While there have plenty been movies based on a variety of comic books both before and after the Marvel Cinematic Universe's inception, aside from the DC Extended Universe, no studios have tried to build an entire universe based on characters from any other comic book publishers.

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Until now. Valiant Entertainment has partnered with Sony to develop and create a shared movie universe of its own - which we'll dub here as the Valiant Cinematic Universe, or VCU. Since the initial announcement, things have been quiet for the most part, but once things get moving, Valiant should prove it has what it takes to be the next great superhero movie universe.

Valiant is the largest privately-owned comics publisher in the business, known these days for its limited but quality output. Every book Valiant releases is meticulously planned out, from storylines to creative teams. Instead of pushing out books left and right, Valiant opts to publish stories it really believes in. This resonates with Valiant readers, who are often rabidly supportive of the publisher's work. Valiant and Sony will, no doubt, be looking to replicate this winning formula when it comes to the big screen, so let's look at why we think they'll be able to do just that.

As we previously stated, Valiant only publishes a small amount of ongoing series based on its characters, which means its roster of heroes and villains is tighter than Marvel or DC. Rather than a weakness, however, this is a strength, as it allows the publisher to focus on really developing personalities, back-stories and inter-personal relationships. This seems to be what Valiant and Sony plan to do when translating the characters to film.

Valiant and Sony are working together to bring Harbinger to theaters first. The planned story follows teenager Peter Stanchek who has impressive telekinetic powers - where Bloodshot, a mortally injured soldier who is resurrected with nanotechnology, will be used as the primary antagonist. From there, a Bloodshot movie will follow, as the studios begins to set plot lines in motion that will lead to a Harbinger Wars movie.

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Now, the last word on the VCU suggested that the first flick would arrive in early 2018 - but that's just not possible. There have been no official casting announcements made, though it has just been reported that Vin Diesel is in talks to star as Bloodshot. If the casting rumor turns out to be true, there's a good chance fans will hear more about the company's plans in 2018, as well as if there are any changes to the earlier announcements.

There is a Quantum and Woody series in development (helmed by Avengers: Infinity War co-directors the Russo brothers, no less), as well as a live-action web series. However, there's no word whether they'll exist inside the same universe like Marvel movies and television, or if it'll be more like the DCEU and the Arrowverse, Gotham, etc.

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Dinesh Shamdasani, the CEO of Valiant, has studied the output of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe, which have met two very different levels of success, and thinks he has the key to succeeded alongside them. “We’ve watched everyone very carefully. And our point of view, the best way to fight Marvel and DC is to not. We’re not going head-to-head,” Shamdasani said in an interview with Inverse. “We’re not going to jump out of the gate and try to make this universe. We’re going one brick at a time. Everything we’re doing is just making the first as good as possible, and build from there.”

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The Dark Universe, Universal Studios planned classic movie poster universe, was definitive proof that not every cinematic universe can be successful. The DU had a stacked roster of actors - Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe, Javier Bardem, Angelina Jolie, and more - but was too focused on creating a universe, instead of a solid bunch of good movies. Executives behind the Dark Universe left after the disappointing box office performance and audience reaction to the Mummy, and it now seems like it's defunct.

Shamdasani sounds like he has identified where the Dark Universe, and to an extent the DCEU, went wrong, and just why the MCU has been such a cash-cow for Marvel Studios and Disney. No doubt, Valiant will be looking to apply the best bits from each universe it has studied to its own characters and particular vision. If it can pull it off like it did with its comics branch, then we expect VCU will be a massive success.

Why The Valiant Cinematic Universe Will Be A Success

When it launched in the '90s from Jim Shooter and Steven Massarky, Valiant started off hot. In 1994, the publisher was sold to Acclaim Entertainment, and just 10 years later, Acclaim went bankrupt. Subsequently, Valiant was no more. Shamdasani and his partners acquired the company and all of its characters in 2005, and have done an amazing job rehabbing the entire Valiant Universe, making it bigger and better than ever. Focusing on the company's core set of characters and telling stories in a modern platform has allowed Valiant to move from strength to strength, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

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Along with classics like Bloodshot and the Harbinger teens, new characters like Faith will be main players in the VCU, and stand a strong chance of connecting with audiences hungry for more female heroes after the incredible success of Wonder Woman. Audiences have proven that they really want to see diverse characters and something they've never seen before in theaters, not just another white, straight male superhero. Superhero movies need to become more diverse if they are to keep audiences interested, and Valiant is perfectly poised to make the most of this. The company has characters unlike anything the MCU and DCEU has offered thus far, so it wouldn't be a huge shock if they were not only among the first seen in Valiant's upcoming universe, but also the VCU's biggest strength.