Justice League of America has Been Delayed!

[Webhead2006]

If any one was wondering what the whole post bhoward mentioned of some guy posting on a singer superman site here it is for all of you to read.

There is no planned delay in the schedule for JLA. IESB is just chasing the latest red herring. They've basically been put out of the "circle of trust" for the time being. The WGA strike has little to no impact on the film. Miller and Osborne will handle any rewrites that come up, without a credit for it of course, and they'll also hire "script assistants" if need be who aren't part of the WGA. Another reason you wont see a delay in the filming is that there's a potential SAG and Director's union strike looming this summer as well, so they need to finish shooting by late June.

The "wheels of Justice" are in motion so to speak. Sets are being built, people are getting prepped, actors are still being signed. Some second unit stuff is starting to happen.

No updates on the big "hold up" that I talked about in my last post. Still a waiting game there but its likely a formality at this point as the WGA continues to shoot itself in the foot.

I see that bit made its way to some corners of the web as well. Why post it here? Well, for one I enjoy the site and its intended purpose, even if the commentary is at times lude and crass at best.

Secondly, not to many will take it seriously enough to post on the big news sites which doesn't risk jeopardizing things going on at the moment unlike our "friend" Mr. Sanchez who's REALLY worn out his welcome. I can also help shed some light on things but not take the heat that comes with it since this is one of the few sites that allows anonymous posting and can't track an IP.

 

[GreenKToo]

Its hard to believe anything anyone posts now about J.L., good or bad., but thanx for posting that.

 

[Webhead2006]

yea i know, i jsut wanted to post the guy's post if any one wanted to see the whole thing since bhoward only took a few points from it. Yes it is hard to believe any rumors we keep getting untill it is an official statement from WB or miller himself.

 

[Ares23]

this sounds pretty bad, I hope we still get the movie, nothing is oficially yet! so please dont be so negative guys lets wait and see, but I hope they dont canceled the movie and just do what is right: that is a great MOVIE!

 

[FaT_tONle]

Why even five years? Why not 2-3 years?

Why does it have to be right now if it's NOT working? Why not wait until the strike is over so writers can polish the script?

The reason C and D listers are only being looked at for things like Batman and Superman (and by that I mean QUALITY of actors not unknowns) is because the better acting talent does not want to touch Batman or Superman. I would not want to be in the shoes of whoever attempts at being Batman the same time as Christian Bale.

You know the reasons man cmon...

1) They need to beat Avengers
2) They need a 2009 summer tentpole

Yeah they sound like lame reasons to us... but this is a movie studio we are talking about... what franchises can WB bank on in 2009? There won't be a Harry Potter to save them... what else do they have? I have my doubts about the quotes on the first page... a bit immaturely written about how the "cast flat out sucks"... which it does... but this whole thing could be BS... I am not as confident as some other posters saying this project is as good as dead... I'd like to believe so... but WB is just giving it more time to think it over. Not smartly I might add.

 

[TheVileOne]

Rushing a mediocre movie isn't going to beat Avengers. X-men 3 could've done so much better if they did right by everybody and didn't do a short ass, rushed piece of crap that barely broke even more than likely.

Chances are Avengers won't be out before 2010.

You can't just do rewrites. The WGA looks over and approves these scripts. If there are uncredited unapproved changes, THEY WILL KNOW.

Uncredited rewrites is called scabbing, the union will not approve.

You can't just hire non union writers either. Those are also scabs. That article sounds more like wishful thinking more than anything.

 

[Superman-Prime]

this sounds pretty bad, I hope we still get the movie, nothing is oficially yet! so please dont be so negative guys lets wait and see, but I hope they dont canceled the movie and just do what is right: that is a great MOVIE!

You've gotta be kidding me.

JLA movie is one of the biggest STUPID idea ever. Bad move, Warner Bros.

 

[FaT_tONle]

Rushing a mediocre movie isn't going to beat Avengers. X-men 3 could've done so much better if they did right by everybody and didn't do a short ass, rushed piece of crap that barely broke even more than likely.

Chances are Avengers won't be out before 2010.

You can just do rewrites. The WGA looks over and approves these scripts. If there are uncredited unapproved changes, THEY WILL KNOW.

Uncredited rewrites is called scabbing, the union will not approve.

You can't just hire non union writers either. Those are also scabs. That article sounds more like wishful thinking more than anything.

So then what's their tentpole??? You do HP back to back and you are automatically diminishing your returns... back to back summers has back fired with POTC, HP isn't moving anywhere so don't mention that agin... its staying where it is... they don't have a Narnia... they don't have a Transformers... they got nothing... look we should have been getting a Supes sequel... but WB/Singer ****ed that film up so freaking hard that DC was doomed right then and there... the studio is panicking and is going to milk it out... not every thing goes exactly how the fans want it to go... its a tough business... everything seems like an easy decision from the fans perspective... "yeah Bale will be back... he'll do it in 2012" Obviously that's not the case... "yeah the studio is just dumb and greedy... they want a movie in 2009 to make money"... right now if I am WB and I scrap this project... I am asking myself as a WB exec... what the hell am I putting out there in 2009? Your boy Hal Jordan won't get it done I'll tell you that much... blame it on Singer man... Blame all this *****ing on these boards on Singer... he lets X-Men go unfinished... and then gave us utter crap (IMO) with Superman... its all on him...

 

[TheVileOne]

Then you do the FINAL Harry Potter film for the holiday season and you are good.

They are distributing T4 as well so whatever.

And if WB can't handle that in the midst of a strike, then whatever.

Rushing out what could be one of the most important and biggest comic book movies ever just to beat AVENGERS (which it still could anyway considering Avengers is way down the line more than likely) and during a strike is DUMB.

And since they are rushing it, it would NOT be cheap.

 

[Nightwing1977]

I really hope the JLA movie is delayed. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see a JLA movie. But not in the direction they're going with right now. I just can't see anything good about it that will be fun to watch. And the news is too slow, that I figure something is up. Batman Begins wasn't slow when they got Nolan & Bale. It got set up pretty fast & lot of info. were leaking. Not seeing that with JLA.

 

[Van Petrol]

If any one was wondering what the whole post bhoward mentioned of some guy posting on a singer superman site here it is for all of you to read.

Where is this site?..

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

So then what's their tentpole??? You do HP back to back and you are automatically diminishing your returns... back to back summers has back fired with POTC, HP isn't moving anywhere so don't mention that agin... its staying where it is... they don't have a Narnia... they don't have a Transformers... they got nothing... look we should have been getting a Supes sequel... but WB/Singer ****ed that film up so freaking hard that DC was doomed right then and there... the studio is panicking and is going to milk it out... not every thing goes exactly how the fans want it to go... its a tough business... everything seems like an easy decision from the fans perspective... "yeah Bale will be back... he'll do it in 2012" Obviously that's not the case... "yeah the studio is just dumb and greedy... they want a movie in 2009 to make money"... right now if I am WB and I scrap this project... I am asking myself as a WB exec... what the hell am I putting out there in 2009? Your boy Hal Jordan won't get it done I'll tell you that much... blame it on Singer man... Blame all this *****ing on these boards on Singer... he lets X-Men go unfinished... and then gave us utter crap (IMO) with Superman... its all on him...

Superman Returns was not utter crap. Superman Returns was solid in almost all areas but one and that was that it lacked action. The story was very good the only problem it lacked a super-villain to give it some action. Had you actually had Superman throwing a punch here and there; then the movie could have easily made around $230-250 million.

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

If any one was wondering what the whole post bhoward mentioned of some guy posting on a singer superman site here it is for all of you to read.

Thats not the whole thing. He is also claiming the WB is holding up production so they can get Welling to play Superman and is willing to give him whatever he wants just so he'll take the role of Superman and offer him other movie roles just so he won't have to worry about being type cast.

 

[Van Petrol]

^ Is there a link to this blog?...

 

[JP]

Robert really needs to stop posting JL related news.


Also the whole WB going crazy over the budget being so big but then saying that the cast is not big enough seems kind of contradictory.

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

^ Is there a link to this blog?...

Go all the way down to 6:22 PM. This is a blog by a SV fan who wanted Welling and SV to take over the new Superman Movies.

http://singerssupermansucks.blogspot.com/2008/01/say-goodbye-to-routh-too.html
Uncle Bingo said... LR is much closer to the truth than AICN. Singer is gone, he's basically signed on with UA full time now. He wont do any further Superman movies or even WB movies for the foreseeable future. Details of settling his "pay or play" deal with WB are being finished up. With that, Routh, Spacey, Bosworth and Co as well as the pseudo-Donner continuity are all gone with him. WB wants nothing further to do with that continuity. They want a complete reboot that stays truer to the post-crisis comics and will put butts in the seats (i.e. more action). They're paying attention big time to how the new Hulk does this summer as a barometer.

As for the new Superman, LR was right that it will likely be the guy that plays him in JLA, provided of course, that movie has the right profit %'s going for it. Welling was the original choice and some expected a deal to be made (right around the time IESB broke the story) but he couldn't get out from under the thumb of the show's producers, even though they were offered compensation, so he was nixed. A second candidate was agreed upon in some capacity shortly before the WGA struck. Its one of the other rumored names you've all heard (that I cant mention at risk of completely outing myself since very few people know this suffice it to say its a BAD choice). There was even a set casting announcement scheduled around Thanksgiving.

However once it became evident that the WGA strike was going to go for the long haul, this actor then in effect became "Plan B." The studio now wanted to play a waiting game to see how long the strike would last b/c if it goes past a certain point, Welling then shakes free of his commitment to the Smallville producers and WB feels they can snag him for the role in JLA and perhaps beyond without having to pay the Smallville producers a cent.

The whole delay in a casting announcement for JLA, which is now a little over a month away from beginning filming, is due to WB waiting to see who their Superman is going to be. "Plan B" guy is all set and ready to go and has even been on a training regimen and fitted for a costume at WETA. However, WB REALLY wants Welling because he's the more marketable name and has a large following the spans multiple demographics and will appeal to more fans.

The drop dead point for Smallville to cancel the rest of their season is fast approaching in the next few days. (Obviously the strike isnt ending anytime soon so thats more a "when" than an "if" at this point). Once that happens, Welling and the rest of the cast become free agents for the duration of the strike or if the strike ends than until late next July when an 8th Smallville season would start, giving Welling ample time to film the movie.

Granted, they still need to sign him once Smallville goes into hibernation but iIve been told WB isnt messing around and has a big time offer out there for him, as well as offers for other films to help alleviate any type-casting concerns. From what I was told, "he'd be an utter fool, to say 'No' that that."

 

[Tbone]

You've gotta be kidding me.

JLA movie is one of the biggest STUPID idea ever. Bad move, Warner Bros.

You're the biggest stupid idea ever.

 

[JP]

Part of me hopes Uncle Bingo is right.

 

[Tbone]

Rushing a mediocre movie isn't going to beat Avengers. X-men 3 could've done so much better if they did right by everybody and didn't do a short ass, rushed piece of crap that barely broke even more than likely.

Chances are Avengers won't be out before 2010.

You can't just do rewrites. The WGA looks over and approves these scripts. If there are uncredited unapproved changes, THEY WILL KNOW.

Uncredited rewrites is called scabbing, the union will not approve.

You can't just hire non union writers either. Those are also scabs. That article sounds more like wishful thinking more than anything.

You can just do rewrites.

The WGA already approved the shooting script.

They don't need to approve any minor changes (don't believe me? Go to their website or look it up).

There's a reason the word scabbing exists... because scabs exist and do unofficial/uncredited rewrites OFTEN.

The WGA may not like it, but you know what? Every other union has members that are still trying to earn a living and get a paycheck -- what is the WGA going to do? Strike? WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.

Even if it were against some agreed rules (which, having the director do his own rewrites is NOT), the WGA cannot shut down the film and is not in a position to do much about it. Movies getting made now are still undergoing re-writes by members of other unions before/while filming. I can state this to a degree of certainty because I work in film finance and I see this happening on almost all the films that we're hearing about / working on.

What this guy said COULD theoretically be true.

 

[FaT_tONle]

Superman Returns was not utter crap. Superman Returns was solid in almost all areas but one and that was that it lacked action. The story was very good the only problem it lacked a super-villain to give it some action. Had you actually had Superman throwing a punch here and there; then the movie could have easily made around $230-250 million.

I agree that it could have made more money with that but disagree that the story was good... but if we are talking about Superman (not to get off topic)... all I was saying was... if the studio signed a director that could actually get the job done... the problem of not having a 09 tentpole wouldn't exist. The issue I have is that more Superman solo movies are unrealistic at this point. To Buggs' point earlier... I don't even see how you can reboot a solo Superman franchise again at this point. How many times do you get a do over with these things before getting it right? If WB gets Welling which I think is a good move... then you could probably make a Smallville movie down the road staying in that continuity. But if they don't get Welling and they want to make another solo Supes film... what the hell will they do then? Reboot? Make a prequel? None of that makes any sense.

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

I agree that it could have made more money with that but disagree that the story was good... but if we are talking about Superman (not to get off topic)... all I was saying was... if the studio signed a director that could actually get the job done... the problem of not having a 09 tentpole wouldn't exist. The issue I have is that more Superman solo movies are unrealistic at this point. To Buggs' point earlier... I don't even see how you can reboot a solo Superman franchise again at this point. How many times do you get a do over with these things before getting it right? If WB gets Welling which I think is a good move... then you could probably make a Smallville movie down the road staying in that continuity. But if they don't get Welling and they want to make another solo Supes film... what the hell will they do then? Reboot? Make a prequel? None of that makes any sense.

The words in bold I agree with. I mean with what Singer did in Returns how can you really reboot the series or start over with out people asking what happened to Jason or what happened between Superman/Lois/Richard. I mean people would want to know the answer to these questions and since there is a kid involved it will not be forgotten quickly. I do think you can reboot the series or even pull a Hulk I just think it would be really hard to do so though.

 

[FlawlessVictory]

If WB gets Welling which I think is a good move... then you could probably make a Smallville movie down the road staying in that continuity

You can't make a Superman movie with Welling and have it be in the same continuity as Smallville. Everyone and their grandmother in Smallville has seen Clark without his glasses on. He has no disguise. What will he do when he becomes Superman, put the glasses on then?

 

[Bhoward]

I don't understand this whole fixation with the general audience being confused. Every fan of Superman, Batman or any other hero will know what exactly is going on. Is every fanboy concerned about someone asking them what happened to the kid and Richard, or why is C.Bale not playing Batman? All you have to say is, Bale didn't want to do it so they went with someone else, or SR was garbage so they had to restart and bring in the guy from Smallville. I guarantee every response will be "oh, ok". and that will be the end of it. most times the general audience doesn't go back 2-3 times to see a movie. its the fanboys who make up all that repeat viewings, going multiple times with other friends who really aren't interested in seeing the movie in the first place. this general audience confusion issue is crap.

 

[FaT_tONle]

You can't make a Superman movie with Welling and have it be in the same continuity as Smallville. Everyone and their grandmother in Smallville has seen Clark without his glasses on. He has no disguise. What will he do when he becomes Superman, put the glasses on then?

Then you can't make a solo Superman movie with Welling period... look I have never watched five minutes of Smallville... but I was just trying to throw out something that could make sense... if they use Welling in a solo I am going to assume off the bat its in continuity with the show... and as a fan I will try to get myself acclamated to what that show was all about before seeing such a film... and you wouldn't need an origin movie... but a reboot with someone else? And after a JLA? It would obviously have to be a prequel... and will they re do the entire origin? That's why JLA needs to be its own thing... just make sequels after that... solo movie about SUperman and the Batman that participates in JLA would be nonsense. JLA needs to be the next X-Men type franchise not to compare the two but you get the point.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Go all the way down to 6:22 PM. This is a blog by a SV fan who wanted Welling and SV to take over the new Superman Movies.

http://singerssupermansucks.blogspot.com/2008/01/say-goodbye-to-routh-too.html

Where are you getting that he's a SV fan? I see nary a mention of the show or Welling (outside of the JLA stuff) on the blog. Or do you know the guy who runs it personally or something?