Lobo should have been helmed by Joel Silver and Brad Peyton. Or so the word went back in 2012, when Dwayne Johnson confirmed the rumors according to which he was to portray DC's Czarnian bounty hunter in a solo movie.
But Lobo didn't happen, and DC went on with planning other cinematic ventures, of which Snyder's Dawn of Justice (2016) is the first.
If you look at their slate, the following titles are slotted in until 2020: Suicide Squad (2016), Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League Part One (2017), The Flash (2018), Aquaman (2018), Shazam (2019), Justice League Part Two (2019), followed by Cyborg and Green Lantern in 2020.
So, no trace of Lobo. But Dwayne Johnson is already locked in for Black Adam in Shazam. So, I guess the loss is not that terrible. What happened in the meanwhile? Why did they abandon Lobo?
Brad Peyton talks Lobo
In an interview with ComingSoon, Brad Peyton explained why the project didn't fly. In his own words, "I think what's happening with DC is that they have prioritized what they need to make first in order to kind of lay the foundations for the DC Universe".
Moreover, "This is what I believe is happening just from what they've been taking about. They're talking about "˜Justice League,' "˜Batman v Superman,' and going into "˜Flash,' "˜Wonder Woman,' and "˜Aquaman.' Those are kind of the pillars of that universe".
So, it's basically about DC putting priorities in order. But there's more to Lobo's failure.
A striking comparison with Marvel's plan to usher in B-list heroes on the big screen is at hand. And Peyton puts his finger on it: "It's one of those things where, creatively, you and I get it, but there's a lot of people that don't quite get that".
And he continues: "It's a real uphill battle to talk people into spending a lot of money to do things correctly"¦ I was really happy with the script, [though]. I talked with Dwayne about it. Joel Silver and I had a really amazing meeting about it. I did a rewrite of the script and was really, really excited for it".
But, "In their estimation, though, he wasn't one of those main guys"¦ That's fair enough. I think that, to do any kind of comic book universe correctly, you do need to establish, "˜Here's the tone. Here's the main people.' Then we can grow offshoots from there".
And here comes the comparison: "With Marvel, they're now doing smaller characters like "˜Ant-Man' and "˜Guardians of the Galaxy.' They obviously had to start, though, with their big guns and set up "˜The Avengers.' I kind of feel like that's where DC is now. They're setting that team up".
Will Lobo happen any time soon?
Brad Peyton seems quite optimistic. If not sooner, it will happen later. These are his words of encouragement:
"I think there's going to be a really amazing time for "˜Lobo' and I think people are going to realize, certainly once they revisit it, what they're sitting on ["¦] But you never know. I'm really happy with the project and where we got it and fingers crossed it comes to fruition at some point".
So, there you have it! Lobo is not a priority for DC, not for now. But Dwayne Johnson is not lost to DC fans, and hopefully the studio will revisit the project. What do you think, guys? Would you like to see them giving Lobo another try? Have your say below and stay tuned! We'll bring you the hottest scoop on all things DC!
