Justice League is upon us. The film will mark the very first time that DC Comics’ most prominent super-team will come together in a live-action full-length picture, bringing together the characters that the DC Extended Universe has been introducing since 2013’s Man of Steel.
Scheduled for a November 17th, 2017 release, Justice League will be the fifth movie in the DCEU lineup, following up on Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman. Aside from presumably setting up the sequels Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 2, this cinematic event will also launch several solo films currently in development, such as Aquaman (2018), Shazam! (2019), Cyborg (2020), The Batman, Green Lantern Corps, and The Flash.
Since we cannot wait until November and the DCEU marketing materials still have us wondering what we can expect from Justice League, it’s up to fans to look for hints and clues on social media to get ready for what is surely going to be one of the most important films in the history of DC Comics and in the realm of comic book adaptations as a whole.
This is Justice League: 15 Behind The Scenes Pictures Every Fan Needs To See.
15. THE JUSTICE LEAGUE MEN
The men behind Justice League have gotten very close during production. Director Zack Snyder assembled a team of extremely talented actors to bring this cinematic event to life, which includes Ben Affleck at Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Ezra Miller as Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.
In this red carpet picture posted by Jason Momoa – who, before landing the role of DCEU’s Aquaman, was mostly known for portraying Khal Drogo in HBO’s Game of Thrones – we can see all of the main men of Justice League sharing a laugh and being silly.
Back in March, when this picture was posted, Zack Snyder was still at the helm of the film. In May, he felt compelled to step down from the responsibility for personal reasons.
14. ZACK SNYDER
Known for his work in 2007’s 300 and 2009’s Watchmen, Zack Snyder has a great taste in spectacular visuals, complicated characters, and unconventional stories. In a way, a lot of the DC Extended Universe is owed to Zack Snyder’s vision as a director and storyteller. He directed Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, served as a hands-on producer in Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman, and led the team behind Justice League up until May of 2017.
In this picture tweeted out in September of 2016, Zack Snyder is seen wearing the arm piece of Batman’s suit and going through images – certainly related to Justice League – on a tablet.
An opened box of presumably Chinese food is also in the shot, which implies that the team behind the DCEU has been working long hours to get these movies done.
13. THE WONDER WOMAN
But Justice League is obviously not just filled with talented men. To be completely honest, after the critical acclaim and box office results of Wonder Woman, it seems like Gal Gadot is the central figure behind the DC Extended Universe.
In this picture shared by the actress in May of 2017 – on the heels of the news that Zack Snyder would step down from completing Justice League reshoots– Gadot addressed the director’s departure and the work he is leaving behind. In a candid interview with Jimmy Fallon, she revealed that Snyder himself was responsible for choosing her as Wonder Woman, and personally called her to break the news.
It seems like the tone of Wonder Woman will now impact the entire DCEU one way or another, and Diana is poised to become a central figure in this team that has had a complicated relationship with her throughout comic book history.
12. THE NEWCOMERS
The three main newcomers to the DC Extended Universe that will be properly introduced in Justice League are actors Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), and Ezra Miller (Flash) – all of who are poised to headline solo DCEU films in the near future.
Aside from his Game of Thrones days, Momoa has also been known for his work in the Stargate: Atlantis TV show, 2011’s Conan the Barbarian, and the recent Netflix series Frontier. Ezra Miller, on the other hand, was a breakout star in 2012’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, played a weirdo in Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck, and was featured in the first installment of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.
Ray Fisher is truly the greenest of all the actors in Justice League, since his role as Cyborg in the DCEU is quite literally his first time acting in a full-length movie.
11. FLASH COMICS
To prepare for his role as Barry Allen, actor Ezra Miller has been immersing himself in The Flash mythos by reading the superhero’s comic books.
The four comics shown in Miller’s picture are 1991’s Flash #49: RIP (written by William Messner-Loebs and illustrated by Greg Larocque), 1993’s Flash #80 (written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Mike Wieringo and Jose Marzan Jr.), 1989’s Flash #46 (also made by Messner-Loebs, Larocque, and Marzan), and 1991’s Flash #47: The Wrath of Grodd! (once again made by Messner-Loebs, Larocque, and Marzan).
It seems like William Messner-Loebs, Greg Larocque, and Jose Marzan Jr. are the three main influences that the DCEU will be drawing from in the development of Ezra Miller’s role as The Flash in both Justice League and the upcoming The Flash standalone movie.
10. SUPERMAN’S COMEBACK
Even though Superman met his demise during the end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the worst-kept secret over at Warner Bros. is that the character is confirmed to return to the DC Extended Universe in Justice League – even if he hasn’t been often featured in the movie’s marketing materials so far.
As seen in this picture, Henry Cavill has been hard at work to be in shape for his character’s big comeback. Before shooting Justice League, the actor went back to trainer Timothy Michael Blevins, who was responsible for Cavill’s Dawn of Justice body.
In the picture’s caption, Henry Cavill alluded to the fact that he had nine workouts in seven days, as well as a “whole lot of food.” It’s not easy to become the man of steel!
9. BATFLECK
Perhaps the most veteran actor in the main Justice League lineup of heroes is Ben Affleck, who, before landing the role of Batman in the DCEU, won the 1997 Oscar for Original Screenplay with Good Will Hunting and the 2012 Oscar for Best Picture with Argo. Affleck also famously starred as the title character in 2003’s Daredevil, which was widely considered a flop by critics and fans.
As The Batman standalone feature was announced by Warner and DC, Ben Affleck was attached not only as the movie’s protagonist, but also as its director – a plan that seemed to fall through in 2017 upon the actor’s revelation that the project was still lacking of a set script. It was later announced that War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves would replace Affleck as The Batman’s director, but that the actor’s commitment to the role – which will have a major importance in Justice League – was unchanged.
More recently, it was revealed that Reeves chose to discard of the script Affleck had been working on for The Batman.
8. AQUAWOMAN
Aside from Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Amy Adams’ Lois Lane, the most important female character being featured in Justice League is surely Amber Heard’s Mera. Queen Mera is a sorceress, warrior, and Aquaman love interest who is poised to have a significant impact in the Aquaman standalone film scheduled for December of 2018.
Since her public and tumultuous divorce from Johnny Depp, actress Amber Heard took a brief hiatus from her acting career, but will come back having the opportunity to bring the character of Mera to life for the first time ever in a live-action project.
In this particular picture shared on April of 2017, she is seen goofing around with co-star Jason Momoa, writing “aquaMan Crush Monday” in the caption in a nod to their solid friendship.
7. SUPERMAN DRINKS COFFEE
It seems like it’s not just Zack Snyder who enjoys hanging out on set wearing parts of a character’s suit. In a picture shared in June of 2017, Henry Cavill’s legs – fully covered by Superman’s costume – are seen along with a cup of coffee, seemingly inside of the actor’s trailer.
While it is unclear if Superman himself actually needs coffee to get through his days, the premise of Henry Cavill’s picture was to celebrate the character’s 79th anniversary – which means that Supes turns 80 in 2018 – and provide fans with a little bit of history behind the origins of this beloved superhero.
Cavill credits Jerry Siegel’s self-published 1933 story The Reign of the Superman as the very first time the character was seen before the author rewrote him as the hero we’ve come to know.
6. DAILIES
Gal Gadot has been busy not only acting as Wonder Woman and making sure she is fit to portray the demigoddess, but she is seemingly also involved behind the scenes, making sure that her performance is up to par.
In this picture shared by Gadot in January of 2017, she is seen watching dailies – otherwise known as raw shots from cinematic productions – that pertain to Justice League. While it is not always true that actors have access to dailies, judging from the actress’ closeness to Zack Snyder and the success that came with Wonder Woman, her presence behind the scenes is not surprising.
In the scene up on the screen, Diana is out of her Wonder Woman attire and talking to a man who looks like Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne / Batman.
5. PRODUCTION TEAM
The overall cast and crew of Justice League has gotten very close, but Jason Momoa’s friendship circle seems unbeatable. In this picture shared by the actor, Momoa is seen with director Zack Snyder and production manager Jim Rowe, who also worked in Snyder’s Watchmen, Man of Steel, Sucker Punch, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Additionally, Rowe worked alongside Gareth Edwards in 2014’s Godzilla.
Even though Zack Snyder had to step down from the role of director, most of the team behind Justice League will remain as it was under new director Joss Whedon’s supervision – such as Snyder’s longtime collaborator David Brenner as editor, Fabian Wagner as cinematographer, and Matthew Gray as art director.
Another important member of the Justice League production team is Chris Terrio, who wrote the film’s screenplay and is also lined up to write a sequel.
4. BATSIGNAL
An important part of Justice League will be following up on Bruce Wayne’s story in the heels of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and set up his outing in the upcoming The Batman standalone film. The character was briefly alluded to in the Wonder Woman movie, since he was the person who sent Diana the picture that made her reminisce about her meeting of Steve Trevor.
In an on-set behind-the-scenes shot tweeted by Zack Snyder in September of 2016, one can see a lit up Bat-Signal along with actor J.K. Simmons as Commissioner James Gordon. This will be Simmons’ introduction to the DC Extended Universe since his character was not present in Dawn of Justice, but the actor is already lined up for The Batman.
J.K. Simmons hasn’t been in a comic book-based blockbuster film since his role as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
3. THE JAMMING SESSION
In a pair of candid pictures shared by Jason Momoa on Instagram, the actor is seen playing the guitar along with actress Gal Gadot and actor Ezra Miller, both of whom take turns playing the drums. This jamming session took place inside one of the actors’ trailers while filming Justice League.
Though Gadot is not necessarily known for her musical talents, Momoa is often seen with a guitar on his side, and Miller is one-third of the Sons of an Illustrious Father alternative/indie band along with musicians Josh Aubin and Lilah Larson.
In Gal Gadot’s picture, Jason Momoa referred to the actress as “what a women(sic), what a wonder.” In Ezra Miller’s picture, Momoa wrote, “My boy, my lil bro Ezra in da pocket.”
2. BIGGER THAN GREEN LANTERN
In an otherwise innocuous picture of Henry Cavill working out for his role as Superman in Justice League, the actor left many fans wondering just what he meant in the post’s caption, where he wrote: “Nothing funny to post here, it’s deadly serious because I’ve got to make sure that I’m bigger than Green Lantern…. Wait whaaat?”
First of all, even though a standalone Green Lantern Corps film was announced by the DC Extended Universe with a tentative 2020 release, there has been quite an underwhelming amount of news regarding the project – and there have particularly been no reports in regards to which actor would be cast. Additionally, Henry Cavill’s reference to Green Lantern seems strange since there are no significant rumors that suggest that the character might be included in 2017’s Justice League. If he wanted a point of comparison, why not mention Jason Momoa’s Aquaman?
1. AQUAMAN IS COOL
The effort to make Aquaman look cool in this DC Extended Universe era is unstoppable and apparently takes place even off screen.
In a picture shared by Zack Snyder during the filming of Justice League, Jason Momoa is seen in full Aquaman costume playing the guitar. Changing this character’s suit and making him built, bearded, and brunet is not all that Momoa can bring to the table – he can also take this superhero to rock-star levels. Does the actor get into character by jamming to some Hawaii tunes he can play on that guitar?
This priceless image from Jason Momoa joins Zack Snyder’s random moment wearing a Bat-arm and Henry Cavill’s coffee break in full Superman attire within the ranks of DC Comics legends casually doing unimaginable things.
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Are you excited for Justice League? Did you catch any hints in any of these pictures? Let us know in the comments!
