WB Preparing JUSTICE LEAGUE for 2009

hmm. i'm still scratching my head on this one. it would be nice if they would just use the same actors/actresses for all of the movies, but i guess that would make way too much sense.

Okay then. Who wants to start taking bets before this gets shitcanned again? This film has had its problems from the get go.

Hah Lobezno, I'd be on the betting floor with you but I've also had my doubts for this film getting made for months. Enough so that when I did write up the 1,000th rumor for the project, I was tempted to end it with:

"Justice League will hit theaters when Hell Freezes Over."

:)

But WB does seem hell bent on getting this production rolling. At least, they seem hell bent on it today. Who knows what I'll be writing up in three days when some other news report or rumor crosses the wires stating the exact opposite.

I find the whole mess a bit silly on their parts. Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have already expressed their frustration on a different Batman in this Justice League film before they can finish the 3rd Batman film in their series. Why would WB feel like pissing those two off for something as dangerous as this JLA film?

I say dangerous because there's a lot "What-ifs" in terms of this production, these confirmed castings and how the final product will look for audiences.

Whereas a larger percent of the public already know what Nolan/Bale can deliver in the Batman series. It seems to me that WB is risking a proven success over a risky adventure and that course of action doesn't seem very wise.

Personally, I think Marvel Films seems to be doing the smart thing and testing their heroes individually before bringing together an Avengers film.

Totally agree with you Jarrod regarding Marvel. As of right now, Marvel already has two very lucrative franchises in X-Men and Spiderman. The Blade trilogy also did very well. With Iron Man looking as promising as it does and all of the intrigue surrounding the Hulk reboot and Wolverine spin-off Marvel is currently in the driver's seat as far as comics-to-film. Where as DC has only a GREAT Batman film and a decent, poorly recieved Superman film to show for itself. I get the feeling WB/ DC do not want to or cannot wait to cultivate an audience for their respective properties and are going to get this rushed to production just to try to keep up with Marvel. Which is a shame because as we all know, if JLA was done properly it could/would be EPIC.

Things that will happen before this movie is released:

...the Chicago Cubs win the World Series

...Roger Clemens actually admits he took PEDs

...Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama kiss and make up

...the BCS incorporates a playoff system in college football

...Major League Baseball institutes a salary cap for the sport

...Lindsay Lohan is able to stay out of rehab for more than a month

...a week goes by without any Britney Spears shenanigans

...the sun rises in the west

The problem with the Marvel approach to an Avengers film is that it will never get made. If the individual films are successful then it will cost way too much money to get the stars of the indivdual films on board - that is even if agreement can be reached on a script! One star will want a bigger role and that will mean another one has a smaller role, which means that they will want to pull out etc.

For example, I cannot imagine that Bale would join a JLA film unless Batman was the main focus, and even then he might still not want to, particularly if he wanted to do roles other than Bruce Wayne/Batman.

The Marvel strategy might mean that the public are more inclined to accept it but ultimately Batman and Superman are known entities outside of their portrayals by Bale and Routh. Batman and Superman films don't need big name stars in the title role to sell them - Neither Bale or Routh were big names before those films (and arguably Routh at least, still isn't).

If a JLA film is to be done in practical terms, with a budget that is any way manageable that still allows for the epic action sequences it would take to make it good, it needs to be done with a cast of relatively unknowns who will not charge massive fees and have script approval.

Warner Bros will get this movie made and not only that but you will all go see it at the theaters. Don't lie to yourself, you know it to be true. I'm not sold on the cast, just on Common and maybe Brody as Flash.
Anyway this movie will make tons of cash just like Fantastic Four and X-Men 3. I don't know if it will recoup it's money back, cause $200 mil is a lot but we'll see.
Now for the film being a good movie, well that's a different story. Like I've mentioned before, OMACs, Bats vs. Superman, story similar to Infinite Crisis all sound good to me to have a good JL film. But then again Dark Phoenix also sounded good :)

As far as Marvel goes, when will The Avengers come out if they are waiting to launch separate franchises for each character and why are they making an Ant Man film?

The sad thing hanso, is that you are right. This movie will most likely get made and make good money, and I`ll go see it, but just like X3 and arguably FF, it will suck major donkey balls! I honestly don`t think WB/DC care if its good or not, as long as it makes money, which is a damn shame.

Having different actors play the characters is like having different artists draw the comics with their own versions of the heroes. Nobody stops buying comics for that reason, so why should it be any different in the comic to movie arena? There is no validation to support that this will not be a good movie, just because you don't like the set up. When Keanu Reeves first was said to be in the Matrix, I thought that was a horrible idea. But it worked out. Good story can make it happen.

The only question is George Miller, whom to my knowledge has not tackled an action film since Mad Max? Am I wrong?

Even Joe Quesada, who probably has some insight, said that it's a long shot for the Avengers movie to actually have the same cast as the solo projects. So. although the concept sounds good, it's not likely. If each individual movie is succesful then it'll be turned into a trilogy which would mean that we wouldn't get an actual Avengers movie until about 2018.
I like what DC is doing. A young cast to keep costs down and allow for several sequels. The JL is probably better known through out the world due to the SuperFriends and all the recent animated series that have been aired, so I think success is pretty much a guarantee. And everything I've heard about the script sounds really good to me.
Batman and Superman have their own franchises, I don't see what the big deal is having them appear in the JL film. I don't think anyone that follows these characters is going to have any problem accepting two different story lines. And if Nolan and Bale are so upset, let them quit the franchise. I loved Bale as Batman, but he is replaceable IMO. And Nolan's Batman is maybe the third or possibly the fourth best live action Batman film. So I'm confident that there are other directors more than capable of stepping in and probably surpassing Nolan's work.
Go for it WB. Like hanso said even the nay sayers will be front and center at the theaters to see this as soon as it opens, I know I will be.