WB Eyeing Justice League Movie

[ZeoBandit]

WB Eyeing Justice League Movie
Source: Variety February 23, 2007

Warner Bros. Pictures is looking to make a feature based on super team the Justice League of America, hiring writing duo Kiernan and Michele Mulroney to write the script, reports Variety. It's the first major action the studio has taken on the project.

The feature film is bound to include some combination of DC's most iconic superheroes, although the studio wouldn't confirm which ones they might be. It's unlikely that the studio and DC Comics, a division of Warner, would opt to feature second-tier characters.

Since its inception in 1960, JLA has featured almost every major hero in the DC Comics universe, although the core team has largely remained the same: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter.

The heroes typically band together to fight alien menaces or groups of supervillains.

"The Justice League of America has been a perennial favorite for generations of fans, and we believe their appeal to film audiences will be as strong and diverse as the characters themselves," Warner president of production Jeff Robinov said in announcing the hiring of the Mulroneys.

The trade says that in taking on the ambitious project, Warner faces several conundrums.

Now that the Batman and Superman film franchises have been revived, does the studio go after Christian Bale (Batman Begins) and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) to star in a Justice League pic? The studio is also trying hard to bring Wonder Woman to the big screen.

To a large degree, casting will depend upon the story arc for the JLA feature and at what point in the superheroes' lives the plot takes place.

[Michaels]

They better do this...i'm more interested in who the villains will be

[darthadv]

for continuity, it would be nice to have routh and bale, but somehow i don't see it happening... batman begins depicts a really dark world while superman returns depicted a much lighter one (save for luthor trying to physically redraw the world map as we know it)...

didn't they to do a JLA back in the 80s on tv? was it a one-time tv special, with adam west in it?

[chefcraig]

...didn't they to do a JLA back in the 80s on tv? was it a one-time tv special, with adam west in it?

Did you mean this:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118365/

http://www.monitorduty.com/mag/fanzing09/feature3.shtml

Or did you mean the cartoon version?

[hatchetforce]

reporting for duty

[darthadv]

Did you mean this:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118365/

http://www.monitorduty.com/mag/fanzing09/feature3.shtml

Or did you mean the cartoon version?

nope, but i searched and it's this:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131675/

[Van Squalen]

reporting for duty

[Axxman300]

for continuity, it would be nice to have routh and bale, but somehow i don't see it happening... batman begins depicts a really dark world while superman returns depicted a much lighter one (save for luthor trying to physically redraw the world map as we know it)...

didn't they to do a JLA back in the 80s on tv? was it a one-time tv special, with adam west in it?

The Dark Knight and Man of Steel hang out together in the comic book world all the time, they compliment eachother. They're at their best when they have to use their brains as much as solving problems by kicking ass. Between Clark Kent's prowess as an investigative reporter and Bruce Wayne's first class detective work they can spin a compelling story. They should try a Superman and Batman thing first before they try to tackle the JLA.

Smallville has already gotten people interested in Green Arrow and Aquaman again, who knows what they can do with a good script.

[YankeeRose]

I don't think it will happen. Are Christian Bale (Batman Begins) and Brandon Routh going to star in the same movie? Or are they going to get new actors to play Batman and Superman? That would be dumb to have two actors playing the same character at the same time, if they got new actors to play them.

[csm5150]

I was a big fan of JLA and JLU on Cartoon Network. Granted, they never had enough Batman stories and focused more on the boy scout, but that's just me. I'd like to see an animated movie-that certainly would be interesting and could get all the big name heroes on one screen. I did enjoy on CN how Batman/Superman would sometimes go back and forth w/one another. The time where Superman was going to finish Darkseid and Batman stopped him as the planet was blowing up around them.

[csm5150]

I was a big fan of JLA and JLU on Cartoon Network. Granted, they never had enough Batman stories and focused more on the boy scout, but that's just me. I'd like to see an animated movie-that certainly would be interesting and could get all the big name heroes on one screen. I did enjoy on CN how Batman/Superman would sometimes go back and forth w/one another. The time where Superman was going to finish Darkseid and Batman stopped him as the planet was blowing up around them.

[ZeoBandit]

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option...1&article=3138

IESB Exclusive: Yes, More Justice League Stuff but BIG NEWS! Superman Written by IESB Staff
Friday, 24 August 2007

The IESB has gotten some more Justice League info to share with its readers today, but don’t get bored, this stuff is hot!!

Two things we will address, the mo-cap rumor and the casting of Superman. Yes folks, this is big!

First things first, the IESB has been in the business of confessions lately using bamboo and Chinese water torture techniques to get everything we can out of anyone that knows anything about this film. And we’ve got some incredible news to share!

We are simultaneously breaking this news on G4’s Attack of the Show at 4 pm PST / 7pm ET, so if you’d rather watch IESB’s Robert Sanchez tell you this directly on the air, then check that out, otherwise, continue reading…

The motion capture rumor that we received earlier this week caused us to do some deep digging on the JLA production. Here’s what we have found out. Yes there will be motion capture used in the film but it will not be an all out “motion capture production.” Heavy motion capture will be used for the OMACs, the underwater sequences and such. So, all in all, this will be a traditionally made film with some motion capture characters, pretty much like every big fantasy movie these days. So that appears to be the final word on that subject. Now onto the big stuff!

Bale and Routh are flat out, for sure, but who does WB want to replace them with? Studio sources have exclusively revealed to the IESB that someone has been approached to fill the shoes of the Man of Steel!

Get ready Smallville fans, your fantasies of Tom Welling in a cape are getting ready to come true. Yes that’s right, Tom Welling, TV’s Clark Kent, has been approached to take up the Superman role in the Justice League film. This has been a hope of Smallville fans for years and all indications are that WB has finally heard the call.

We contacted Tom Welling’s reps over at CAA and were quickly (and I mean quickly!) transferred to the PR department of theatrical releases for comment, we are waiting on an official comment at this time.

But what about the shooting schedule of Smallville that is supposed to go through around April you ask? Word is, the production of Smallville in Vancouver is even willing to work around whatever Welling’s schedule may be in order for their small screen superhero to make the jump to theaters. Or my thought is, maybe they will continue and completely turn the show over to the new girl in town, Kara, aka Supergirl.

We have contacted the Smallville production office and are awaiting a call back. We also contacted Warner Bros. corporate communications who handles projects in development. When we asked if they would give us a comment on George Miller (the soon to be announced director) or Tom Welling the answer we got was, “No.”

We’ve got this locked in from multiple sources, again, Chinese water torture goes a LONG WAY! But that’s the word!

Now how does this affect the Bryan Singer Superman franchise or the Chris Nolan Batman films? What we are hearing from the WB camp is that it doesn’t affect them at all. The Nolan Batman films will continue, the Singer Superman films we have been told will continue and Justice League will have its own storyline and universe. Very similar to what DC does nowadays in the animated world with these characters.

Stay tuned to the IESB for further updates on Justice League of America!

UPDATE: We’ve gotten a few emails about the Supermanhomepage debunking. As we updated in the Tom Welling article, Supermanhomepage.com is saying Al Gough says no, Welling is not involved in the JLA movie. But, I am telling you, we have triple checked this out and all indications are that Tom Welling in fact is a go on the WB side. I rechecked with my sources and they are all still saying yes, yes Tom Welling, yes Justice League, yes production starts early next year and yes Smallville will have to work around it. Believe me, the IESB will be the first to post a retraction on a story if we are proved wrong, but right now, this is what we are hearing. We have been sitting on the Tom Welling info for almost a week and finally felt we had gathered enough back-up to post it. Currently, we’ve got a lead on who is being looked at for Batman but we need some further info and confirmation before we announce it!

Stay tuned to the IESB for further updates!

[Menlow]

My favorite cartoon as a kid. Watching it on the CN really takes me back to Saturday mornings.

I hope they use the three stars flying out as a segue to the next scene in the movie.

[twonabomber]

i dunno...could be an expensive movie to make. and with too many characters there's the possibility of shit for character development.

[Majestic]

That's the beauty of it, though. Superman & Batman don't NEED any introduction or explanation.

It's not like X-Men, where your average moviegoer (not the people in this thread, obviously) didn't even know who Wolverine was.

X-Men has a few poorly written characters, especially in the 3rd one, but I think this movie can work.

I AGREE with your concern, believe me. By no means, however, is this film impossible. Superman could show up in the last 30 minutes of the film, and people would still recognize him, and what he stands for, and how he can be hurt.

This will give Apache Chief the time for character development and spotlight that he deserves. Ahem. >cough< Just kidding!