Justice League Movie Unlikely Due to "Bigger" Roster Than Marvel's

[Tom Goldman]

Justice League Movie Unlikely Due to "Bigger" Roster Than Marvel's

A DC Comics scribe doesn't see a Justice League movie coming together because the characters involved are too special.

If DC Comics were to counter Marvel's upcoming Joss Whedon Avengers movie [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102287-Joss-Whedon-Officially-Directing-The-Avengers] with a team-based movie of its own, it would have to bring together the Justice League. Though Marvel has no trouble featuring Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, and Captain America in one flick, prominent DC Comics scribe Geoff Johns doesn't think the same could happen with the top heroes of his company.

The Justice League is a who's who in the DC universe, featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter as core members. According to Johns, DC bringing all of these top-tier superheroes together in a Justice League film seems unlikely.

At a New York Comic Con panel, when Johns was asked whether the Justice League could come together on the big screen someday, he said: "I'm going to speak frankly: I think our characters are bigger than Marvel's." In his opinion, it'd be better to focus on each individual hero of the League rather than "smashing them together." A Justice League movie was given a tentative green light by Warner Bros recently, but if the movie does eventually come together it might not feature Superman or Batman in the roster.

Marvel bashing aside, Johns is pretty much right: Superman and Batman alone are better known heroes than the entire roster of the Avengers. Still, I doubt there's anybody that wouldn't want to see the true Justice League come together on the big screen someday. Though it seems like DC would be missing out on something that would likely draw in plenty of movie goers through a proper Justice League production, it might be too complicated to put DC's big names together properly in a two hour film without devaluing some of them. It'd be really cool for fans though.

Source: ComicBookMovie [http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=23674]

Permalink

 

[Shoggoth2588]

What would be the point of a Justice League movie without Superman and Batman?

If WB isn't sold on the idea of the Justice League movie than why not do a Superman-Batman movie? If they really believe themselves when they say their heroes are bigger than those of Marvel, wouldn't it be pretty bad ass to have them come out and say "it takes a team of Avengers to save some worlds. But it only takes two heroes to save ours" or something?

The animated movies sell; why not use one of those plots for a live-action Justice League?

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

What would be the point of a Justice League movie without Superman and Batman?

If WB isn't sold on the idea of the Justice League movie than why not do a Superman-Batman movie? If they really believe themselves when they say their heroes are bigger than those of Marvel, wouldn't it be pretty bad ass to have them come out and say "it takes a team of Avengers to save some worlds. But it only takes two heroes to save ours" or something?

The animated movies sell; why not use one of those plots for a live-action Justice League?

Better yet, get the genius behind the entire DC animated universe, Bruce Timm, to do it? He was able to lead several animated series at the same time and could combine everybody into the Justice League easily.

 

[icyneesan]

I cant see them containing the awesomeness of so many super heroes in one 2 hour film. It would have to be 3 at least.

 

[Covarr]

I've seen no mention of Spider-Man or Wolverine for the Avengers movie, and they are easily Marvel's two biggest selling characters. They may yet be in it, but they haven't been announced AFAIK. A Justice League movie without Batman and Superman wouldn't be too different.

P.S. Thanks

 

[OANST]

I wouldn't want to see a Justice League movie. Not that I care if they make one. I just wouldn't watch it.

 

[Tomtitan]

Spidey isn't going to be in Avengers because his movie rights are still tied up with Sony. Wolverine isn't going to be in it because... well... he's not an Avenger. He's a mutant... an X-Man.

To be honest, this isn't surprising. As awesome as it would be, Geoff is right, Supes and Bats are just too big to share the spotlight with five other people for two hours.

A movie with JUST Superman and Batman would be awesome though. They've got a long history of crossovers, usually called "World's Finest" (which was the name of the Bruce Timm version), and they generally turn out well.

Problem is, of course, Batman's current movie incarnation leaves absolutely zero room for including an alien with superpowers. Nolan's Batman simply cannot interact with any other member of the DC universe.

It seems Justice League and World's Finest are confined to the realm of straight-to-DVD animation releases forever... Oh well...

 

[GrinningManiac]

I'd like a Flash film

'cus he seems like a fun film in waiting

 

[M-JN]

So why limit this to one film? Why not create a trilogy or more? It's not like the revenue from just one JL film wouldn't be enough to fund at least one succeeding one. The animated series did so well because it went on so long, giving every single member a chance to show their merits.

I've never gotten why DC couldn't be more tied-together with their superhero flicks. Nolan's Batman movies are top-class, and that characterization of Batman could me used or at least alluded to in other DC endeavors. If the JL movie featured Superman sort of in the background, his part could be picked up and continued in a separate Superman movie. Just because they're huge blockbusters doesn't mean they can't have continuity. Fans of the genre would shell out for each and every installment.

 

[PoliceBox63]

Wolverine isn't going to be in it because... well... he's not an Avenger. He's a mutant... an X-Man.

Wolverine has been on the Avengers/Secret Avnegers roster for a good while now, what are you talking about! And I don't see what being a mutant has to do with anything, there have been mutants on the roster before.

 

[The Bandit]

Wolverine isn't going to be in it because... well... he's not an Avenger. He's a mutant... an X-Man.

Wolverine has been on the Avengers/Secret Avnegers roster for a good while now, what are you talking about! And I don't see what being a mutant has to do with anything, there have been mutants on the roster before.

That's because pretty much every character in Marvel history has been a member of the Avengers at least once.

 

[wastaz]

Once upon a time there actually was a justice league TV movie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_League_of_America_(TV_movie)


It was really, really, really, bad.

 

[PoliceBox63]

Wolverine isn't going to be in it because... well... he's not an Avenger. He's a mutant... an X-Man.

Wolverine has been on the Avengers/Secret Avnegers roster for a good while now, what are you talking about! And I don't see what being a mutant has to do with anything, there have been mutants on the roster before.

That's because pretty much every character in Marvel history has been a member of the Avengers at least once.

Exactly. I loved when the Mansion was attacked before M-day and there was that panel with all the supes outside the gates after the Code White Alert

 

[WanderingFool]

I honestly perfer Marvel superheros to DC, save Batman.

But anyways, I think MovieBob covered this in one of his videos, but the Avengers were created in response to the Justice League. So im pretty sure that all the marvel movies were made with the idea of such a piece being made at some point in the future.

 

[diddykonger]

I disagree with about the JLA movie, it is possible to make. The JLA, much like the Avengers, has at one point or another mostly every hero in comic book universe was apart of the team. So if you wanted to make a JlA movie, do a movie with characters that have appeared more frequently on the team than others such as supes, bats, wonder woman flash, GL, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Black Canary(and for fun drop names of other known heroes throughout the movie to make it more fun for the viewers). I mean 5-10 years ago, as MovieBob said, most movie goers would have said an Avengers movie would've been highly unlikely but look where we are now; we have the Avengers slated to comic out in a couple years whether it'll suck or not we'll find out in a couple of years. But the point of the matter is that Marvel are the only ones of the two big comic book publishers with the ball enough to take a risk to see if making movie based various parts of the franchises will work and be profitable for them.

So DC if you're read this by chance grow some balls! You'll be forever behind Marvel if you don't take risks like these. Learn from your mistakes, suchas the shortly lived JLA live action show, and Flash series, find what does and doesn't work and catch up to marvel. In closing if a JLA is to much, at least give us Worlds Finest or Trinity movie for crying out loud!

 

[Wandrecanada]

I think it's pretty clear from the state of the comic industry who is coming out ahead with "bigger" superheroes right now and it's not DC. Superman and Batman might be better known names in mass market households but that has nothing to do with Johns failtrain of recent years. His personal direction for DC has had a hand in allowing Marvel IP to obtain a level of mass appeal unheard of since wartime propaganda machines while DC wallowed in it's own brand of nostalgic oubliette filled with angst and elitism.

Marvel has been doing things right. It's not trying to sit on laurels of the past nor is it ignoring the importance of adapting to the future. Weather you're a fan of one brand or another the one thing I believe everyone should agree with is that Geoff Johns' self inflated ego is bringing down a very large and important part of the comics industry and I don't think it will survive if we allow him to damage it further. Marvel and DC fans should stand united in getting rid of these egotist nostalgia mongers forever.

 

[Electrogecko]

I feel like if either one of them is made well, future single-hero movies will seem mundane in comparison.

 

[Blind Sight]

I want a movie about The Question, but since he's such an obscure character in the DC universe I doubt it'll ever happen. Shame, because an Objectivist super-detective might actually fit fairly well into Nolan's Batman movies as a side character.

 

[Sazzlysarah]

So why limit this to one film? Why not create a trilogy or more? It's not like the revenue from just one JL film wouldn't be enough to fund at least one succeeding one. The animated series did so well because it went on so long, giving every single member a chance to show their merits.

I've never gotten why DC couldn't be more tied-together with their superhero flicks. Nolan's Batman movies are top-class, and that characterization of Batman could me used or at least alluded to in other DC endeavors. If the JL movie featured Superman sort of in the background, his part could be picked up and continued in a separate Superman movie. Just because they're huge blockbusters doesn't mean they can't have continuity. Fans of the genre would shell out for each and every installment.

Your entire post is pretty much exactly what I was thinking. Why settle for just one movie? Why not create a series of films that have individual plots while the movie series has one main plot to tie it all together? That way each film can spotlight certain characters switch focus on others in the next ones. Come to think of it, that's pretty much what happens in the Harry Potter books. That turned out pretty well.