15 questions we have about a 'Justice League' movie
How will Warner Bros. handle Superman, Batman and the other heroes?
With the $1 billion box office haul of "The Avengers" comes the inevitable news that Warner Bros. and DC are (finally) ramping up production on a Justice League film. While it's a given that Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and other central heroes will be involved, there are still an infinite amount of questions about what we can expect. Here are 15 of the most pressing:
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June 8, 2012 at 3:17AM EST Reply to CommentYou've gotta admit looking at the Justice League assembled in that photo they are certainly more impressive then the avengers. Let's hope WB can finally get this going and do these characters the justice they deserve.
That Werewolf Guy
June 8, 2012 at 4:53AM EST Reply to CommentHenry Cavill is of course a given as Superman!
Just like Brandon Routh was a few years ago...
Shaun Routh wasn't all that bad, but the rest of the movie around him sure was... Let's hope Cavill, and MoS, fare better.
June 8, 2012 at 11:42AM ESTFred
June 8, 2012 at 5:53AM EST Reply to CommentI hate these cheap click thru "articles" in gallery format, fishing for clicks and ad views.
Kristopher Tapley Yeah, lifting that finger up and down 15 times sure is awful.
June 8, 2012 at 5:11PM ESTDan
June 8, 2012 at 9:28AM EST Reply to CommentWill the wonder twins be in it? That's the real question.
Shaun Only if you want it to suck even more than it likely will at this point... Let's throw Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog in there too.
June 8, 2012 at 11:41AM ESTApache Chief, anyone?
John Um, Harvey Birdman made Apache Chief AWESOME, ok?
June 8, 2012 at 2:29PM ESTShaun I've never seen Harvey Birdman, though I hear it's funny.
June 8, 2012 at 3:39PM ESTDezbot As long as Apache Chief doesn't spill coffee...
June 8, 2012 at 4:59PM ESTDave I
June 8, 2012 at 9:55AM EST Reply to CommentWould a spoiler alert have killed you on the Thanos slide? In case you didn't see Avengers (sorry, I haven't gotten around to that, but will), it would be nice to not find out that (oh yeah, ***Spoiler Alert***) Thanos was behind the whole thing. So yeah, thanks for that. I know, I should have expected it since this is an article on Marvel and The Avengers. Oh, wait...
As for DC's problems with character choices? Well, tough. That's what happens when you reboot your whole canonical universe, then rush to do a group ensemble Justice League movie. So, maybe don't reboot your whole universe and maybe put forth the effort to build the franchises of the characters you are going to put into Justice League. Otherwise, I have little-to-no sympathy for them in that regard.
-Cheers
Shaun
June 8, 2012 at 11:21AM EST Reply to CommentBatman will clearly need to be rebooted for a JL movie... Nolan's Batman is awesome (and Bale's been great) but it won't fit in with the JL and Nolan's apparently done anyhow. Interesting that he's involved in the Superman film though. Maybe he's just willing to help get it off the ground and then move on?
First and foremost, Man of Steel HAS to be the epic Superman reboot for the 21st century we've needed all along and it needs to be a success -- at the box office and critically -- in order for a JL movie to happen. Without a strong Superman to (finally) lead the way, no way the JL movie gets off the ground.
Please, DUMP Reynolds from attempting to play GL again and reboot. While I like Hal Jordan, Reynolds was not right. I could see the John Stewart GL in a JL movie, in order to help with having more diversity. Plus, Stewart was a great character in the animated JL/JLU series.
Aquaman does not have to be a joke... Again, look to the JL/JLU animated series... That revamped Aquaman (based on the Peter David comics from a couple of decades back) was a total badass who looked nothing like the "Super Friends" version.
Prettok What's wrong with Aquaman being a joke. Some of the best parts of the Avengers were the jokes. "Puny God."
June 8, 2012 at 11:41AM ESTShaun The heroes weren't considered a joke... Aquaman, to many, is a punchline though. There's a big difference.
June 8, 2012 at 11:45AM ESTLook, I like Aquaman... I say include him and go with that badass Peter David/JL animated version of the character. Or, apparently, the current Johns-reboot of the character is pretty good too (haven't read it, so I don't know).
All I'm saying is, the character doesn't have to be the laughing stock most people think he is, thanks to Super Friends, et al.
Prettok I like Aquaman too, but this isn't Aquaman-The Motion Picture. Unless a major portion of the story takes place underwater, Aquaman is going to be standing around most of the time checking his text messages. The best way to handle his ineffectiveness would be to allow him to have a sense of humor about it.
June 8, 2012 at 12:26PM ESTI know we all want our favorite comic book characters to appear as scowling badasses. But when the entire cast is like that, they come across more like a bunch of humorless posturing jags.
( I never understood why people think Aquaman was a laughingstock from the Superfriends. Sure he's useless on dry land, but if you snap Green Arrow's bow in half, he's in the same boat. Why is it that the less powerful a hero is, the more they have to overcompensate with attitude. One of the things I always loved about the Justice League was it's realistic approach to power levels. Everybody knew that Superman could wipe the floor with the lot of them, but he was cool about it and never brought that up)
Dave I The thing with Aquaman is there almost has to be a gimmick for him to be in the movie. Sure, he's still superhuman and can function on dry land, throwing a trident and smashemups and whatnot. Still, why WOULD he be unless there's some tie-in to the ocean. Sure, there are stories you could have with Aquaman, and he does not HAVE to be a laughing stock at all. However, he is far more niche than most other characters.
June 8, 2012 at 12:42PM ESTAs for Green Arrow? Good point. He could have backup weapons. Still, something Justice League kind of acknowledged, he can be effective yet most everybody is FAR inferior to Superman and barring side-quests and the like there is little reason that Green Arrow would be necessary that you couldn't have Superman do differently. The difference as I see it is, he can still do stuff while Superman is off elsewhere without being tied to the ocean and carry a backup bow or emphasize his hand-to-hand skills and it is not just awkward for him to be around like Aquaman.
-Cheers
Shaun Agreed that Aquaman pretty much needs an aquatic reason to be there (although, again, on the JL/JLU series he kicked ass on dry land too)... But, something as simple as saving the Earth is probably good enough reason. The majority of the planet's surface is water, after all.
June 8, 2012 at 3:39PM ESTAlso, he doesn't have to be a full-timer. Yet again, referencing the JL/JLU cartoons, he really wasn't even a member, He showed up a few times to help out when it made sense for him to do so.
A reference is made to him joining the League later, in an alternate future (later averted) after Superman is presumed killed but really sent far into the future with Vandal Savage, but he never actually joined the League during the series.
Shaun
June 8, 2012 at 11:22AM EST Reply to CommentAlso, why would they base the movie on the current comics? How many people out there, aside from a devoted circle of comic geeks (no offense, I long considered myself a comic geek too!) know anything about the current JL lineup or any of this "New 52" crap DC's been doing lately? Answer: NOT MANY.
The Avengers recently passed The Dark Knight as the 3rd biggest movie ever. How many issues of The Avengers or Batman/Detective Comics get sold each month? Maybe around 100,000 tops? If that many? yeah, most people aren't going to care.
Go with a classic lineup of A-List heroes, or go with something like the lineup of the JL/JLU animated series, which was pretty successful (and beloved by the fans).
But none of this matters if they rush to reboot Batman too soon after Nolan, or if they try to rush JL to the big screen. I'd rather they prove they can make a good Superman movie, let alone GL, Flash, WW, etc., first.
I wonder how WB feels about dumping Whedon from their Wonder Woman project now? LOL...
Dave I New 52 . . . Good question. Do they HAVE to base any new DC movies on that? No. SHOULD they? Considering the "New 52" is where DC comics are going and the vision they have for the characters going forward, it makes sense. On the other hand, it all seems pretty poorly conceived. Disclaimer: I HATE reboots, retcons, and all the like.
June 8, 2012 at 11:41AM ESTDumping Whedon from Wonder Woman? Who knows. It would be easy to think they'd feel pretty lame about it. However, maybe he was a poor fit, or maybe Wonder Woman is a bit of a tough project to get right. It is pretty easy to second-guess that after how successful Whedon was with Avengers.
-Cheers
velocityknown
June 8, 2012 at 12:23PM EST Reply to CommentNo 16. Will Green Lantern be gay in JL movie?
Mulderism
June 8, 2012 at 1:47PM EST Reply to CommentI think the best thing to happen to Marvel fans is that the characters are owned by different studios and so Marvel couldn't, say, include Spider-Man, X-Men and FF in the Avengers film. What Marvel has done with Avengers and the heroes in it works and I'm glad they were limited to the heroes they went with.
DC can use all their characters and that is a problem if they intrude into Nolan's Batman universe.
In Nolan's universe Batman was the first and only hero. Bruce Wayne was not inspired by comics or Zorro. He came up with the inspiration himself. In this universe Batman fights human criminals and terrorists. If you introduce the JL into this universe then Batman is essentially redundant.
For me the question is - do I want to sacrifice Nolan's films to get a JL movie? The answer is absolutely not. Nolan's universe must be preserved as it is at all costs. His Batman cannot be introduced into a Superman/JL universe.
DC doesn't need to make a JL movie. What it should do is continue to develop its characters independently in their own films isolated from each other and with no nods to other movies. Essentially what they are doing now. They have screwed up with GL and the last Superman film but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this new Superman film is going to be great. A GL sequel with Ryan Reynolds could work if they have the right story and director. No need to reboot GL.
I like the Marvel Studios films for the most part. They have a consistent quality to them. But none of their films are epic and I wouldn't rank any of their movies higher than Spider-Man 1, Spider-Man 2, X-Men or X-Men 2. They are just not at that level. And they certainly are not comparable to Nolan's Batman films.
I would rather DC concentrate on making an epic Superman film and try to convince Nolan to come back for another Batman film. And then continue to develop their other characters. Concentrate on quality instead of quantity.
scott_harrigan
June 8, 2012 at 3:11PM EST Reply to CommentIf this is based on the New 52, it is going to be horrendously awful. The current series does not deserve an image so awesome or an artist as talented as Jim Lee. I doubt the studio will pull off a good JLA movie even if DC is in charge because they do not know what they are doing. I would suggest having Steel in the film in place of Cyborg, but those chances were shot to hell years ago.
http://www.videodetective.com/movies/steel/7105#.T9JOAdWWeJQ
Thanks Shaq, thanks ever so much.
Roadshow
June 8, 2012 at 4:36PM EST Reply to CommentSome good points made by the contributors above.
Let me add my 2 cents.
First, it is very difficult for me to imagine them getting a JL movie of quality to the screen by 2014. Putting together something of this scale with so many characters, contracts and special effects to juggle can't be rushed.
The Avengers has made big money and certainly Warner Bros. are going to want their own piece of that and I understand the temptation is to rush into their own team movie but it seems obvious to me that that would be damaging to it's prospects.
Marvel built their team movie by introducing the individuals in their own movies and I firmly think Warners should ape that play.
Also, Warner Bros. don’t care (and nor should they) who was in the original line-up or who’s in the “new 52” line-up. Beyond the core of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, they only care about who will appeal to the greatest number of people, who will make more money, which character can launch his/her own series. Just as Marvel did.
It seems to me that, even though the common consensus is that GL was awful, they have built some name recognition with that brand now and if they have Reynolds under contract, well it makes some sense to use him.
GL was a terrible, terrible movie but I don't believe that was Reynold's fault. With the right script, he could be the man for the job.
Finally, Aquaman doesn't need to be goofy. Johns’ first issue in the New 52 certainly played that element up but since then he’s mostly played Aquaman as a man to be reckoned with, even if he is misunderstood.
Dezbot
June 8, 2012 at 5:05PM EST Reply to CommentGeoff Johns killed off Wally to bring back Barry??
I have a name for my pain........
Dave I That is in a nutshell why I cannot stand the comic industry. They brought back one of the few deaths that actually seemed to count to replace one of the most fun characters with one of the more boring personalities (at least relatively speaking). I know they will bring Wally back at some point (if they haven't already), but that's the point. It waters things down when there are virtually no consequences. I mean, if anybody can & will be brought back from the dead whenever it is even remotely convenient, why bother killing them off? Just have them go on a vacation or have a breakdown only to come back whenever you feel like it. It amounts to the same thing. Well, usually. Jason Todd and Bucky actually worked well. Still, these things should be the exception, and not the rule, and not for something like bringing long-gone, he's-gone-for-good-this-time-no-we-mean-it Barry Allen.
June 8, 2012 at 5:12PM ESTLame.
-Cheers
jdstorm
June 8, 2012 at 10:19PM EST Reply to CommentI'm not a comic book reader, although i am familiar with some/most of these characters via tv, movies and the general popular culture ether.
I think it makes sense for Warners to Reboot/relaunch they're movie universe with a justice league movie, because unlike the Avengers pre movie. there is greater brand awareness with Superman,batman and wonder woman then there were with any avengers character before the film opened
In general i think that audiences are tired of origin stories, and the best superhero movies are regular type movies be it drama/cop/heist/romantic comedy ect staring superheroes. My pitch would be this.
An assortment of Earthly super villains try to start a war with the atlanteans/Aquaman. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman join forces to try and solve the mystery and negotiate a piece.
Its essentially a buddy cop movie, with superpowers. it gives Aquaman an excuse to stay in water, where he becomes less lame. It makes Intelligence and the control and use of superpowers more important then total power. And it will never happen because DC is lame