Movies With Butter

While Marvel continues to lay the groundwork for an ambitious, multi-phase series of films that could end up revolutionizing the way filmgoers think of comic book movies, Warner Bros. seems stuck at loose ends in terms of what to do with its many DC properties. The latest case in point: Dwayne Johnson, who was attached to play DC antihero Lobo, has walked away from the project thanks to studio stasis.

Asked by MTV if he still had Lobo on his list of upcoming projects, Johnson responded, "It was for a minute, but then it kind of just went away, as things happen in Hollywood. For a minute, I was interested in it, but then it went away."

As Collider notes, the end of his attachment to Lobo is probably no big deal to Johnson; he has no shortage of movies lined up, including a trio of high-profile 2013 releases (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Pain & Gain, and Fast & Furious 6), as well as the action thriller Snitch -- and then there's Brett Ratner's Hercules on the horizon.

The real loss here is Warner Bros. and DC's: Even if he doesn't always choose the best scripts, Johnson regularly earns positive notices for his onscreen charisma, even in films that don't earn high critical marks, and having him star as Lobo could have gone a long way toward expanding the long-stagnant DC film universe. Besides, given Lobo's ripped, bulky physique, who else is going to play him? Jason Momoa? If recent rumors regarding his screen tests for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy pan out, he could end up falling off the market too.

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