Hey all,
I probably opened up a fancast of mine with this multiple times, but I noticed that it's been some time since I've written one. Over the past couple months, I've been working on a big DC Cinematic Universe cast, which would cover the Justice League of America, their supporting characters, the Teen Titans, and of course some of the many villains of the League. Since it's bigger than my usual fancasts, I'll be posting it in four parts. In the first part, I'll be posting my casting choices for Warner Bros.' proposed Justice League movie. I also decided to include Lobo in this section, but I don't want to see him as a member of the League. I would have him as an anti-hero, occasional ally/occasional foe. Anyways, how I would set the Justice League up in a film series, I would have the comics' original lineup (with or without Martian Manhunter), and I would include the rest of the characters in inevitable sequels
Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El - Henry Cavill (Man Of Steel)
Cavill will be playing the
Man Of Steel in Zack Snyder's highly anticipated Superman reboot next year. If Warner Bros. were to go with another version of Superman in the
Justice League movie(s) (it has been rumored that the film will be separate from other DC movie franchises, like how the now defunct
Justice League: Mortal movie would have), they would be shooting themselves in the foot. There's no reason to make a Superman movie just to reboot the character two years later. That being said, I think Cavill will do a bang-up job as Superman. He looks spot-on in the little we've seen from
Man Of Steel, and he seems serious about getting the character right. So if he succeeds in 2013, then Cavill is a must for
Justice League.
Others I Considered: None
Batman/Bruce Wayne - Joe Manganiello (True Blood)
It's been rumored that WB will reboot Batman in their
Justice League movie shortly before giving him another solo film (which wouldn't be the least bit surprising), so clearly they won't be getting Christian Bale back to don the cowl again. Also, I want the next
Batman film series to be more like the comic book version (having it based on
Arkham City would be genius). Jim Caviezel (
Person Of Interest) was my initial pick for the Dark Knight, but after some consideration, I decided to go with someone who's a little younger. Manganiello has been interested in the CBM genre for some time, having played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's
Spider-Man trilogy and nearly being cast as Superman in
Man Of Steel. He recently expressed interest in the
Batman reboot, and I wouldn't have a problem with his playing the Caped Crusader. He's a comic book fan, and he's a pretty good actor. Not to mention that he's certainly built for Batman.
Others I Considered: Matt Bomer, Jim Caviezel, Ryan Gosling
Wonder Woman/Diana Prince - Gina Carano (Haywire)
It's rather surprising that Wonder Woman, one of the most popular/well known superheroes of all time, has yet to get her own movie. It looks like she'll finally make her big screen debut in the
Justice League movie, and rumor has it that she'll even make some sort of cameo in
Man Of Steel next year. Former mixed martial artist Gina Carano recently expressed interest in playing the Amazonian Princess, and personally I can't think of anybody better for the role. Carano can act, she's very well experienced with action, and she certainly looks the part. Just give her an excellent script, and I can see her doing a fantastic job with Wonder Woman.
Others I Considered: Olivia Wilde, Gemma Arterton, Lynn Collins, Jaimie Alexander
Green Lantern/Hal Jordan - Ryan Reynolds (
Green Lantern) or
Armie Hammer (
Mirror Mirror)
After
Green Lantern bombed last summer, there's currently no hurry to put out another film starring the Emerald Knight (whether it's a sequel or a complete reboot). Many blame Ryan Reynolds for helping in the film's failure, but I can't see how that's the case. He was excellent as Hal Jordan; he just needed proper directing and a good script to make him the definitive Green Lantern. Also, if they do the character justice (no pun intended) in
Justice League), I can see a big increase in interest for a sequel to
Green Lantern (similar to how Hulk was depicted in
The Avengers).
However, I can see Warner Bros. not wanting to connect their
JL film to a box office failure, so a reboot is certainly possible. If they recast Hal Jordan for the DC superhero ensemble, I think Armie Hammer would be a great choice. He nearly played Batman in
Justice League: Mortal, and he was up for the Superman role in
Man Of Steel. So he's clearly interested in playing a DC character at some point. Not only does he look like Hal Jordan, but he's a solid actor and has some experience in action films (he's set to star in Disney's
The Lone Ranger, which will hit theaters next summer). He would be an excellent choice if Reynolds doesn't return.
Others I Considered: Jensen Ackles, Matt Bomer
The Flash/Barry Allen - Chris Pine (Star Trek) or Scott Porter (Speed Racer)
The Flash is another character who has yet to be on the big screen, and will probably appear in
Justice League before his solo outing. Chris Pine (who's a fan favorite for the role of Hal Jordan) has been my pick for the Scarlet Speedster for a long time. He can provide the smart ass/funny aspect of Barry Allen, and also has plenty of experience in the action genre. However, due to his commitment to both the
Star Trek franchise and Paramount's proposed
Jack Ryan trilogy, it's likely that Pine won't have time to play a superhero anytime soon. In this case, enter Scott Porter. The guy is a real comic book fan, recently expressing interest in playing Nova in Marvel's
Guardians Of The Galaxy. He was even said to be in contention to play Superman in
Justice League: Mortal, but I think he's much better suited for the Fastest Man Alive.
Others I Considered: Bradley Cooper
Aquaman/Arthur Curry - Alexander Skarsgard (Battleship)
To properly depict Aquaman on the big screen, you need to make him nothing like the
Super Friends version and entirely like the "New 52" version. In short: make him a badass, and not the joke of a character that he's been known for. Part of what makes this possible is to cast an actor who can make the King of Atlantis awesome. Skarsgard would be a very, very good fit for the character. He has some aquatic film experience with this summer's
Battleship, and is also familiar with action and is certainly built for the role, or any potential superhero character (he's also my choice to play He-Man in the planned
Masters Of The Universe reboot). Sign him up, Warner Bros.!
Others I Considered: Ryan Gosling, Chris Hemsworth
Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onzz - Daniel Craig (Casino Royale)
This is definitely a different casting choice for the character. I initially wanted to see Laurence Fishburne voice Manhunter, but since he's playing Perry White in
Man Of Steel, it would be complicated to have him play two characters in potentially the same universe. In this case, I decided to go with an out of the box choice with our current James Bond, Daniel Craig. Craig is a great actor, and I would love for him to play a superhero at some point. Martian Manhunter may not be a role that he'd be interested in, but I can see him doing a great job with it. He's no stranger to large scale action movies, and even has experience in the CBM genre with last year's
Cowboys & Aliens. So he would be a wonderful choice to bring Martian Manhunter to the big screen.
Others I Considered: Doug Jones, Jeffrey Wright, James Earl Jones, Laurence Fishburne
Green Arrow/Oliver Queen - Garrett Hedlund (
TRON: Legacy)
Like Craig, Hedlund is an actor who needs to play a superhero at some point in his career. His leading role in
TRON: Legacy proved that. He has been mentioned for various CBM roles, most commonly Daredevil. But I can see him as Green Arrow, and would be perfect for a younger take on the Emerald Archer. I was originally wanting to see Stephen Amell reprise his role as Arrow from The CW's television series
Arrow, but since the show is said to be too realistic to have superpowered beings in its universe, I decided to cast somebody else. Since Ewan McGregor (my very first choice for Oliver Queen, before Amell was cast as the character) is currently my top choice for Ant-Man/Oliver Queen, I went ahead with Hedlund. Also, Arrow is a character who definitely shouldn't be introduced until a
Justice League movie sequel, just to decrease the Hawkeye comparisons.
Others I Considered: Ewan McGregor, Stephen Amell
Black Canary/Dinah Lance - Abbie Cornish (Sucker Punch)
I also wanted to see Katie Cassiday reprise her role of Dinah Lance in a potential DC Cinematic Universe, if
Arrow was to be connected in any way. But since it most likely won't be, I decided to cast somebody else. This is one of my more original choices in this cast, as I didn't want to go with cliche choices such as Yvonne Strahovski. Abbie Cornish is a pretty good actress, and is no stranger to blockbusters with Zack Snyder's
Sucker Punch (and she will play the female lead in MGM's
RoboCop reboot). I can see her doing a solid job as Black Canary.
Others I Considered: Yvonne Strahovski, Jessica Biel
Hawkman/Carter Hall - Gerard Butler (300)
Butler is yet another actor who needs to play a superhero at some point. He's been considered for roles such as Punisher, General Zod, and I've even seen him suggested for Batman. There's no wonder why he can't play a superhero. He's in perfect shape, he's a good actor, and he has CBM experience with
300. After some consideration, I figured that Hawkman would be a very good character for Butler to play. You need a strong, muscular actor to properly bring Hawkman to the big screen, and Butler fits the bill perfectly. Especially if he was in the same physical shape that he was in
300.
Others I Considered: Joe Manganiello
Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol - Gemma Arterton (Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time)
Due to the character being known as an original member of the Justice League in
JL Unlimited, I can see Warner Bros. wanting to have Hawkgirl be a member at some point. After working with WB on 2010's
Clash Of The Titans remake, I think Arterton would be a fantastic choice to bring Shayera Hol to life. She's a good actress, and she also has a bit of a mystical feel which is very much needed for Hawkgirl. She can also kick ass, as she will be killing witches in next year's
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (although the film looks like crap otherwise). There's no denying that Arterton is the best choice for Hawkgirl.
Others I Considered: None
Lobo - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Fast Five)
Typically, I would rather have Johnson play Black Adam, since he's literally perfect for the part (he has been wanting to play the character for years). But recently, after the news that
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director Brad Peyton will helm Warner Bros.'
Lobo film, Johnson revealed that rumors of his possibly playing the character are true. Additionally, WB are rumored to be considering the idea of bringing the alien bounty hunter to their
Justice League movie. I personally don't mind that idea, as long as Lobo wasn't a League member and he wasn't the main villain. As for Johnson playing the character, I think he would do a good job. He can kick all kinds of ass, and I can see his depicting Lobo's attitude perfectly (with the right script, of course).
That's my cast for the Justice League of America in a possible DC Cinematic Universe. The next part will be casting the Teen Titans.