DC's Dark Days over soon?

DC-exclusive writer Mark Waid recently talked to the website, Monitor Duty about his comics writing experience. It's a great interview (mostly focused on Superman: Birthright, the "new" Superman origin, out this week in trade paperback) , but the most interesting comment he made was regarding the DCU after Infinite Crisis, which debuts in October, when asked about the increased "darkening" of the DC universe:

When we’re on the other side of the CRISIS, those days are GONE. Just gone. We’re sick to death of heroes who are not heroes, we’re sick to death of darkness. Not that there’s no room, not that Batman should act like Adam West, but that won’t be the overall feeling. After all this stuff, after everything shakes down, we’re done with heroes being dicks. No more we screwed each other and now we must pay the consequences. No, we’re super-heroes and that’s what we do. Batman’s broken. Through no ONE person’s fault, but he’s a dick now. And we’ve been told we can fix that.

He also talks about the popularity of comic-book movies, his favorite comic-book movie, the upcoming Superman Returns, writing the Legion and continuity.

MJ confirms Spidey 3 Villians

Apparently confirming what had been rumored for awhile, actress Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson) recently told reporters that Thomas Haden Church will play Sandman and Topher Grace is Venom in Spider-Man 3, due in theatres May 4, 2007. The film begins shooting in January. The actress has yet to see the script.

Another villian rumored to be in the sequel is the Hobgoblin, with Harry Osborn (James Franco) taking over the goblin glider from his father Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe. Franco dodges that question here.

Behind the scenes of Justice League Unlimited

Dwayne McDuffie, writer/producer/story editor for Justice League Unlimited, recently talked to the Comics Foundry website about his work on the animated series featuring virtually every character in the DC Comics universe.

He talks a lot about what it's like writing for the show, the challenge of season-long arcs, shout-outs to fanboys, restricted characters (this season, Aquaman is off-limits) and who the audience for the show is:

We know who the demographic is. It’s kids. A lot of older viewers watch. I know everybody thinks it’s only grownups that watch Justice League and they do. But the amount of kids who watch Justice League watch Teen Titans, another show I work on that is more obviously aimed at children. You know, there will be some stuff that kids won’t get, but man, Superman just picked up that whole building.

Great article for fans of the show.

We just saw four new episodes that featured the introduction of Hawkman, a new look for Supergirl and obscure characters Warlord and the Viking Prince, not to mention the introduction of the bad-guy version of the League -- the Legion of Doom, fronted by Gorilla Grodd. We don't know when the next episodes are coming, but we do know they feature Deadman, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Flash's Rogues Gallery and more! Stay toon-ed!

Forest Whitaker picks up his "Shield"

Actor/director/producer Forest Whitaker has joined the cast of The Shield for its fifth season, scheduled to debut in January. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

Whitaker will play Detective Jon Kavanaugh, an ambitious newcomer to the Los Angeles Police Department's Internal Affairs division who is tasked with investigating rogue cop Mackey, played by series star Michael Chiklis, and the strike force he leads.

Series creator Shawn Ryan said the Whitaker's character "will present the biggest danger to Vic and his team in the history of the series so far."

Last season's big-name guest star Glenn Close was nominated for an Emmy for her turn as Capt. Monica Rawlings.

Miss him by THAT Much

Actor Don Adams dead at 82