Kevin Smith Makes Bold Prediction for James Gunn's DC Studios Plan
Kevin Smith is making a bold prediction about the plans James Gunn and Peter Safran are cooking up for the DC Studios slate: Gunn's ultimate plan is to recreate the iconic "Challenge of the Superfriends" Image in a live-action franchise universe. It's a bold prediction to make, as headlines continue to pour out about the kinds of changes that Gunn and Safran are making to the DC franchise – as well as which actors and/or characters could be swapped in and out.
While taking fan questions on his Fatman Beyond podcast show, Kevin Smith was asked about what popular movie of today he would show his ten-year-old self. Smith started in on a breakdown of why the film he would pick would be Avengers: Endgame, just to let his kid self know the epic comic book movie moment he would eventually get to see. However, Smith's description of Endgame's now-iconic "Avengers Assemble" charge into the final battle against Thanos quickly took a detour into DC territory:
"[My 10-year-old-self] He'd be so f*cking impressed by that, like when they all f*cking do that 'Challenge of the Super Friends' run at each other – which we now have a really good f*cking chance of replicating with James Gunn in charge over at DC, man. You know that somewhere they're having a conversation going, 'We have to eventually give them the' – what people want to call the Civil War shot – but what will be the 'Challenge of the Super Friends' shot. Ahhhhhhhh! [moans]. That's what I want to live for now, Marc. We'll see that within the next five years, I'm predicting. So that gives me five years to stary alive. To see the live-action version of that."
What Is "Challenge of the Superfriends"?
"Challenge of the Superfriends" was an installment of the larger Super Friends animated series by DC and Hanna-Barbera. The particular segment Kevin Smith is referencing came in the Fall of 1978, when "Challenge of the Superfriends" made the bold move of introducing the first DC villain team-up onscreen, with Lex Luthor gathering his Legion of Doom to battle the Justice League. The promo artwork for "Challenge of the Superfriends" shows the Justice League and Legion of Doom charging each other in an epic showdown – an understandably epic goal for the DC Universe live-action franchise to aspire to.
"I remember being a kid and watching that show, watching 'Challenge of the Super Friends', and being like 'Look at 'em all running at each other!' Smith recalled. "And then when they did it in '[Captain America] Civil War it was like 'Oh my god, The Russos and Kevin Feige rocked it.' And now we got a chance to do the actual thing, with the actual DC characters. And I bet you James Gunn gets us there. I have faith in James Gunn... Wait where were we?"
Right now there are a lot of things shifting over at DC Studios – here's a breakdown:
James Gunn Teases DCU Plan | Henry Cavill Out As Superman | New Superman Movie Announced | Ben Affleck May Direct DC Movie | Wonder Woman 3 Cancelled