It has been four years since it was announced that Steven Spielberg would be jumping on board the DC bandwagon by developing a movie based on Blackhawk. Seeming to fall squarely in the war-based film genre that Spielberg frequently acquaints, there has been a distinct lack of updates on the project, with the most recent coming in 2020. However, scriptwriter David Koepp has now finally shared some promising news about the movie, although it is still a long way from being a solid confirmation that the film is going ahead exactly as planned.
Koepp spoke recently to Collider, and explained the issues that the movie has faced since its original announcement four years ago, which mainly seem to have stemmed from a number of leadership changes and where the studio’s focus is when it comes to their DC output. The writer, who has worked on four previous Spielberg movies including Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds, also cast doubt over how involved Spielberg will actually be on the movie. He said:
“We have a script that’s very good and we all think it’s very good. There were a lot of management changes at Warner Bros, so I think we’ve just been kind of waiting for that to settle down and for them to decide what they want to do with their DC Universe. Obviously I hope he does it or if he doesn’t direct it, I hope he produces it, someone great directs. Because it would be a great deal of fun. I’m very fond of the script and I hope it comes together. But again, that’s one of those movies that’s gonna need $200 million so, trying to get those whales off the beach is a big process.”
Blackhawk’s Future Comes Down To Changes At Warner Bros. and Spielberg’s Availability.
Back in 2018 when the Blackhawk movie was announced, the world was a different place. Two years away from the Covid pandemic that would see many movies fall by the wayside and others spend the next two years playing catch-up, Warner Bros. and Steven Spielberg were in different places to where they are now.
Spielberg has a number of projects to consider, as after directing The Fabelmans, he is now considering a remake of Steven McQueen’s Bullitt, which may mean that Koepp’s belief of him being on board as a producer only seems like a very likely outcome right now. Also, if there is any belief that Blackhawk could end up in a production hell for years due to the unsettled nature of the DCEU and DC movies in general, then Spielberg won’t want his time being held up waiting on it.
Similarly, the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery is going to lead to another big shake-up in the company and their vision for the future releases under the DC umbrella. With so many previously announced movies having already been dropped before the merger, it is only right to assume that some others could go the same way. All will become clearer in time, but for now, the hopes of Koepp seem to be all that fans can hang on to when it comes to the likelihood of Blackhawk making it to screen.
