Armie Hammer speaks about Justice League

[flash13]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/46833

Quint: I’m fascinated by that stuff, the “almost happened,” the “What if” stuff and just the idea of George Miller doing a JUSTICE LEAGUE movie still… I think it’s going to go down as one of the saddest “This didn’t happen” things ever.

Armie Hammer: And dude I saw it all. Like I saw the prevised fight sequences. I saw the entire storyboarded film that he had in a room ten times the size of this room with storyboards floor to ceiling, so you walked around the entire room and read the movie like a comic book. What he did… He created something that was so magnificent and put so much work into it, the fact that it never got a chance to be seen by daylight or appreciated by those who really would appreciate this more than anything else… I mean he was bringing in the psychology of these characters more than anyone else ever had.

We had psychiatrists with us in our rehearsal process to be like “Why this?” He was like “Well you see, with a delusional character like this, like the Batman, who thinks in this such a way, like a paranoid schizophrenic like this, this would be the motivating factor.” You bring so much more to these characters, because it’s not just “Well in this frame you are going to jump on top of this car and you are going to throw your Batarang.” It’s like “Why is everyone doing what they are doing, but in George Miller’s true style.” He was going so in-depth in this.

We had a brain surgeon, a psychiatrist, a Joseph Campbell expert, and all of these people in every single table meeting we had for a month and a half and then all of the characters were also training as their characters, so The Flash, Adam Brody, was training as The Flash with rubber bands, so he’d be fast and twitchy. Aquaman, Santiago Cabrera, was swimming a lot and Miller would send him to go swim with Dolphins in Northern California for hours so he would be used to being around sea creatures. Batman, being the only human of the Justice League and having to really prove himself there, he had to be the consummate martial artist, as well as the ultimate detective, so he was playing psychological games with all of us.

He would leave me out of things, like intentionally, but I wouldn’t know this until months later when I would just get the feeling of like “What is going on? Why is everybody?” Because he wanted me to constantly be getting into that paranoid mind frame of The Batman.

I have a feeling we really missed out on something that would have been awesome

 

[Hush]

That does sound ****ing awesome.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

Batman has his issues but he is not a "paranoid schizophrenic." It's nice to hear that they were putting this kind of effort into immersing the cast into their roles. But remember that Jay Baruchel of such non-hits as She's Out of My League and The Sorceror's Apprentice was going to be the big bad. Also, Wonder Woman was being played by a model-slash-actress, without the "actress" part. Megan Gale was still going through acting lessons during time that she would have been shooting this movie, had it not been canned.

I still firmly believe we dodged a bullet with this movie. It wouldn't have made sense to make two simultaneous big budget movie versions of Batman either.

 

[Mario_Galaxy]

I really don't understand some of the bashing Hammer gets. He was awesome in Social Network, and seems from that interview to be a really intelligent guy. If this did happen,would it really have been so bad for him of all actors to replace Bale? All the stuff he described there did indeed sound awesome as well.

 

[Green Ghost]

Sound really interesting! I think it would have been a cool blockbuster like Star Trek or so, but I think it would have missed the quality of Batman Begins and that kind of comic book movies.
But I would kill too see the storyboards and costumes!

 

[Octoberist]

Armie Hammer for Superman!

 

[ClarkLuther55]

I really don't understand some of the bashing Hammer gets. He was awesome in Social Network, and seems from that interview to be a really intelligent guy. If this did happen,would it really have been so bad for him of all actors to replace Bale? All the stuff he described there did indeed sound awesome as well.

Armie Hammer was just 21 when he got the role. Granted he is a big guy and has done some decent work since then, but at the time he was a nobody and his age wasn't helping him. Many people were against this kid becoming a competing big screen Batman, after recently seeing Christian Bale absolutely nail the role.

But Hammer wasn't even the worst one by a long shot. I think people (at least I was) were more pissed off by a scrawny geek like Jay Baruchel being cast as the head villain, a 22 year old blonde girl being cast as Talia, and some shady-looking 5'9 nobody like DJ Cotrona playing Superman. And as I said in my previous post, we had Gale taking on the biggest superheroine role in all of comics despite not even being a real actress.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

does indeed sound very interesting by that interview. however, i do agree with a previous poster that said how we dodged a bullet with this film. judging by the cast, this was shaping up to be a superhero teen drama - like Dawson's Creek meets DC.

if they would have went with an older cast, around the 30s age range, then it would be more believable

i hope that later down the line, we get to see these storyboards and what the costumes would have looked like

 

[OwlBoy]

The preparation for the movie sounds really cool but that doesn't mean the film itself was a surefire success. If it came out and had been terrible we would've looked at what Hammer said as a waste of money and time.

 

[GL1]

More work on the front end = better film. It's just that simple.

We didn't know what we had at the time, and we let fanboy biases that don't affect movie quality: actors' ages, the absurd idea of "competing Batmen," and the like affect our judgment. Instead of seeing a group of unknowns playing iconic roles as an asset, not only to the imagination, but to the budget, we decided that they couldn't possibly have the necessary talent, and still stick by those presumptions when time has borne out that these are all very talented actors that simply weren't discovered yet. It's one of those illogical fanboy hatreds, like Vin Disel and anyone who's ever set foot on the Disney Channel.

And Batman is a psycho. There is nothing emotionally healthy about any of his routines. Don't let his awesomeness cause you to forget that most of what he does are symptoms of psychological disorders.

What they were doing sounds awesome, and the only counter for it is clinging to the assumptions we all made back then in what was obviously, ignorance.

 

[flash13]

Well said GL1, everyone was judging Armie Hammer because the only thing he had done so far was a small role in Flicka. Now he is in The Social Network and gives a great performance in it. When Bale quits I want him for the next Batman!

 

[Prison Mike]

And Batman is a psycho. There is nothing emotionally healthy about any of his routines. Don't let his awesomeness cause you to forget that most of what he does are symptoms of psychological disorders.

haha. true.

 

[TheVileOne]

Sounds like a bunch of wasted money and effort. They got all that crap for a movie that NEVER got made.

Having psychiatrists working with the actors, please. Batman's not a paranoid schizophrenic. He's probably crazy, but he's not a paranoid schizophrenic type.

 

[Boom]

I agree. Is Batman crazy? Certainly to an extent. The man is obsessed with "the mission." His lifestyle isn't exactly telling of an emotionally stable mind.

But paranoid schizophrenic? Hardly.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

"Paranoid schizophrenic" sounds really ****ed up and gritty and badass and "cool" or whatever. It's still an over-the-top way to portray Batman, that just takes the character all the way to a silly extreme with no room for depth or nuance.

Batman's still supposed to be a hero, damn it. He's obsessed and driven. That doesn't necessarily make him a psycho, even if his mentality is unhealthy at times. I don't want to see a psycho Batman, or Bat Dick either. Characters like that are unlikable.

One of my favorite moments in Justice League Unlimited was in "Epilogue," when an aged Amanda Waller told Terry McGinnis that she had never seen anyone else with as much compassion for his fellow man as Bruce Wayne. THAT is Batman. He's obsessed and driven because he cares, probably as much as Superman. At other points in the series, Batman showed how tender he could be around innocents and frightened children. This was something that Nolan and Goyer understood as well, in Batman Begins. Even Grant Morrison, with all the whacky crap he has reintroduced into the mythos, gets this.

BTW, here's what actual schizophrenia involves:

Hallucinations, delusions, "voices" in your head, "disorganized thinking," agitated body movements, "lack of ability to begin or sustain planned activities," and "trouble focusing or paying attention."

Sounds like the complete opposite of who Batman is.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

Instead of seeing a group of unknowns playing iconic roles as an asset, not only to the imagination, but to the budget, we decided that they couldn't possibly have the necessary talent, and still stick by those presumptions when time has borne out that these are all very talented actors that simply weren't discovered yet.

I'm sorry if I don't see Jay Baruchel, a guy who has very understandably been typecast as a geek kid, as a big villain worthy of facing off against the world's greatest superheroes. Also for thinking that a hulking 6'5 Batman looks appropriate next to a 5'9 Superman who looks more like a street punk Bats should be beating up. And again, Megan Gale was complete joke casting, and I have strong suspicions that she was only chosen to make the movie "Australian" enough to qualify for that big Australian tax break that this movie project ultimately hinged upon.

 

[Boom]

Batman's still supposed to be a hero, damn it. He's obsessed and driven. That doesn't necessarily make him a psycho, even if his mentality is unhealthy at times. I don't want to see a psycho Batman, or Bat Dick either. Characters like that are unlikable.

Well let's look at it this way. Bruce Wayne could have become a detective, and a damn good one at that. He'd still "fight" crime, but within the parameters of the law. He would remain a respectable, upstanding citizen. But instead, he operates as a rogue agent, literally beats criminals to a pulp, and dons a bat-designed costume to inspire fear in the hearts of the unlawful. And he does all of this because he made a vow, as a nine-year-old child, to his murdered parents. Again, he is crazy to an extent. No perfectly sane human being would do this.

"Psycho" is a strong word. One that I'm disinclined to use myself. But he does walk a fine line. There have been plenty of instances in the comics where he pushed to the breaking point, and in some situations just flat-out snaps. But Batman always pulls himself back from the brink (something that his villains are not able to do). And despite his emotional instability and violent nature, Batman genuinely cares for people, and is willing to go to great lengths and personal sacrifice to inspire those with a good heart. That's what differentiates him from the psychos he locks up. And that, to me, is what makes him great.

BTW, here's what actual schizophrenia involves:

Hallucinations, delusions, "voices" in your head, "disorganized thinking," agitated body movements, "lack of ability to begin or sustain planned activities," and "trouble focusing or paying attention."

Sounds like the complete opposite of who Batman is.

This.

Honestly, if this was the route they were going with Batman, then thank God this movie never happened. Talk about a grievous misunderstanding of the character.

 

[echostation]

Batman is the most controlled person, THATS what makes him so friggin interesting... this is not ****ing Rorschach... This is Batman... a man who people consider psychologically completely disturbed but he KEEPS IT ALL TOGETHER!!

 

[Motown Marvel]

obviously an immense amount of passion and effort went into the production, but that doesnt mean it would have been any good.

 

[The Batman]

.....Batman. Is not. A Schizo

Thank god this movie wasnt made....I'm getting sick of people calling Batman crazy in an effort to make him seem cooler. He's BATMAN. He dosent need that trite emo terminology.

 

[Motown Marvel]

schizo is emo now? sigh.

 

[TheVileOne]

Deep down I really want to believe that Chris Nolan pulled some sort of rank and killed the Justice League production.

 

[The Guard]

I think we missed out on something that would have at least been interesting, and probably entertaining and lasting. Though I'm sure we'll eventually see a JUSTICE LEAGUE movie, and it will probably be more satisfying than the one that was in development. Still, hindsight is 20/20.

As for Batman the schizo. This is one major issue I have with fanboys. They hear a word or phrase and they latch onto it and try to make it the issue, and don't even think about the context.

So someone said "paranoid schizophrenic". So what? That's became a buzzword for "crazy" in our day and age. It seems fairly obvious they weren't going to make Batman into an actual paranoid schizophrenic. But him being paranoid and having mental issues...even some trace elements of schizophrenia, is an absolutely legitimate take on the character, especially if he SEEMS that way to other characters. They were teaching him how to think like the character, to get his brain firing on some weird cylinders, not how to act like he was having hallucinations, etc. And they were evidently presenting a deeper Batman characterization than we've usually seen (for the most part). If you can't like a Psycho Batman then I'm not even sure how you can like the character itself. Because let's face it, Psycho Batman is usually just people in society looking at Normal Batman differently. And there's absolutely nothing suggesting that Batman was only going to be a psycho in this film. Again, the people around him are supposed to think he's losing it. That's half the point of his role in the OMAC storyline, is it not?

People that didn't get Jay Baruchel as the villain didn't understand what the casting people were doing. I hated it at first...and came to think it was actually rather clever. Baruchel was cast to hide the fact that he was the main villain from the general public, who would likely have had no clue this typecast geek was a duplicitous telepath with some fairly evil power issues. Think about it. Maxwell Lord, while not uber powerful, usually, doesn't look like a pushover in the comics. He's someone that, on film, if we're honest, we'd expect to be a "he's a secret villain" type the second you saw him. Baruchel does not look like that. He looks like he couldn't harm a fly. Not faithful, but the concept seems pretty simple. The man's a telepath, and the centerpiece of the film's climax would probably have been Superman turning evil at Lord's direction and some members of the league having to step in to stop things. Which would have been a shock to the average audience member if the script was decent.

Also, did anyone see Megan Gale's screentest? Yes, she said she was taking some acting lessons. Maybe to learn how to act like an AMAZON SUPERHERO/AMBASSADOR? It's not the easiest role out there, and even good actors can benefit from acting lessons. Lots of actors have dialogue and acting coaches at times, and no one *****es about them. There were probably other talented, attractive Australian actors out there. Why would they choose the one that couldn't act?

JUSTICE LEAGUE was going to be a massive movie. When it eventually gets made, it's going to be a massive movie. Choosing an actress for a tax break is a legitimate move.

The major question mark I had was DJ Cotrona. I just never saw him as Superman. But obviously, out of the likely hundreds of young male actors who would like to be Superman, someone thought he could do the job.

Even though this was a young cast, since we've heard Barry Allen's death and Wally West was involved, I don't think this movie was just going to be about young superheroes. It was probably going to be about "Gods". Ageless, perfect heroes who could continue a franchise, if it had been successful.

 

[BATZARRO WWD]

WELL I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW, HUH?

My opinion remains that much of the fanbase chose arbitrary and unfair criteria to decide whether this film deserved to exist, that often didn't have to do anythign with the film itself. But what saddens me isn't the armchair directors and the gullible people who believed any rumor about it. It's the folks who would rather that movie not exist so that it could be done properly 'The Marvel way", setting up each movie and then the ensemble film.

To them I ask: " How's that ***** working out for you, mother*****ers? "

Seriously, guys, anyone who rooted for the ensemble film "route", should be showing up right now in this thread, so I can explain them again, like I did back then, what the odds are WB setting up a Justice League in this manner.

 

[Boom]

So someone said "paranoid schizophrenic". So what? That's became a buzzword for "crazy" in our day and age.

That had crossed my mind, but I figured it would have just been simpler to say... well, "crazy", rather than cite a specific mental disorder. So I just assumed he was being literal.

I stand by what I said. If Batman were literally a textbook example of a paranoid schizophrenic, I wouldn't be on board with that at all.

But I am hearing what you're saying. And I DO recognize that Batman has some mental issues, which is one reason I find the character so fascinating.