The DC Carnival of Sadness May Actually Be An Official Policy

So we came up with the term “DC Carnival of Sadness” as a joke (I say we, but really I think it was Pher in a pre-podcast conversation), due to DC Comics love of turning every cinematic adaptation into a grim-dark mess devoid of humor. Well, we may have been more on the ball than we expected, as Hitfix is reporting that this isn’t just coincidence, but instead may actually be the official DC Cinematic Universe policy.

From the article:

Last week was about the fifth time I’ve heard that there is a mandate at Warner Bros. regarding any of the DC superhero films in development, and it’s very simple and direct and to the point.

“No jokes.”

It would seem like a crazy rule to set for an entire series of films. How can you know what the tone is for every story you’ll be telling in a series before you’ve even started telling it? The thing is, DC has taken a few stabs at establishing this larger universe on film, and they’ve gotten smacked down for everything that hasn’t had Batman in it. “Man Of Steel” made money, and I’m certainly not the only person to like the film. I may be one of its more ardent defenders, but I’m not alone. I think you’d have a far harder time finding someone to defend “Green Lantern,” the studio’s other big attempt at launching one of the core Justice League characters with a film franchise of his own.

And that Green Lantern film really is the key. DC thinks the humor in Green Lantern is what was wrong with it, so they’re trying to avoid humor ever again. That’s… just… gnnnarg… waffle… fries…

…sorry, had a small stroke there. Green Lantern’s problem wasn’t the humor, it was that it was a bad movie. Star Trek IV and Star Trek V are both full of humor, but only one of those two made my ears bleed. DC is being short sighted and this, frankly, will not end well.

But this guarantees one thing: We’ll get to keep making fun of them.

Via Hitfix