DC can't seem to get live-action right, with the exception of Batman, and even he's been radically redesigned for the movie world. Can you really picture the Nolan version of Batman in the Justice League, hanging out with the current Superman?

And you know they'll cast some skinny B-list actress as Wonder Woman because some executive says, "Muscles? Why would an Amazon princess need muscles?!?!? She just needs a big rack!"

Green Lantern is going to be a CGI nightmare. The Flash will be underpowered and hokey.

And will they actually fill in the gaps with the lesser-known heroes? Can you imagine the Martian Manhunter in a live-action movie?

The problem with DC's heroes is that they're so out-there, so cosmic-level, and so godlike, that they don't translate well to live-action. With the sole exception of Batman, every Justice League member is either an alien, god, or force of nature.

And when Warner executives get hold of the DC characters, they won't let them remain true to their roots like Marvel Studios does for their properties. Warner executives will "tweak" them for movies, because they want mass-appeal.

While Warner is at the helm, you will never get a Superman movie as good as Iron Man, because by the time he gets to the screen we'll lose any decent story or characterization, and we'll get a re-hash of his origin story YET AGAIN and a conflict with a dumbed-down Lex Luthor YET AGAIN, and some tweaks to the costume, and some new powers, and in the end it will just sort of look like a younger, hipper Superman that ignores his older, more authoritarian look in favor of being young & cute enough for tween girls to want to watch him.

Until DC has their own studio sans Warner Bros executives, DC movies will continue to suck because they pass through a crap factory before seeing the screen.

ZeroCorpse: Until DC has their own studio sans Warner Bros executives, DC movies will continue to suck because they pass through a crap factory before seeing the screen.

no, not really. WB is, right now, one of the best running studios in the business. they've established a precedent of taking tried and true directors, giving them the tools they need, and usually coming to a "you scratch our back we'll scratch yours" policy(Nolan's Batman, my movie, Batman, my movie arrangement, and Soderberg's "Oceans X, my movies, Ocean's X), creating long term profit from stable franchises without burning out the talent that makes them profitable in the first place. right now Warners is swimming in so much Harry Potter and Batman money that they can throw several millions at Nolan to create a farked up high-brow sci-fi movie, knowing good and goddamn well they're already recouping the cost on TDK blu-ray, DVD and TV licensing, let alone the guaranteed moneymaker the next Bat-movie will be.

if they do what they've done with Batman, I.E. find a solid and tested director who's genuinely in love with the material and let them run wild with it, they'll continue to see TDK levels of success. and right now, they're in a position to roll the dice and come up short a lot more than the other studios. whilst i don't think a Justice League movie's a good idea unless it's used primarily as a platform for the B-listers who couldn't necessarily hold their own in a feature, i honestly feel that WB has established that they know how to treat their franchises, and they've yet to disappoint in a significant fashion.

I hope flash is a total badass in this movie.

ZeroCorpse: Can you imagine the Martian Manhunter in a live-action movie?

Absolutely. The way the MM is depicted in the cartoons and even comics is usually pretty lame. Film is one medium he could really be freed to exist viscerally. The guy can turn into anything, with the right story and graphics team, conveying his powers and covering the destruction of his homeworld could be portrayed very readily, with great emotion and audience involvement.

ZeroCorpse: The problem with DC's heroes is that they're so out-there, so cosmic-level, and so godlike, that they don't translate well to live-action. With the sole exception of Batman, every Justice League member is either an alien, god, or force of nature

I disagree completely. Their godlike existence is what makes them so good for the silver screen. Alex Ross/Paul Dini have long portrayed the DC heroes as incredibly human characters, treating them far less like great untouchable deities, but quintessential people. That's what they represent, and with a team that can convey that in film, it would blow any Christopher Nolan Batman completely out of the water.




You're completely right in that this would never happen, and the people who do get their hands on the story are going to turn into some crapfest shiat fark like Fantastic 4, but we can dream.

ninjakirby: ZeroCorpse: Can you imagine the Martian Manhunter in a live-action movie?

Absolutely. The way the MM is depicted in the cartoons and even comics is usually pretty lame. Film is one medium he could really be freed to exist viscerally. The guy can turn into anything, with the right story and graphics team, conveying his powers and covering the destruction of his homeworld could be portrayed very readily, with great emotion and audience involvement.

ZeroCorpse: The problem with DC's heroes is that they're so out-there, so cosmic-level, and so godlike, that they don't translate well to live-action. With the sole exception of Batman, every Justice League member is either an alien, god, or force of nature

I disagree completely. Their godlike existence is what makes them so good for the silver screen. Alex Ross/Paul Dini have long portrayed the DC heroes as incredibly human characters, treating them far less like great untouchable deities, but quintessential people. That's what they represent, and with a team that can convey that in film, it would blow any Christopher Nolan Batman completely out of the water.

You're completely right in that this would never happen, and the people who do get their hands on the story are going to turn into some crapfest shiat fark like Fantastic 4, but we can dream.

and NK reminds me why he's in my favorite list.

stickmangrit: and NK reminds me why he's in my favorite list.

I once had an assignment to write a 10 page critical examination paper on some form of 'art' so of course I covered the depiction of Superman and his evolution from early 20th century hard-hitter to War Propagandist to the Undefeatable American Symbol.

Not a great paper, but the teacher turned out to be a huge comic nerd, so easy A+

Haven't there been more DC movies (and TV series) than those of Marvel? 5 or 6 Superman movies. About 6 Batman movies. "Smallville" (which is getting pretty awful), has introduced almost every Justice League character and villain during the last 8 or 9 seasons.

Marvel gets to claim 3 Hulk movies, 3 Spidermans, and 2 Fantastic Fours. And no Wonder Woman--a tragedy of staggering complexity.

Which is the slacker movie studio? Disney or Warner?

If you haven't seen Kevin Smith's "An Evening With" where he describes the creative process he was a part of with Superman, then you might not know of what I speak.

When Smith was asked to write a Superman treatment for WB, the producer gave him the following rules for the story:

1. "I don't wanna see him in the costume."

2. "I don't wanna see him flying."

3. "He has to fight a giant spider in the movie."

Later, more requirements came up, like making Braniac fight polar bears, giving Braniac a robot sidekick with a gay Black man's voice, etc. The producer was not aware that Kal El was Superman when he read the treatment, and he wasn't aware of what "Krypton" was, either. In short, he didn't know jack-shiat about Superman, and saw the property as just a way to get another shiatty action movie in theaters some summer. Eventually, Kevin Smith was dropped from the project (because Tim Burton wanted to write his own script when he was attached), and Smith was actually sort of relieved because it was turning to crap anyway.

Thankfully, that movie didn't come to pass.

However, here's what we DID get in live-action Superman:

1. New costume that looks more "hip" and "metrosexual".

2. Superman and Lois looked much younger; Practically college-aged.

3. Lex Luthor was a comedic foil with a bad real-estate scheme.

4. Superman using his X-ray vision to stalk Lois at home.

5. Soap opera love triangle drama!

6. Super-baby.

7. A total deus ex machina ending that had little to do with Superman saving the day.

8. Superman in the hospital.

9. Bullet-time.

Now, tell me again how Warner Bros is going to treat Superman and the Justice League with respect. You know who's producing the next Superman movie? The same guy who wanted the giant spider.

And while The Dark Knight was a decent movie, it was also in Nolan's "realistic" world, and Batman was very much in a vacuum. There's no room in the Nolanesque world for an alien, an Amazon princess, a intergalactic policeman, and a force of nature.

Sun God: Marvel gets to claim 3 Hulk movies, 3 Spidermans, and 2 Fantastic Fours.

Wow. You've got a lot of things mixed up.

Wonder Woman is DC, not Marvel, and she's never made it to film because nobody knows how to make her not turn out like Catwoman did.

And here's Marvel's list of films based on their comics:

1944 Captain America
1978 Doctor Strange (made for TV)
1979 Captain America (made for TV)
1979 Captain America II (made for TV)
1986 Howard the Duck
1989 The Punisher
1990 Captain America
1991 Power Pack (made for TV, unreleased)
1994 The Fantastic Four (Corman version, unreleased)
1996 Generation X (made for TV)
1998 Blade
1998 Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (made for TV)
2000 X-Men
2002 Blade II
2002 Spider-Man
2003 Daredevil
2003 X-Men 2
2003 Hulk
2004 The Punisher
2004 Spider-Man 2
2004 Blade: Trinity
2005 Elektra
2005 Man-Thing (direct to video)
2005 Fantastic Four
2006 X-Men: The Last Stand
2007 Ghost Rider
2007 Spider-Man 3
2007 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
2008 Iron Man
2008 The Incredible Hulk
2008 Punisher: War Zone
2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Forthcoming
2010 Iron Man 2
2010 Kick-Ass
Announced
2011 Thor
2011 The First Avenger: Captain America
2011 Ant-Man

...And this isn't counting all their animation, of which there's a LOT. X-Men, Spider-Man, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, and the Hulk have all had several cartoon series and animated features. (you can see a list here.

It's also not counting all their ongoing live-action TV series, such as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America.

It also doesn't count Men in Black which is a Marvel Comic, but isn't a superhero comic.

ZeroCorpse: However, here's what we DID get in live-action Superman:

Coming out of that movie, I felt displeased I hadn't voiced my disgust with that film by vomiting in the aisle.

ZeroCorpse

I know Wonder Woman is DC.

You seem ill.

I hope they go wild and get George Newbern and Kevin Conroy dub their voices over the live action actors' voices for Superman and Batman respectively.

Screw live action, just let them keep making the Justice League cartoons.

Mayhem_2006: Screw live action, just let them keep making the Justice League cartoons.

Agreed. Unless they go the Nolan route for everything.

1. Put snakes on plane: Agreed. Unless they go the Nolan route for everything.

Bad idea. When producers see "Nolan route", they think make it dark and gritty, not just turning the sometimes silliness in a believable real world setting. So you'd basically get the entire DC universe as written by Frank Miller.

I don't see the appeal of a justice league.

If they have Superman, you don't need anybody else.

Kyro: Mayhem_2006: Screw live action, just let them keep making the Justice League cartoons.

This. DC's heroes make crappy live-action movies(with the above noted exception of Batman).



Disagrees

And, in truth, any of the DC properties *could* make a good action film. Green Lantern with modern special effects could be spectacular. If done right.

And that's the issue. Done right? hard to do in a solo flick, but in a film with 6 other supers, many of whom are obscure enough, to the mainstream cinema goer, that they would need an exposition of their history in order for it to make any sense? There's barely enough room in an action flick for 7 superstars, let alone ones who need to be explained to the audience.

It could be done. It could, if we were astonishingly lucky, be done well. It's just that the cartoons have set the bar so high, its hard to imagine a live version that would be better.

I don't see why they can't use Bruce Timm's pilot episode of the Justice League to help make this movie.

And The Justice League doesn't have to be dark...just Batman. I mean he's always been the odd one out.....why would that change in this movie?


Well, I guess we'll just see what happens.

ninjakirby: ZeroCorpse: However, here's what we DID get in live-action Superman:

Coming out of that movie, I felt displeased I hadn't voiced my disgust with that film by vomiting in the aisle.

I would like the guy that took down Phantom Menace to make a youtube video about the Superman movie.

ninjakirby: I disagree completely. Their godlike existence is what makes them so good for the silver screen. Alex Ross/Paul Dini have long portrayed the DC heroes as incredibly human characters, treating them far less like great untouchable deities, but quintessential people. That's what they represent, and with a team that can convey that in film, it would blow any Christopher Nolan Batman completely out of the water.

Screw those portrayals. I'd much rather see these on the big screen:

MugzyBrown: I don't see the appeal of a justice league.

If they have Superman, you don't need anybody else.

1. Because Superman can't be everywhere at once.

2. Because Superman has a weakness more deadly than Kryptonite, his friends. Unless every villain has Kryptonite or magic, Superman can't lose. However, protecting his friends can be a dramatic challenge. And watching him save Lois gets boring. At least Hawkgirl can hold her own.

3. Superman may be smart, but he's not as smart as many of the Leaguers. "Superman whales on another bad guy" isn't always the most compelling story, whereas a detective story with Superman in the background as "muscle" can be interesting.

4. In a dramatic sense, Superman can act as a deus ex machina if the other heroes run into trouble - Sort of like holding Dr. Strange back from solving every problem.

I think they would have to make a Green Lantern stand-alone movie to build up to a Justice League movie, and I think it could be good. They could go with Hal Jordan or John Stewart as the focus, who were pretty much just regular guys until they got the rings. The audience could identify more with GL than with an indestructible alien or a psychologically traumatized billionaire orphan.

The concept of the Green Lantern is still pretty far out and weird, so I think it merits its own movie. But a likable main character and sweet special affects will help ease audiences into the concept.

Then once you have a Justice League movie, GL could act as the audience surrogate. Even though he has this unbelievably powerful ring, he is otherwise a pretty normal dude. He's not from another planet like Superman or a complete lunatic like Batman. If characterized in the right way it would give the audience somebody to latch onto.

What can you do with the JLA on the big screen? Justice Lord's trilogy that is what. Do a dark political commentary about giving up freedom all in the name of security.

First movie has the heroes coming together to fight some colossal evil. Maybe superpowered Al Qaeda bent on destroying the Western governments. In the end it turns out to be a plot by an evil corporation that is selling Al Qaeda some drugs or super powered gizmos to further their own ends. Last shot is of the JLA satellite being built and Batman expressing concerns over the surveillance and death ray.

Second movie the heroes having formed the JLA find themselves policing the world's governments, corporations, and individuals to insure peace and prosperity for all. After a massive and personal tragedy caused by that same evil corporation as in the first movie he JLA decides to impose a one world government. End shot is Batman leaving JLA headquarters and tossing his JLA communicator/pin/symbol in the trash.

Third movie Batman leading a cadre of rebelling heroes fights the JLA around the world and in space. Turns out that certain key members of the JLA were in league with the evil corporation and orchestrated this whole thing. Namely Lex Luthor and Superman teamed up in a bid to stabilize the world and bring peace and prosperity to the world.

You could do a flash back where Superman upset over the death of a loved one has taken to drinking. Then Lex Luthor could persuade him that the only way to insure tragedies like this do not happen is to impose order and control on the world.

Then Batman could attack Superman bounding the crap out of him with Kryptonite powered knuckle dusters all the while trying to make him see reason. The end could be an all star blow out with nearly every super hero from the DC universe participating in the final smack down.

A comic book geek can dream can't they?

Slaves2Darkness: Namely Lex Luthor and Superman teamed up in a bid to stabilize the world and bring peace and prosperity to the world.


So, basically Watchmen?

MugzyBrown: I don't see the appeal of a justice league The Avengers.

If they have Superman Thor and Hercules, you don't need anybody else.

FTFY

I'm waiting for a Superfriends movie.

stickmangrit: MugzyBrown: I don't see the appeal of a justice league The Avengers.

If they have Superman Thor and Hercules, you don't need anybody else.

FTFY

One reason I preferred the West Coast Avengers growing up - they were significantly depowered compared to the Mighty Avengers.

stuhayes2010: I'm waiting for a Superfriends movie.



...in the right hands...

Stan Lee once said that for every character out there, that's someone's favorite. Put some good writing behind even crappy powers (Daredevil springs to mind) and something good can be made of it.

stuhayes2010: I'm waiting for a Superfriends movie.

MugzyBrown: I don't see the appeal of a justice league.

If they have Superman The God Damn Batman, you don't need anybody else.

There FTFY

PizzaJedi81: bassmonkeee: Slaves2Darkness: Namely Lex Luthor and Superman teamed up in a bid to stabilize the world and bring peace and prosperity to the world.


So, basically Watchmen Squadron Supreme?

ftfy

Yes, thank you I could not remember the original. That plot line has been duplicated a couple of times since then.

Is Superman more vulnerable to magic than the average hero or is he about equally vulnerable, but since he is Superman it is a big deal?

Fano: stuhayes2010: I'm waiting for a Superfriends movie.



...in the right hands...

Stan Lee once said that for every character out there, that's someone's favorite. Put some good writing behind even crappy powers (Daredevil springs to mind) and something good can be made of it.

Zan and Jayna are Vulcans/Romulans?

/Shape of an Eagle, form of Water...

Nemo's Brother: Is Superman more vulnerable to magic than the average hero or is he about equally vulnerable, but since he is Superman it is a big deal?

Magic effects Superman as it would anyone else. It is a big deal because it gives a lot of people leverage. THat said, Superman's invulnerability isn't his only power - he can still fly, is still extremely strong, ect. Shoot Superman with an arrow (non-Kryptonite, Kingdom Come peoples) and it bounces off. Shoot Superman with a magically enchanted arrow, it will penetrate. of course, it still can be deflected, caught, shot with heat vision, ect.

I'm looking forward to being only somewhat disappointed by this movie.

Magorn: Mugato: Good idea. Batman was getting way too successful. He needs to hang out with Aquaman and Wonder Woman to move him down a few pegs.

There is a really simple way to make this awesome:

1) Use the Justice League animated series characterizations of our heroes.

2) Take the plot of that series 4-part episode "Starcrossed"(2 hours with commericals so about 80 minutes without) and translate it into live action with a little bit of backstory to fill out a 90-120 minute run time.

3) Be sure to include the scene where Batman rigs the Watchtower to kamikaze the Thanagarian project, and the line "gentlemen, it has been an honor" as he locks the other heroes oout of the tower and makes it clear he's going to pilot the thing in.

4)Profit

Much as I think "Starcrossed" was one of the best arcs ever, The only problem with it being a stand alone movie is that you didn't get the slow buildup with the blossoming relationship between John Stewart and Hawkgirl.

Still, all of what you mentioned would be awesome on the big screen.

texdent: But who would play Wonder Woman? Hawkwoman(girl?)? Zatanna? Black Canary?

Women with large breasts, hopefully.

When Will White People Stop Making Comic Book Movies?

texdent: But who would play Wonder Woman? Hawkwoman(girl?)? Zatanna? Black Canary?

On the subject of geek lesbian porn. How come nobody has ever done a slave Leia and Orion slave girl photoshoot or shop?