Chapter 380: No Need for Humor

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, brightening the somewhat dim meeting room. Bruce Rosenbloom looked much better than he had for a long time. The fact that Murphy Stanton was sitting down to discuss the fundamental aspects of film style and philosophy indicated his inclination towards a collaboration with Warner Bros. and DC Comics.

However, there were inevitable differences in philosophy that needed to be addressed through step-by-step negotiations.

Like all film studios, Warner Bros. and DC Comics were keen on bringing Murphy in to rescue the DC superhero movies, but they were not prepared to lose their own perspectives and become merely an appendage to a director.

Especially at DC Comics, the huge success of "Deadpool" had set a precedent they were eager to follow, which was also a key reason for their continuous pursuit of Murphy.

"Murphy, I fully agree with your approach of rebooting with 'Superman' as the lead," said Diego Harris, the Executive Vice President of DC Comics, his hands clasped in front of him on the conference table. "The previous Superman was too rigid. I think we could apply some of your ideas from 'Deadpool' to the new 'Superman,' add more humor to make the film more fun, interesting, and engaging."

"Are you suggesting we add more jokes to the film?" Murphy asked.

"Yes, exactly," Diego nodded eagerly. "Humor can make the film more enjoyable."

"My view is the exact opposite!"

If they couldn't agree on these fundamental philosophical issues, there was no point in collaborating. Thus, Murphy was straightforward, "I think we should minimize the jokes and humor in the film. DC superhero movies should establish a style and identity of their own, not just become another generic summer blockbuster aimed at teenagers."

He emphasized his point, "We should create a serious, dark tone!"

Diego frowned, "Without enough humor and jokes..."

Murphy cut him off, "I'm not a comic book fan, but I've read some Batman, Superman, and Justice League comics. Do you know what these comics don't care much about?"

Before Diego or anyone from Warner Bros. could answer, Murphy continued, "Humor! Of course, there's some witty banter and occasional light-hearted moments in the comics, but these characters and plots aren't built on humor!"

In fact, most superheroes weren't based on humor, except for Deadpool and, to some extent, Spider-Man, who only jokes during battles.

"I need to make it clear about this new 'Superman' movie!"

Murphy stood up, "This isn't Spider-Man or Deadpool. This is Superman! A god-like being whose powers are more terrifying than nuclear weapons. His battles are earth-shattering and massively destructive. What consequences do such battles bring? How many people could be hurt? Can the characters in the movie just laugh off such scenes and casualty numbers?"

Murphy added, "Who would want to see a new version of 'Superman' with massive casualties and expect it to be fun?"

Bruce Rosenbloom was the first to shake his head; Superman's style of combat ruled out any lighthearted tone.

He saw this clearly, while Diego Harris and others, fixated on the success of 'Deadpool' and 'Spider-Man,' were still hesitant.

"How can anyone have such expectations for a DC superhero movie?" Murphy rhetorically asked. "Do you remember what happened the last time someone tried to make a fun, light-hearted Batman movie? We got 'Batman & Robin'!"

In saying this, Murphy wasn't just aligning with Warner Bros. and DC Comics philosophically, but also considering his own future. Highly commercialized and juvenile superhero movies would not benefit his career.

Murphy needed films that were profound, serious, and stylistically distinct to add to his portfolio, or at the very least, not detract from it.

If he looked five years into the future, this approach might pose significant challenges, but in the current era where superhero movies had not yet fully taken off, especially since Marvel's own series had not debuted, the situation was entirely different.

Marvel Comics had not yet been acquired by Walt Disney and lacked the backing of a super media conglomerate, making it incomparable to its peak era.

Moreover, Murphy never intended to make purely fan-service films or create films as unfriendly to general audiences as previous DC superhero movies had been. In his hands, comics were just a foundation for adaptation, never the key element.

He wasn't a comic fan and wouldn't approach filmmaking from a comic fan's perspective.

Fan films did have their appeal and could generate impressive box office and market reactions, but as Sam Raimi's radical adaptation of the 'Spider-Man' series showed, a truly blockbuster adapted film couldn't limit itself to just appealing to fans.

Especially in North America, while many fans might pay to see a film, could they really be powerful enough to dominate everything, allowing the film to completely ignore general audiences?

Mur

phy had seen this with the 'Warcraft' movie—a prime example where the film was abandoned by general audiences, and the fans alone couldn't support it in North America.

He had already reached an understanding with Warner Bros. and DC Comics on this. The executives of these companies weren't fools; they knew that simply replicating comics and recreating certain "classic" comic scenes wouldn't explosively help the films.

Their biggest disagreement with Murphy was over the future of the DC superhero series, particularly whether the rebooted 'Superman' movie proposed by Murphy should be more "fun."

Whether it was his expertise in dark tones or future considerations, Murphy firmly stood his ground.

"Was Christopher Reeve's Superman movie fun? Sure, Lex Luthor was a foolish cartoon villain with equally foolish henchmen, clearly the weakest link in those films," Murphy continued standing. "Those light-hearted segments were embarrassingly bad, even though I love the Christopher Reeve 'Superman' series, I must be honest."

Frankly, Murphy's current position didn't necessitate wading into these troubled DC waters. The primary reason he was even discussing this was that the compensation Warner Bros. offered was too enticing.

Murphy was looking to buy a new property, and real estate in North America wasn't cheap. Recently, a real estate agent introduced by Bill Rossis had shown him a super-mansion in Beverly Hills covering over two hectares that he found particularly appealing.

Such a mansion obviously came with a hefty price tag...

This was one reason why Murphy found the compensation offered by Warner Bros. so compelling.

"Superhero movies don't necessarily need humor," Murphy firmly stated, citing two examples, "Look at the films that truly pioneered the new era of superhero cinema—'X-Men' and 'Blade,' both are very serious, cold, and dark movies."

He spoke earnestly, "Many movies try to be merely 'fun' and neglect to align with their themes, rushing to meet certain specific targets without caring about story and character development. They attempt to make the films too 'fun,' ignoring the fact that people can enjoy a movie even without humor."

Everyone understood his point; many blockbuster films didn't rely on being fun or humorous.

Audiences watch crime, horror, and thriller films—these movies are entertaining on a psychological or other levels and are considered "interesting."

But this type of "interest" isn't about inserting a joke every two seconds to weaken your antagonist or using an extremely fun toy-like violent scene followed by a catchy phrase to smooth over a major crisis.

After being inundated with films aimed at younger audiences, more and more moviegoers are agreeing—humor is diluting the tension and seriousness of some films because many producers now prefer using humor rather than sensible plot devices.

Murphy enjoyed various forms of humor in films, but he was clear that "humor" wasn't just about clever one-liners or slapstick fighting.

Humor could be a subtle satire or a visual juxtaposition, like a diminutive villain battling a huge, intimidating muscle-bound hero—some things aren't meant to make you laugh out loud.

And honestly, aside from going to see comedies, how many people enter a cinema intending to watch something "humorous"?

"So, I plan to eliminate any childish elements," Murphy explained further. "If it were just a Superman movie, maybe it wouldn't matter, but don't forget, Marvel Studios is building a Marvel Cinematic Universe..."

As he mentioned this confirmed news, Bruce Rosenbloom and Diego Harris's faces were full of concern. DC had already been outpaced by Marvel, and the only consolation was that they hadn't fallen too far behind, but they needed to catch up quickly.

"We want to create a universe of superheroes too," Murphy continued, since he intended to go ahead, he certainly aimed for a successful outcome, "To make the audience accept such a universe, it must be seen as serious, realistic, and entirely believable."

Bruce Rosenbloom responded, "Murphy makes a lot of sense."

Murphy nodded at him and asked Diego Harris, "If a super-powered being like Superman appeared among us, right next to you, what would your reaction be? Would you use a humorous tone, playfully joking about how lucky you are?"

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