DC Films and WarnerMedia have been mainly focused on the live-action wing of their cinematic universe, but that’s beginning to change as they expand. The animated “DC League of Super-Pets” is already on the way, and so is the newly announced animated film based on their property “Metal Men.”
The Hollywood Reporter revealed, “Metal Men” will be spearheaded by legendary directors Ron Clements and John Musker at Warner Animation Group. The pair is working on a treatment alongside “Space Jam: Legacy” screenwriter Celeste Ballard with an eye on directing the project.
The duo’s credits at Disney include “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Hercules,” “Treasure Planet, “The Princess & The Frog,” and “Moana.” Famously, they helped resurrect the animation division at Disney, leading to a wave of massive box office successes.
“Metal Men” was created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru and debuted in 1962, focusing on brilliant robotics scientist William Magnus and the six highly advanced robots he makes, which have powers and personalities associated with their respective metals. Those metals are gold, iron, lead, tin, mercury, and platinum.
“Men In Black” director Barry Sonnenfeld was attached to a live-action “Metal Men” project for years, but obviously, DC Films has chosen a new direction for the project.
Several DC Comics projects are currently being funneled towards HBO Max to build subscribers on that platform; films such as “Batgirl” and “Blue Beetle,” but one gets the impression from the article that Warners is aiming for a theatrical release.
It’ll be interesting to see if the project becomes its own standalone film, ala Disney’s Marvel Comics adaptation “Big Hero 6,” or if it will connect to the greater DCEU allowing for live-action crossovers in the future.
