After years of being stuck in development hell as a movie, Justice League Dark is coming to HBO Max as a TV series from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company, which is better idea than a film. It had previously been reported that Abrams was developing a number of series to be set in a Justice League Dark-themed universe. The initial announcement never specified if a show centered on the team was in consideration, but with a shared continuity in mind, a project focusing on the team of the same name was expected. This is, however, not the first time the studio has been considering bringing the supernatural-focused team to live-action.
Since late 2012, Guillermo del Toro was the first creative mind to begin the long-time complicated journey for the cinematic adaptation. What followed in the next three years were regular updates about del Toro’s screenplay, what characters he was adding, and whether or not it would exist within the DCEU. However, finding a director became the far more difficult task for Warner Bros than they realized. Despite del Toro’s hopes in maybe helming it, his schedule prevented him tackling Justice League Dark in its entirety. For barely a year, Doug Liman was attached as director, from August 2016 until stepping down in May 2017 due to schedule issues, which left Justice League Dark without a director again.
As the studio attempted to find a new director, Abrams’ interpretation seems to have taken the movie’s spot as he has begun developing Justice League Dark for HBO Max. With the intention of launching a shared universe that involves shows and films, it’s unclear to this point where the feature film currently stands. It’s likely, though, those previous treatments may have been scrapped in order for Abrams to start fresh. Further details on the HBO Max show will most likely emerge throughout the year with the announced creative team as well as cast members. However, Warner Bros. has made one of its wisest DC moves by recognizing Justice League Dark being better suited for TV as opposed to a movie.
It's Too Soon For Another "Justice League" Movie
Warner Bros’ vision for their DC film universe has been up in the air since the release of 2017’s Justice League. The movie, which brought together some of DC’s most iconic heroes, had a controversial result financially and critically. This pushed the studio to reevaluate their strategy for the shared universe that 2013’s Man of Steel began setting up. With Justice League Dark, it became one of several previously announced projects to be pushed back until further notice. In the last three years, the studio has devoted more of its time and resources to emphasize less of a shared universe and allow each movie to stand on its own, namely with Shazam, Birds of Prey, and Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman reboot.
The idea of pursuing a Justice League Dark movie has the potential to face similar consequences to its sister team. One of the consistent issues lifted is the decision to not do solo films for each individual before bringing them together as the iconic team. Justice League ended up having to spend a lot of time establishing The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman who had only appeared in cameos during Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Even though the league of magic-based users is significantly different from the JLA, a team-up film right out of the gateway could end with similar results. It's too premature for the big screen to have another Justice League installment at this point, especially if it's with another team that has little or nothing to do with the last movie.
While characters like Constantine, Zatanna, and Swamp Thing have their following, the general moviegoer is bound to be far more familiar with DC's trinity and the Justice League compared to them. Introducing up to eight relatively new characters in a team-up film denies all of them their proper focus, which a TV show can provide. The upside of bringing Justice League Dark to HBO Max is that it won’t have to suffer from the enormous slate of films that are set to come out in the next 2-5 years. While the schedule after Aquaman 2 is unknown, films such as New Gods, Batgirl, Green Lantern Corps, and Wonder Woman 3 are all in various stages of development. That risks putting JLD anywhere from being in the middle or at the bottom of their priority list.
A Justice League Dark Show Can Explore Each Character's Story
While the cinematic version of DC characters is now steering in the right direction, Warner Bros. has garnered a successful track record with bringing them to the small screen. From The CW’s ever-growing Arrowverse franchise, having soon lasted for almost a decade, to DC Universe’s original programming, DC TV is proving itself to be a resourceful platform for the comic book properties. Rather than having to bend to the 2-3 hour restrictions in a cinema, TV has allowed many of those characters to be given seasons upon seasons of massive storytelling and development. Whether it’s 22 or 13 episodes for said show, viewers get to follow these characters anywhere from 6-9 months per season.
With ensembles, the creators can spend 42-60 minutes per episode, especially on streaming platforms, to really explore each character. Something like Justice League Dark would most likely consist of 5-6 cast members for its first season. Having a full season allows new fans to connect and discover the group on a more intimate level. A Justice League Dark movie would not only risk underserving at least 2 of its characters but also make audience goers wait for at least 2 years if a sequel gets greenlighted. In the world of TV, viewers have to wait less than that between the airings of each season. While the Arrowverse goes for the regular 22-episode order, the waiting periods are still more ideal than the time DC film viewers are forced to go through.
Ideally, a first season would build-up to the team coming together by the season finale as each episode focuses on the individual members. The benefit of having Justice League in the team’s title is that it’ll certainly pull in viewers that perhaps aren’t familiar with this particular collection of characters. Doom Patrol is a primary example of how a team show succeeded in becoming a critical success. The show, based on obscured characters, recognized the imperative of each character's arc. Allowing the first season to properly focus on the characters while progressing the story helps both aspects be treated with justice.
Justice League Dark Could Build To A Movie In The Future
While the plan is to do a series, there is nothing that says Justice League Dark couldn’t build towards a movie in the future. The series could even serve as a bridge between the HBO Max shows and the ongoing series of films that Warner Bros. is adapting from the DC library. Since the announcement that the new streaming provider is developing live-action DC shows, projects such as Greg Berlanti’s Green Lantern and Strange Adventures has joined the slate. However, Warner Bros. Studios nor HBO Max has confirmed or denied the possibilities between connectivity between the streaming service and the cinematic world.
With Geoff Johns being involved both with Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps movie, anything might be possible there. The biggest angle with Abrams’ projects is the whole intention of setting up a Justice League Dark universe that involves both the big and small screens. Despite there being uncertainty about whether or not Abrams’ shared universe involves the DCEU, it’s not impossible for the team to appear with other corners of the DC Universe. But having a series that allows comic fans or general viewers to invest in the team can help make the transition smoother for Justice League Dark to jump from HBO Max to film appearances or even lead their own feature film. Hypothetically, a lot of financial and marketing resources will go into properties that land on platforms like HBO Max.
The same will be expected out of their DC properties as well, especially visual-heavy characters. Besides a potentially positive reception, the HBO Max drama becomes the first DC property to deeply explore the magical realm of the DC world since NBC's Constantine series. With the majority of DC TV shows focusing heavily on meta-humans, aliens, vigilantes, Justice League Dark is already benefiting from being a unique addition to DC's TV adventures. Despite Titans having the presence of Raven, magic isn't at the core of their show bible. That'll certainly be the case for Justice League Dark as the team is grounded in DC's supernatural realm. Whether the previous film iteration of the team is active or dead, HBO Max's original programming slate has earned a major win with Abrams' upcoming Justice League Dark adaptation.