Justice League, the movie? Warner chief sets sights on team-up film and ‘reinventing’ Batman March 29, 2011 | 8:10 a.m.
Ben Fritz sat down with top Warner Bros. executive Jeff Robinov for a profile piece that ran Tuesday in the Los Angeles Times business section. Fritz also brought back this Hero Complex report on the future of key DC Comics properties at the studio.
Jeff Robinov is already thinking about DC Comics movies for 2013 and beyond, and he’s got “Justice League” and a reinvented Batman on his mind.
The president of the Warner Bros. motion picture group, who recently sat down for an extensive interview with The Times, discussed his long-term strategy for DC beyond movies already in the works, such as June’s “Green Lantern” and next year’s “The Dark Knight Rises” and Superman movie.
The first priority for the man with the ultimate say on what films get made at Warner Bros.: Finally getting the Justice League, DC’s team featuring all its top characters, on the big screen in 2013. The picture had been very close to production in late 2007 and early 2008, but was killed by the Writers Guild of America strike, tax credit issues in Australia, and concerns by some at Warner about presenting a competing (and conflicting) version of Batman while director Christopher Nolan’s films were breaking box office records.
But Robinov said a new Justice League script is in the works. Also being written for Warner are scripts featuring the Flash and Wonder Woman, who could be spun off into their own movies after Justice League. Though Wonder Woman is also in the works as a television pilot for NBC produced by Warner, Robinov dismissed that as a sticking point. “Wonder Woman could be a film as well, the same way that ‘Superman Returns’ came out while ‘Smallville’ was on,” he said, referring to the 2006 film that put Brandon Routh in the cape and the television show starring Tom Welling that is now in its 10th and final season.
Robinov knows that the most bankable part of his superhero empire has been Nolan and his Gotham City films – the studio has yet to deliver a 21st century superhero blockbuster hit without Nolan in the director’s seat. Batman will continue to be a centerpiece property beyond next year’s “The Dark Knight Rises” and Nolan’s departure from the franchise. “We have the third Batman, but then we’ll have to reinvent Batman…Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is.”
Justice League Movie to Stand on Its Own by Silas Lesnick Mar 30th, 2011
Details on a Justice League feature film have been rapidly developing ever since the story broke yesterday that such a project was back on Warner Bros.' schedule. Now, HeyUGuys.co.uk has a further update from Superman director Zack Snyder, explaining that the ensemble film will not bear a link to either his project or to the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises.
‘It doesn’t [connect]," Snyder told the site on the red carpet for the London premiere of Sucker Punch, "Like what Chris Nolan is doing and what I’m doing with 'Superman', what they’ll do with 'Justice League' will be it’s own thing with its own Batman and own Superman. We’ll be over here with our movie and they’ll kinda get to do it twice, which is kind of cool."
One key project that seems to be temporarily left out of the equation is this summer's Green Lantern which still could, foreseeably, tie-in to the nascent Justice League film. Likewise, with recent word that WB will reboot the Batman franchise following the release of The Dark Knight Rises, it's still possible that the team picture could build up through cross-released franchise entries, a la Marvel Studio's lead-in to The Avengers.
I've been reading about this around the web. Not really surprising except for the 2013 date, which sounds very ambitious. It sounds like Flash and WW films would spin out of the JLA one and not the other way around.
Okay, let's say you're suddenly in charge of WB's film division. You see the massive success of Marvel's Avengers franchise. You look at the recent history of DC's properties -- Green Lantern failed. Nolan's Batman is ending. Snyder's Superman is in the middle of filming.
What's your plan? Copy the Marvel formula to build up to JLA? Do something totally different so you don't seem like you're copying them? Pick actual directors if you can for certain projects.
I think they would have to build it up to hit the mark of the Avengers. The problem is that they use Warner Studios instead of their own. So there will always be non-comic guys involved in the process.
_________________ Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons because, to them, you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
I have a interesting thought -- after Superman, do a JLA movie right off, instead of copying Marvel's tactics. Superman and Batman alone have enough audience awareness to guarantee audience interest -- it's not like they're dealing with relative unknowns to the public like Iron Man and Thor.
My thought is that it's not certain DC's pantheon succeeds individually -- however, you can introduce them alongside public favorites in Superman and Batman and build audience awareness and interest that way. Have enough Supey and Bats to satisfy audiences but really make characters like the Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc. shine by giving them awesome character moments. Make the audience say, "Wow, I thought my favorite would have been Batman but I think I liked _________ even better!"
It's not a particularly well thought-out idea but it jumped into my mind as a way to not just follow Marvel's lead. I'd try to snag Jon Favreau or maybe even Peter Jackson.
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DC's names would not have to be explained. Everyone has a vague idea who Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash are and Green Lantern right how has had a lot of exposure. Aquaman, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter would be easy adds a la Black Widow and Hawkeye, thanks to the various recent cartoon.
I think a movie should use a bit of the Gardner Fox formula where each individual character has a chance by themselves to show their individual coolness before coming together in a climactic scene. No idea who should write it and direct it.
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You put Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman at the core of the story and you fill with JLAers that are visually impressive on the screen. You don't try to write a script that has to focus on a water situation for Aquaman, a speed situation for Flash, an aerial situation for Hawkman... You write a great script for the big three, and then find small accent plot points for the 2nd tier characters.
Superman or Wonder Woman getting knocked unconscious into the ocean and Aquaman coming to the rescue... that's all that you need to get people screaming for Aquaman. Batman needing items from the far corners of the Earth to make his plan work... you cut to the Flash taking care of business. In the end, you bring them all in for the battle royale.
I like the idea of just going for the JLA right from the start. And as powerful as Superman is, he can't be everywhere at once. I was going to say split the calamity worldwide, but even better have it in a single location but multi-faceted, where each team members' strengths are utilized. Much like they were in that other super group movie we've all just seen.
And no origin stories. Not for individuals, not for the League. You just go into it with the League fully formed. If people leave the theater saying, "Wow, who was that guy with the wings that showed up for the big battle at the end?", so much the better.
The Justice League movie would suffer from the same creative problem as the Justice League comic book -- Superman.
He's so powerful it's hard to write things where he's not the entire solution. And yet a cheap trick to get rid of him won't satisfy audiences.
I don't think of him as anymore of a problem than Thor.
Thor has a high power level, but not near the "A list" status of Superman. From just a story-telling perspective, I think the public would be hard pressed to accept Superman in such an "out of left field" mode. I supposed it's aided by the fact that there is the Man of Steel movie -- see how that goes, I guess.
The Justice League movie would suffer from the same creative problem as the Justice League comic book -- Superman.
He's so powerful it's hard to write things where he's not the entire solution. And yet a cheap trick to get rid of him won't satisfy audiences.
I don't think of him as anymore of a problem than Thor.
Thor has a high power level, but not near the "A list" status of Superman. From just a story-telling perspective, I think the public would be hard pressed to accept Superman in such an "out of left field" mode. I supposed it's aided by the fact that there is the Man of Steel movie -- see how that goes, I guess.
He was accepted well enough for the half decade run of the Justice League animated series.
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There are many ways to "handle" Superman. He could have something to do while everyone else does something else. He could be the object of a search and rescue. He could be turned by a bad guy and be whom the rest of the league fights.
_________________ Affecting the universe...with my mind!
To have a satisfying movie, you've got to give people enough of what they want -- and Superman has to be relevant without being all-consuming. He's like the "fat lady" at the opera.
I was discussing this the other day with my LCS guy -- the Hulk is a bit of a problem, being the fan favorite and scene-stealer. The public is going to be disappointed if he's not in future Avengers movies, and they're going to want him to be relevant to the outcome. He's got to be deployed, and cinematically it's unsatisfying if he's defeated or neutralized. So they've got a tall challenge in answering the following questions and avoiding the following pitfalls:
1. Why haven't they thrown the Hulk at this problem yet? (Can be answered). 2. But I want to see what would happen if the Hulk came out. 3. And I don't want to see the Hulk looking irrelevant. 4. But by the way, be original and fresh, and don't overuse the "Hulk card."
It's a challenge, and I'm anxious to see how they tackle it.
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