UPDATED: So these 14 pages of the Justice League script that are floating about aren’t real at all according to the good folks at the UGO Movie Blog. Patrick over at the site has the low-down on the real opening to the movie and it involves the Justice League at funeral (for who? I don’t know, but I’d guess Barry Allen’s Flash could hit the dirt and Wally West will take over).
My stance is still the same in regards to this film, despite the fact the script extract isn’t real – they need to keep make the film lighter and more in the style of the great blockbuster films of the 80s.
Keep you eyes peeled on the UGO Movie Blog, they obviously know a bit more about this film than they’re letting on so expect some juicy info down the road.
The emergence of the Justice League movie as a viable summer 2009 tentpole is fascinating to the casual observer and seizure inducing to the hardcore fanboy.
I’ve been tracking the project with a close eye for a while and have ventured over to various message boards across the net to see what’s being said about it… I wish I hadn’t. From being bombarded with headshots of women who, quite frankly, look like high-class hookers, to geeks formulating elaborate Watergate-level conspiracies about Tom Welling’s alleged (read non) involvement in the picture, I’ve almost had enough of the film already!
The latest “controversy” involves a review of the alleged first 14 pages of the film at Moviehole and IESB. According to those two sites, it’s not very good at all. Back Row Chatter has also weighed in but they have reasons to believe the script is fake.
It’s difficult to get this kind of thing verified one way or the other so lets assume for a second that it is real, and I’ll give my perspective on these 14 pages and the film as a whole.
The supposed pre-title sequence to the Justice League movie (the equivalent to what happens in the 007 movies prior to the dancing naked ladies) sets a tone that is completely different to the already existing solo Superman and Batman movies (and Smallville, for that matter). The intro sequence (in parts done with a stylised, comic book aesthetic) is light, frothy and sets up the characters and world the movie will exist in.
You know how the recent Batman and Superman films have been dark, sober and perhaps lacking a little bit of fun? Well Justice League is obviously going to be a counter to that; a four-quadrant movie that wants to take the audience on a thrill ride – if you’ve ever seen any of Paul Dini’s cartoons then that is exactly what you’ll get with George Miller’s Justice League. It’s something in the vein of crowd-pleasers of 20 or 30 years ago such as Back to the Future and Raiders of the Lost Ark and contemporary blockbusters like Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean.
I read Justice League comics growing up and there’s really nothing in this script that seems out of line with those stories. There is one line of dialogue, a quickfire 9/11 gag, that is pretty horrendous. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to find in a jet-black satire like Fight Club or American Beauty, not in a movie like this. I don’t know what it’s doing in here as tonally it seems way off, I hope it doesn’t end up in the film.
The reason I think net geeks have reacted so badly to this alleged script is because they don’t realise who films like this are targeted at. Comic books, particularly superhero ones, are aimed at children. With things like the net and video games, kids now have other distractions and simply aren’t reading comics anymore. Hence superhero comic readers are gradually getting older, and perhaps wrongly think that comics should grow up with (and thus cater to) them.
It’s impossible to tell how this movie will shape up judging by such a small part of it. After all, based on the intro sequences to the last two Bond films, Die Another Day should’ve turned out to be better than Casino Royale.
If Superman Returns was evidence of anything, it’s that dark and introspective superhero films aren’t guaranteed to be a success. In comic books these characters exist in many different continuities and stories, I’m not sure what the harm is in taking that thinking over to feature films.
6 Comments
“If Superman Returns was evidence of anything, it’s that dark and introspective superhero films aren’t guaranteed to be a success.”
Gotta disagree with that BIG TIME! Batman Begins, Sin City and X-Men prove that “darker is better.”
Superman Returns proved precisely the opposite of what you said. Instead of being introspective it was not. We got almost no time looking at life Supers point of view. Instead they focused mainly on some unengaging love-triangle and trying to give Lex Luthor stupid one-liners while making people think he was a substantive threat.
An incoherent storyline, unengrossing characters and a plot that had no punch –THAT’S why Superman Returns bombed. JLA needs to take a page from X-Men: Go dark with the story, but just a little -a LITTLE!- lighter with the characters themselves.
That said, it tells me a lot that a billion dollar corporation like AOL Time-Warner is indulging some fantasy that a “younger” skewing JLA team will somehow be more commericial. There’s NO proof of this. It should be obvious to them how a movie like this should be handled. I can’t believe the same studio repsonsible for Batman Begins is doing this crap.
When Marvel made X-Men they knew they would have to do it perfectly right out of the gate. Even one weak link in the chain and they were screwed. So they gathered a cast where every one of them could carry a solo movie, if they had to –even James Marsden has the looks and talent to pull off a solo Cyclops movie.
Ryan Reynolds is a star whose about to break out. You can build a franchise around him, easily! Choosing him should be a no brainer. This movie would work best as an “alternative” core-characters cast. Kind of like, “If you had the chance to make the right choice for Superman again, who would you choose?”
That they haven’t chosen Ryan Reynolds (and apprently aren’t intrerested) tells me a lot about the folks ruining this movie.
And as far as bringing in the kiddies. Look, kids most want to be ADULTS. That’s why heroes in their late-twenties/early thirtes work and teen/kid heroes almost never do. Compare the numbers from Spy Kids to X-Men.
‘Nuff said.
I think what Warners are planning with this movie is something akin to the “Justice” episode of Smallville, that’s why they are probably casting young to get that type of vibe.
Smallville isn’t always that dark and we all know that for the best part, it works.
I for for one am getting a bit bored woth all the “Dark” shit and maybe it’s time to lighten up, after all everyone is always going on about Chris Reeve’s and Donner’s Superman films and they really weren’t very dark, I always thought thats what those films had going for them.
And at the end of the day these films are for kids, all us geeks like to embrace the kid in us.
Nuff said.
Well, everyone needs to get used to the “dark shit,” because that’s what sells, and it’s what produces the highest quality comic book movie adapatations. History of Violence, Road to Perdition for two examples.
Men in Black has run it’s course and you’ll note it didn’t spawn a slew of simailar material. That alone should be telling enough right there.
Punisher sucked precisely because it wasn’t dark enough. True the plot had run off the rails during Act One, but the toonal change that took place during the second act doomed it.
JLA needs to use X-Men as their model. They don’t have to go blood and guts, (if that’s what you’re afraid of happening with this film) but they definitely can’t go gray or Smallville half-tone either. This movie has to skew a hell of a lot darker than that.
Go black, it’s better that way.
Welling will be Superman in this movie, at which time he’ll also reveal missing footage from the Zapruder films…you’ll see!!
Brian wrote: “Welling will be Superman in this movie, at which time he’ll also reveal missing footage from the Zapruder films…you’ll see!!”
I hear he’ll also give a five minute monolgue to Batman about how 9/11 was an inside job.
The reason “Superman Returns” sucked is because it was the same freaking story as the first two. Luthor wants land, Luthor debilates Supes with Kryptonite.Luthors Girlfriend helps Superman. Hello! They should’ve started a totally new franchise.
And speaking of Dark films I really hated those 1960 kickback Batman movies that were so rediculous and slapstick.If you have read Alex Ross’ “JUSTICE” that is an intellectual and deep comic series. Just like Arkham Asylum or Frank miller’s Dark night returns. I don’t want to see Batman ice skating or going to charity auctions. He sticks to the shadows. Wonder Woman is an Amazonian WARRIOR-she was trained to kill if necessary.It would just kill me if they made a movie to sell toys. Uggghh…that’s what ruined The Star Wars prequels and that’s what ruined Batman 3 and 4.That’s all i have to say I hope not to be offensive, but this is how I feel.