Justice League Movie: Blogged and Memo to WB

Kevin Smith · 06-27-2008, 07:35 PM

Welcome to "Justice League Movie: Blogged and Memo to WB", where I (and you) let WB and others know what I want in a JLA film, and how to make it worth while. In other words, these are my suggestions on how to make JLA great.

I for one hope and think it will happen. And while I'd love to see individual films first leading up into a big ensemble JLA film, it isn't gonna happen. A JLA film is the best chance we've got at seeing of DC's finest on screen. If WB/DC had been smarter a few years ago when they started to recycle the Batman and Superman film franchises, they could've set the two respective films up in the same universe, establishing a DC film U, but they didn't, so there is no way that we'll be seeing individual films that lead into JLA first, and we especially won't be seeing Singer's Superman and Nolan's Batman in an ensemble movie together. Just face the reality and accept that a JLA film will happen first, hopefully it will be good and will serve as a springboard for individual DC character films like Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etc. Short of doing individual character films first that lead into an Justice League film, this is the best way t o do it.

2010 IS THE ONLY CHANCE

Look, Marvel has the Avengers scheduled for release in 2011, which, I don't know if you've noticed, is gonna be HUGE. If DC wants to beat Marvel to the punch with a big superhero team movie, a JLA film HAS to be put out BEFORE the Avengers. If not, Marvel will have out done DC in just about every way possible on screen and a JLA movie will seem second best, like a Johnny-come-lately after the Avengers comes out. I say get this thing into production and let's get it out there, dammit, before people get sick of these movies!

RESPECT THE SOURCE

The closer a comics film is to the source material, the more successful it is. Iron Man and Spider-Man, among other films, are proof of that. There is no need to completely reinvent the characters from what they were in the comics into.....whatever. Now when I say "respect the source", I don't mean to tell an exact comic book story, panel for panel, on film, I mean keep the status quo of the comic books, the simple, obvious stuff, and tell just tell a new story with it. For instance, don't give Superman a bastard child, make Batman a killer, have Krypton never explode, have the Martian Manhunter be from someplace other than Mars, alter costumes majorly, etc, don't do things that go against the status quo that the comics have established over the course of years, the things that are constants with all the characters' stories. Just play with the toys that are ALREADY THERE. Keep the characters' stories, costumes, and everything else as close to the books as realistically possible and create a story that is best fit for film.

NO SECOND STRINGERS

This film has gotta have the classic, original, A-list lineup: Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. The Flash. Green Lantern. Martian Manhunter. Aquaman. Anything else would be an abomination. It's gotta be the A-List, especially in the first movie.

NO LESS THAN 2 HOURS & 15 MINUTES LONG

A film this size, with SO many (iconic) characters, simply can't be done under 2 hours. It. Just. Can't. I've heard rumors that the film was supposed to be 90 minutes, that's a completely ridiculous runtime and will be crap if cut like that. All the characters must be well developed, anything under 2 1/4 hours ain't gonna cut it. WB, you guys have a Batman film coming up that's over 2 hours and 30 minutes, a JLA with a similar runtime shouldn't be a problem.

HOLY TRINITY

Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. Capitalize on these guys! Advertise 'em like crazy! Everyone knows who Superman and Batman are, most people can recognize WW, people will go crazy over them being in a movie together! People who are unfamiliar with the other League members who may not even be aware of the JLA as a comics team will go and see a movie with Superman and Batman in it. It must live up to the hype. These 3 must be featured very prominently throughout the film. A JLA movie can't be made without the big 3. To quote Brad Meltzer on the matter, "That'd be like throwing a seventies party and saying 'no crappy clothes'".

HAL JORDAN

I know that DC/WB is keen on using John Stewart to add some ethnic diversity to the team (Martian Manhunter is green, but I guess that doesn't count cuz he isn't real

), and that's fine by me because Hal Jordan is getting his own Green Lantern film. But Hal Jordan is a major fan favorite, and a lot of people have expressed how pissed off they are over John being used instead Hal in the film. Is there a solution? Yes. Compromise. John Stewart can be the main Green Lantern in the JLA film, but have Hal show up in a scene and converse with John. Just 40 seconds of face-time for Hal Jordan and fans will go wild and will love the movie to death. If Marvel can get Tony Stark to have a 90 second scene with Thunderbolt Ross at the end of Incredible Hulk then surely DC/WB can get Hal to cameo in JLA. Besides, what better way to establish to audiences that there's more than one Green Lantern then to have Hal and John appear in the same film? This will also get more people interested in the Green Lantern film, and will help them accept Hal Jordan, who is a white guy, being the GL in the GL film. So there ya have it, John is the main GL featured in the JLA film, but Hal shows up for a half a minute cameo. Done. Everyone's happy. It doesn't drastically change the film one bit, if anything, it gets it more fan support.

THE FLASH

I don't know for sure which Flash WB and CO are planning on using, but may I make a suggestion? BARRY ALLEN. Why? Well, first of all, he's the most self contained of all the Flashes, you don't have to know who Jay Garrick, Wally West, or Bart Allen are in order to know who Barry is. To tell Wally's story, Barry has to be established first, Wally's character's entire reason for being is is based on Barry Allen. Wally was Kid Flash, Barry's sidekick and nephew, like Robin to Batman, before he became Flash, and from what I hear, WB isn't keen on there being more than 1 Flash in their film, I don't blame them. As if it isn't enough for audiences to accept one speedster and the rest of the JLA, they have to accept a Flash sidekick, who's essentially a miniature Barry Allen? Pretty thin, and not a good idea for the first big screen outing for the character from where I sit. Secondly, Barry Allen has the coolest secret identity; he's a forensic scientist, which is, I don't know if you've noticed, an extremely popular job in entertainment these days. Look at CSI Miami, Bones, Silent Witness, Criminal Minds, Dexter, NCIS, Monk, all popular and successful shows about forensic scientists, a superhero with this job would be very well accepted, Barry is that superhero. Also, he's the only Flash to consistently have a secret identity. Up until recently (for over 18 years), Wally's identity was publicly known, he was viewed as a sort of celebrity, similar to the Fantastic 4. Barry Allen also has the best origin (also the most self contained); "Barry Allen is a 24 year old police scientist with a reputation for being very slow, deliberate, and frequently late, which frustrated his girlfriend/eventual fiancée, Iris West. One night, as he was preparing to leave work, a lightning bolt shattered a case full of chemicals and spilled them all over him. As a result, Barry found that he could run extremely fast, had matching reflexes, and had complete control over his molecular structure. He donned a red suit sporting a lightning bolt, dubbed himself the Flash, and became a crimefighter" (- wikipedia). 'Nuff said. He was also a founding member of the original JLA, even suggesting the word "justice" be used in the alliance's name. Barry would be the best Flash to translate to film. The only way they could possibly use Wally would be if they took Barry's story and gave it to Wally, much like the JLU show did. Not to mention that Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver are re-launching the Flash comic this January (Jan 2009) with Barry Allen as the lead Flash again in Flash: Rebirth, much like they did with Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern comic back in 2005, so it would be great if the on screen Flash were the same as the Flash in the current comic books. Also, WB and CO, while the Flash character, namely Barry and Wally, has always maintained a good sense of humor, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't make the Flash a complete joke. He can be humorous, even the team's so called "comedy relief", but do not make the Flash into a joke. I don't think he should be played as jokey as he was on the JL/JLU show played him, the Flash on that show's personality was much more in line with Bart Allen's from his Impulse days then that of the actual Wally West or Barry Allen. I don't want to see the Flash doing something stupid every time he shows up just for a cheap laugh from the audience, The Flash is a sensible guy, not an idiot and shouldn't be played that way.

NO MORE SUPERMAN THE WUSS

WB and CO, Take a cue from the JLU show and Byrne era Superman and have Supes kick some long over due ass this time, please. All the way back to the Reeve films, WB has played Superman as a punching bag wimp. No more. Let Superman cut loose, Superman shouldn't take **** from no one, let him FIGHT something. Give us a the REAL Superman, the tough, ass kicking Superman.

BATMAN: THE THINKING MAN

Fer godsakes, this Batman has got to be a smart one. The JLA Batman needs to be Batman the detective, the tactician, the thinking man, the guy who can outsmart everyone, who's physically the least powerful on the team, but if he puts his mind to it he can do anything. If he puts his mind to it he could destroy every member on the team. That's the only way Batman can be valuable to the League, he's "the smart one". He's also got to be the technological genius, the guy with all the gadgets and things, he's got to be inventive, he built the Watchtower, the League's headquarters, the batmobile, etc. Those aspects of Batman need to be focused on very heavily in this film, because if they aren't, Batman's just a guy who's good at hiding and beating up people, which isn't very impressive or useful when compared to the guy who can throw mountains, or the guy who can move at lightspeed, or the guy who can read minds and fly, etc. The JLA Batman has to be a bi t t more of a sci fi type Batman instead of the "real world" Batman of the Nolan's films in order to fit into the world of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and the JLA.

A VILLAIN WORTHY OF THEIR TALENTS

Darkseid. The White Martians. Brainiac. Mongul. Amazo. Max Lord and the OMACs. Despero. Anyone of these would make a great choice for the JLA's first big screen outing. There should be lots of fights and battles throughout the movie, Transformers scale stuff. Have Supes and Darkseid have a showdown while the rest of the League fights parademons, stuff like that. It has to be HUGE.

NO ORIGIN, PLEASE

There's no need to have Justice League be an origin film. I just don't see the reason. They're 7 superheroes, there doesn't have to be an elaborate explanation for why they team exists. If individual characters' origins are mentioned or explained briefly, that's fine, but there's no need for this to be a long winded origin film, IMO.

STAPLES OF THE LEAGUE

Martian Manhunter is a MUST. He must be in this film. He's got many awesome abilities, he looks cool, he's one of DC's most interesting characters, he has to be in this film. He's become one of DC's most popular characters in such a short amount of time because of the cartoons. Even my mom likes him. He doesn't need a part as major as Superman, Batman, WW, Flash, or even GL, but he needs to be there and have a purpose. Aquaman should be in it too, however he won't need to be shown that much, out of all the characters, he could have the least amount of face-time.That said, when he does show up, WB and CO, don't treat him as a joke because he lives under water and can communicate with sea creatures. Show why he's valuable to the League. If not, then don't even include him in the film. Perhaps in sequels The Atom (Ray Palmer), and Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Hawkman & Hawkgirl, and Black Canary could have cameos.

CASTING WITH JUSTICE

Cast very carefully. If many unknowns are cast for the heroes, they must be able to look and sound like them and ACT. However, a film like this needs some star power, a familiar face needs to be in it, whether it's as a villain or hero or even a supporting character, there must be at least 1-2 big names with a project this size, in my opinion. Granted, some of the characters will sell the movie itself, like Superman and Batman, but the rest of the Leaguers, unfortunately, won't be getting that much attention unless there's a bigger name playing them or there's a big name in the film. Look at Iron Man, most people had no idea who that character was but they knew who Robert Downey Jr. was, and that's what got their attention, that he was playing a character like that, and ultimately, I think that factored into the film's success. Something similar needs to be done with the League. I'm not saying cast big names as all the heroes or even most the heroes, but for some par ts, maybe a vi llain, there need s to be a big name cast. While GOOD unknowns are...good, a film this size can't support itself on only nobodies, a big name needs to be thrown in somewhere.

GET PEOPLE WHO GIVE A DAMN

This goes for director, writer, costume designer, etc, if the people don't care about the source material, then the film doesn't work. Remember, the closer it is to the source material, the more successful the film is, which is why it's so important that the makers of the movie care about the JLA.

THEY HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THE JLA

Look, the JLA ain't X-Men. Their suits are iconic, they mean something, they're individuals, they're a major part of what makes them so recognizable. Wonder Woman needs to look like Wonder Woman. Superman needs to look like Superman. The Flash needs to look The Flash. Martian Manhunter needs to look like the Martian Manhunter, and dare I say it, Batman needs to look like Batman. I'm not saying that the suits need to be made out of cheap spandex and tighty tights, but the overall look of the characters needs maintain the appearance they've had in the comics. Make the suits out of stylish materials, like the Spider-Man movie suit, or Daredevil movie suit, or even the Superman Returns suit's material, there's a way to do the comic book suits and make them look good without compromising the classic comic book looks. It doesn't have to be "Adam West" or plastic/rubbery Tim Burton, there are plenty of different styles and materials to chose from to make each character look believable and respectful of their comics counterparts. They shouldn't look like X-Men or wear black rubber/plastic or junk hugging, peter pan tights. There is a way to get the costumes right.

IMPRESSIVE. MOST IMPRESSIVE

Do something people have never seen before, make the audience feel like they've been somewhere. Do some really epic stuff, impress people with the SFX and fight scenes. Do trivial things that will excite people (examples) like Superman and Flash having a race, show how Martian Manhunter shape shifts, have GL make giant hands or whatever with his ring, do a close up of the Flash vibrating his molecules so he can pass thru solid objects, or have him run up the side of a building, stuff like that and more. Make people remember the movie. Do some Star Wars-ian, real epic type stuff.

TEAM SCORE

The JLA movie soundtrack must not be anything short of Williamsesque if you catch my drift. It can't be filled with secular tunes that will make the film look dated ten years from now. It also must have a score that holds up with the rest of the film, unlike some of the greatest latest comics film, such as Iron Man, Batman Begins, and Incredible Hulk (great stories, poor scores). In other words, WB and CO, get somebody like John Willaims to score it.

NOT ANOTHER CARTOON

No way should it be anything other than live action, dammit. I think it would take away from the film's box office and wouldn't quite do the characters, who have been waiting a loooooongtime to be in a live action, big budget movie, if you'll pardon my choice of word, JUSTICE. Save the "mo-cap" crap video game stuff or whatever for DTVs or TV. Besides, THE AVENGERS is gonna be live action.

AN AMERICAN NAME

Look, I'm all for having "America" in the name, but I have a feeling that Justice League of America would make for too long of a title, and not everyone would get the acronym "JLA", plus WB and CO are concerned with how to market a film with "America" in its name overseas. So I say that the film simply be called "Justice League" and in the film the League can be referred to as JLA (Justice League of America) and Justice league, JLA can be the logo on their headquarters, equipment, etc. It's a nice compromise and I think it'd work.

DON'T LISTEN TO THE HATERS

I'm talking about the ungrateful nits who say they don't ever want a JLA film (but will go see it opening day heheh). The people who are constantly prophecying "doom and gloom" for a JLA film, a film of which they actually know very, very little about. Don't worry about them. Once some pictures and a trailer are released they'll be all over how awesome the film is, so pay no attention to the petty whiners who don't want a JLA film made cuz it'll "get in the way of their Batman and/or Superman films", which is complete BS, by the way. The more success and exposure these characters have, the better, it keeps them household names (in a good way), makes more money for DC/WB, and is a win/win scenario for we, the fans, who get to see more of our respective heroes. I have no problem with Bale and Routh's Batman and Superman being on screen the same time as the JLA's Batman and Superman. I will go see them all. (Just make it good!

)

Now hopefully, somebody important reading this will take my suggestions into consideration and we'll have a truly awesome JLA film. I wish WB and CO the best with all their DC Comics based projects and hope for the best with this film.

Webhead2006 · 06-28-2008, 01:19 AM

Great post man, that is what JLA film should be.

theMan-Bat · 06-28-2008, 01:22 AM

Absolutely.

dnno1 · 06-28-2008, 08:50 AM

I have a few comments. I know that a lot of people spout out comments like "respecting" or "being faithful to' the source material, but isn't it really about being creative and using things about the characters that we like to see and not necessarily sticking to the source material? I can think of a number of films that did (remain faithful to the source material) and turned out to be big disappointments (i.e. the first "Captain America" and "Fantastic Four" films back in the early 90's and "Tank Girl"). Secondly how do we know what the characters really sound like to make a judgment on who should be cast? Their dialogs are all in print. You couldn't mean we should base it off the cartoons since there are many versions of the characters speech pattern that we could follow. Finally, I know that John Stewart was originally chosen for diversity, but he contributed to making the JL and JLU series a big hit. I think he is more well known and popular amongst the younger crowd and it would be a big disappointment to see a loss of attendance if he were not in the film. I think they should "dance with the woman that brung ya" in that aspect. Outside of that those are very good points and I am sure that somebody is taking note.

darkseid26 · 06-28-2008, 09:27 AM

very well done KS

GreenKToo · 06-28-2008, 09:29 AM

Good post Kevin.

dnno1: those films you refered to that remained faithful to the source material in the early 90's but disappointed, had budgets of about $2.99.

If W.B. gives J.L. a big budget, remains close to the source material, and gets good actors in the roles, then it should be a success.
Do it on the cheap, and we'll be lucky to ever see these heroes on the big screen again. At least for a long time anyway.

Brainiac58 · 06-28-2008, 09:29 AM

Great Post Kevin! You should e-mail it to WB. I would be happy with either Hal or John as Green lantern or Barry or Wally as Flash. Otherwise I agree 100%.

GreenKToo · 06-28-2008, 09:34 AM

Worth a shot, but I doubt it will do anygood.

EDIT: in case anyone cares, Boom is having a J.L. marathon all day today.

dnno1 · 06-28-2008, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenKToo

Good post Kevin.

dnno1: those films you refered to that remained faithful to the source material in the early 90's but disappointed, had budgets of about $2.99.

If W.B. gives J.L. a big budget, remains close to the source material, and gets good actors in the roles, then it should be a success.
Do it on the cheap, and we'll be lucky to ever see these heroes on the big screen again. At least for a long time anyway.

Ah, but it wasn't sticking to the source material that was their downfall now, was it? Even with a big budget you could still make a film go south or disappoint even if you stick to the source material ("Superman Returns", "Batman and Robin"). Remember, "The Matrix" was done on the cheap and it turned out to be a big hit. It is really more about being creative and having things that people like about the character in the film than being faithful to the source material.

dnno1 · 06-28-2008, 10:34 AM

Double post.

Webhead2006 · 06-28-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenKToo

Good post Kevin.

dnno1: those films you refered to that remained faithful to the source material in the early 90's but disappointed, had budgets of about $2.99.

If W.B. gives J.L. a big budget, remains close to the source material, and gets good actors in the roles, then it should be a success.
Do it on the cheap, and we'll be lucky to ever see these heroes on the big screen again. At least for a long time anyway.

Good post, yea do things cheaply and not caring for the material will be a big downfall for the film.

Kevin Smith · 06-28-2008, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnno1

I have a few comments. I know that a lot of people spout out comments like "respecting" or "being faithful to' the source material, but isn't it really about being creative and using things about the characters that we like to see and not necessarily sticking to the source material? I can think of a number of films that did (remain faithful to the source material) and turned out to be big disappointments (i.e. the first "Captain America" and "Fantastic Four" films back in the early 90's and "Tank Girl"). Secondly how do we know what the characters really sound like to make a judgment on who should be cast? Their dialogs are all in print. You couldn't mean we should base it off the cartoons since there are many versions of the characters speech pattern that we could follow. Finally, I know that John Stewart was originally chosen for diversity, but he contributed to making the JL and JLU series a big hit. I think he is more well known and popular amongst the younger crowd and it would be a big disappointment to see a loss of attendance if he were not in the film. In that aspect I think they should "dance with the woman that brung ya" in that aspect. Outside of that those are very good points and I am sure that somebody is taking note.

Thanks for your comment. I've edited the section of the post regarding what I think respecting the source is, I advise you to read that.

Kevin Smith · 06-28-2008, 01:43 PM

Webhead, ManBat, dnno1, darkseid, GreenToo, Brainiac, and to everyone else who comments, thank you for your kind words. I appreciate you guys taking the time to read my post.

Kevin Smith · 06-28-2008, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Webhead2006

Good post, yea do things cheaply and not caring for the material will be a big downfall for the film.

Exactly.

Kevin Smith · 06-28-2008, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brainiac58

Great Post Kevin! You should e-mail it to WB. I would be happy with either Hal or John as Green lantern or Barry or Wally as Flash. Otherwise I agree 100%.

I'd actually email it to WB if I had some contact info, lol. But in the mean time, because of the positive reactions this post has recieved (thanks to you guys

), I'm considering posting this at a couple other sites I'm a member at (does that count as spamming???).

And in regards to the Flash/GL comment, I think that it's better that the film isn't an origin if they're going to use John Stewart as GL, that way they can still have it as tho the original 7 (Supes, Bats, WW, Barry, Hal, Aquaman, and MM) actually founded the League, but they don't have to show it, they can reference it if need be. To do an origin with John as GL would kinda contradict the comics mythos, IMO (same with Wally as Flash). And as for Flash I think it's good that they use Barry in JLA, get audiences familiar with him, establish him, as he is pretty much the foundation for Wally and Bart, without him they don't come into being, then do an individual Flash film with Barry, and in the second Flash film introduce Wally and maybe have Wally take over as Flash. That way people will get Wally West and won't go "Barry who?" whenever Barry comes up. Like the comics, which had established Barry over the course of 30 years and established Wally as his protege, so when Wally became Flash it didn't come out of left field for people, something similar should be done with the movies, IMO.

Kevin Smith · 06-28-2008, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenKToo

Worth a shot, but I doubt it will do anygood.

EDIT: in case anyone cares, Boom is having a J.L. marathon all day today.

It is? Awesome. I have comcast now, and unfortunately I don't think Boom is available. I have all the DVDs tho lol.

TheVileOne · 06-28-2008, 02:18 PM

WB won't beat Marvel to the punch. And if the point is to try and rush the movie and beat Marvel at Avengers, then it will definitely fail.

Webhead2006 · 06-28-2008, 04:01 PM

Yea it would probably fail terribly if they tried to rush it out to beat marvel's avengers. I hope they atless are taking a look at what marvel's approach is doing and try to get atless flash/gl solo film out in like 2010/2011. But since there is a chance wb/dc could end up losing superman in 2013 the whole idea of doing jla now is a good idea cause if they wait and lose the rights we couldnt see supes in a jla film and that would suck not having him around in the film.

The Major · 06-28-2008, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnno1

Ah, but it wasn't sticking to the source material that was their downfall now, was it?

Why don't you like comic films to be faithful to the source material? Not using source material in an adaption is a waste of time. They may as well just call it something else.

Quote:

Even with a big budget you could still make a film go south or disappoint even if you stick to the source material ("Superman Returns", "Batman and Robin").

SR and Batman & Robin didn't stick to the source material. That's why comic fans hate them so much.

Being nothing like the comics was the least of B & R's problems.

Quote:

Remember, "The Matrix" was done on the cheap and it turned out to be a big hit. It is really more about being creative and having things that people like about the character in the film than being faithful to the source material.

It may have been done on the cheap but it was done by film makers who could deliver with that budget with a great cast.

Matrix wasn't an established property with source material in another medium, either. The films were the source material and no-one knew what it was before they released them. If it tanked nobody would have cared.

theMan-Bat · 06-28-2008, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Smith

NO MORE SUPERMAN THE WUSS

WB and CO, Take a cue from the JLU show and Byrne era Superman and have Supes kick some long over due ass this time, please. All the way back to the Reeve films, WB has played Superman as a punching bag wimp. No more. Let Superman cut loose, Superman shouldn't take **** from no one, let him FIGHT something. Give us a the REAL Superman, the tough, ass kicking Superman.

Totally!!!

That's what I've been saying!

Quote:

BATMAN: THE THINKING MAN

The JLA Batman has to be a bi t t more of a sci fi type Batman instead of the "real world" Batman of the Nolan's films in order to fit into the world of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and the JLA.

That is exactly it.

Quote:

A VILLAIN WORTHY OF THEIR TALENTS

Darkseid. The White Martians. Brainiac. Mongul. Amazo. Max Lord and the OMACs. Despero. Anyone of these would make a great choice for the JLA's first big screen outing. There should be lots of fights and battles throughout the movie, Transformers scale stuff. Have Supes and Darkseid have a showdown while the rest of the League fights parademons, stuff like that. It has to be HUGE.

There is so much potential for Justice League movie villains.

Quote:

CASTING WITH JUSTICE

Cast very carefully. If many unknowns are cast for the heroes, they must be able to look and sound like them and ACT. However, a film like this needs some star power, a familiar face needs to be in it, whether it's as a villain or hero or even a supporting character, there must be at least 1-2 big names with a project this size, in my opinion. Look at Iron Man, most people had no idea who that character was but they knew who Robert Downey Jr. was, and that's what got their attention, that he was playing a character like that, and ultimately, I think that factored into the film's success. Something similar needs to be done with the League. While GOOD unknowns are...good, a film this size can't support itself on only nobodies.

Absolutely! And don't cast predominantly younger actors like Smallville, who George Miller hopes would "grow into their roles someday." I want the Justice League, grown up men and women, not Peter Parker's, or "cool" inexperienced stupid collage age brats. The adult Justice League, not Superboy, Batboy and Wonder Girl, not Teen Titans or Smallville: The Movie!
This:

Not more of this:

Quote:

TEAM SCORE

The JLA movie soundtrack must not be anything short of Williamsesque if you catch my drift. It can't be filled with secular tunes that will make the film look dated ten years from now. It also must have a score that holds up with the rest of the film, unlike some of the greatest latest comics film, such as Iron Man, Batman Begins, and Incredible Hulk (great stories, poor scores). In other words, WB and CO, get somebody like John Willaims to score it.

Danny Elfman! He would give Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman their own individual scores.

Quote:

NOT ANOTHER CARTOON

No way should it be anything other than live action, dammit. I think it would take away from the film's box office and wouldn't quite do the characters, who have been waiting a loooooongtime to be in a live action, big budget movie, if you'll pardon my choice of word, JUSTICE. Save the "mo-cap" crap video game stuff or whatever for DTVs or TV. Besides, THE AVENGERS is gonna be live action.

Right. New Frontier is great, now give us a live-action Justice League movie, and please take it seriously.

Quote:

AN AMERICAN NAME

Look, I'm all for having "America" in the name, but I have a feeling that Justice League of America would make for too long of a title, and not everyone would get the acronym "JLA", plus WB and CO are concerned with how to market a film with "America" in its name overseas. So I say that the film simply be called "Justice League" and in the film the League can be referred to as JLA (Justice League of America) and Justice league, JLA can be the logo on their headquarters, equipment, etc. It's a nice compromise and I think it'd work.

Good idea. Just Justice League, or simply, Justice.

Tag279 · 06-28-2008, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMan-Bat

Totally!!!

That's what I've been saying!

That's is exactly it.

There is so much potential for Justice League movie villains.

Abosultely! And don't cast predominantly younger actors like Smallville, who George Miller hopes would "grow into their roles someday." I want the Justice League, grown up men and women, not Peter Parker's, or "cool" inexperienced stupid college-age brats. The adult Justice League, not Superboy, Batboy and Wonder Girl, not Teen Titans or Smallville: The Movie!
This:

Not more of this:

Danny Elfman! He would give Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman their own individual score.

Right. New Frontier is great, now give us a live-action Justice League movie, and please take it seriously.

Good idea. Just Justice League, or simply, Justice.

Man-Bat I agree with you 100% And Kevin great post

"WB won't beat Marvel to the punch. And if the point is to try and rush the movie and beat Marvel at Avengers, then it will definitely fail." (The vile one)

And vile one, you hit the nail on the head; Personally I don't see what is wrong with both JLA or the Avengers out in 2010 during the same summer. One at the beging and the other at the middle or end. Hell I would love it.

DC has got to do an origin story for a couple of the characters just for the sake of depth. Aquaman and The Flash IMO need an origin story done to introduce them. Bats Supes and WW don't need origin stories most folks are familiar with them.

These heroes need a reason to come together. And the writers of a JLA film need to keep this in mind. THe problem has got to be something big.

The Major · 06-28-2008, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tag279

Bats Supes and WW don't need origin stories most folks are familiar with them.

This is where I disagree with you.

The public know all about Batman and Superman since WB has been flooding their entertainment branches with material for decades.

WW has only had the Linda Carter tv show, Super Friends and JLU. The only version which did a good job of this was JLU and they still radically changed her origin. I bet most people don't actually know her mythos or who the big bads are she has in her rogues gallery.

WW hasn't had one good big budget solo film, Batman and Superman have had several.

Man-Bat and Kevin Smith:

Great posts!

Tag279 · 06-28-2008, 07:35 PM

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