Screen Rant » justice league

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Trailer

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:15:49 +0000

Back when I reviewed DC Universe’s most excellent Superman/Batman: Public Enemies animated feature, my exploration of the special features uncovered a sneak preview of the next offering from DCE’s animated division, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Taken from DC’s famous “Crisis” canon of stories, the new direct-to-DVD/Blu-ray will focus on our favorite superhero team’s perilous adventure to an alternate Earth.

Well, now an official trailer for Crisis on Two Earths has hit the web, and courtesy of IGN we have to share.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Superman (Mark Harmon), Batman (William Baldwin), Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Martian Manhunter are contacted by Lex Luthor (Chris North) – only this isn’t the Lex we all know and hate, but rather a Luthor from an alternate universe where the evil genius is actually a superhero and the world has been conquered by a team of super beings much like the Leaguers themselves. With no heroes left to defend his world, alterno-Lex recruits the Justice League to come to his aid.

Take a look at the trailer for Crisis on Two Earths:

Looks like another fine entry in the DC Universe Canon. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths will be overseen by animation guru Bruce Timm, while fellow DC Animation vets Lauren Montgomery ((Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: First Flight) and Sam Liu (Superman/Batman) will co-helm. The movie will be available on DVD/Blu-ray in Spring of 2010.

Oh, and yes, that’s James Woods you heard in the trailer – he plays the alterno-version of Batman, Owlman.

What did you think of the trailer?

Source: IGN

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Counterpoint: How To Make DC Comics Movies That WORK

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:16:27 +0000

With DC Comics about to have another hit on their hands when Watchmen premieres in theaters on March 6th, a lot of movie blogs/news sites have been pondering where DC/Warner Bros. should go from here.

With all the hype surrounding Watchmen, and all the internet chatter about DC Comics’ uncertain cinematic future, I found myself wondering: Why hasn’t DC had as much success at the box office as rival company Marvel?

In an attempt to answer that very question I came up with this comprehensive guide to how DC Comics SHOULD be making movies.

This week, writer/director Joss Whedon (Dollhouse, Firefly) spoke up about why he believes DC Comics has had a hard time making the transition to the big screen. According to Whedon, Batman has been a cinematic cash cow in the last few years primarily because The Caped Crusader is one of the only heroes out of the DC stable who’s whole reason for being a “hero” is an all too human anguish that makes him easily relatable to the average person.

I get what Whedon is saying on that front: I’ve always maintained that Superman Returns flopped in large part because the film was this grand meditation on why Superman is better than the average person–not just because of his god-like powers, but rather the moral strength of his character. In this day and age what moviegoer wants to pay money to see a film where they’re being told that some Superman is better than them? If Superman Unleashed hopes to revitalize the struggling franchise, I hope the filmmakers are out there right now scouring comic shops and compiling the most celebrated Superman stories they can get their hands on.

Marvel on the other hand, has always had the luxury of building their movie franchises on the backs of characters that Stan Lee purposefully created as allegories for the experiences of the common man, so that the common man would better be able to relate to them. Peter Parker is the geek who never gets the girl; X-Men are minorities who face discrimination and prejudice at every turn, etc… etc… We relate to these characters because they’ve been fashioned for us to do so. It’s easier for a fanboy to believe he can be Spider-Man than Superman; therefore it’s easier for the moviegoer who doesn’t read comics to believe the same.

However, I do think Whedon’s comments overlook an important point. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were big $uccesses at the box office (IMHO) because the filmmakers drew their screenplays from some of the most celebrated Batman lore that is currently in print. Batman Begins borrowed heavily from Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s now-classic reimagining of The Caped Crusader’s origins, Batman: Year One. The Dark Knight’s intricately woven crime-saga was built off the comic book bones of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s noir-epic, The Long Halloween, while Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as The Joker borrowed from the more dark and modern renderings of The Clown Prince of Crime such as Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s The Killing Joke.

And for those who’ve been paying close attention, DC/Warner Bros.’ next big venture, Green Lantern, has generated positive early buzz primarily because the script for the film will reportedly adhere closely to “Emerald Dawn,” one of the most famous GL stories ever told.

Do you see the pattern here?

The powers that be over at DC/Warner Bros. need to start thinking not only of which DC characters deserve a box office run, but also which famous DC Comics stories need to be told. To phrase this another way: DC, let Marvel worry about the character stuff; you worry about the many, many celebrated storylines you have at your disposal.

Watchmen is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. It’s one of the most famous Comic book stories ever told under the DC banner–now it’s poised to be one of the biggest movies of 2009. Watchmen has endured not because of people’s fascination with the particular characters (aside from maybe Rorschach), but rather because of the impact of the story as a whole. Name me one Marvel storyline (storyline, not character) that has had THAT kind of social impact.

So what other famous stories does DC have to tell? Obviously there is Frank Miller’s iconic vision of Batman’s future, The Dark Knight Returns–a subject which resurfaced once again this week, in an interview First Showing conducted with Watchmen director Zack Snyder. (Snyder would still like to tackle the project, but there’s no guarantee yet that he will. Maybe Watchmen will change that if it does well enough at the box office.)

DC/Vertigo’s The Losers is on track to becoming a feature film. The comic had only a small cult following, but many of those that read it have had good things to say about it. We’ll see how the film turns out.

If I ruled Hollywood (and I aim to), I would love to see the early Preacher storylines compiled into a film (I’m talking the “Gone To Texas” and “Until The End of Time” storylines). There’s also Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Batman: Hush, or Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All Star Superman–arguably one of the best Superman stories I’ve read in the last decade. Another safe bet would be ANY of the stories Grant Morrison told during his run on Justice League, should a JL movie ever crawl its way out of the grave.

Of course I’m just scratching the surface here. There are many, many, great DC Comics storylines that I’m totally blanking on at this moment. But then, that’s why I have you my wonderful, knowledgeable, readers. What DC Comics Storylines do you think DC/Warner should be adapting for the big screen? Hit us back and let us know.

Sources: Slash Film & First Showing

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David Goyer: Warner Bros. Putting DC Movies On Hold

Carl Lee — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:32:08 +0000

In an IESB interview for The Unborn, director/writer David Goyer says all DC properties are currently on hold for the time being in regards to film development. This comes as confirmation of what we’ve previously suspected.

When probed about Supermax and Justice League, Goyer had this to say.

“A lot of the DC movies at Warner Brothers are all on hold while they figure out, they’re going to come up with some new plan, methodology, things like that so everything has just been pressed pause at the moment.”

Including the two movies mentioned, Superman and Green Lantern would also be on hold. With an across the board freeze, Warner Bros. may be looking to create a cohesive DC Universe.

The follow-up question asked whether or not this was attributed to the success of The Dark Knight and Goyer continued.

“It was the double header of both ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ coming out, so more than ever I think they’ve realized, I think DC was responsible for 15% of Warner Brother’s revenue this year, something crazy like that, so they realized that comic books, it’s become a new genre, one of the most successful genres.”

Because Goyer mentions Iron Man, when he could’ve easily just agreed, Screen Rant is led to believe this decision has something to do with what Marvel has built. Perhaps this new “methodology” means tying the films together, much like the other comic publisher has been able to do.

Although Christopher Nolan has been adamant against other costumed heroes existing in Batman’s Universe, perhaps something has changed. The revealed plan of Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America that eventually leads to an Avergers‘ movie could be mirrored in the same fashion to bring about a movie for the Justice League. If Nolan were included–or dare I say, heading–the new plan, DC could create a stronger foundation than what Marvel has already started.

When porting over comic book characters, DC comics has also had a considerable advantage over Marvel. Because all the DC characters are owned solely by Warner Bros., The WB has complete control of integration between characters and a free range of when to use them. Green Lantern and Superman can easily cameo in each other’s individual films and Wonder Woman can create a presence in another property before leading in her own feature. Whatever this “new plan” or “methodology” is, Warner Bros. could turn its DC property into a cash cow and avoid their recent fiancial problems. So long as their films are on par with The Dark Knight, the 15% of revenue that DC provides could be more than a rare occurrence.

Goyer did not answer the next question about Batman. When asked “so when do you guys start writing the third,” he replied “can’t say.”

Is Warner Bros. taking a holistic approach to the DC Universe?

Source: IESB

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Warner Bros Finally Gets Serious About DC Comics

Niall Browne — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:36:31 +0000

It has been a long time in coming, but it now appears that Warner Bros. has finally decided to make use of their stable of DC Comics characters.

Following the financial and critical success of The Dark Knight Warner Bros. has realized that they are sitting on a gold mine – not only from box office receipts, but also from DVD, television, video games and other sources of revenue.

Last month the company held a strategy meeting in an attempt to figure out what was needed in order for them to match Marvel Comics in the comic book movie stakes, and it would appear that they have finally come up with a plan.

Variety spoke with Warner Bros head honchos Jeff Robinov and Alan Horn who touched on topics such as the sequel to The Dark Knight (and director Chris Nolan’s involvement), the development of DC Characters movies and the chances of there ever being a Justice League movie.

It looks like the company is about to go to town on their stable of iconic characters that includes: Batman, Superman, The Flash, The Green Lantern, Aquaman and Wonder Woman.

Warner Bros chief Alan Horn said that Warner and DC were committed to turning:

“the properties into viable movie product in an intelligent way so that we introduce them like planes on a runway. They have to be set up the right way and lined up the right way and all take off one at a time and fly safe and fly straight.”

With regards to Justice League, Jeff Robinov as good as admitted that the studio almost made a terrible mistake. Robinov said:

“We’re not off the notion of a Justice League. There’s a massive interest and knowledge in the comicbook industry and it takes time to sort of catch up and understand the characters and the history, where they’ve intersected with each other and what their worlds are. That’s part of the education that we’re going through.”

There’s a lot of B.S. that flies around Hollywood, but it’s good to see somebody own up to making a mistake – or as close to owning up as you can in the City of Angels.

That said the studio isn’t totally off the idea of the multi-character superhero film. Gregory Noveck senior VP of creative affairs for DC Comics stated:

“These are big, iconic characters. So when you make them into a movie, you’d better be shooting for a pretty high standard. You’re not always going to reach it, but you have to be shooting for it. We’re going to make a Justice League movie, whether it’s now or 10 years from now. But we’re not going to do it and Warners is not going to do it until we know it’s right.”

With regards to the sequel to The Dark Knight, there is a deal with Christopher Nolan – if he is interested, but Horn says: We have no idea where Chris is going with this. We haven’t had any conversations with him about it.”

I find it very hard to believe that in the month since The Dark Knight has opened and broken all sorts of box office records that the studio has not started talking to the brains behind the film. You can bet that Warner Bros. wants to get into the Nolan-Batman business but it sounds to me like Nolan is playing a bit of hard ball (echoes of the Marvel/Iron Man/Jon Favereau situation). If he does decide to do the film (and I’m pretty sure that he will) Warner Bros will be bankrolling some of his passion projects for the next few years.

There will be more announcements next month with regards to Warner and DC’s plans, but it looks like the studio has finally decided to fight back on the comic book movie front. It would appear that Marvel will finally be getting some serious competition for the superhero limelight.

Source: Variety

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Green Lantern Green Lit; Is JLA On Deck?

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:01:10 +0000

The guys over at Slash Film were reviewing the latest issue of Production Weekly and came across an interesting bit of news: the previously rumored Green Lantern movie seems to have been given an official green light, and is on the fast-track to light up screens in theater near you.

Here are the official production notes from Production Weekly:

STATUS – Development
PRODUCER: Donald De Line – Andrew Haas WRITER: Greg Berlanti – Marc Guggenheim – Michael J Green
DC COMICS 1700 Broadway New York, NY 10019
WARNER BROS. PICTURES 4000 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91522-0001

That info seems pretty legit, considering that Berlanti, Guggenheim and Green were the same writers rumored to be attached to the project last year, with Berlanti (Dirty, Sexy Money, Eli Stone) rumored to also be directing. No official word yet on whether or not he will still be at that helm.

For those with a good memory, rapper/pretty good actor Common was rumored to be the bearer of the green ring for the now defunct Justice League movie; so does that mean Common will get the chance to star in a GL flick all by his lonesome? A plot synopsis from Production Weekly makes it seem unlikely:

Each sector of space is protected by a Green Lantern, possessing a power ring that uses a powerful green energy to do anything within the limits of the user’s imagination and will power. When the Green Lantern assigned to this sector of space finds himself dying on planet Earth, he tells the ring to find a suitable successor. The chosen replacement, hot-shot test pilot Hal Jordan, finds himself with a new job he never expected.

While I love Common as a rapper, and have even appreciated the gravity he’s brought to his roles in movies like Smokin Aces and Wanted, I can’t fault Warner Bros. for going with Hal Jordan as their Green Lantern. Jordan is the most popular GL in the comics, and his eventual transformation into the villain Parallax leaves a lot of room for a pretty sick movie franchise.

But hearing that Green Lantern is on the way raises questions about another DC Comics project that was a hot topic last year: the Justice League movie. Can it be that after its premature demise, Justice League has been revived?

Slash Film had one inside source who claimed that in an effort to catch up to the success of Marvel properties like Iron Man, Warner Bros. and DC are indeed looking to give their super group another run at the box office. However the proof, as they say, is in the casting sheet.

For now, let us know what you think about Green Lantern coming to the big screen.

Source: Slash Film

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Brandon Routh Speaks On Superman: Man Of Steel

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:13:17 +0000

…Only to tell us more of the same.

In a recent interview, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh said that the next chapter in the Superman-reboot will indeed start filming in 2009, and that a script is still being worked on as we speak (thank you WGA strike.) Let’s pray that if the filmmakers choose to dive back into the continuity established by Superman Returns, they spend the very first scene of Man Of Steel killing off that stupid ‘Son of Superman’ character. I’m seeing a Kryptonite canister placed in a child’s inhaler… (cue the sinister laughter.)

However, there was one interesting tidbit from the interview with Routh: when asked which film Warner Bros. was planning on completing first, Man Of Steel or the much-hyped Justice League, Routh had this to say:

“I think it seems as though [the 'Justice League' movie is] not happening, it’s on the back burner right now so it’s just ‘Man of Steel’ now, I know, they’re busy writing a script and then I trust we’ll be starting next year, early next year. That’s my timeline anyway.”

Guess that quote pretty much puts a fork in any lingering rumors that Justice League will be coming to a theater near you any time soon. (R.I.P. Justice League, we hardly knew ye.) For super-group afficionados everywhere, this means their eggs of joy will now have to be placed in the basket of Marvel’s Avengers flick–or, to a lesser extent, with G.I. Joe.

Hit us back and let us know YOUR best recommendations for what the Man Of Steel script should entail. And don’t be shy: any idea you come up with can’t possibly be worse than Superman Returns.

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Justice League IS Mortal… As In: Dead

Jamie Williams — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:32:08 +0000

It started as a simple question, ladies and gentlemen.

Devin Faraci (i.e. the well-known and spoken writer for CHUD) asked producer Joel Silver just how Wonder Woman would be affected by the much-rumored-about Justice League movie.

Simple, it won’t be – because Justice League “has been tabled.”

“Tabled” is basically an official, politically correct way of saying, “It ain’t gonna happen.”

So of course, some are now trying to discredit Silver.

Folks, he’s has been working with Warner Brothers for years – producing stuff like the Matrix and Lethal Weapon series.

So it’s safe to say, he knows what he’s talking about in regards to the studio and what’s going on behind-the-scenes.

Further more, I can tell you from first-hand experience that Justice League’s been toast… for quiet a while now.

A friend of mine who attended ShoWest told me that Warner Brothers executives were already talking about the project’s demise back then.

Don’t believe me? Then, look at the fact that director George Miller failed to keep the production in Australia – thus there was nowhere for it to shoot in time to make its summer 2009 release date. Rumors of moving to Canada were just that.

Not to mention, the studio let the JL actors’ contracts lapse without ever renewing them. And frankly just the overall lack of any news regarding this project is troubling.

If Justice League was really going to happen (especially for ‘09 as planned), then you wouldn’t have been able to keep the studio from shutting up.

Warner Brothers has been mum about Justice League for a reason – it’s dead.

You don’t have to like it. But you’re going to have to accept it. Granted, most people were opposed to this film from the start.

The idea of casting other actors as Supes and Bats, but still continuing with the solo franchises with Bradon Routh and Christian Bale was beyond retarded.

At least we have the Batman and Superman sequels to look foward to, folks.

And that, as they say – is that.

Source: CHUD

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Rumor: Hayden Christensen Is Superman In Justice League Movie

Vic Holtreman — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:59:41 +0000

In what could be the utter, complete, and truly final nail in the coffin of any chance of the Justice League movie being any good whatsoever comes this rumor:

Hayden Christensen will play Superman in Justice League.

On the bright side (I suppose), this is about as deep into the level of rumor as you can get, but hey, it’s so much fun on even just a speculative level that I had to share it.

Cinema Blend has reported that it was overheard (are you ready?) in a Canadian bar that Christensen would be playing the iconic role in the trouble-fraught movie.

How’s that for the ultimate source for a movie rumor?

As you may have heard, the production has moved from Australia, where it was originally set to shoot, to Canada. Now reports from up north have started to trickle in. A young lady sent an email to CB stating that she ran into Adam Brody (who is playing The Flash in the movie) at a local bar. She asked him to autograph her napkin and asked what he was doing there:

“They’re in BC [Vancouver, British Columbia] to check out locations for their new superhero movie ‘Justice League is Mortal’. Brody pointed at Miller and said ‘George is our director’. He said he’s playing The Flash, Common is playing Green Arrow (or Lantern, one or the other), Armie Hammer (sounded like Arm and Hammer) is Batman, someone from ‘Mad Max’ is Martian Manhhunter (didn’t catch the name) and Hayden Christensen is Superman. Brody also nodded to the woman to his right and said ’she (he said her name but I didn’t catch it) is in it too.’”

Now even though I’m telling you about it, please take this with a monster grain of salt. For all I know it could be total B.S. If not, I’m sure that director George Miller has Brody in a head lock at this very moment and is pounding him into the ground for opening his yap after too many drinks.

Beyond that, I didn’t think there was anything that could make me want to see Justice League less – until now. As I stated in my Jumper review, I can no longer hang Hayden’s horrible performance in the Star Wars movies on director George Lucas. I had always given the guy the benefit of the doubt and figured that Lucas gave him poor direction that resulted in a flat, whiney performance – but after having seen Hayden in Jumper, under the guidance of a completely different director… I just can’t blame it on George Lucas any more.

I’m sure Christensen would put butts in movie theater seats for this, but I cringe at the thought of an unemotional yet brooding young Superman.

Source: CinemaBlend via Cinematical

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The Justice League Is Homeless

Niall Browne — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:29:57 +0000

Many years ago I had a Hall Of Justice play set, the place where the Justice League would hang out and wait for a disaster to take place, the kind of disaster that could only be solved by DC’s finest. Or maybe the X-Men, but that could get complicated, and Stan Lee might want a piece of the back end.

Anyway, I’m glad that I held on to that play set (it’s in the attic somewhere), because now it looks like The Justice League film or Justice League Mortal as the working title would have it called is looking for a home… not only a home but a continent!

It would seem that the Justice League is just too American for Australian tax breaks.

Now there’s the ultimate super villain: The Tax Man!

Man, if I were George Miller (and I’m not) I’d drop this project ASAP, call Mel Gibson and make Mad Max: Fury Road.

Justice League appears to be a jinxed project. A project that not even comic book fans want!!

Simon Whipp; the director of the equity section of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (I have no idea what this guy does or what his title means) says:

“For the public, both in Australia and outside of Australia, it will be seen as an American film. I have tremendous respect for George and his work, which has been some of the most successful films that we have ever produced. But the studio I think in this instance is seeking to push the limits of the envelope.”

One thing is for certain about this Whipp dude: He has cajones the size of mellons if he can knock back a $200 million budgeted film like Justice League just because they speak with American accents.

As a reply to Whipp, Australian-born Miller said:

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Australian film industry is being frittered away because of very lazy thinking. If that’s going to be the final decision, they’re throwing away hundreds of millions of dollars of investment that the rest of the world is competing for and, much more significantly, highly skilled creative jobs.”

Miller intends to appeal this decision in the hope that he gets to make the film in his backyard. Well… not really his backyard, but you see what I’m getting at – his home country.

Is it just me or is it more fun reading about the (un)making of this film than it will be watching the final product (if it is ever made)?

Source : The Sydney Morning Herald

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Studios Prepare SAG Strike Backup Plans

Niall Browne — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:44:14 +0000

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the studio!

With the writers’ strike finally over, Hollywood must have thought that it was business as usual. However, where there are workers, there are unions. Where there are unions, there are strikes. Where there are strikes, there are signs of upheaval.

Now it’s time for the Screen Actors Guild to renegotiate their contracts in June, and just in case they have the same problems as the Writers’ Guild, the studios have decided to try and protect their tentpole films without having to cancel them or pay through the nose to bring them to the big screen.

And it would seem that some of Screen Rant’s favorite upcoming films are present in the contingency plans!

First up: Michael Bay’s Transformers 2.

It would appear that Michael Bay was able to keep the Transformers sequel on track for a June 2009 release by hammering out a storyline before the writers strike. Now he has the writers, Ehren Kruger, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci locked in a hotel room beavering away on the script! In case Bay’s three writers can’t knock out the script fast enough

Bay says:

“If there is a strike, we shut down, but shutting down isn’t that big a deal. You make accommodations, you make a deal with vending houses on equipment and on the stages where you are shooting. You hope for the best, but you can’t be incapacitated by the possibility that there will be a strike. We’ve got to get this town back to work. I can’t imagine anyone wants another strike, we’re all tired. Hopefully clearer heads will prevail.”

Next up is the follow-up to The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons starring Tom Hanks.

The film was originally delayed because of the writers’ strike, as I wrote about previously. Now to make sure that Sony makes a huge amount of cash, the studio has made plans to shoot all the exterior scenes for three weeks starting on June 3rd. All interiors and studio-based shooting will then take place. If the strike does take place, then they will wait. If it is averted, then they will move straight into the exterior work.

Screen Rant “favorite” Justice League is also a film that Warner Bros. will have ready to go if the strike doesn’t happen. Currently Kiernan and Michele Mulroney are working away re-drafting their original script, getting ready for a July shoot. Could they be writing out Batman and Superman? I hope so. At the very least, this will now mean the Superman Returns sequel will be released in 2010.

Crazy, I’ve just penciled something into my calendar for 2010!

The long in development Tooth Fairy is a film that Twentieth Century Fox has set for an August start, depending on whether or not the strike happens. When I say that the Tooth Fairy is long in development, I’m not kidding. Arnold Schwarzenegger was attached almost 20 years ago. Now The Rock, or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star in this family comedy, if you can believe it. The film will first go through an extensive pre-production phase before filming.

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, is another film that will try and work its schedule around the strike (if it takes place).

According to trade bible Variety:

“(The) Crew was hired with the following deal: in the event of a strike, the paychecks stop, but nobody will be force majeured and everyone will get a plane ticket home from the Albuquerque set. The crew has agreed to fly back within 48 hours of a SAG settlement”.

The sets will be left standing, waiting for the strike to end. That way the Brothers Warner won’t have to pay the crew over the duration of the strike.

All this news is strictly hypothetical. There have been movements to try and avert the strike already, as most of the lower level Hollywood players can’t afford to be out of work. Also, the studios don’t want any more problems trying to bring their films to the big screen.

I’d bet on the strike not taking place, but I’m also the man who bet that 3000 Miles to Graceland would have a $20 million opening weekend. So, anything could happen.

I’m just hoping that Justice League finally falls apart.

Source: Variety

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Justice League Movie: The Project That Refuses To Die

Vic Holtreman — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:48:29 +0000

Like some denizen of the world of the undead, this movie just keeps coming back at us like some costumed zombie.

When I read that the Justice League movie had been given CPR yet again, and now that the writers’ strike is over, apparently for sure, I had the same idea as my pal Brad Brevet over at Rope Of Silicon:

Why in the hell don’t they let this project die?

Virtually every movie site I read on a regular basis is of the opinion that this movie should just not be made – at least not in it’s currently pending incarnation.

This project has been plagued with problems almost from the day it was announced, starting with the announcement that George “Happy Feet” Miller would be directing, leading to rumors that this would be a motion capture, Beowulf-style film (rumors have since been debunked).

Then came the announcement that this would just be called Justice League, instead of Justice League of America, which torqued many fans.

After that came news that it seemed like the casting for this was closer to that of a Teen Titans movie than Justice League, and the fact that Christian Bale and Brandon Routh wouldn’t be reprising their roles for the film.

If in the end Warner Bros. can make this work, God bless ‘em, but along with other movie pundits I just see this as an impending train wreck. If I turn out to be wrong on this, I will happily eat my words.

Actually I discussed this briefly with Jon Favreau in our soon to be published exclusive WonderCon interview and he shared his thoughts on why this (or an Avengers movie) is such a tricky endeavor.

To catch up on all of Screen Rant’s coverage of this project, click here: Justice League movie.

Source: Variety

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What’s Up With Justice League?

Heath McKnight — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:06:10 +0000

After being shut down due to script issues (and the strike), among other things, Justice League may be coming back to life, but without two major characters. But reports, rumors and more are making it difficult to figure out what really is going on. I hope I can set the record straight. Well, as much as possible.

As we all know, the decision to make JL without Christian Bale as Batman and Brandon Routh as Superman, set off a storm in the fandom world. Plus, Bale and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan expressed their displeasure with the movie going forward.

Soon enough, director George Miller found his new cast to fill the heroic shoes (or boots), but ran into major script trouble, and with the writers strike still on at the time, no re-writes could take place. Add to that major issue that the start of production rapidly was approaching, Warner Bros. pulled the plug in Australia, where the film was to shoot.

But there may be new life in the project.

The latest reports (or rumors, if that’s what they are) say that both Batman and Superman are out of the film, but Megan Gale and rapper/actor Common are still playing Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, respectively. I’m assuming Adam Brody is still onboard as The Flash.

Now that the strike is over, WB apparently wants to make a Nolan/Bale Batman 3, they’re looking for new writers for Superman: The Man of Steel (with director Bryan Singer still onboard, along with Routh), hence no Supes or Bats in JL. The revamped JL may shoot in the late spring or early summer 2008, barring a potential actors strike when their contract expires in late June (don’t count on it), or more fan outcry.

So, what do I think? Well, as much as I didn’t want to see a Bale-less/Routh-less JL, I really don’t want to see a Batman-less/Superman-less JL. I think WB should move forward with Batman 3 (rumored to be titled Shadow of the Bat) and Superman 2, and then look into a JL movie with Bale and Routh.

At least Marvel is doing it right with its Avengers movie, which Jon Favreau wants to direct. They’ve been rumored to be signing all the major players from the individual movies, like Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man) and Edward Norton (Hulk) for the Avengers flick.

Only time will tell if JL moves forward, but I have a feeling we may be seeing individual DC character movies featuring Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, etc. I’m keeping my eye on this! By the way, the movie may not open until 2010, at the earliest.

Source: Justice League On Film

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Justice League Outdone By Villain: Indefinite Hold

Heath McKnight — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:55:46 +0000

Looks like the Justice League met its match against the most powerful of all villains, the “indefinite hold.” The official reasons are, of course, script and budget concerns. Director George Miller wanted things to be big, and the budget was out of control, plus the script needed more work.

Does that mean the producers will try to get the cast and crew back together when the writers strike ends and the script can be fixed? Maybe, but I doubt it. We never did see Superman Lives, which would’ve starred Nic Cage as Superman, nor did we see Batman vs. Superman: Asylum, so I doubt will see this.

I say good; we need Christian Bale as Batman and Brandon Routh as Superman for a JL movie. My directing dream team? Christopher Nolan and Bryan Singer. Hey, a fanboy can dream, right?

I just hope this doesn’t hurt the Avengers movie; it sounds like Marvel Studios is doing that one right, with all actors, including Robert Downey, Jr. and others, signed on for the film. Iron Man’s Jon Favreau wants to direct. That sounds like a winner! Pay attention, Warner Bros./DC!

Source: Batman-On-Film

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Screen Rant Movie News Grab Bag

Heath McKnight — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:10:01 +0000

Lots of movie news bites for you all! Let’s start out with what’s happening with Justice League, which seems to be a dream film for fans, but with Warner Brothers’ decision to not use Christian Bale or Brandon Routh as Batman and Superman, respectively, fans aren’t happy. The script isn’t up to snuff, so according to Superhero Hype!, and a final decision on whether they’ll strike ahead vs. waiting for the Writers Strike to end will be made for a major re-write. We may know as early as tomorrow, January 15th.

In related news, it looks like Bryan Singer and Routh are still onboard to bring us the action packed sequel to Superman Returns, Superman: Man of Steel. (Why not just Man of Steel, like The Dark Knight?) The release date was pushed back to 2010, and there isn’t an iron-clad guarantee Singer will be back. It looks like producers learned some lessons, and the movie will feature more action, a super-powered villain and less romantic stuff. Hey Spider-Man producers, are you reading this?? Original screenwriters Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty won’t be returning, plus the Writers Strike is delaying the start of scriptwriting on the sequel. Source: Superhero Hype!

More news after the jump.

The Golden Globes had a press conference this year, due to the Writers Strike. See a list of winners here.

Tyler Mane is out as Sabretooth? Why? I loved him in X-Men. But, amazing actor Liev Schreiber is in as the titular villain, in the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine, due May 1, 2009. That title is a mouthful! Source: CHUD.

Wanna see some photos of The Dark Knight action figures? Click here and here!

Looks like rumors of a two parter for a Harry Potter movie are bubbling up again. A few years back, it was thought that at least part 4, Goblet of Fire, would be split up into two movies. Heck, some people complained that they chopped out so much of Order of the Phoenix, it wasn’t as good. I haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet. Anyway, Ain’t It Cool News is reporting that the final movie, Deathly Hollows, may be split into two movies to take full advantage of the last book. But I’m guessing writing it may be difficult with the Writers Strike happening. No word yet, but the movie(s) probably won’t come out until 2010, at the earliest.

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Is Weta In (Justice) League With George Miller?

Niall Browne — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:10:27 +0000

It’s on, it’s off and it’s on again. What is the craic with George Miller’s Justice League? For those of you that are wondering “craic” is an Irish term for news or gossip.

Superherohype has posted a story from The Dominion Post via stuff.co.nz that indicates Weta Workshop is already building the costumes for DC’s superhero team-up film.

One of the film’s producers, Barrie Osborne is quoted as saying:

“They are doing all the costumes and they’re doing a brilliant job”.

This quote implies that they have indeed started building, or at least designing the costumes – but the article also mentions that no budget has been announced and we know that no filming date has been set, so what is the score?

Well, the last we heard the film was on hold until the end of the writers’ strike. So unless the film will be written-produced and directed by David Letterman, it will be quite a while in coming.

I have no doubt that someone, somewhere is beavering away on this project, but it doesn’t seem to have any real force behind it. All of the stories that we hear about casting are never confirmed. Will the film be live-action or will it be CGI? Nobody seems to know.

Also, what amazing designs could Weta be working on? Does Superman’s costume really need that much designing? If it does, pay me and I’ll design it in five minutes.

Osborne also says:

“George Miller has a great take on the material, so it elevates it to something that’s not a comic-book movie.”

He’d better… what I’ve heard about this project so far sounds like hell on earth. Or, to make a Superman reference: Doomsday!

Source : Superherohype

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Singer-less Superman 2, Justice League Delayed

Heath McKnight — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:21:13 +0000

It’s being reported that Bryan Singer won’t be returning to the Superman franchise, as he’s busy editing Valkyrie, his film opening this summer and starring Tom Cruise, and will segue into The Mayor of Castro Street, which tells the story of famed San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk, though there’s another movie about Milk going into production soon.

Too bad; unlike others, I liked Superman Returns a lot, and was looking forward to Singer’s sequel, which he promised would be “Wrath of Khan-like,” which means he could make a killer sequel, much like Khan was.

See why Justice League is being delayed after the jump, plus news on a third Batman film.

Meanwhile, looks like George Miller’s controversial Justice League film is being delayed until after the writers strike is over. It’s controversial, because Christian Bale won’t be Batman (who has voiced his dismay over JL) and Brandon Routh won’t be Superman.

Lastly, Warner Bros., which releases all DC Comics movies, is so pleased with The Dark Knight, they’re beginning to woo director Christopher Nolan to helm a third film. The rumored title is Shadow of the Bat. Amen! TDK looks like a fantastically awesome film! It’s the “other movie” I’m looking forward to this year, following Iron Man.

Source: Superhero Hype!

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Movie News Grab Bag – 12/11/07

Vic Holtreman — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:22:28 +0000

Here’s a summary of what’s going on today in the wonderful world of entertainment…

- Harlan Ellison debunks the rumor that Star Trek 11 incorporates the Guardian of Forever. We reported this AS rumor a month ago, so we don’t fall under the category of blogs that Ellison so colorfully refers. – TrekMovie.com (warning, lots of colorful language… it IS Harlan Ellison after all)

- AICN floats a supposed alternative title to the upcoming Justice League movie which I believe is utter and complete hogwash and there’s no way it’s true. – AICN

- The uber-classic sci fi film Metropolis is headed for a remake. This could be incredibly stupid and the odds are that it’s a bad idea. However there is a very, very slight chance that if done correctly it could turn into a modern day classic. – FirstShowing.net

- A few new images from Aliens vs Predator: Requiem over at Yahoo! Movies, including another look at the Predalien and the Predator home world. I’m still holding out hope that this will be a fun and scary ride. – Yahoo! Movies

- Want to see what the Mark II armor will look like in Iron Man (as a toy, anyway)? I was hoping for something a bit more different from the red and gold, but I’m not complaining. – MarvelousNews.com

- A couple of new images from The Dark Knight including a better look at the Batpod aka Batcycle. – Comics2Film

- Director Lexi Alexander answers questions about Punisher: War Zone. I didn’t have time to read it myself so maybe you guys could chime in with a summary. SuperHeroHype forums

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Batman Cast In Justice League Movie

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:33:11 +0000

In a second bit of casting news today, you’re looking at a teeny tiny picture of the guy who is supposed to be playing Batman in the upcoming Justice League film. His name is Armie Hammer, and no, I did not make that up. His birth name is Armand Hammer, but if you Google that name you’ll just come up with an industrialist who was born in 1898. BTW, believe it or not the little image above is about the only one I could find of the guy anywhere.

Hammer, (I can’t bring myself to refer to him as “Armie”) does not exactly have a ton of acting experience behind him. He’s appeared in the movie Flicka and in episodes of Desperate Housewives, Veronica Mars and Arrested Development, three TV shows I’ve never seen.

Little experience does not mean he can’t act, it just means he hasn’t had much opportunity. On the plus side, he’s got the build for the role: He’s supposedly 6′ 5″ tall.

Not much else to say about this one…

Source: IESB

Thanks to Adrian

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Justice League Casts Wonder Woman

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:49:27 +0000

According to Ain’t It Cool News the role of Wonder Woman in the upcoming Justice League film has finally been cast. After rumors of Jessica Biel and Teresa Palmer being considered for the role. Out of nowhere comes Australian supermodel Megan Gale as the woman who will wear the golden tiara, lasso and bracelets.

Palmer as it turns out is in the movie, but not as Wonder Woman. Instead she plays Talia Ghul, daughter of longtime Batman nemesis Ra’s al Ghul.

Gale has very little acting experience but at least she seems to have the screen presence to play the Amazonian warrior princess (it goes without saying that she’s beautiful). Megan is 5′10″ tall and 32 years old, and I’m happy to hear both of these stats. Wonder Woman should be played by a tall woman and someone about 30 years old instead of some 21 year old pixie.

For a couple more images see below.

She sure looks like she could be Wonder Woman to me

And here’s a closeup:

What do you think? Good choice? She works for me.

Source: AICN via Latino Review

Thanks to Scott

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First (Almost) Official Justice League Actors

Vic Holtreman — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 19:33:49 +0000

It’s all but certain that the following actors have been hired to play the following characters in the upcoming Justice League movie:

28 year old Scott Porter as Superman

28 year old Adam Brody as The Flash

35 year old rapper Common as Green Lantern

21 year old Teresa Palmer as Talia Ghul (Daughter of Batman nemesis Ra’s al Ghul)

Brody, Common and Palmer were among those who showed up for the casting call one month ago. I’m extremely relieved that they’re going with actors closer to 30 than 20 in this thing. That’s one point on the plus side for director George Millar.

I’m still ambivalent about this one, especially with it going into production during the writers’ strike.

If you want more background on the actors and to see some cool actor/character images head on over to /Film.com where they’ve done a nice job photoshopping each actor next to the character they’re playing (well, except for Green Lantern where they used an image of Hal Jordan instead of John Stewart).

Like I said, there’s been no official announcement but the word is that the above info is pretty solid.

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