A Justice League movie hitting our screens in the next three or four years is just about as much a certainty as death and paying taxes. In fact, I'd wager it will be confirmed as 100% happening by this time next week, possibly even with a 2016 release date set. It's universally known that a strong box office showing for Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel this weekend will set the fast-tack wheels in motion on the DC Comics cinematic universe. In fact, they've already announced a sequel to Man Of Steel and didn't even wait for the numbers to come in on that. Warner Bros seem to cautiously have a plan for how the road to Justice League will work out, though there are external factors (such as whether they can convince Chris Nolan to be involved somehow, which in turn will almost certainly mean Christian Bale returns as Batman and which currently unseen characters need a solo film) to be ironed out. But either way, if Man Of Steel opens big this weekend and sustains over the rest of June... then it's go time. As we've heard recently, Man Of Steel has a few subtle teasers for what's to come in future movies. There's a few allusions to Lexcorp and even Wayne Enterprises, but according to screenwriter David Goyer, there was an intention when writing the movie for a deeper, tonal setup for the JLA universe. He told
Bleeding Cool;
David Goyer: It is our intention that, in success, this would be the zero issue and from this point onward, possible films could expand into a shared universe. In our world, the Man of Steel world, Zack has gone on record saying that were implying there are other superheroes in this world. But I dont know that theyve come forward yet. The idea is that Superman is the first one. There might be people helping people, but not in costumes, and that Superman comes forward and announces himself to the world. In him announcing himself, hes the one that changes things.
Bleeding Cool: Youre positing a cause and effect?
David Goyer: Yes, yes absolutely, in our mind.
Bleeding Cool: And so now, Bruce Wayne will feel alright in his ears, where he might not have dressed up like that before. Is that the kind of thinking?
David Goyer: Well, yes theres definitely I dont want to get too in depth. Obviously, Zack and I have had conversations but there would be a cause and effect. And that would extend to the collateral damage that happened, and to what other countries feel about the fact Superman calls America his home. Man of Steel doesnt exist in a vacuum.
Goyer, screenwriter of Batman Begins and the original architect of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, has a three picture deal with WB that includes Man Of Steel 2 and a Justice League movie, should it happen. There's probably nobody else better suited to the Justice League job given his immense knowledge of the DC universe and his talents for bringing these outlandish characters into a believable modern day world. What the specific "effects" of the "cause" we can't be sure. Nor can we be sure what Goyer and Snyder have discussed or what paths we will follow on the way to a JLA movie. Hopefully we will see a Wonder Woman and The Flash movie, with a talented filmmaker taking over Green Lantern and making proper use of Ryan Reynolds (who it seems pointless to ditch at this stage)... and that Christian Bale can be enticed back with a Robert Downey Jr/Avengers type deal. The chances are probably slim of the latter... but with Goyer on board, they probably now just need Chris Nolan's producer involvement and a large amount of cash, and he'll be back.