6. He Does Friendships Well, Whether They Be Unlikely Or Not
First off, I feel the defining dynamic of Justice League will be the relationship between Batman and Superman, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. How the chemistry between Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck will turn out under Zack Snyder remains to be seen, but since they are the most recognisable faces in the Justice League to the public (who, lest we forget, will make this film successful or not, not the fanboys or the internet trolls), their relationship seems the most likely element of a Justice League film to engage the general audiences, rather than The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern or whoever else is in the lineup. And this is where Hooper comes in. Like them or love them, most of his features have been massively successful. And at the heart of them all are unlikely friendships. Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in The Damned United. King George VI and Lionel Logue in The King's Speech. Lord Longford and Myra Hindley in Lord Longford. Hell, you could even argue Jean Valjean and Javert in Les Mis was a very twisted kind of friendship to some extent! Hooper seems to focus on these unlikely dynamics and makes them the centre of his films. I can only imagine how he'd direct the relationship between the last Son of Krypton and a billionaire playboy who dressed up as a giant Bat. The rate Warner's are moving towards Justice League, it seems likely a lot of its running time will be spent introducing heroes, so to keep people interested we need a familiar relationship to engage them. Plus, this Man of Steel sequel will have done the hard work in introducing us to the World's Finest, so Hooper can have fun developing this enduring and complex pairing. It's certainly a strength he can play to if he was chosen to direct.