Editorial: How I think a build up to Justice League should go

Editorial: How I think a build up to Justice League should go

This is how I believe that Warner/DC should do a build up to a Justice League film.

Editorial Opinion
By SteveIrwinFan96 - Sep 22, 2012 01:09 PM EST
Filed Under: Fan Fic

It seems like Warner and DC are working to get Justice League out by 2015. Most belive that they should do what Marvel did with The Avengers and have a build up to it. With that said, this is how I think the build up should go, if Warner and DC go that route. Knowing them, they won't, but we'll see. I'll put them in the order that makes the most sense to me. I'll also include how to tie the films together.

1. World's Finest: This of course needs to be first. Without a doubt, Batman and Superman are DC's most popular characters. A film with the two of them in it makes the most sense. That way, you can set up not only them, but Lex and Joker as possible villains.

2. Wonder Woman: She is DC's third most popular character, so naturally this would be next. Of course, this would be an origin story. But a good way to set her up to be in the Justice League film is to have her end up in either Gotham or Metropolis.

3. The Flash: While not in the popularity level that the first three are, Flash is a key member to the team. No suprise it'll be an origin story. I think the best way to tie him up to the JL is a cameo by the Martian Manhunter. That way, like with World's Finest, you get two heroes for the price of one.

4. Green Lantern 2: With the first film done and over with, some debate on whether a reboot or sequel should be made. A sequel would continue the story, and a reboot would start a new one with John Stewart. I think a sequel would be the best way to go. Tie him in with another cameo by the Martian Manhunter at one point in the film. You can also set up Sinestro for a possible villain.

5. Aquaman: This would be the last of the lead ups. The last origin story, with a similar ending to Wonder Woman. Aquaman ending up in Gotham or Metropolis. I personally think that he should end up in Gotham City and Wonder Woman ending up in Metropolis.

6. Justice Leauge: This is where it all comes together. The seven heroes coming together to fight against not one, but 3 villains who have also formed an allaince. The League will be up against Lex, Joker, and Sinestro. At the climax, Darkseid arrives and the battle gets worse for the team and the world.

Well, that's how I think DC and Warner should do a JL lead up. I don't think they'll do this, but one can hope. Let me know your thoughts, and how you think it should go down.

About The Author:
SteveIrwinFan96
Member Since 8/31/2012
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Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/22/2012, 2:07 PM
I really don't want DC to take the same approach as Marvel did. They need to establish a shared universe BEFORE jumping into the origins stories. Like a cross-over without all the annoying plethora of tie-ins that kill your budget.

Identity Crisis. It'd be like the Watchmen for DC, but you know, not exacting.
Preston
Preston - 9/22/2012, 2:44 PM
The BIG question is: Is there a market for a Wonder Woman, Flash, or Aquaman film?

I think WB is banking on introducing them in a JLA movie in hopes that fans and moviegoers alike will demand to see these characters in their solo outings.

Wonder Woman and Flash have been in developmental hell for years. The Flash TV show (1990) only had a season (22 episodes), and Wonder Woman had a TV show that lasted three seasons (1975-1979) since then any attempt to bring her to the small or big screen has ended in failure.

Wonder Woman is the most popular feminine superhero. However, every female superhero to grace the big screen has been box office poison.

1). Super Girl (1984) - Budget $35 Million/ Box Office $14,296,438
2). Red Sonja (1985) – Budget $17.9 Million/ Box Office $6,948,633
3). Catwoman (2004) – Budget $100 Million/ Box Office $82, 102, 379
4). Electra (2005) – Budget $43 Million/ Box Offcie $56,681,566

In other words, feminine heroines don't really have a market. Plus, Wonder Woman has 1 comic (unlike Batman and Superman that are swinging multiple issues every month and dominating the top 20) and her comic sales are poor (#35 in August 2012) if you consider that she is the ultimate female superhero (Flash is #30). She is getting beat by NightWing (#32), a supporting cast member of the Batman books.

At best, Wonder Woman and Flash on a budget of $150 million can gross about $263,427,551. I took those figures from MARVELS big green Goliath (who has a similar popularity as the Scarlet Speedster and Amazonian); he had two different outings and they both banked about the same. And, guess what?!? MARVEL Studios put HULK on the back-burner because the big guy's movies just aren't profitable enough.

I think that a super-strong JLA movie can rock the foundation of superhero movies and start a DC shared film universe by helping to launch multiple characters from that movie onto solo projects; however, a poorly done JLA movie can put everyone (but Batman and Superman) back in developmental hell. The goal of the movie should be to introduce the world to these heroes and leave them wanting more (a gigantic feat), and WB/DC has the habit of turning all their superhero movies into glorified toy commercials.

justice league
Preston
Preston - 9/22/2012, 5:31 PM
JokerFanHAhaHA is correct. WB will sell the Justice League movie on the appearance of Batman and Superman in hopes that audiences take to other lesser know characters. I'm sure the movie will do fine riding Batman and Superman's coat tails alone.

It wouldn't be the first time that DC/ WB use the BIG two to market other heroes. Here are two examples of DC/WB using Batman and Superman to market other heroes:

1). Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008-2011) – The series lasted 3 seasons (and it did a fine job of exposing kids to lesser known heroes).

2). Legion of Super Heroes, starring Superman (2006) – The series lasted 2 seasons (and it introduced a bunch of obscure heroes to kids).

Plus, Audiences are already familiar with Justice League. Justice League had a TV show that ran for five seasons (2001-2006). In other words, it has already been well marketed to kids and it was popular enough to stick around for five seasons. Plus, The Super Friends (1973-1983) is basically the Justice League with a different name.
Viltrumite
Viltrumite - 9/22/2012, 7:42 PM
It's probably a safer bet for WB to do a (good) Justice League movie first, before doing any additional solo films. Use the Big Two plus a handful of well-known heroes to lure in audience members, see how they react to the other characters in the film, and then take it from there. If the audience/fans like how Wonder Woman/Flash/Aquaman/Green Lantern are portrayed in that film, WB will be more incline to do spin-offs featuring those popular incarnations of the characters, knowing they'll likely be profitable.

I mean, Mark Millar said great things about the Justice League script (though I know he's one for hyperbole) and the screenwriter they have is very good, so I'm hopeful that in the end, they'll be able to find success by reversing the Marvel formula.
lokibane2012
lokibane2012 - 9/23/2012, 1:27 AM
1) WB has already said they're trying to have DCU take over the flagship position that Harry Potter left behind.

2) Comic book movies aren't some niche market. They've become one of the top grossing genres today. This year's two highest grossing films (Avengers and TDK) both crossed the worldwide billion dollar mark, and Amazing Spiderman came quite close, and probably would have, had there not been the reboot stigma. Point is, Superhero films aren't some out-of-the-realm-of-imagination investment.

3) Warner Bros. isn't Lionsgate. They have enough money to do it if they want to.

---

So stop using excuses like "it's not a priority", "nobody would invest in a superhero franchise", or "they don't have the money to do it".

That's idiotic. If they choose not to do the solo films, the only reason would be creative choice, or rushing to cash off the superhero team-up craze.
AC1
AC1 - 9/23/2012, 8:13 AM
Warner need to do the individual films first. The Justice League isn't a team based cast of superheroes like X-Men or Watchmen, in that they all have their own separate origins and extensive stories before they band together to become something bigger, whereas teams like X-Men and Watchmen are conceived as teams and their origins tie together in some way. I don't think Justice League can be a success without first establishing the characters separately first.

Whichever route is chosen, WB are already at a distinct disadvantage, in that if Justice League is rushed out for 2015 it'll be seen as an attempt to cash-in on the Avengers' success by the general audience, and if they do emulate Marvel's formula, all of the films have to be very well made and received, otherwise it'll be written off as ripping-off Marvel. And the likelihood of all the lead-up films being well received is slim, considering that they'd need to include a new Batman film, and most people would bash it for following Nolan's work on the franchise.
AC1
AC1 - 9/23/2012, 8:15 AM
@SotoJuiceMan comics and films are a very different medium with a very different audience. Film audiences won't accept a vast majority of the things comic audiences will, and there's a lot more to loose with a bad film than there is with a bad comic.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/23/2012, 10:22 AM
Soto,
Let me summarize your post. In the Avengers, even if you hadn't seen Iron Man, its sequel, Cap, Hulk, or Thor.... you could enjoy the characters, the movie, and it would even give you a brief enough introduction to each.

Justice League can do the same.
lokibane2012
lokibane2012 - 9/23/2012, 1:14 PM
@Tainted87

The problem was never "they won't have enough time to do the introductions". They problem is that it won't be as effective, especially to the general audience (which constitutes a LARGE chunk of that $1.5Billion gross of the Avengers).

To them, outside of Supes and Bats, it'd just be a superhero team film like Watchmen or the X-Men film. And none of those have been close to the success of the Avengers.


@SotoJuiceMan
You are a dumb [foo foo]. Fans have been begging for solo films since long before Marvel went ahead and actually did them. There were fan complaints when WB decided to just do a straight up Justice League movie back in '07 like they're suggesting now. WB gauged the lack of interest and closed down production on it. The project will suffer from the same general apathy, and reek of underdeveloped cash grab, if there isn't at least some build up to it.

And it's not like it's that hard to do it.
*Supes' film is coming out
*The new Bats can just make his first appearance in Justice League
*A new Green Lantern can just make his first appearance in Justice League (the film had the same success as Hulk's reboot, and another solo flick would be bad investment)
*Aquaman and Martian Manhunter can be introduced similar to Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Nick Fury in other people's film.
*Wonder Woman can be pulled off if they remain close to issue#1 with updated costumes and more details added. Don't do something like the faggy tv show version, or the gaudy one with Palicki. Stylistically make it akin to 300.
*Flash can be pulled off if they go with Wally West and do the "inspired by his hero" thing to justify the red suit and then just make the rest of the film an action comedy like Iron Man.
lokibane2012
lokibane2012 - 9/23/2012, 1:18 PM
^So all they really need to do is Flash and Wonder Woman. Which, interestingly, is pretty much the same situation as MCU had with Thor and Captain (considered silly and hard to pull off), which they did together in 2011.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/23/2012, 3:22 PM
It'll be just as effective, if not MORE effective. A friend of mine who had been living under a rock it seems, saw the Avengers before any other movie, with the exception of Iron Man. He loved it and wanted to check the other ones out - BECAUSE of the Avengers.

It would also help raise the bar by making the Justice League first - what is usually referred to as the "penultimate" superhero movie in DC, so that other DC movies would be all the more necessary-feeling.

Stop saving yourself for marriage.
lokibane2012
lokibane2012 - 9/23/2012, 7:20 PM
@Tainted87

Your friend is ONE of the millions who went to see this film. You really think one person is the greatest sample size to hinge your entire argument on?

And no, Justice League is only "the shit" for comic book fans like you and me. There's people out there who don't know who the [frick] Flash is, or Martian Manhunter, or Aquaman, or heck even Green Lantern despite his film.

The solo films help that, even the people who don't see the films become aware of the character. And then it means so much more when to the comic book ignorant, multiple superhero franchises are crossing over in one epic film.

Besides, you could exposit the backstories in Justice League. But do you really expect the audience (again, the general audience) to really give a [frick] about what happens to these people they were just introduced to, and will most likely remain underdeveloped due to time constraints?

---

[frick] "looking like copycats"
They should make the solo films because it's the right thing to do.

But I know that they won't. Those money grubbing mother[frick]ers will rush the film out to the theaters, with nobody in sight to give a shit about it.
Darklypse
Darklypse - 9/24/2012, 7:14 AM
Meh. Personally I think it should go like this:

Phase 1

Man of Steel
The Amazon/ian
The Batman/Gotham's Knight/The Dark Crusader
The Emerald Knight/Soldier (reboot)
World's Finest
Justice League

Phase 2

Man of Steel 2
The Amazon/ian 2
The Emerald Knight/Soldier 2 (reboot)
King of the Seas
The Manhunter
The Flash
New Gods
Justice League 2

Phase 3

Man of Steel 3
The Amazon/ian 3
The Emerald Knight/Soldier: Blackest Night
King of the Seas 2
The Flash 2
The Batman/Gotham's Knight/The Dark Crusader 2
War of the New Gods

Phase 4

Justice League 3 part 1
Justice League 3 part 2
Justice League 3 part 3
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/24/2012, 7:23 AM
@lokibane2012
If you believe your opinion is worth anything, than you've already confirmed my point's validity.

Anyway, the mistake is treating CBMs like they AREN'T other movies. I mean do you really just sit and watch a movie but feel bored and apathetic towards the characters because they haven't had a solo movie to tell you about them beforehand?

The movie's story should tell the audience all they need to know about the characters through their dialogue and actions - and if the audience wants an origin story, then WONDERFUL - the demand for one will be created.

Think about it in your own terms. If there's no demand already for a Martian Manhunter movie, how much of the audience is going to go see it without knowing ANYTHING about the character? I'm not saying your right, but using that logic, audiences wouldn't give a damn.
dezdigi
dezdigi - 9/24/2012, 2:30 PM
We have a heated debate here. I would love to see solo movies before a JLA team up but I'm not getting my hopes up. If a JLA film is really coming out in 2015, we should get a formal announcement sometime next year. Hopefully, WB doesn't wait till after MOS, leaving themselves less than two years to crank out a film that should take at least four to develope correctly.
SteveIrwinFan96
SteveIrwinFan96 - 9/25/2012, 4:47 PM
Guys, this is my opinion on how it should go. I'm aware they won't do lead ups. This was just for what would happen if they did.
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