With confirmation that “Gangster Squad” screenwriter Will Beall has spent the last year working on the script, the Justice League movie is underway and the DC comics’ ball is rolling (finally). With the forthcoming Superman reboot “Man of Steel” no doubt going to be the spark that leads to the big DC super team uniting, Warner Bros. seem keen to chase down “The Avengers” money that keeps on rolling in over at Marvel and given that the single minded view Hollywood puts on movies, this seems the only way to get it… but is it really?
“The Avengers” gamble over at Marvel has totally paid off. The general public now know the characters they probably only just about previously knew the names of beforehand (well other than the Hulk) and the stepping stone approach to the big team up, an old school comic book trick, generated an event the audience went go ga-ga over and has proven its worth on the big screen. This was a gamble that beat the odds, proved a story could be told over multiple movies and Marvel can proudly wear the comic book movie crown. They did this all in stages, introducing us to characters in modern ways and selling the likes of Thor (a God with a lot of “Thou’s”) and Captain America (still one of the silliest costumes in mainstream comics) to an accepting audience and by the time the payoff rolled around, Dads, kids and even Mums were more than ready for it (well, Chris Hemsworth brought the Mums).
Marvel have the popcorn buyers and it’s wonderful. If anyone had predicted this fifteen years ago, I would have called them insane but I say that DC / Warner Bros. should let them have it and avoid trying to replicate their model.
For starters, we don’t need individual character movies beyond the upcoming “Man of Steel”. No one on this Earth doesn’t know who Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are and if they don’t, the other 90% of the population will let them know. That’s half the team sorted out straight way. No one needs to know Batman or Superman’s origin again. There’s no need to reboot Batman pre-”Justice League” and establish a new actor. No need to slot in another half-assed “Green Lantern” film and there’s a right way to handle Wonder Woman (more on that later).
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13 Comments
Wow. Great ideas. I couldn’t agree more!
Phew, glad to hear I’m not the only one. ;)
Marcus, I really enjoyed reading this article of yours. I stumbled upon it during just another of my Batman-webcrawling sprees.
The Caped Crusader, for me, would be the main reason to go and watch a JL movie. Though I roughly got through the failed movie pilot of 1997, your article gives me new hope.
Should DC/WB go with the idea of making not so much a family flick like Marvel does, but aiming for the more adult public, not create a big geekasm but give us quality of the kaliber of Watchmen, I would totally back that plan.
You’re talking about some nice Superman-stories. I think they should go with that, and also, for the Batman-part, go with the same undertone that “Under the Red Hood” or “The Return of the Joker” has.
I wouldn’t even object to some female-audience-pulling crap like the “Birds of Prey” series. All the more serious, disturbing perhaps, and dark.
To conclude this comment: When I want good action, silly humor and colorful plots, I pop in a Marvel production.
When I want better action, dark backstories and the human psyche explored to the depths of a (Bat-ridden) cave, DC is my choice.
With that note I DO support a JL movie, but please don;t let ‘em mess it up..
I feel if they get the trinity of Bats, Supes and WW right, the rest will just slot right into place.
Great article! Some of your ideas are comparable to mine. Here’s what I wrote up:
The 1st movie should have Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman (The Trinity) that way they can go into WW back story helping her save Themyiscra from an evil (Ares). Also intro Martain Manhunter as someone who is trying to warn the heroes of an unspeakable evil that is coming (Darkseid, White Martains, Braniac).
The 2nd movie has WW amd MM joining the team. MM is more of a professor x type character that brings them together and he shows them other heroes that could help in the fight that they need to recruit. Superman goes to Atlantis to get help from Aquaman. Batman heads to central city to enlist Flash. And Wonder Woman head sback home to warn her fellow Amazons of the threat and that they need to prepare. Then Granny and the Furies would come to Themysicara looking for recruits for Darkseid and we have a big fight between The Furies, Darkseids henchmen and the Amazaons led by WW and her mother. And finally Martain Manhunter heads out to get Green Lantern (Hal, John or Kyle). In the end of the 2nd movie WW reports what the threat is and as she defeated the Furies she is told all will become slaves to Darkseid.
Finally in the 3rd movie the team is assembled and is taking on Darkseid , The Furies and his army.
If they really want to do origin stories just have them titled “Prelude to JLA: Flash” or “JLA Origins: Flash”. The title alone would be a build up to what is coming and at the end of each movie the would meet the character as stated above (end of Aquaman movie he meets Superman, end of Flash movie he meets Batman.)
Oh and before I forget each JLA movie needs to be at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours to tell a proper story.
I also agree for the movie WW needs a new costume. I think the whole bikini bottom as an Amazon Warrior is totally played out. as one other post stated she is a warrior. I think if she had a an outfit like Xena with color mods it could work.
Remixx, wow, you really thought this through. Still, I detect quite a few typical Marvel-moments in your story. No offence, could work out great! But DC has to be different, very different from Marvel in order to be succesfull. That means that allthough comics may look alike, but should beware of copycatting, movies are even more fulnerable to judgements in that direction.
Still, I can see you might be just the person to come up with a preliminary script or storyboard. If you even write such a thing I would be very curious to read it:)
Thanks. And no offense is taken. I like to hear ideas get thrown around about how to make a good movie about comic characters that we all love. When I watched the Avengers I almost cried, lol. It was so perfect. You’re the second person that has given me a little hope that I could actually make a script out of it. The key difference between this and Avengers would be that it could be on a global scale instead of a self contained area. In the Avengers it all happened in one city. In the JLA movie it could happen in various locations world wide.
Someone please send this to Warner Bros., especially the idea that the tone of the film should be serious & intense…..not summer popcorn.
I agree when the article mentioned that the writers of the Justice League animated series, cause they perfectly melded the personalities of each character, but I feel Warner Bros. will do a Justice League movie just because The Avengers was a success and will just put out a lackluster movie. Just one question: Will the Green Lantern be Hal Jordan or John Stewart?
HAL!
Totally Hal
What’s wrong with John Stewart? is is because Hal would be more recognizable and it could tie into the Ryan Reynolds movie?
Its about TIME to make a justice league movie
Because DC should also focus on their other characters besides Superman and Batman.
Its like Superman and Batman are the only characters they have