DC Comics

Lady Gaga is ready for her closeup in the DCU -- she was on set this weekend for the new 'Joker 2' movie ... and she's looking pretty clownish as Mr. J's right-hand girl.

The singer and a ton of extras were on hand Saturday morning in NYC, where director Todd Phillips and co. were shooting a scene for the forthcoming sequel to 2019's 'Joker.' As you may have heard by now, Gaga signed on to portray Harley Quinn ... and here she is.

Indeed ... LG could be seen in her full costume and makeup as the Clown Prince of Gotham's famed love interest, and in these shots -- she's coming down some courthouse steps amid what appears to be a massive (staged) protest ... with "Gotham City" cops everywhere.

From the looks of it ... Gaga's Harley is very much like Joaquin Phoenix's Joker -- namely, quite realistic and not so cartoon-y ... unlike other depictions of the characters in DC films.

Of course, with Gaga's version of HQ now out ... the comparisons between her take and Margot Robbie's iteration are going to start flying in film circles. MR has been playing Harley Quinn for a while now (3 films, actually) ... and her portrayal has been well-received.

Based on what we can glean from these photos (and this vibe), however, something tells us Gaga's Harley might, perhaps, be a little darker ... and maybe even a little less giggly.

Time will tell ... we'll just have to wait and see when the flick comes out in Oct. 2024.

BTW, one last observation ... the very many background actors working today appear to have had their grievances heard when it comes to bathroom breaks. As we reported ... a lot of the extras were pissed they were having to work long hours without getting a chance to whizz.

Peep all the porta potties lining the streets ... as the actors walk by. There's more than enough stalls for everyone to empty their bladders ... and one guy even exercised his right!

James Gunn's new DCU has yet to see the light of day -- and shedding the old guard is proving brutal ... both at the box office and on Twitter, where it's all Zack Snyder all day.

First, there's 'Shazam 2' -- which just hit theaters this weekend, and is already off to a tough start with a projected $30M domestic opening ... one of the worst for any DC movie. Remember, Zachary Levi's future in Gunn's world going forward hangs in the balance ... and you gotta imagine that his film here (part of the former DCEU) bombing doesn't bode well.

There might be more growing pains for Gunn and co. before they can get to their actual new slate -- which will start with "Superman: Legacy" in like two years. DC has yet to release 'Aquaman 2' and "The Flash" ... both of which were completed before Gunn came on.

Time will tell how those do, but for now ... 'Shazam 2' ain't paying off. In the meantime, Snyder fans are celebrating the two-year anniversary of his "Justice League" flick -- the "Snyder Cut" as it's known. And yes ... they're once again clamoring for more ZS superhero content.

There are a few "Snyder" trends going off on the bird app, including folks calling on Warner Bros. to release the rights to Zack's creations to Netflix ... where he's now making other movies. The reason ... they want their guy to continue the "Snyderverse," with all those former actors/heroes -- like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, etc.

Of course, that probably isn't gonna happen ... but the fervent fan base demands it anyway.

Making matters even more complicated is Zack himself ... who, just this week, teased an announcement -- courtesy of one of his big DCEU villains, Darkseid. Unclear what it is ... but he had the internet on fire with speculation -- so ZS is not really going away either, it seems.

And, one last Zack mention -- where someone was, again, reveling in the glory days -- came from BA himself ... who was singing the director's praises in a new THR profile this week.

Bottom line ... the DCEU has left some mighty big shoes to fill, and those shoes keep on getting brought up as everyone waits for Gunn and Peter Safran's vision to come to life.

Starting over from scratch, as it turns out, is a long and tedious process. Lots to clear out from the garage, and not everyone wants the leftovers on sale ... as WBD is now finding out.

Colin Farrell is back in chameleon mode ... looking like his typical debonair self one day, then a villainous Batman foe the next -- BTW, at the moment, he's focused on the latter.

The Irish actor was on set Monday in Manhattan, where production was getting underway for his new HBO spinoff show, "The Penguin" ... which is all about his titular role from 2022's "The Batman" ... the first time Colin rocked this truly unrecognizable look.

Welp, he's back in character and in costume ... and once again, you would never know this was CF at first glance. The hair, makeup and prosthetics are still on point.

His appearance is essentially the same as it was in the flick, only now ... he's getting an 8-episode series that's solely focused on him and his mob boss journey in Gotham (sans Robert Pattinson's Batman, per reports). It remains to be seen if other Bat baddies will make cameos in the show ... including Barry Keoghan's Joker, who also popped up in 'TB.'

Speaking of Barry, he's in another movie with Colin that's up for a lot of Oscars right now -- "The Banshees of Inisherin" -- and the 2 of them have been hitting the town as they gear up for Sunday's big ceremony, which they're both expected to attend.

Take a look at what Colin looked like just over a week ago ... completely different from his current state on set.

No, he didn't gain a ton of weight in a matter of days -- dude's wearing a fat suit, just as he did in 'Batman.'

Actor Ray Buffer is officially going up against prosecutors for his comic book theft debacle ... which includes surveillance video of him allegedly swiping merch.

A rep for the San Diego City Attorney tells TMZ ... Ray's been charged with one count of misdemeanor petty theft over the October 2022 incident. We're told the actor pled not guilty at his arraignment in January, and a further court hearing is scheduled next week.

As we reported, Southern California Comics claims Ray took $600 worth of comic books, and handed cops security cam footage of the whole caper.

Another comic shop -- this one in L.A. County -- said it had similar footage from their store of Ray attempting to swipe comics. That owner was seen on camera booting him out of the store over it.

The owner of Southern California Comics tells TMZ … he was told by the City Attorney's office that Ray's lawyer is attempting to cut a deal to handle the matter by paying restitution to the shop and entering a diversion program -- but the shop owner doesn't think such a slap on the wrist is enough.

Ray has more than 100 acting credits to his name, appearing in TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and most recently "Into the Wild Frontier".

We reached out to Ray for comment ... so far no word back.

James Gunn just dropped another truth bomb about how the 'Superman' fiasco came about -- and it sounds like Henry Cavill was kinda being used as a pawn ... or so it seems.

Here's the deal ... the new co-chief of DC Studios responded to fans Sunday who inquired about an IG Story he threw up over the weekend, which touched on when exactly he'd been hired to start working on new DCU flicks -- including a big priority, 'Superman: Legacy.'

In his IG Story, Gunn clarified that while one film he's in charge of has already gone into pre-production -- 'Creature Commandos' -- both that movie and his 'Superman' project had actually been getting worked on quietly behind the scenes before he and Peter Safran were officially hired, which was on Oct. 25 ... a day after Cavill said he was "back" as Supes.

He further confirmed in follow-up tweets -- noting he'd been hired to write 'Superman: Legacy' over SIX MONTHS ago and that his movie was always going to be separate from Zack Snyder's version of the character ... the same one Cavill briefly thought he was reprising.

The bottom line is this ... James is saying he already had the green light to start charting a path for a whole new Superman storyline, but it doesn't appear Cavill was aware of that.

According to him, he was told by the WBD to announce he was officially returning to the role ... even though it now seems clear Warner had no real intentions of pursuing that -- evidenced by the hiring of Gunn/Safran as co-bosses, and their decision to give HC the boot.

In other words, Cavill appears to have been getting jerked around. As for who's to blame ... well, hard to say. There've been so many changes at WB over the past 2 years -- with execs coming/going -- it's not really clear if Cavill was totally misled (and by whom). Alternatively, there might've just been a miscommunication that led to the confusion/psych-out. 🤷🏽‍♂️

All we know, Henry probably ain't gonna be working with them again after this. His next few films are all with different studios -- and we don't see a water tower in his immediate future.

The internet had good old George Clooney trending amid speculation he'd return as the Caped Crusader in James Gunn's DC Universe ... but the mastermind himself says it's BS.

The director and now-co-chief of all things DC shot down a rumor that started to pick up steam these past couple days ... namely, the notion that George could possibly come back and reprise his role as Batman in the new 'Batman' movie that was recently announced.

On Saturday, Gunn responded to a fan who flat out asked him if it was true he was going to cast GC in the 'Brave and the Bold' flick ... which features a much older Batman (and his son, Robin).

When someone pressed for further details -- asking if there was any truth to the idea he was going to cast an actor who'd previously played Batman, period -- Gunn again flatly denied that ... saying they were going in a completely new direction with a totally new actor.

The reason this began percolating at all is because a film journo claimed to have the inside scoop on DC's hopes when it came to who they wanted under the cowl in their latest reboot of the franchise ... suggesting it was either Clooney, Val Kilmer or Christian Bale, and that this person may even cameo in the new 'Flash' flick that's coming out this year.

She said she knew who the studio wanted -- noting a deal wasn't in place yet -- but refused to identify the alleged favorite in mind ... and Twitter handled the rest, making all 3 trend.

Considering plans for this new Bat-movie were literally just unveiled about a week ago, it's safe to say ... no one is cast until they're cast -- so it's probably best to just wait until this actually goes into production before diving head-first into conjecture.

Zachary Levi said something that Twitter's taking as an anti-vax stance -- which could spell trouble for Warner Bros. Discovery ... 'cause he's got a blockbuster movie to promote.

The actor -- who plays the lead in the "Shazam!" franchise -- replied to a question posed on the bird app by Lyndon Wood, who asked ... "Do you agree or not, that Pfizer is a real danger to the world?" ZL's response made no bones about how he feels, "Hardcore agree."

There's not much more context beyond that, and right away ... Twitter users started bashing the dude and labeling him as a right-winger spewing anti-vax rhetoric. This also prompted people to pull up old clips of Zach that they view as problematic -- including a Joe Rogan interview he did a few years ago, where they talked about Elliot Page and Jordan Peterson.

Of course, the jokes also started to fly in regards to WBD and how the execs there might be reacting to this news ... on its face, it comes across as a PR nightmare -- especially with "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" on the horizon and a press tour that'll undoubtedly come with it.

Welp, Zach caught wind of all the hubbub and attempted to clarify ... tweeting a link to a 2009 DOJ press release touching on a fraud case Pfizer was involved in at the time, when they agreed to pay a $2.3 billion settlement. He says this is what he was referring to.

In other words, he's now trying to make it seem like he was expressing a view against corruption in big pharma -- but, frankly, Twitter isn't really buying it ... especially amid the latest Project Veritas drop, which has been top of mind in much of conservative media.

Time will tell how this might affect things with the water tower team. One could argue WBD had a way bigger scandal on its hands with Ezra Miller ... and they ended up salvaging that pretty nicely. Their movie isn't canceled -- it's actually due to come out later this year.

Of course, it all comes down to what James Gunn and Peter Safran wanna do with "Shazam!". They're at the helm of DC now, and they've scrapped A LOT in recent months.

The Joker gets pregnant in a new comic series they just rolled out -- which is, expectedly, drawing some outrage and backlash among a certain demographic ... can you guess who?

The latest story about the Clown Prince of Darkness comes from DC's 'The Man Who Stopped Laughing' series, which explores different plots and subplots for the Joker ... and some aren't even canonical, including this one about him growing a baby bump.

It dropped a few days ago, and people immediately noticed that writer Matthew Rosenberg and cartoonist Carmine Di Giandomenico concocted a tale about Joker wanting an heir, but one that was of his DNA. So, he starts to pursue female super wizardress Zatanna.

Of course, she wants nothing to do with the Joker ... so she casts a spell on him that guarantees no one else will ever bare his offspring, but it backfires -- making it so Joker gives birth all by himself, via vomiting as readers eventually find out. Along the way, the comic strip depicts him with a huge belly and getting checked on gynecologically.

In the end, the Joker's "baby" is a mutated version of himself ... and they're both enamored with one another. That's about all there is to the entry, and yet -- it's caused a lot of feathers to be ruffled in conservative circles, per usual.

Some on Twitter are accusing DC of trying to push LGBT-friendly narratives onto their base ... which they say has been going on for a while, through decisions like making Robin and Superman gay in some of their newer comics. Others, of course, saw that as progress.

BTW, the word "trans" is never mentioned in this latest iteration ... but that doesn't seem to have clicked with this crowd. They see what they wanna see, and they see trans Joker.

Fans of Henry Cavill's Superman are facing more grim news ... because a supposed cameo featuring the Man of Steel in DC's upcoming film has reportedly been cut.

Henry apparently shot a scene as his titular character for Ezra Miller's "The Flash," which is set to debut in June 2023 ... but according to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say it's been scrapped. This, of course, on the heels of the actor's tough announcement that he'd no longer play Superman.

Gal Gadot also was supposed to make a secret appearance in the flick according to THR, but her cameo was cut too ... meaning she could be facing a similar fate in the wake of James Gunn reorganizing the DC universe.

As we reported, Henry broke the shocking news to fans Thursday ... saying the change "isn't the easiest, but that's life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that."

The plot for "The Flash" is still kept under wraps, but it's rumored Ezra's Barry Allen will travel through different DC universes -- possibly even meeting Michael Keaton's Batman.

What's interesting, Gal and Henry's Justice League characters might be canned, but Ben Affleck's version of Batman is still slated to be in the film ... although it's rumored he'll play a bigger part in the storyline.

Henry Cavill did a 180 on Wednesday night ... saying he's out as Superman in the film series ... just months after announcing he would be returning as Clark Kent.

The actor shared the shocking news to his 23 million Instagram followers after meeting with newly-minted DC Studios cochairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran, both of whom are producing the next installment of the "Man of Steel."

Cavill said ... "I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that."

He added ... "Superman is still around. Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still here! It's been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards."

Cavill played the role of Superman in three movies ... "Man of Steel" (2013), 'Batman v. Superman' (2016) and "Justice League" (2017). He also had a recent cameo as Superman in "Black Adam," starring Dwayne Johnson.

Iconic comic book writer Peter David is in a hospital, recovering from a series of extremely debilitating strokes ... TMZ has learned.

Kathleen David tells us ... Peter tried getting out of bed last week, but instead he slid off because he was unable to use his legs. Kathleen was able to get him standing and take him downstairs, but after he was unable to get off the couch for 5 hours, she called 911.

We're told paramedics took him to a hospital, noting he was gray when they arrived. Kathleen says she later learned Peter had suffered a mild cardiac event and a major stroke ... followed by a few smaller ones.

Kathleen says her husband -- who's written for Marvel and DC's biggest superheroes -- is still hospitalized and undergoing tests to determine the next steps.

A couple of positive signs ... she says he's able to speak, and is already complaining about still being laid up in a hospital.

She tells us the medical bills are stackin' up pretty high for Peter ... and says a friend has started a GoFundMe for anyone looking to help them out.

Kevin Conroy, known as the voice of animated Batman for decades, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kevin passed away Thursday, according to his rep Gary Miereanu ... following a short battle with cancer.

The actor moved out to California in 1980, first getting cast in the soap opera "Another World" ... before working in theater and television for a number of years.

Many remember Kevin as the titular voice of Batman for decades, first playing the dark knight in "Batman: The Animated Series" from 1992 to 1995.

Since first breaking out as the comic book hero, Kevin's played the character on TV, in movies and even in video games countless times -- including "Batman Beyond," 2001's 'Justice League' series, "Batman: The Killing Joke" and every Batman 'Arkham' series video game.

He took home 7 awards over the years for his voice acting ... including Best Actor for his video game work in 2015.

Kevin wrote a story called "Finding Batman" as part of DC Comics' Pride anthology in 2022 ... going over his experiences in his life as a gay man.

Fellow voice actor Diane Pershing, known for playing villain Poison Ivy alongside Kevin, shared her pain following Kevin's passing ... writing, "He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world."

Kevin is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy.

He was 66.

Henry Cavill is stepping away from "The Witcher," and a new Geralt of Rivia has been tapped ... one Liam Hemsworth.

The announcement came down Saturday, and it's kinda shaking up TV land ... as HC has helmed the lead role for 3 seasons now, to much acclaim. Now, though, he says he's outta there and passing on the baton for round #4 -- and the timing makes total sense.

Henry writes, "My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4. In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf."

He goes on to wish Liam luck playing a character he says he adored. Liam, meanwhile, is embracing the new job ... saying, "Henry, I’ve been a fan of yours for years and was inspired by what you brought to this beloved character."

LH adds, "I may have some big boots to fill, but I’m truly excited to be stepping into The Witcher world."

The news is a big deal, but also predictable. Fact is, Henry is back for the DCEU as Superman -- thanks, in large part, to The Rock -- and there's at least one more movie he's gonna do as the Man of Steel, if not more. Seems HC wants to clear the deck for that.

Like we said, Henry has gotten rave reviews for his performance as Geralt -- with many viewing it as his post-Superman era and giving him kudos for leaving DC behind ... which, for a long time, didn't seem to want him back to reprise his iconic role.

The Rock's new movie features a cameo from Henry Cavill's Superman at the end -- which looked like the headless horseman before the real McCoy got hired. Also ... spoilers ahead!

Per THR ... the last-minute addition was actually something WB and the creatives behind "Black Adam" -- Dwayne's debut superhero flick -- had conceived even prior to getting HC onboard, which manifested in them shooting the post-credits scene with a stand-in.

That body double, however, was reportedly silhouetted and obscured in post -- to where they entirely hid his face, only showing part of a guy in Superman's costume -- because they hadn't struck a deal with Cavill yet ... even though the intention was to bring him back.

They reportedly shot the scene in a matter of minutes earlier this year and did test screenings of it -- with the headless Superman at first -- to which fans responded incredibly positively. That confirmed to producers ... they had to get Henry, one way or another.

The DP who helmed 'BA' responded to the great feedback ... "Wow, this is 100 percent going to work. Now they need to figure out if they can get the guy with the head to be there."

If you haven't heard by now ... Cavill is returning to the DCEU for at least one more 'Superman' movie (and perhaps more) after a Herculean lobbying effort by The Rock.

Reports say he moved mountains to broker a deal to get everyone's favorite MoS back into the picture, despite pushback from some studio heads ... namely, Walter Hamada, who was dead set on moving on from the Zack Snyder era, regardless of fans who voiced otherwise.

Now that WH is outta there, though, it seems the new WB -- operating in conjunction with Discovery -- is willing to try Cavill one more time. No pumpkin noggin fill-ins needed either!

Ezra Miller is finally addressing what many have believed were significant mental health issues ... this after months of erratic behavior and run-ins with the law.

The 'Flash' star apologized Monday for their bizarre antics and confirmed they're getting help for some significant problems.

Ezra says, “Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment."

Ezra goes on, “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”

Ezra has had a mountain of legal troubles of late ... getting arrested several times in Hawaii and Vermont.

Ezra's latest brush with law enforcement came just last week when they were accused of burglarizing a Stamford, VT, home, from which they allegedly swiped several bottles of booze.

And, back in April 2020 ... Ezra was seen on a viral video CHOKING a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland ... Ezra was not charged for that incident. Ezra's also been accused of keeping an 18-year-old away from their own family, and bringing them around the country.

Ezra was busted in Hawaii back in March after getting into it with bar patrons, and then with cops during transport to jail.

For the past couple of months, Ezra's team of agents and close friends has been trying to get the actor back on track, but nothing seemed to work.

Warner Bros., the studio producing the $200 million 'Flash' movie scheduled for release next June, has reportedly been encouraging Ezra to get help.

Dwayne Johnson has comic nerds confused after suggesting it'd be wrong to include his DC character alongside another hero in the same movie ... without getting his own movie first.

The Rock revealed to Vanity Fair he did a little lobbying with WB to make sure 'Black Adam' would be its own standalone film before any potential blending with 'Shazam!' -- a separate character played by Zachary Levi, who Adam actually faces off with in the source material.

VF writes that Black Adam, played by Dwayne, was actually set to be in the first 'Shazam!' movie in 2019, as he was initially written into the script as the big bad opposite Levi.

The Rock says when he saw this, though, upon first being approached for the project ... he expressed his reservations -- recounting, "When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie."

He adds, "Now that was the goal -- so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, 'We can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.' It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam." Dwayne made some calls, and got his way.

DJ doesn't elaborate on why he thinks it'd be a disservice ... and that's where the DC fandom is kicking in. In their eyes, it makes complete sense to introduce Black Adam in a 'Shazam!' movie -- even from the get-go -- seeing how BA is literally a known nemesis.

That's not what the 'Shazam!' films have done thus far ... in both the OG/forthcoming sequel, there are other bad guys Shazam is fighting, although Black Adam has been teased. Eventually, they'll cross paths ... but critics think it's strange Dwayne insisted on having his outing to kickstart things. Frankly, a Carly Simon song is coming to mind for some over this.

The argument ... The Rock's ego might be showing by admitting he wanted the character to be bigger than WB had, perhaps, initially intended -- especially if he was going to play him.

In Dwayne's defense ... all he did was chirp up on what he thought would be best, and clearly Warner thought that was the right way to go -- seeing how they actually pivoted and did a whole 'Black Adam' flick like DJ suggested, which is coming out later this fall. And besides, it's all headed for a big mashup anyway down the line ... so who cares?