Steven Spielberg's Lost Comic Book Movie Is More Painful Thanks To His $500m War Epic

Summary Spielberg's interest in a DC comic movie focused on the WWII military unit, the Blackhawk Squadron, could have been special.

The director has a successful record with war-set projects, like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.

Spielberg almost made a DC movie twice, with plans for a Blackhawks film in the 1980s and 2018.

One of Steven Spielberg's best movies makes the loss of his planned DC film even more painful. There have been some truly special directors in the comic book movie realm. However, few stand close to the Hollywood legend that is Spielberg. The director has helmed some of the most influential films of all time, with Spielberg's best movies including both one-offs and exciting franchise work. The director is one of few who can do an outstanding job on either more personal tales or expansive blockbusters.

Spielberg's filmography includes some impressive franchises. The director helmed films such as Jaws, the first two Jurassic Park entries, multiple Indiana Jones films, Ready Player One, and more. However, among all the blockbusters Spielberg has directed, a comic book movie is still to appear. While auteur directors do not usually tend to comic book fare, Spielberg has tried to get his own comic book film off the ground at DC for a long time, and one of his best movies shows how the lost DC film would have been amazing.

Related Steven Spielberg Was Accidentally Responsible For Creating His Favorite Superhero Movie Steven Spielberg named his favorite superhero movie, which he had inadvertently inspired years before, and influenced throughout its production.

Steven Spielberg Almost Made A DC Movie Twice

The Director Had His Eyes On An Obscure DC Property

Spielberg tried to bring his vision to DC twice, with plans to get a Blackhawks movie off the ground in the 1980s and 2018. Blackhawk is a DC character known for being an ace pilot. Janos Prohaska, aka Blackhawk, fought in World War II alongside an elite team called the Blackhawk Squadron. By directing Blackhawks, Spielberg would have been able to bring a different flair to DC's live-action offerings, going away from the splashier superhero battles.

The director was first attached to a movie based on Blackhawk in the 1980s. At the time, Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd was interested in the lead role, which could have pointed to a lighter take on the material. Spielberg directed another Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Blackhawks did not work out. Then, in 2018, a Blackhawk film was announced to be in development, coming off Spielberg's Warner Bros. hit Ready Player One and the DCEU's search for stability. However, with DC's plans and leadership changing, the project fell through the cracks.

Spielberg's Blackhawks Would Have Been Amazing Because of Saving Private Ryan

The Director Has Successful War-Set Projects

Close

Despite being a comic book movie, Blackhawks would have focused on a military unit in World War II. That setting is perfect for Spielberg, who has helmed one of the best war epics of all time, Saving Private Ryan. The film showed the true nature of war with a compelling and tragic story. Spielberg has further shown his keen eye for the topic with a producer role in the acclaimed war series Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and the recent Masters of the Air, with the final one being the closest to Steven Spielberg's Blackhawks plans for now.

DC Universe The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.