a) It doesn’t follow the look of the Teen Titans cartoon. The show’s identity is kind of locked into that stylized look. If it suddenly looks like Bruce Timm’s version of the Teen Titans, how do they market that to fans of the show?

b) It follows the look of the show. But the show has already covered the events of The Judas Contract, so what would be the point of retelling something they’ve already done?

c) It follows the original story pretty closely. Which might include the post-coital scene with 15-year old Terra and old man Deathstroke. Ick! Maybe the hold is to do some “Batman Beyond” like re-editing.

d) The recent release of the fifth season DVD of Teen Titans. Perhaps someone felt it was too much at one time which might affect sales.

e) Maybe there’s a planned revival of the Teen Titans series. DVD sales of the original series might be used as a barometer for interest. Throwing the Judas Contract DVD out there might confuse the general public.

I’m just guessing. I don’t know the real reasons. But for me and my family, Teen Titans is the TV series. The series already covered most of the points of the Judas Contract so I really wouldn’t be interested in picking this up.

Well, Warner Home Video just released Teen Titans Season 5 last week. I believe the season where the Judas Contract occured in the animated series was either two or three and if it wasn’t successful, they never would have released dvds up to Season 5.

But they still claim there’s no market for the already scripted Teen Titans Judas Contract Movie. Someone may want to communicate that little bit of info to the currently in development Teen Titans live action feature we heard about a few months back.

Go figure.

Woof!

Seriously, again, its all in dealing with the Time Warner machine, and its one monster of a beast to deal with.

Paul Levitz probably had many summits with them during the past 3 decades but even as a president and publisher, there’s only so much he can do because the problem isn’t with DC, its with the corporate structure of Time Warner and logic doesn’t always enter into their equations.

Again, a prime example of the complete lack of sense and logic at the great WB was the misstep in putting the Titans Judas Contract animated dvd on hold.

The fact that their own Cartoon Network already has a successful show based on those same characters, their own home video division already sells lots of dvds based on the show, well, duh, shouldn’t that have occured to them before stating there’s no market for Teen Titans?

Yes it should have but no, the current successes of Teen Titans at the very same company didn’t occur to them… and remember, it’s far more difficult and expensive getting a live action feature produced than it is animated feature.

when you can convince WB that MARV WOLFMAN and GEORGE PEREZ’s NEW TEEN TITANS originally scheduled direct to dvd movie WILL be a success (Marv Wolfman, you know, the guy who created the MARVEL BLADE character which launched that film francise), a property successful on WB’s CARTOON NETWORK with 5 SEASONS selling nicely on dvd already, then talk to WB about bringing the rest of DC Comics Properties to film.

After all, its much cheaper to manufacture an animated film than it is a live action one and if they can’t even get that one off the ground because they don’t believe it will be successful when it already is, then you have proof of what you’re dealing with with the Time Warner monster.

Someone needs to remind WB that Wolfman’s New Teen Titans put DC back on the map 30 years ago and is a property worthy of, at the very least, the direct to dvd movie originally promised to audiences over 3-4 years ago. If they need proof of its potential success, tell them to buzz their sister division of what Teen Titans cartoons sell on dvd currently.

Superhero films have been around since the dawn of celluloid and kids never, ever get sick of them, even during the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s when they ran to theatres every single week just to watch the latest installment of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers or whoever.

Getting another ‘Superhero’ movie outside of Superman and Batman, now that’s another story although I have confidence that Green Lantern is going to turn a LOT of heads at the WB. It’s a built in merchandise machine for kids (and people like me who spend more money on this than comics these days), what with the power ring, lantern, etc. What kid wouldn’t want one?

For those comparing WB Pictures to WB/DC Animation, there’s no comparison. Even though they are owned by the same parent company, they operate as completely different entities and often, aren’t too in touch with the market or its potential.

Example?

When WB/DC Animation first annouced their decision to go ahead and make their own direct to dvd movies to combat Marvel’s huge success in THAT area, the first ones announced were Superman/Doomsday, Justice League New Frontier and NEW TEEN TITANS: JUDAS CONTRACT.

WB Animation decided to put NTT on hold because they did NOT believe Teen Titans was popular enough to support their own direct to dvd movie.

This, AFTER the success of the Teen Titans cartoon, popular enough to support 5 season dvd releases of that show, which introduced the Wolfman / Perez characters to an entire new generation of kids.

The reason for their deduction was simple: WB Animation and Cartoon Network (also owned by, you guessed it, the same parent company) also function as two separate entities and the left hand is not always aware of what’s going on with the right.

But this incident with WB TV / WB Animation / WB Film is proof that its a long, tough battle with them. Marvel could have made the same assumption with IRON MAN, that IM doesn’t have enough of a built in audience and despite that, the Direct to DVD was successful and we don’t have to touch on the IM film now, do we?

If people think a) the success of Marvel’s films or b) a summit is going to get the WB off their butts, they’ve got another thing coming.

You have to believe in the marketability of your properties to launch a successful endeavor and as we’ve seen with even their decision about a New Teen Titans direct to dvd movie, one of DC Comics most successful comics from the past 25 years (the WP version, with the cartoon proof of that), they’re not always on the money with their beliefs.

Of course, this goes back to the same problem WB has always had. They are a gargantuan company, so big, one division not only doesn’t communicate with the other & they aren’t always on the same page either.

Proof that bigger, isn’t always better

But who plays Superboy?
# Tom Spurgeon Says:
07/12/08 at 12:56 pm

Elmo”

Blasphemy! Grover is the only sane choice. Don’t deny the brilliance that was SuperGrover!

Also, I’d love to see a “Blue Devil” movie with more of a fun Spidey vibe than a spooky Hellboy one.

But that said, one other point I’d like to make about the Flash is that the second Flash, Barry Allen, is one of us: he was a fan! His whole idea for putting on the red and gold suit was because he likened his powers to those of the first Flash, Jay Garrick. One of the ideas the movie could explore is how Barry Allen develops his own powers by trying to copy some of the moves described in Jay Garrick’s adventures. Then he’d meet Jay Garrick and they’d compare notes on what worked and what didn’t.

In this way Barry’d be a bit like the Po character from “Kung Fu Panda” in that Po followed the adventures of the Furious Five and his knowledge showed up in his training. Not that I’m suggesting that Barry Allen be played by Jack Black, but that kind of fun aspect is something missing in the live-action/CGI superhero movies coming out lately.

Also wayne’s are pretty thought-provoking as well.

You mean the Robert Loren Fleming series from oh so long ago?

You’re right. It’s everybody screwing everyone else over that’s keeping more movies from being made. This is pretty much the way it is in every large corporation.

Bill