10 Movies That Led To Other Movies Being Cancelled (And Why)
6. The Dark Knight Makes Justice League: Mortal Redundant
Justice League: Mortal is without a doubt one of the most famous comic book movies to have never been made, with director George Miller coming agonizingly close to starting production on the all-star DC Comics adaptation before it was dumped by Warner Bros.
The Mad Max helmer had his cast assembled, the script completed and ready to go and a mammoth $220m budget in place, before the success of The Dark Knight saw the studio rethink their entire strategy. As well as the potential confusion of having two Batmen running around at the same time, WB also decided that focusing on solo movies for their characters was the best approach to expanding both their portfolio and potential box office, and Justice League: Mortal was officially canceled shortly after the second installment in the Dark Knight Trilogy hit theaters.
It made sense to focus on standalone movies before rushing to the team-up, but the studio went and made the same mistake nearly a decade later when Zack Snyder's Justice League arrived way too soon, and only recently has the DCEU established solid footing as a viable alternative to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.