Say wha?? Warner Bros. Rumored to Want "No Jokes" in DC Universe Movies

Here comes one of those rumors that makes me question the sanity of the studios, and the bloggers who report on their every move.  Warner Bros. is ramping up their DC universe movies since Man of Steel kicked things off last year, and we know they've got a plan stretching through 2020. One issue that many have had with their films since Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy is the "grim 'n gritty" tone they seem to live by, compared to Marvel's fun and spirited superhero movies. With Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice pitched as being much darker already, it's obvious the trend will continue, but would Warner Bros. demand that of ALL their upcoming movies?

According to HitFix that's exactly what is happening, and Warner Bros. has supposedly mandated there be absolutely "no jokes" in any of the DC Universe flicks. Say wha?? This sounds completely nutso and like something that can't possibly be true, even if WB wants to veer as far away from Marvel as possible this makes no sense. And given that some of the Justice League characters are kinda funny, this seems like an unnecessary step. For example, why would you hamstring a Flash movie by turning the character into a serious bore? What are they afraid of? Another Green Lantern? Oh wait....that may be the issue right there.

Even so, this sounds like a story that can't possibly be true, and the kind of thing rival studios spread to ruffle a few feathers. But we'll see. Stranger things have happened (see Marvel's treatment of X-men and Fantastic Four comics of late), and if Batman v Superman writer Chris Terrio (Argo) has been ordered not to make us laugh we'll find out for sure on March 25th 2016.