In the comic book world, theJustice Leaguemay be the single greatest symbol of hope that exists. At the moment, theJustice Leaguemovie happens to be that symbol of hope for the DC Extended Universe. There are certainly fans of what Warner Bros. has done with their current run of DC Comics movies, but there are a great many others who are less than happy with the results so far.
Warner Bros.is totally committed to making the DCEU work. Rotten Tomatoes be damned. But they can’t keep making movies that get trashed by critics and are met with a divisive response from fans. That being the case,Justice Leaguereally needs to deliver to help keep the DCEU train on the tracks and the responsibility is once again falling inZack Snyder’s lap, with his vision to remain intact as Joss Whedon has officially taken over rewrites and reshoots moving into the final lap of post-production..
No matter how you feel about theDCEUso far, much of the blame and/or praise belongs toZack Snyder. He directedMan of Steel, the first movie in this DC Comics movie universe, as well asBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. That movie was the true launching point of the DCEU, but it didn’t go as smoothly as Warner Bros. was hoping it would. While it will surely be a very different movie,Justice Leaguewill shoulder a lot of the same responsibilities thatThe Avengersdid for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has to prove this grand idea can work and that these heroes can unite in an effective movie. And that is one of the reasons Whedon was chosen to take the baton from Snyder. He directedAvengersand made it a success. He knows how to handle the weight of this, and will help shape something wonderful while keeping Snyder’s visual flare from falling to the wayside.
Despite very poor critical reception to the movies that have been released so far in the DCEU, with bothBatman V. Superman: Dawn of JusticeandSuicide Squadboth hovering around a 26 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, there is massive desire for these movies. Combined they made more than $1.6 billion at the box office in 2016, so the general public really wants to see these movies and there is no reason to think they won’t also want to seeJustice League. But at some point, mixed reception will hurt more than it currently is.Justice Leaguehas to work.
We are still about a year away fromJustice Leaguelanding in theaters, but anticipation is very high. Ever since the first footage debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, cautious optimism has been abundant and there is reason to believeJustice Leaguecould nail it. So just to help satiate your desire to see the movie, here is what we know aboutJustice Leagueat this point in time.
15Joss Whedon is Taking over for Zack Snyder as Director
There remain a great many defenders of the DCEU despite the fact that none of the movies have been critically well received so far. At this point, equal parts blame and praise belong toZack Snyder. He started Warner. Bros down this path withMan of Steeland forged the road for these movies moving forward withBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. And he was the one set to unite theJustice Leaguefor the very first time ever on screen.
Nobody will argue againstZack Snyder’s ability as a director to make things look visually stunning (see the warehouse seen in BvS), but most complaints that have been lobbed in his direction have to do with character and story. In the case of the DCEU, his treatment of Superman in general and showing Batman killing people willingly on screen are decisions that have divided fans. Also, even the biggest defenders ofBatman V. Supermancan acknowledge that it was a bloated story with some plot issues. It is unclear exactly how the fallout from the negative reception toBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justicehas effected his approach, butZack Snyderwas the man behind the camera forJustice Leagueduring principle photography. And that was a huge responsibility.
The movie is now undergoing reshoots and script changes under the direction of Joss Whedon. Zack Snyder officially stepped down from his directorial duties as summer 2017 approached, just six months from the release of the movie. Snyder and his family faced personal heartbreak when the director’s 20-year-old daughter committed suicide. DC Films and Warner Bros. offered to push the release date back, but Snyder’s original plan was to keep moving forward as planned without a break. He soon found it hard to continue work, and made his grief public. He didn’t want to, but he also didn’t want a barrage of rumors swirling around why he left. So he recruitedAvengersdirector Joss Whedon to step in and take over.
Zack Snyder’s vision for the movie will remain intact. Synder and Whedon will share co-directing credit on the movie, with Whedon doing minimal reshoots after having tweaked the script. Joss Whedon, who is set to write and directorBatgirlfor DC and Warner Bros., had already been recruited to help out with the planned reshoots. The movie is still scheduled to hit theaters this holiday season as planned.
14Chris Terrio Returned to Write the Script
Even if you lovedBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, you can probably acknowledge that there were some serious story problems. It is really unclear where those story problems came from, but hopefully they weren’t fromChris Terrio, because he is the one responsible for theJustice Leaguescript. In the case ofBatman V. Superman,David S. Goyeralso was credited, so it is unclear who was responsible for exactly what.
Either way,Chris Terriois the man who shapedJustice League, at least on paper. He is also reportedly already signed on for theJustice Leaguesequel, so it seems like Warner Bros. liked what he did. It is also worth noting that he wroteArgo, whichBen Affleckdirected. That movie went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, so it is clear the man has some talent. Fans can just hope he brought his A game forJustice League.
13Batman Returns
When it was first announced thatBen Affleckwas going to play Batman in the DCEU, many thought, or at least hoped, it was a joke. It was not. But for all of the criticism made of the casting choice, Batfleck wound up being one of the best parts ofBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. And with Superman currently dead after his fight with Doomsday, it is up toBen Affleckto bring theJustice Leaguetogether to fight whatever threats await them inJustice League. It is unclear if Batman will be a little less willing to kill this time around, but outside of that,Ben Affleckdoesn’t need to do a whole lot differently in this movie. It was a tough task to be the first man to play Batman afterChristian BaleinThe Dark Knighttrilogy, and I think most would argue that he did an admirable job. It is just a matter ofJustice Leaguebeing able to deliver on the promise, and Batman will be a very large part of that.
12Alfred is Coming Back
Another thing that most people seemed to respond to inBatman V. Superman: Dawn of JusticewasJeremy Ironsas Alfred. His take was very different from what we had seen previously, especially when compared toMichael Caine. But it worked very well. So, it is probably a good thing that he will be coming back forJustice League. We don’t know much about how he will fit in or how big his role in the movie will be, but we know that he is in it. Perhaps he will be helping Batman or theJustice Leagueteam members remotely like he did with Bruce at the end ofBatman V. Superman? Either way, it’ll be nice to seeJeremy Ironsback at it.
11Wonder Woman
Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, may not have had a lot of screentime inBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but whatever screentime she did have made a big impression.Gal Gadotabsolutely killed her opportunity to bring the iconic DC Comics superhero to life and she will be a huge factor inJustice Leaguenext year. At this point, it seems like she and Bruce Wayne will be partnering up to bring the team together, or unite the seven, as it were. Heading intoJustice Leaguewe will have a much better idea of what this character can do, because theWonder Womansolo movie will be released beforeJustice Leaguelands in theaters. From what we have seen in those trailers alone, we know that she can do some serious damage when she is in Amazon warrior mode. She will be a major player when it comes to saving the world inJustice League, make no mistake about that.
10The Flash
We have seen little flashes, if you will, ofEzra Miller’s The Flash on screen in the DCEU so far. There was the odd dream sequence and the security camera footage fromBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justiceand his very brief “blink and you’ll miss it” cameo inSuicide Squad. He is definitely going to be inJustice Leagueand you can bet his time on screen will be more than brief. In the trailers alone we have seen quite a bit of interaction betweenEzra Milleras Barry Allen andBen Affleckas Bruce Wayne. It is also clear that he is going to offer a bit of comic relief, which could help out in balancing the tone a bit. The Flash is a core member of theJustice Leagueso he will surely be central to the story and not just someone for Batman to joke around with. Plus, this will be our real introduction to the character beforeThe Flashsolo movie, so the creative team will want to get everyone on board with this version of Barry Allen.
9Superman Returns
It is no secret thatHenry Cavill’s Superman bit the dust at the end ofBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justiceafter his fight with Doomsday. The thing is, none of us were really convinced that he was going to stay dead. Not for long anyway. Point being, Superman is coming back inJustice League.Zack Snyderhasn’t kept the best poker face about it andHenry Cavillcan even be seen on set, in costume during one of the behind-the-scenes videos fromJustice Leaguethat made its way online. Not some shaky, unofficial video mind you. This was an official video and was released as an official piece of marketing for the movie.
As for howZack Snyderand Joss Whedon plan to resurrect Superman or how that will factor into the story remains a mystery, but he will be back. Not only that, butHenry Cavillhas even teased that we may be seeing the famous black suit from theDeath and Return of Supermancomic book storyline. So not only will Superman be returning, but he will be returning in fashion.
8Aquaman and The Atlanteans
There is the version ofAquamanfrom the days of old, be it from the comics or the old animatedJustice LeagueTV show. Then there is theAquamanthat we are going to get fromJason MomoainJustice League. From the trailers alone it is very clear that this isn’t going to be your daddy’sAquaman, which is probably for the best. At the moment it kind of looks like beefed up, “drunk uncle"Aquamanand that could be very cool. We got the briefest of teases to Arthur Curry inBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he will be a big time player inJustice League.
Not only will the best known and most powerful Atlantean be arriving inJustice League, but a couple of other players from the upcomingAquamansolo movie will also be showing up.Amber Heardis playing another powerful Atlantean named Mera, who we have already had a glimpse of thanks to a photo that was released online. Also making an appearance will be the chief science advisor of Atlantis, who goes by the name of Nuidis Vulko. The character is being portrayed byWillem Dafoe. So get ready for a major introduction to the world of Atlantis inJustice League.
A lot of DC Comics fans know Cyborg, aka Victor “Vic” Stone, as a chief member of theTeen Titans. But in 2011 when DC relaunched their comic book line and rebooted their continuity, Cyborg became a founding member of theJustice League. It appears that is the takeZack Snyder, Joss Whedon and the creative team behind the movie decided to go with, becauseRay Fisherwill be joining up with Batman and the gang as Cyborg inJustice League. Again, outside of what we have seen in the trailers, the only bit we have seen from Cyborg is what we saw in the video file that Bruce Wayne emailed to Diana Prince inBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. That will all change whenJustice Leaguecomes around next year, because he is going to be fighting alongside the more well-known members of the team. MaybeRay Fishercan help make the character a mainstream hit. Regardless, he is going to be a big factor inJustice League.
6Lois Lane
At this point there is really no telling how big of a role she will have, butAmy Adamsis set to return as Lois Lane inJustice League. She played the iconic reporter and love interest for Superman in bothMan of SteelandBatman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Of all the complaints made about the DCEU so far, pretty much none of them have involvedAmy Adams' portrayal as Lois Lane, so her presence inJustice Leagueshould be encouraging, or at the very least certainly not upsetting. Having an actress of her caliber on board any project can’t possibly hurt.
