JUSTICE LEAGUE: PLEASE Get It Right! Author: Paul J. Wares Friday, September 28, 2007 I must first go on record stating that I think the timing of this movie is wrong. I fear that including Batman in the JUSTICE LEAGUE movie will hurt the character’s solo film franchise in the short-term, subjecting him to overkill with the audience and potentially jeopardizing a possible 3rd Chris Nolan Batman movie. I also worry how an audience may respond to this type of film. I fear they may simply find it too gimmicky, too ludicrous to spend money on. If that’s the case, then ultimately it would hurt the prospects of all DC Comics related movie projects. That said… The recent reports about the possible plot, sounds intriguing and dare I say it, promising. It is a huge relief to hear that the Justice League (and by association, Batman) won’t be fighting an alien threat and that Batman’s role in the movie stays true to his character. My favourite depiction of Batman has always been that of a lone vigilante grounded in realism, but I have always liked the sometimes fantastical side of the character which most certainly does not figure into Chris Nolan’s cinematic take on the character. Therefore, fans that are generally more supportive of Batman in JUSTICE LEAGUE are those that miss those fantastical elements and see this as a way of having their cake (Nolan’s BATMAN films) and eating it (JUSTICE LEAGUE). If that is to be the case it must be recognised that the Batman as depicted by Christian Bale in Nolan’s films, does not fit, nor belong in a JUSTICE LEAGUE movie. Therefore, the Batman in Justice League MUST be different. He must be different visually to Nolan’s Batman and in characterisation as well. The easiest way to achieve this is to cast an older Batman, one that is well established, cynical, and at the top of his game -- a legend if you will. If this is the Batman George Miller and Warner Bros. decide to go with, then a lot more fans would react positively to this film. My next concern is Superman. It seems that part of the whole reasoning behind rushing this film into production (among others) is to get Superman back on screen as soon as possible. I know there was some disappointment with how SUPERMAN RETURNS performed at the box office and this has led to hesitation to greenlight Brian Singer’s sequel, THE MAN OF STEEL. Personally, I loved SUPERMAN RETURNS, but I understand why some fans didn’t. Even I felt there were many missed opportunities present in that film. One thing that I think Singer got absolutely right was the casting Brandon Routh as Superman. Even those that hated the movie seem to have liked Brandon. So with that in mind, I think WB would be very foolish to recast the role again. Prior to SUPERMAN RETURNS, the character hadn’t been portrayed by another actor since Christopher Reeve back in 1987. Those are big boots to fill and Routh proved that he could do so adequately. Why risk another actor getting it wrong? There is a known quantity with Routh as he has proved himself in the role and I’m sure he could take the character to even greater heights given the opportunity -- which I believe he truly deserves. Since there doesn’t have to be any inclusion of Lois, Perry, Jimmy, et al in the JUSTICE LEAGUE movie, it doesn’t contradict Singer’s SUPERMAN RETURNS and it leaves the door open to make that sequel should the studio deem it worthy. The audience can either assume it is a sequel to SR (or a prequel for that matter) and those fans that hated Singer’s first Super-effort can be rest assured that there is no real connection between the two movies. Tweak Superman’s costume, have Routh pile on some more muscle and voila, Superman is back! The depiction of Batman and Superman are my only two bones of contention with this movie -- other than its poor timing. It is VITAL that Mr. Miller and the studio get it right. The cinematic future of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and most of the DC Comic characters rests on this being a success and not the monumental foul-up in could be. As always, I shall hope for the best and fear for the worst. Please, don’t screw it up! PAUL'S POINTS: * Make Batman an older, grizzled vet and clearly a different Batman from the one portrayed by Christian Bale in BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT. * Don't re-cast for Superman -- stay with SUPERMAN RETURNS' Brandon Routh. Filmmaker Paul J. Wares is the UK Editor of BATMAN ON FILM.