3. The Batman
The inclusion of the Batman will have a negative effect on the movie as a whole. Let that sink in. This is not to say The Dark Knight is unpopular, this is to say that he is too popular. With popularity comes controversy; it is an inevitable by-product. Everyone is enamoured with your greatness, so they find it somehow acceptable to analyse every move or decision. Bats has a storied history; he has faced off with Superman, created intricate plans to break key members of the League (then having them stolen! Very un-batman); Batman has despised the League, and he has needed their help. There is an endless supply of captivating narratives. So, how will Batmans popularity negatively affect the Justice League movie? Most people are aware of the riveting Tim Burton Batman films and how they brought back the Gothic approach; however, Keatons incarnation of Batman has now faded into the background. Now Batman is associated with the hauntingly horrific movies of the 90s, and the Christopher Nolan epic crime saga, The Dark Knight Trilogy. Warner Brothers now basically has two options; reboot, or continue the story. Neither option seems like a favourable one. If you continue Nolans vision, it will be sans Christian Bale and Nolan himself, leaving Warner Brothers to put all their hope in Joseph Gordon-Levitt. How would a former Gotham Police officer with a few months as a detective be able to stand toe to toe with a Kryptonian, an Amazonian, a scientist who is the worlds fastest man, and an intergalactic cop? He doesnt. He dies because he has no formal training and is not a genius like Bruce Wayne. So, unless audiences want John Blake, The Batman, dead by the first Justice League movie, they should hope for a rebooted incarnation. Moreover, JGL is a fine actor, yet it would be hard to accept him as the Caped Crusader. Casting JGL as Richard Dick Grayson and then Nightwing or Robin in an eventual Batman reboot would be a fun nod to Nolans vision. If they chose to reboot the character, it still would not help Warner Brothers and DC; it would feel rushed. The Dark Knight trilogy was just completed this past year; rebooting with a new cast and talent would be the right choice, yet confusing at the same time and thus why Warner and DC have already failed; they have backed themselves into a corner. If you dont believe that general audiences seems off put by reboots, look no further than Sony and Marvels The Amazing Spider-Man. Spider-Man 3 was abused by critics and fans alike, but still made nearly $140 million more at the box office than 2012's Marc Webb reboot, which actually did pretty well with critics. This again goes back to the point that good movies do not always equate to financial success, and vice versa.