LA Times: WB to shoot Justice League next year and release it Summer 2015

[Mat001]

Its hard to speculate what would have or could have been etc, but your right Blade unquestionably helped the superhero genre. I'm not sure we would have gotten the X-men films as soon as we did without it.

and its not like studios don't try with stuff. They still try with the Punisher, but a this point I almost wonder why. I think we could get a really good punisher movie. Its got pretty generic elements but still has the potential to be good. I just don't think will ever see a good punisher movie within this decade.

The problem with the Punisher is that the type of screenwriter and director that would excel at this, have either done similar films or are no longer working in the industry.

Also I wish some of marvel's licenses hadn't expired. Now will never see another Blade movie. After that horrible last one I was hoping the franchise would get a chance to redeem itself. If new line just went with the original post apocalyptic script that Goyer originally wrote I'm sure it would have been a good film...... but no just like Spider-Man 3 studio heads had to go in and mandate stuff, screwing over the film.

The problem with "Blade Trinity" was that del Toro went to work on other films and New Line wanted to go forward with the film. But they weren't going to pay for what Goyer and del Toro had in mind. And so Goyer went ahead on his own. That doesn't mean another Blade film won't happen. It'll be a while before it does.

I still really want to see a Justice League movie, I just hope they get it right. Now I'm worried it won't be a huge hit. I mean with Avengers 2 and Star War 7, 2015 is going to be crazy.

Seven years ago, you had "Revenge Of The Sith" and "Batman Begins" in the same summer. Along with "War Of The Worlds". Ten years ago, you had "Attack Of The Clones" and "Spider-Man" in the same month. It can be done.

Wasn't Spider-man delayed for more than just rights issues?

Nope, it was all movie rights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-...lm#Development

Read that and then take a couple of aspirin.

[Flashpoint]

I wonder if the Wachowski siblings have been taken off WB's list of possible Justice League directors now that Atlas Cloud has totally bombed. 9.6 million in its opening weekend and only a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Not really. It was a Indie movie with a high Budget And I give the Wachowski's alot of credit for reaching for the stars in the film.

Correct. Cloud Atlas was not financed in its entireity by WB. Twyker and the Wachowskis pulled together a patchwork quilt of financing from multiple sources. Point being, no one studio went all-in financing the whole thing. By farming out parts of the budget piecemeal, no one investor had to take on *all* the risk.

Also, the whole goal from Day One with Cloud Atlas was that it was expected to be a hit in Europe and other countries, not in A.D.D.-addled America. It's a film designed from the very beginning to turn a profit in foreign release, not domestic.

RE: Wachowskis possibly directing Justice League
It really was always a longshot at best (and possibly even a red herring fished out to gossip sites by WB execs to get positive buzz). The Wachowskis have been in the middle of development for Jupiter Ascending all year long...

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/...nds-bats-crazy

With Jupiter Ascending tentatively slated for release in 2014, there's no way they'd have time to film Justice League. They'd have to back-burner JA in order to make JL and then if JL was a hit, they'd be most likely locked into sequels. My feeling is the whole Wachowski rumor was just like when WB dangled Ben Affleck in front of us: a scam to throw us off the trail and gin up the hype machine.

I've been pretty openminded and willing to give Robinov the benefit of the doubt most of the time. But lately I'm not feeling optimistic. When I went to see Cloud Atlas (which is brilliant and I loved it--GO SEE IT!), a slight feeling of dread swept over me when I saw that Gangster Squad had its release date moved to the middle of January. Screen Rant, however, says that's not necessarily bad news...

http://screenrant.com/gangster-squad-delay-release-date

Studio heads are reportedly considering January 11th, 2013 to launch Gangster Squad in theaters, where it will face off against Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters (starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton). THR says the studio first has to plan a new timeline for reshooting the aforementioned theater sequence, and then reschedule press for the film (both will be affected by cast availability).

Gangster Squad was previously being trumped-up as an awards contender, given the caliber of the ensemble cast and script by up-and-comer Will Beall – who’s since been entrusted to write the Justice League movie. If nothing else, the film’s initial September date gave it a fighting chance to replicate the box office success of, say, Ben Affleck’s crime drama/thriller The Town from two years back.

January isn’t the Hollywood dumping ground that it used to be, but even critically-lauded films released during that month struggle to maintain awards buzz (see: The Grey). If Gangster Squad does indeed end up being pushed back to January 2013, that means Warner Bros. is abandoning any Oscar hopes – and instead going for an early year hit, in the aftermath of the Winter Holiday Season.

I have to commend WB on one thing. They've kept an admirable lockdown on leaks about Will Beall's Justice League script. The security on this project has been airtight. Nobody I've talked to knows anything which is unusual. The silence is deafening.

Whatever happens next, I expect/hope we'll start hearing some more substantial news. In terms of pre-production, WB literally cannot wait much longer to hire a director if they are serious about meeting that Summer 2015 release date.

[Flashpoint]

Well, Time-Warner has always seemed paralyzed by a merry-go-round of suits. Just one misstep after another (I thought Superman Returns hurt a DCU movieverse more than Green Lantern). But I am frankly much more excited about the Dude of Steel than I was about the Batman 8. It's a terrific challenge and I'm hoping they follow the simple take that Supes is still the same decent guy, but the world is terrified of him.

I agree it's the launch that could give the JLA movie some serious buzz. As for the third superhero factory out there, Fox made a major mistake by handing the sequel to their very best Mutie Movie (First Class) over to Singer. Matthew Vaughn made one of the most clever, charming and downright cool superhero movies ever, and I have no clue why they would replace him with a hack like Singer.

Totally disagree with you on Bryan Singer doing another X-Men movie. X2: X-Men United is one of my all-time favorite superhero movies. It was the first time I saw Famke Jenssen really bring Jean Grey to life. Nightcrawler was incredible, the special effects were solid and the action sequences were all great. That film had heart and soul and, best of all, gave us a glimpse of the Phoenix that I'll never forget. I can't wait to see Singer bring the X-Men back to life.

RE: Man Of Steel
Yeah, it does look awesome in more ways than one. Alan Horn became known as the man who revived the Batman franchise. With MOS, Jeff Robinov could become known as the man who revived the Superman film franchise. That would not only be a huge feather in his cap, but it would also give him back some street cred with fans and people in Hollywood after the failure of GL. Plus, he'd get a little more faith from people that he could still pull off a successful Justice League.

Also, let's be honest: if both MOS and even maybe Lobo in 2014 are hits, then WB and Robinov would have some legitimate buzz and a wind at their backs going into 2015's JL.

[Alan Smithee]

Totally disagree with you on Bryan Singer doing another X-Men movie. X2: X-Men United is one of my all-time favorite superhero movies. It was the first time I saw Famke Jenssen really bring Jean Grey to life. Nightcrawler was incredible, the special effects were solid and the action sequences were all great. That film had heart and soul and, best of all, gave us a glimpse of the Phoenix that I'll never forget. I can't wait to see Singer bring the X-Men back to life.

RE: Man Of Steel
Yeah, it does look awesome in more ways than one. Alan Horn became known as the man who revived the Batman franchise. With MOS, Jeff Robinov could become known as the man who revived the Superman film franchise. That would not only be a huge feather in his cap, but it would also give him back some street cred with fans and people in Hollywood after the failure of GL. Plus, he'd get a little more faith from people that he could still pull off a successful Justice League.

Also, let's be honest: if both MOS and even maybe Lobo in 2014 are hits, then WB and Robinov would have some legitimate buzz and a wind at their backs going into 2015's JL.

I thought Christopher Nolan did that? Seriously, he did say he let Rabinov talk him into sticking a Batmobile into his remake.

I don't pretend to be an insider of the mogul musical chairs in the executive suites, but the corporate types claiming credit or stabbing backs or getting fired has always been, to me, inside baseball by the non-creative "suits" slithering around a creator-driven industry.

Their actions are driven by fear and greed, the same forces that drive the market and the stockholders whose favor they curry. Maybe Robert Evans is one of the few "modern era" moguls who had a significant impact on the American New Wave, but those guys are long gone.

Studio heads are inevitably at the mercy of luck and the logic/guesswork of banking on a creative vision, or milking a past success to death until they're fired. Or, like Sony, fire someone like Raimi after forcing him to cram too much into Spidey 3, then tossing out garbage like Spidey 4 with a cheap creative team just because it's easy money and nobody buys Walkmans any more.

As for Singer, we're just gonna have to disagree. I have no interest in the X-Verse and was surprised by the quality of First Class. Singer's X-movies were clusterflukes, Superman Returns was embarrassing and "The Usual Suspects" was an incredible movie until it was over, when the lights came up and you realized the entire movie was a plot hole.

[Lafanboy]

I have to commend WB on one thing. They've kept an admirable lockdown on leaks about Will Beall's Justice League script. The security on this project has been airtight. Nobody I've talked to knows anything which is unusual. The silence is deafening.

Whatever happens next, I expect/hope we'll start hearing some more substantial news. In terms of pre-production, WB literally cannot wait much longer to hire a director if they are serious about meeting that Summer 2015 release date.

I live in LA and do freelance work in the industry. I have several friends at WB. What I'm hearing is certain deals have been struck but they won't announce anything about a director, etc., until some strategic point after the Presidential election. It makes sense because an announcement now would get drowned out by all the political news.

And btw, agents are currently pitching their actor clients for Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc. Serious conversations are happening right now. I'm just as impatient as anyone to find out, this waiting game sucks.

[Alan Smithee]

Thanks. I love the business and love working in it so I try to keep up-to-date as much as humanly possible. As for Lobo, last I heard it was scheduled for sometime in 2014. They'd hired a director, but I forget who. To be honest, I'm not a Lobo fan so it kind of went in one ear and out the other.

But yeah, the tentative WB schedule appears to be:
2013 Man Of Steel
2014 Lobo
2015 Justice League

If JL succeeds, WW and Flash would follow after that.

Huh. Then you must know this guy.

The exec producer of Bats 2 thru 8. How's his job status?

[zinx]

I agree it's the launch that could give the JLA movie some serious buzz. As for the third superhero factory out there, Fox made a major mistake by handing the sequel to their very best Mutie Movie (First Class) over to Singer. Matthew Vaughn made one of the most clever, charming and downright cool superhero movies ever, and I have no clue why they would replace him with a hack like Singer.

As for Singer, we're just gonna have to disagree. I have no interest in the X-Verse and was surprised by the quality of First Class. Singer's X-movies were clusterflukes, Superman Returns was embarrassing and "The Usual Suspects" was an incredible movie until it was over, when the lights came up and you realized the entire movie was a plot hole.

:Ahem:you do know Bryan Singer is the Producer & Co-Writer of X-Men: First Class

[Alan Smithee]

I live in LA and do freelance work in the industry. I have several friends at WB. What I'm hearing is certain deals have been struck but they won't announce anything about a director, etc., until some strategic point after the Presidential election. It makes sense because an announcement now would get drowned out by all the political news.

And btw, agents are currently pitching their actor clients for Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc. Serious conversations are happening right now. I'm just as impatient as anyone to find out, this waiting game sucks.

This post could've come from a decade ago. Time-Warner's handling of their superheroes--other than the time they let Chris Nolan marginalize the whole DC mythos by cashing in on the sucker's draw that is Batman to the exclusion other DC characters (Robin-Joseph-Levittown doesn't count)--has been a disgrace.

[Alan Smithee]

:Ahem:you do know Bryan Singer is the Producer & Co-Writer of X-Men: First Class

Ahem. You do know that he didn't direct it, and that "producer" and "co-writer" are often cynically negotiated terms shared by many?

Ahem.

[Rorschach78]

People might laugh at this but I would rather see an Aquaman film first before WW or Flash, I really hope that in Justice League Aquaman is not neglected, This charactor has massive potential, if you read the comics you will know what im on about, I hate it how hes the laughing stock of JL, Aquaman kicks ass!! just imagine a scene for example where we see Aquaman bursting out of the ocean like a missile, ive got goosebumps just thinking about it! How many under the sea superhero films are their around? not many! Aquaman is awesome and has to be in the Justice League movie.

[Jabare]

People might laugh at this but I would rather see an Aquaman film first before WW or Flash, I really hope that in Justice League Aquaman is not neglected, This charactor has massive potential, if you read the comics you will know what im on about, I hate it how hes the laughing stock of JL, Aquaman kicks ass!! just imagine a scene for example where we see Aquaman bursting out of the ocean like a missile, ive got goosebumps just thinking about it! How many under the sea superhero films are their around? not many! Aquaman is awesome and has to be in the Justice League movie.

I think Aquaman presents the most unique solo film at the moment actually.

We've seen several films about Greek mythology over the years. A live action under the sea adventure dealing with Atlantis or what not has loads of potential imo.

While Wonder Woman could be good we've certainly seen Wonder Woman type themes in several movies and tv shows. I think Aquaman is more of an untapped market and would have the meatiest origin. Batman's been done, Superman and Green Lantern's been done. Wonder Woman's plot isn't that novel compared to all the mythological, greek and BAMF heroines we've had over the years. Flash and Cyborg could be cool, but once again wouldn't bring anything too new on paper to the big screen.

I think every Justice Leaguer has a lot of potential but Aquaman style movies haven't really been done.

I mean what's the closest thing to an Aquaman movie we've gotten? Waterworld, Free Willy 1-5, Animated movies like finding Nemo, Dep Sea documentaries?

[zinx]

Ahem. You do know that he didn't direct it, and that "producer" and "co-writer" are often cynically negotiated terms shared by many?

Ahem.

surely you dont claim that the whole things in First Class is the contribution of its director alone?&nothing from its producer,screenwriter or other staffs?
a film wouldn't get a go without approval from its producer.
i believe both of them had the same vision for First Class.

[geoff2005]

People might laugh at this but I would rather see an Aquaman film first before WW or Flash, I really hope that in Justice League Aquaman is not neglected, This charactor has massive potential, if you read the comics you will know what im on about, I hate it how hes the laughing stock of JL, Aquaman kicks ass!! just imagine a scene for example where we see Aquaman bursting out of the ocean like a missile, ive got goosebumps just thinking about it! How many under the sea superhero films are their around? not many! Aquaman is awesome and has to be in the Justice League movie.

I know thor isnt anywhere near the same, but i would imagine they can do something like that. A separate world with royalty type of government and make it interesting.

Aquaman has a lot of potential over i think wonder woman to do a solo movie

[Mr. Holmes]

Yeah Aquaman is ripe with potential, but it's also difficult to pull off, I would imagine. It will be interesting to see James Cameron's Avatar sequel set underwater come out. Which is going to be using some experimental camera technology to pull off. Might set an example to how to approach such a movie.

[Jabare]

Yeah Aquaman is ripe with potential, but it's also difficult to pull off, I would imagine. It will be interesting to see James Cameron's Avatar sequel set underwater come out. Which is going to be using some experimental camera technology to pull off. Might set an example to how to approach such a movie.

wait there is going to be a sequel? wait its going to be set under water? Guess I shouldn't be surprised. In Hollywood anything that makes a boat load of money always gets some sort of follow up these days.


We all know what should happen though. The Humans that the blue dudes foolishly let go will come back with more guys and bigger better weapons and just exterminate most of the Natives.