conan – Sterling and Damson appeared, where they told stories about the physically demanding shoots, and Conan joked about his cameo in the Batman game.
Yesterday there was The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – The entire cast appeared over two nights. They played "Superhero Charades," and Henry even lifted Jimmy over his head to demonstrate Superman's strength.
Today, Henry was hosting Saturday Night Live.
So yeah, it was all coming together well.
The marketing budget had been over $250 million, and every dollar showed.
As I was about to make a call to Dave, Graves walked into the room.
"TMZ just called to confirm if you and Margot are engaged. Looks like they might have something."
I sighed.
Margot wanted to keep the engagement on the down low for now. We hadn't even told most of our friends yet, and we planned to fully reveal it at the Christmas party this year.
If Margot had her way, the public would only find out once we were already married. But there were too many eyes on me. The secret would be out soon enough.
"How did they know?" I asked.
Graves checked her notes. "My sources tell me they have pictures of her with that expensive rock she has on her finger now."
"Margot doesn't wear it in public," I said, frowning.
"She thinks it could be from your time on the islands," Graves said.
I rubbed my temples. "Well, say nothing. Let them run whatever story they want."
Graves nodded. "Understood."
She glanced at her tablet again. "Also, you're supposed to go pick up Alice today."
I nodded. "Yeah, I remember."
"And everything is set for tomorrow," she confirmed.
I stood up, stretching. "Can't wait for it. It's my favorite part of making these movies."