Stan Lee’s favorite DC character could find a place in James Gunn’s DCU if one director were to helm the film. In the earlier DCEU, reports suggested that Michael Bay was attached to direct a movie featuring the character Lobo. The Transformers director has a knack for creating movies that gamble with absurd characters and produce amazing results. He might be the right fit to handle this character of an intergalactic bounty hunter.
Interestingly, Jason Momoa pitched a solo Lobo film to Gunn during the promotion for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Momoa became a fan of the minor Superman villain of the ’80s who became popular in the ’90s as a parody of grim and gritty characters who defined comics in that decade.
One Director Could Do Justice To Jason Momoa’s Lobo Film In James Gunn’s DCU
Michael Bay was once considered to direct a Lobo film in the DCEU. The director was Warner Bros.’s favorite to direct the foul-mouthed anti-hero. A script was pitched for the film, but neither WB nor Bay was keen on the massive budget proposed for it (via THR). Jason Fuchs was hired to rewrite the script to suit the needs of the studio and the director, but the project eventually went nowhere.
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While some fans were skeptical about Bay directing a Lobo film back then, he would’ve been a great fit for the project. Lobo once again became an active topic of discussion among DC fans after Jason Momoa‘s reported interest in playing the character in James Gunn‘s DCU. The potential film could opt for the smarter decision and bring back Bay into the project.
The white-skinned, cigar-chomping anti-hero rose to prominence as a spoof of gritty Marvel Comics characters like Wolverine and Cable. In the ’90s stories of Lobo, his characterization largely resembled that of Deadpool. Like Deadpool, Lobo too was a foul-mouthed mercenary who had super-healing powers. Notably, WB earlier hired Bay for the film after being inspired by Tim Miller’s Deadpool (via CBR).
Bay would have perfectly tackled the subject since he had earlier experiences of making absurd characters work despite the grim and gritty premise of the story. His best films include Bad Boys, Pain & Gain, and The Rock, all of which handled heroes very similar to Lobo’s character. If tasked with the job in James Gunn’s DC, all Bay needs to do is tap into Lobo’s self-aware nature from the comics.
WB’s Lobo Movie Dream Began Way Back In 2009
Warner Bros. first announced a Lobo film in September 2009. It was supposed to be the first live-action appearance of the character and Guy Ritchie was roped in to helm the film (via Variety). The film would’ve explored Lobo’s Earthly adventure where he joins forces with a teenage girl to find four fugitives. However, Ritchie left the project to work on the sequel of Sherlock Holmes and Lobo was put on hold (via Film Junk).
WB later brought in Brad Peyton to write and direct the film in 2012. Dwayne Johnson was considered for the role at the time (via Geeks of Doom). However, Johnson too left the project and the script was handed to Jason Fuchs for extensive rewrites. In 2018, Michael Bay became attached to the project and even provided some notes for Fuchs for his rewrites.
After the scrapping of DCEU, Jason Momoa began campaigning for the role in the DCU.
