Justice League prevails for Warner Bros.

[BENDIS!]

Justice prevails for Warner Bros.
Studio eyeing DC superhero team feature
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
DC Comics super-team Justice League is heading for the bigscreen.


Michele and Kieran Mulroney

Batman may meet up with Superman on the bigscreen after all -- along with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash and all the rest of DC Comics' biggest names.
Warner Bros., with its major appetite for fresh franchises, is looking to make a feature based on super team the Justice League of America, hiring writing duo Kiernan and Michele Mulroney to pen the script.

It's the first major action the studio has taken on the project.

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 prexy of production Jeff Robinov said in announcing the hiring of the Mulroneys.

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? Studio is also trying hard to bring Wonder Woman to the bigscreen.

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.

Warner also must deal with myriad producers working on the Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman franchises.

Studio dropped its efforts to make "Batman vs. Superman" in order to focus on relaunching "Batman" and "Superman" as individual properties, which it has done.

Filmmakers Chris Nolan ("Batman Begins") and Bryan Singer ("Superman Returns") are each on board to helm the next installments in the two respective franchises. Nolan's "The Dark Knight" is eyeing a 2008 release and the next "Superman," 2009.

The potential payoff of bringing JLA to theaters can't be ignored by Warner, which turns out more tentpoles than any other studio.

Comicbook fans have long clamored for a movie version of JLA, and word of the Warner project is certain to be a hot topic at New York Comic Con, which unspools today in Gotham.

JLA has spawned several cartoon TV series, including 1960s and '70s show "Super Friends" and current Cartoon Network skein "Justice League Unlimited" from Warner Bros. Animation.

The Mulroneys -- Kieran is the brother of thesp Dermot Mulroney -- caught the attention of studios around town with their rewrite of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" for Fox.

Other screenplay projects include "On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction," "Paper Man" and "Worst Case."

Kieran and Michele Mulroney are repped by Creative Artists Agency and Management 360

[CapnChaos]

GIVE IT TO BRUCE TIMM AND PAUL DINI.

That is all.

[Hock]

:rock:

Just hope aquaman isn't on the team.

[Billie]

Ohhhhhh baby!!!!DC film news I can get excited about!

[Ryan Elliott]

Seeing Christian Bale as Batman and Brandon Routh as Superman on the same screen together would about make me slip into a coma from the sheer awesomeness of it.


Add the rest of the Justice League in the same movie? I'd better start preparing my funeral.

[Billie]

I hope this materializes in the next 5 to 6 years.

[BWC Boston]

Hey, look, everyone! A movie that isn't going to get made!

[CapnChaos]

Seeing Christian Bale as Batman and Brandon Routh as Superman on the same screen together would about make me slip into a coma from the sheer awesomeness of it.


Add the rest of the Justice League in the same movie? I'd better start preparing my funeral.

I can't wait to see Superman's retarded kid accidentally kill Batman because he's scared.

[Billie]

Hmmm,can't find much about the writing team on IMDB.

[Juggernaut]

Hey, look, everyone! A movie that isn't going to get made!

Exactly,maybe they should get a real man instead of casting some emo looking pansy for the role superman.

This film will be lucky to see the light of day.

[Vonn Hennigar]

i just can't imagine this ever happening. The budget would be absolutely massive that the film would have to be the biggest film of the year or else disaster would loom.

That said if they did mini- Origin Vignettes Flashbacks and had the team already formed ready for action to begin the film then perhaps they could make it work without it being a movie about Superman and Batman and they're amazing friends.

[BWC Boston]

Exactly,maybe they should get a real man instead of casting some emo looking pansy for the role superman.

This film will be lucky to see the light of day.

I...you and I aren't really saying the same thing.

Personally, I blame your sensei.

[MattJohnson]

I...you and I aren't really saying the same thing.

Personally, I blame your sensei.

Oh wow, super-long memory snap!

[Brandon191]

It's to good to be true.

[The Human Target]

Never ever gonna happen.

They could make a kickass two plus hour feature film though.

[Kirblar]

If they have any brains, they'll replace Aquaman on the team lineup.

[The Human Target]

Yeah, replace Aquaman with Apache Chief.

[Kirblar]

Yeah, replace Aquaman with Apache Chief.
Still an upgrade.

[Mister Mets]

This shoujld be awesome if its pulled off.

The only problem is if Wonder Woman is set during World War 2.....

[CapnChaos]

Still an upgrade.

They could replace him with the Wonder Twins and it would be an upgrade.

[The Human Target]

I'd ditch Martian Manhunter first.

I hates him.

[Piechuck]

I like the Batman universe that Nolan created. I don't want that ruined. If they do it, I rather them have separate actors playing Batman and Superman rather than Bale and Routh.

[Professor Oreo]

Seriously, if Bruce Timm isn't involved those guys are totally fuckin' nuts!

[Sam Little]

Seriously, if Bruce Timm isn't involved those guys are totally fuckin' nuts!

Absolutely.

[BWC Boston]

Oh wow, super-long memory snap!

That thread was AMAZING.

[haloJONES]

here's the line up
batman
superman
green lantern - Guy Gardner - the red-head prick ( for tension) he tries to put the moves on wonder woman and gets a boot to the chest
hawkman or hawkgirl maybe both
green arrow
flash
Zatanna
metamorpho or plastic man (for the fantastic four comparison's)
Mister Terrific (tecnical support in the first movie key player in the second)
captain marvel - for the sequal superman gets injured by magic and the captain is called in to help lend a hand
(not aqua man)

have them battle the legion of doom
lex luthor - co-leader
Vandal Savage- co-leader
grundy
gaganta
reverse flash
mirrormaster
mr freze or Captain Cold
brainiac
Sinestro

[Brewtown Andy]

I'd ditch Martian Manhunter first.

I hates him.Xenophobe.




;)

[BWC Boston]

here's the line up
batman
superman
green lantern - Guy Gardner - the red-head prick ( for tension) he tries to put the moves on wonder woman and gets a boot to the chest
hawkman or hawkgirl maybe both
green arrow
flash
Zatanna
metamorpho or plastic man (for the fantastic four comparison's)
Mister Terrific (tecnical support in the first movie key player in the second)
captain marvel - for the sequal superman gets injured by magic and the captain is called in to help lend a hand
(not aqua man)

have them battle the legion of doom
lex luthor - co-leader
Vandal Savage- co-leader
grundy
gaganta
reverse flash
mirrormaster
mr freze or Captain Cold
brainiac
Sinestro
That's just...way too many.

Probably the animated lineup, minus Martian Manhunter and maybe Hawkgirl.

Though, the animated JUSTICE LEAGUE pilot, if I remember correctly, does a pretty nice job of introducing all the big seven, including the Manhunter. With a big budget, I could see something like that working out. A team of "name" villains would probably have to wait for the sequel, though I could see someone like Vandal Savage acting as a big bad in the initial movie.

...still, it will never happen.

[SteveZegers]

This must happen. For me. Come on guys! Do it for me!

[The Human Target]

Xenophobe.




;)

He's like Superman if Superman was green and sucked harder.

[Ben Weldon]

Seriously, if Bruce Timm isn't involved those guys are totally fuckin' nuts!

I love Bruce Timm but just because he (working with others) made a kick ass Justice League doesnt mean he's the only one who can make a kick ass Justice League.

[bennymatthewtaylor]

That Martian is the soul of the JLA.

Plastic Man? Pishaw! ...Elongated Man and Sue.

[The Human Target]

I'd go with...

Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
The Green Lantern- John Stewart
The Flash
Etrigan the Demon/Jason Blood
Green Arrow
And either Aquaman or Hawkman

Vs

a) Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips

b) The Legion of Doom

Lex Luthor
The Ultra Humanite
Zoom
Felix Faust or Ares
Sinestro
Bizarro or Solomon Grundy
Deathstroke or Prometheus or Cheshire
Doctor Psycho
King Shark or Black Manta
The Joker or Clayface

Or c) Vandal Savage in the far distant future.

And make the fucking thing animated. No CGI.

[Sam Little]

I'd like to see:

Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
Flash
Green lantern
Hawkgirl

vs.

Darkseid or Starro or Martians (with Martian Manhunter changing sides to the JLA at some critical point)

Maybe cameos from Green Arrow, Black Canary and Aquaman

[The Roman Candle]

I can't imagine it working without some combination of Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Dwayne McDuffie.


Doesn't mean it can't.

But probably not.

[YC Comics!]

I'm hoping for the three big guns, along with the the Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary (so we have more than one female character).

They could also go a different direction, and go with a JLA year one type story where Batman, Wonder woman, and Superman aren't involved. That might work as well.

[Evan the Shaggy]

More power to Warner Bros, but I just can't see this happening.

[adamgreenberger]

If they can do this it would be great.

[Ray G.]

I'd love to see it, but it'll never happen. A Teen Titans movie guest-starring some members of the League would be more likely.

And if anyone gets cut from the roster, it'll be GL. Just to avoid the firestorm of which GL to use.

[Ryudo]

I like the Batman universe that Nolan created. I don't want that ruined. If they do it, I rather them have separate actors playing Batman and Superman rather than Bale and Routh.

Okay, considering the fact that it's essentially the same universe, and they name-drop other cities, events, etc in their movies all the time, how would that be ruined?

Just because Batman does something with the JLA doesn't automatically mean that people are going to start showing up in Gotham.

[Evan the Shaggy]

I'd love to see it, but it'll never happen. A Teen Titans movie guest-starring some members of the League would be more likely.

And if anyone gets cut from the roster, it'll be GL. Just to avoid the firestorm of which GL to use.

To say nothing of the fact that he'd probably be the most expensive character to create.

[Ray G.]

To say nothing of the fact that he'd probably be the most expensive character to create.

Definitely. And you've got to choose between four different characters, all of which have their own pluses and minuses. Hal's the iconic GL, but doesn't have the best personality. Kyle is the youngest and would make a good POV character, but has an extremely large group of haters. John is the least popular of the lot, but adds some needed diversity. And Guy is....Guy.

[Bearpod91]

I wonder if they'll reveal any more at NYCC...Man, it's going to be an awesome decade for comic movies.

[TSChamp]

I am just wondering how they are going to play this out. I hope it isn't going to be like the X-men movies where the majority of focus was on Wolverine.

[ZombieSpeedball]

Honestly? Don't expect this movie to happen. And if it did, I would not want Brandon Routh as Superman, that's just bad memories of Superman Returns. I would love to see Christian Bale as Batman in it, though. But this film will not happen, let alone have them fight the Legion of Doom in it. It would never be done right, and to include an evil team like that would basically double the CGI necessary to pull it off. We'd be more likely to see a Wonder Twins movie than see this gigantic epic get pulled off. Which, now that I think about it... no, no, a Wonder Twins movie would still suck. Nevermind.

[Scotty]

Hey, look, everyone! A movie that isn't going to get made!

Beat me to it.

[Ben]

As long as it isn't 45 minutes of them looking at photos of other superheroes and arguing over who respects them more.

[ZombieSpeedball]

As long as it isn't 45 minutes of them looking at photos of other superheroes and arguing over who respects them more.

Superman: ...Booster Gold?
Batman: Dude, that guy's a dick!

[Cth]

Heh, it'll never happen unless the entire movie is about sitting around a table talking.

I mean, really, let's be honest, what kind of film would it need to be?

What kind of threat is so great that Superman AND Batman can't handle it alone?

In other words, something HUGE.

And with the budget it'd get (150 mil?) what can you do with multiple costumes/effects for the main heroes, not counting the bad guy(s) and effects required.

They'd have a better shot at doing it all CGI than live action really.

[Foolish Mortal]

Hey, look, everyone! A movie that isn't going to get made!
I still have doubts that a live-action film with a half dozen people running around in brightly-colored costumes will work. I think it will look silly. That's why they dispensed with the costumes for the X-Men films.

I think DC characters work well individually in live-action, but a whole mess of them on screen would not work.

I'd much rather see a big-budget animated Justice League film.

[Taxman]

:lol:

You put Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in this, you'll end up with by far the most expensive film ever made.

[jason hissong]

Darkseid!

[JBElliott]

GIVE IT TO BRUCE TIMM AND PAUL DINI.

That is all.

That's what WB should do (Collora wouldn't be a bad choice either), but what WB will do is fuck it up. Sure that's the pessimistic anal fan boy in me, but both recent Superman Batman movies missed the mark.

[The Goddamn Schweitz!]

but both recent Superman Batman movies missed the mark.


You thought Batman Begins missed the mark? Wow. You must be impossible to please.

[JBElliott]

They'd have a better shot at doing it all CGI than live action really.

If this is the route they go, and it's not a bad one, then getting Timm and Dini to work the PIXAR guys is the only way to go. I know, I know, legal issues and differnt studios yadda yadda yadda. PIXAR rules and everyone else drools. The JLA deserves the best, which means WB will give them shit.

[JBElliott]

You thought Batman Begins missed the mark? Wow. You must be impossible to please.

Not at all hard to please. They could have taken Year One and shot that with a Sin City level of faithfullness and gotten the perfect Batman movie. Instead they went with some sort of mish-mash combination of the Burton movies and various other crap. A young and confused Bruce Wayne who wants to gun down Joe Chill just doesn't jibe with the young Bruce Wayne who knew from the moment if his parents' deaths that he was going to dedicate his life to fighting crime.

And there were other problems with it as well:


http://newcomicreviews.com/unsorted/23/br1171905362856.jpg

[Ryan Elliott]

Darkseid should be the villain. He either decides that Earth is unfit to exist or he wants to conquer it.


Do it in the same vein of the first Justice League episodes. The heroes already exist, but are called on to take on this massive threat.

[jason hissong]

Darkseid!

[Princesa]

GIVE IT TO BRUCE TIMM AND PAUL DINI.

That is all.


Agreed.

[Blandy vs Terrorism]

Yeah, replace Aquaman with Brother Power the Geek.

I'd see it 56 times in the theaters!

[Jerome Gibbons]

Yeah, they'd probably be better off doing an animated feature (a CGI movie would be great). They could get Routh and Bale to lend their voices. I just...I dunno...a live-action movie about a bunch of people dressed in superhero costumes could be a little...weird...

[The Human Target]

I'd love to see it, but it'll never happen. A Teen Titans movie guest-starring some members of the League would be more likely.

And if anyone gets cut from the roster, it'll be GL. Just to avoid the firestorm of which GL to use.

The term "firestorm" should really be replaced with "maybe a hundred nerds will get mad and pout but still see the movie."

[Jerome Gibbons]

The term "firestorm" should really be replaced with "maybe a hundred nerds will get mad and pout but still see the movie."

Aye.

[Tom Burgos]

here's the line up
batman
superman
green lantern - Guy Gardner - the red-head prick ( for tension) he tries to put the moves on wonder woman and gets a boot to the chest
hawkman or hawkgirl maybe both
green arrow
flash
Zatanna
metamorpho or plastic man (for the fantastic four comparison's)
Mister Terrific (tecnical support in the first movie key player in the second)
captain marvel - for the sequal superman gets injured by magic and the captain is called in to help lend a hand
(not aqua man)

have them battle the legion of doom
lex luthor - co-leader
Vandal Savage- co-leader
grundy
gaganta
reverse flash
mirrormaster
mr freze or Captain Cold
brainiac
Sinestro



Well, a film with that lineup will most likely cost 400 million dollars to make, before marketing.

And I truly doubt that a JLA film will be bigger than Titanic, to justify that budget...

[moonspider]

Hey, look, everyone! A movie that isn't going to get made!





with the way the WB has been going....that might be true

[NATE!]

I wouldn't mind seeing a movie based on Formerly Known As The Justice League. :D

[Hunter Rose]

I wouldn't mind seeing a movie based on Formerly Known As The Justice League. :D

So would I. Funny enough, there was an attempt to do a Justice League tv show with that line-up a while back -- a pilot was shot but it was reportedly lousy and didn't get picked up.

[Jerome Gibbons]

So would I. Funny enough, there was an attempt to do a Justice League tv show with that line-up a while back -- a pilot was shot but it was reportedly lousy and didn't get picked up.

I've seen it. It was shit on bricks. Martian Manhunter looked straight out of a comic book convention.

[SteveZegers]

So would I. Funny enough, there was an attempt to do a Justice League tv show with that line-up a while back -- a pilot was shot but it was reportedly lousy and didn't get picked up.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=justice+league+pilot

[Thomas Mauer]

Not at all hard to please. They could have taken Year One and shot that with a Sin City level of faithfullness and gotten the perfect Batman movie. Instead they went with some sort of mish-mash combination of the Burton movies and various other crap. A young and confused Bruce Wayne who wants to gun down Joe Chill just doesn't jibe with the young Bruce Wayne who knew from the moment if his parents' deaths that he was going to dedicate his life to fighting crime.

And there were other problems with it as well:



Wow, you sound like me when I talk about the Punisher movie.











I'm such a fanboy. :surrend: