Thursday, August 23, 2007
What, no Zan and Jayna?
A movie based on the Justice League looks to be a go. However, the actors currently playing Batman and Superman, (Christian Bale and Brandon Routh, respectively), will not apparently be involved. This is kind of a surprising development because it'd been reported previously that both men's contracts contemplated their appearance in a JLA movie, should Warner Brothers deign to get off their duffs and make one.
This may be because the movie won't be live action at all, but instead either CGI or motion-capture. That would seem likely, since a Justice League movie without Batman or Superman would seem kind of like the Superhero B-Team. Think Atlanta Falcons, sans Michael Vick. It would also spare the WB from having to cast name actors in each role, since the live-action version was supposed to jump-start solo films for Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern.
So - the big question - who's on the roster? A non-live-action version can have Batman and Superman, and one figures Wonder Woman has a lock on a spot. They'll probably have the John Stewart Green Lantern for the same reasons the Justice League cartoon did. Flash and the Martian Manhunter are the most frequently mentioned, but I think Hawkman and Green Arrow would be more interesting. (They don't get along so good in the comic books due to political differences, plus Smallville may raise GA's profile somewhat, certainly the show did more for the Arrow than it did for the Martian Manhunter.) Hawkgirl's also a possibility if they want to follow the excellent Justice League cartoon series (reviewed here and here. There are plenty of good episodes from Justice League, and frankly, "Starcrossed", the season 2 finale, is probably better than the movie will turn out to be.)
This may be because the movie won't be live action at all, but instead either CGI or motion-capture. That would seem likely, since a Justice League movie without Batman or Superman would seem kind of like the Superhero B-Team. Think Atlanta Falcons, sans Michael Vick. It would also spare the WB from having to cast name actors in each role, since the live-action version was supposed to jump-start solo films for Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern.
So - the big question - who's on the roster? A non-live-action version can have Batman and Superman, and one figures Wonder Woman has a lock on a spot. They'll probably have the John Stewart Green Lantern for the same reasons the Justice League cartoon did. Flash and the Martian Manhunter are the most frequently mentioned, but I think Hawkman and Green Arrow would be more interesting. (They don't get along so good in the comic books due to political differences, plus Smallville may raise GA's profile somewhat, certainly the show did more for the Arrow than it did for the Martian Manhunter.) Hawkgirl's also a possibility if they want to follow the excellent Justice League cartoon series (reviewed here and here. There are plenty of good episodes from Justice League, and frankly, "Starcrossed", the season 2 finale, is probably better than the movie will turn out to be.)
