This is the Justice League cast, this is probably the most important facts concerning the film in order to getting the mainstream audiences to see the film. With the Avengers, Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, and Scarlet Johanssen brought most of their star power into the film and Jeremy Renner brought a lot of action film junkies to the picture. By getting these people in the film, you can get audiences in there because if the audience thinks "Wow, that's a top notch celebrity, this movie probably isn't total crap then." This is definitely the strategy for the JLA, a couple big celebrities to bring in audiences and then some smaller celebrities who will bring the powerful acting and fighting in.
---Superman/Clark Kent: Henry Cavill---
This guy looks exactly how I think Clark Kent should look like, the chiseled face, the blue eyes and he just fits it perfectly, he is kind of lacking the whole Superman vibe, but he still looks pretty awesome with the newer darker looking costume. Plus, he will be in MOS, so why confuse audiences even more. They're going to change Batman from what the mainstream public already knows, why change Superman too?
---Wonder Woman/Diana Prince: Jaime Alexander---
Jaime Alexander is a perfect cast choice for me as Wonder Woman. She has the perfect facial structure to fit Wonder Woman and she looks like if she were angry she could kick your ass all the way to China. Even though she is already committed to the Thor films, she isn't the biggest cast member, and I'm sure that the role of Wonder Woman, the strongest female superhero icon ever is a little better than one of the side character in Thor: The Dark World. Now this Wonder Woman I think would need to be very strongly minded towards justice, but I wouldn't go as far as the New 52 has gone with the character. I think the Wonder woman from the TV series is by far the best. She is feminine and provides great contrast to the very testosterone filled league, but when she needs to, she can kick-ass like no other. This film needs its strong female lead and I think Alexander can fill that position perfectly.
---Batman/Bruce Wayne: Jake Gyllenhaal---
Before all the Batman/Christian Bale fans go crazy, listen to this. Jake Gyllenhaal was Christopher Nolan's second choice for Batman in Batman Begins. If Christopher Nolan, pretty much father of the DC Cinematic universe, wanted Gyllenhaal, I don;t see much away around that. Now I think i understand why Nolan wanted him. Gyllenhaal is great vat being a womanizer or a sophisticate, we don;t need to go on with that, but Jake isn't afraid to take risks. He does crazy roles all the time and he does them perfectly. Compare Brokeback Mountain, Source Code, Love & Other Drugs, and Prince of Persia. This guy was born to take on Batman, the hardest in my opinion comic book character to nail. I think all he needs is a very good director to push him to the right fit and honestly, one-to-one time with Christian Bale on how to show Bruce Wayne's inner pain and struggle. If anyone can pull this off, its Gyllenhaal. Also, Gyllenhaal is younger and can help make is more believable for Batman's association in the league. He is young and more open-minded than the older more villainous Batman we saw with Bale.
Now, Joseph-Gordon Levitt CANNOT be Batman. It really would not work in the scope of the JLA film. You need to introduce the mainstream public to the JLA with Bruce Wayne as Batman not some clever amalgamation of all of his sidekicks. Now on that note, I think a younger Batman like this will exponentially open up the possibilities of the more realistic sidekicks arriving to the big screen. If Bruce Wayne only stays to protect Gotham his whole life, like Bale's character did, why need a sidekick, but with Batman being more affiliated with the league, he'll need people like Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin to defend Gotham City. I think Gyllenhaal could provide later in the franchise a fatherly attitude towards these characters which is shown in the series and comics. As an added plus, Gyllenhaal is a huge star, so his star power will bring many people to this film as well.
---Green Lantern/ Hal Jordan: Ryan Reynolds OR Jensen Ackles---
Alright so here is where my ideas are somewhat skewed. Green Lantern to me is a character who can either provide a lot of fighting power and emotion (I mean come on, his powers are emotionally based)or I can see him as a kind of first tier fighter who can bring out the enemy and let Superman and Wonder Woman take over. So, Warner Brothers should decide if they want an actor to bring in the star power (Ryan Reynolds) or an actor who can bring in some emotions (Jensen Ackles).
Ryan Reynolds was Green Lantern before in the 2011 movie, and I think he rocked at the part, but the movie was poorly done, so when 2015 rolls around, how many people are going to say "even though the movie sucked, Ryan Reynolds was great"? Not many. I imagine most people saying "That movie sucked, Ryan Reynolds is just going to bomb this film." However, Ryan Reynolds is still is a big star in Hollywood, and how funny would it be to see Ryan Reynolds in the JLA and his ex-wife, Scarlet Johansson in the Avengers,I think it be entertaining.
Also, Ryan Reynolds, already being Green Lantern, would help weave more films together, and the JLA movie might launch that Green Lantern sequel that I know I was looking forward to.
OR
On the other end of the spectrum, a more emotionally driven Green Lantern might be desired. Being the most emotionally driven character I think in the league, I feel like a fresh actor with a lot of potential could work well in the film. Jensen Ackles blew me away at points in Smallville when he was on the show. He was funny and charismatic, but he was super serious when he needed to be which I think is perfect for a Green Lantern. In the JLA film I would expect Green Lantern to be serious at most points and if they go the New 52 route. I could see Jensen Ackles being a really good cocky SOB. Now another thing Jensen Ackles has going for him, the Green Lantern movie sucked. Does Warner Brothers want to loop that film into their now very realistically toned film series? I'd think not, so booting Ryan Reynolds would be the easiest way to boot that film. Jensen Ackles also has a perfect look for the part.
---The Flash/Barry Allen: Ryan Gosling---
Ryan Gosling, I think is the only choice for this role. He meets every requirement I can think of. He is young, attractive, fits the look of Barry Allen perfectly, has a perfect set of acting capabilities and he is a major star. Ryan Gosling has the best look for Barry in my book. I can't imagine Barry Allen being a super muscular guy with super rock hard abs, I doubt that running at super-sonic speeds can create six pack abs and full-blown biceps and triceps. So a slimmer guy like Ryan would work perfectly, plus a super muscular guy wouldn't work well in a skin tight suit. they're going to want to bring the girls in with Ryan, but not turn the guys away with a superhero semi-porn actor.
Also, Ryan can act like no other, he can be witty, funny, absolutely perfect for the sarcastic, attention-loving Flash, but he can pull off the, 'I'm a forensic scientist genius' kind of gloating personality. Also, since the Flash isn't getting his own origin story film like any others might, why cast him young? Why can't the Flash already be a known figure? It has worked well for the series and the New 52 JLA comics. Plus, he could be that superhero mentioned in MOS that bridges everything together. Another aspect of Ryan I like is his relationship with on screen actors. Other actors like Chris Pine or Bradley Cooper I feel wouldn't have that level of 'we met five minutes ago, but I trust you like my brother' which I feel Flash is. Flash and GL are bff's I could easily see Ryan Reynolds or Jensen Ackles being close friends with Gosling. Finally, Ryan Gosling is an A-list celebrity. He can bring in the audiences the Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans combined could.
---Aquaman/Arthur Curry: Armie Hammer ---
Aquaman poses a big conflict in my mind. There are so many ways to portray him. Should he be a noticeable land figure or should he be pulled for Atlantis the first time in the film? Also, I've seen Aquaman portrayed as a thinner young almost prince rather than a king, but there is also the long haired, hook-handed kind fro the series which also works well. If we introduce the Flash as being older in his late 20's, the maybe Aquaman should be more grown up, or maybe he should be younger desiring to achieve further greatness beyond Atlantis?
So, I feel like Aquaman has too much potential to be a behind the scenes character. He needs to have all of his power shown. I think it would be really intuitive and interesting to watch over a course of a few movies if a younger Aquaman proves himself to Atlantis that his is the king that Atlantis deserves, so with that said, there needs to be an actor who can pull off being naive at first but prove to be a power packing man towards the end.
Now, I'm aware that most people think Armie Hammer should play Batman, but I can't see him being a broken soul. I couldn't see him getting near the point of killing for vengeance, but I think Armie would fit as a pretty damn good Aquaman. Aquaman is always ridiculed for having crappy powers or being just lame, but I think Armie has the potential to change that. I think Armie could very well take Aquaman on a journey through the could of films he would be in. Imagine him as being a newly elected King who doesn't have much respect. Through the course of the JLA film, I could see him defending Atlantis (with possible JLA help) proving himself to the people. I believe that he could bring the character into new light, also he doesn't look bad shirtless and with Aquaman, that's pretty important.
Of all of the characters in the JLA, I would hope they remain true to their characters from the comics, however, I think Aquaman could be bent more than others, there is so much area of creativity in Aquaman's realm. It's Atlantis, I think Warner Brothers should take Aquaman and make him a symbol for respect. Make the audience feel a new respect for Aquaman. Armie Hammer I think would do a great job at this, he can act naive and witty but also he can be a true man, I mean, everyone wants him to be Batman right?
---Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onzz/John Jones: Multiple---
Martian Manhunter is difficult, he theoretically could be ANYONE, he's a shapeshifter, so I broke him down into a couple of different personas that he might take during the film.
---John Jones: Lance Reddik---
This film, is white. The Justice League isn't the most diverse group or characters in the world, but I think that the few African-American's who are in the JLA are very strong characters. Now, Martian Manhunter can be anyone, but I think that he was a very strong African sense to him. Now, other African characters like John Stewart and Cyborg I think are more secondary on the list of characters. John Stewart is the second Green Lantern and Hal is first, so in the FIRST JLA film they should use the FIRST Green Lantern, and I don't truly believe that Cyborg has truly earned his place yet in the JLA. I'm not bashing the character, I just believe that Cyborg isn't as strong of a character or person as any of these other 7 and that he should come in later in the franchise. Now, Lance Reddik in my opinion has the perfect look for Martian Manhunter, Reddik has a chiseled look to him and kind of reminds me of a detective, which John Jones should be in the film. He is a stranded Martian and what better way to investigate Earth than being a detective. Lance Reddik has a strong stare in my book. I think that if he gave you a certain look, you wouldn't be very inclined to disagree with him or lie.
---Martian Manhunter: Stunt Double----
In this film, any character CGI needs to go straight to Martian Manhunter. I think that what Warner Brothers could do is take a stunt double who is tall and thin with some muscle and give him a green screen suit. There is no way that the makeup could be done to give us a realistic Martian Manhunter look that isn't totally trashy looking or "plasticky". I think that this stunt double should wear the costume which covers most of the body, but then let the CGI men convert his head and hands into the green martian man. With only that little area of work to be done, I'm sure the CGI men at Warner Bros. can definitely make a quality looking Martian Manhunter. Now, I would have Reddik record any of the Manhunter's lines and play those for the stunt double just to keep the two different personas united.
Now that the league is taken care of, there is still the huge supporting cast to include in the first film and for most, the rest of the franchise.
~Superman~
I would not include the Kent parents. Their time of raising Clark and supporting him are over and he is now the leader of this god-like group of individuals. Honestly, there really shouldn't be too much focus of Superman, he just had his own film, so I would almost not even include any of his supporting characters except for Lois.
---Lois Lane: Amy Adams---
Like with Cavill, there isn't really any need to change up the characters from MOS to JLA. Plus, Lois won't even have too many scenes to be featured in except maybe as a reporter or in an intimate scene with Superman.
~Wonder Woman~
Wonder Woman now should have more back story screentime (unless Amazon TV Show is a go...I'll talk about later). So she should have a couple of supporters.
---Queen Hippolyta: Barbara Hershey---
Barbara Hershey is a very strong willed actress. Her work on Once Upon A Time is phenomenal. I think she would easily be able to portray the queen of the Amazons and the very protective mother of Princess Diana. In the film I feel like she needs a firm hand and is very against letting Diana leave. She has proven to me that she can smack down hard upon her own daughter from Once Upon A Time and it would be a fantastic scene to see Jaime and Barbara fighting for Diana's freedom in the film. I would probably only see Hippolyta in the first JLA film and maybe a standalone film.
---Steve Trevor: Josh Lucas---
For the first JLA film, there should be the introduction of Steve Trevor. Now, I wouldn't necessarily make Wonder Woman and Steve lovers yet, but introduce him. I think it would be creative to have Hal Jordan and Steve Trevor interact somehow being that bother are in the Air Force. It would be something creative, but maybe ridiculous if Steve Trevor and Carol Ferris had a kind of fling leaving each to end up with their leaguer, idk just a thought.
~Green Lantern~
Green Lantern should and shouldn't have a lot of supporting characters. In a solo film I would hands down say that Green Lantern needs lots and lots of supporting Green Lanterns and the guardians to have a successful adaptation, but since this is a Justice League film, I think Warner Bros. can get away with keeping Green Lantern grounded to Earth. Maybe ONE scene where he visits Oa which was attacked by Darkseid? Probably not though. there really shouldn't be any space scenes at all, he first film is about the Justice league uniting to fight off Darkseid.
So, I can only think of one Green Lantern character needed for the film.
---Carol Ferris: Blake Lively or Michelle Monaghan---
Carol Ferris posses the same ideas as Green Lantern does. If Warner Bros. decides to go ahead and recast Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern, then I don't see many options for Carol except for Blake Lively who played her in the film. The issue I have with Blake though is that I don't see her reprimanding enough. She seems more like Ryan's kids sister and not a soul mate, plus I could never see Blake Lively as a Star Sapphire who I believe would need to be introduced along with the yellow corps to show how each emotion/color has a corps.
Now, if Ryan Reynolds gets the boot, which also means Blake, then I think Michelle Monaghan should take over the role. To me, Carol Ferris is a almost cocky business tycoon, I mean come on, she's VP of a large-scale aircraft company. I think Carol needs to have that vibe that she thinks she has bigger balls than any guy that walks into her office. I think she should almost try to act like she holds the pants in the relationship with Hal. I don't think at all that Blake could be seen as such a businesswoman that Carol needs to be.
~Batman~
In my opinion, there should be almost no back story time with Batman. If you ask any one person on the streets Batman's back story, I'm sure they can tell you. Batman already has the most films than any other superhero, so why does he need to be overly stressed to the audience?
So, there really only be one character.
---Alfred Pennyworth: John Cleese---
For the JLA film, I don't think that there should be a strong willed Alfred as portrayed by Michael Caine. I loved Michael Caine's version of the character and I'm sad to say it, but if Christian Bale goes, his supporters have to go to. Warner Bros. can't take say half of a franchise into another franchise. That would only confuse the mainstream audience into thinking that the Dark Knight Trilogy ties into the JLA film. Anyways, I think that a good Alfred for this film would be the more reserved version seen in the series. The viewer isn't going to gain much feeling from a fatherly Alfred figure when the film's purpose is to untie the JLA to fight off Darkseid.
~The Flash~
Like Green Lantern and Superman, I don't see too many characters from the Flash family that are important to introduce in this first film except for his significant other.
---Iris West: Rachael Nichols---
I see Iris West as the perfect girlfriend. She is sweet and caring, but if you start being a screw-up and being a douche, then she'll get you. Iris is a field reporter for Picture News, and given Rachel's background with G.I. Joe, I think she would be able to bring a fun action scene with her as a reporter getting up close and personal. I think that Rachel has the best look for Iris because she can be a pretty girl in need of saving, but I think she could also be as independent as Carol Ferris or Lois Lane.
~Aquaman~
I think that Warner Bros. should take the most liberty with Aquaman's character. I think Aquaman's best origin story is where he is the son of Queen Atlanta and the wizard Atlan who abandoned him to be raised by Arthur Curry. I think this origin story gives Aquaman a lot of meaning and symbolism. He was abandoned by his parents and raised by a mere mortal, but now he has to prove himself to be the true ruler of Atlantis via the JLA vs. Darkseid.
---Arthur Curry Sr.: Dennis Quaid---
Now for this role, I wouldn't see him showing up often which is why Dennis Quaid might be a little bit of a stretch financially, but I feel like Dennis Quaid has the perfect rugged look to be a lighthouse keeper who found a raise this orphan child. Along with Hippolyta, I would only like to see Arthur Curry Sr. in the first JLA film and possibly a standalone film. Really, his only purpose is to guide Orin to his destiny.
---Mera: Bryce Dallas Howard---
Now, as I'll explain later, I think that Aquaman could have a very intriguing sub-plot along with the JLA film. Mera is the princess of Xebel who is sent to Atlantis in order to kill the King. So, Mera needs to be a dark gritty witch who is bent of killing the king, but her inner love is expelled as the film moves forward. Bryce Dallas Howard has already shown that she can be a villain or a sweetheart very profoundly. Look at her work from Spider-Man 3 and then Twilight Saga: New Moon. I think Bryce could easily bring a creative story line into this very space-themed film.
Now, villain time.
Since it has pretty much been exclaimed everywhere that Darkseid will be the JLA movie villain, I don't see much reason to strive for another villain, plus there really isn't another villain that can bring the JLA together!
---Darkseid: Michael Ironside (voice)---
So we have the same issue here as Martian Manhunter, I'm sure that people in Hollywood could make a realistic Darkseid costume, but I think with today's technology, a simple man in a green suit could be fantastically digitally recreated into the Justice League's greatest foe. So for the voice, why not go back to the series and reuse Michael Ironside, I thought his performance was both frightening and chilling which with the surround sound in a full theater....ooohh chills.
Now, along with Darkseid, the only other villains I would really expect to see would be Intergang and possible minor villains as a quick scene to show a heroes powers. I don't think that Darkseid's elite should be included due to the fact that when Darkseid arrives, there is no Justice League, it won't be until after Darkseid is defeated that The JLA is formed, now this doesn't mean that Darkseid's demons won't be involved in his take over of Earth...they will.
So, these characters will be the staples of the film. These characters will have the most lines and actions however, this film might feature cameos from other DC characters in order to start to branch out the franchise. Some characters might include Wally West, Perry White, Lex Luthor, Artemis, Ares, Sinestro, Lucius Fox, Commissioner Gordon, Dick Grayson, etc.... these characters might Possibly appear just as a nudge for future films.
~~The Costumes~~
So, an intriguing part of the newer DC films and comics that is really pushing DC away from Marvel is the more realistic tone. When I say realistic, I don't mean that there won't be superpowers or aliens, I'm saying that the characters aren't going to wear ridiculous costumes which honestly, have no help in fighting.
This is ridiculous. Also, I really enjoy what the MOS creators are doing with the costume. I think it makes so much more sense that Clark Kent might wear some Kryptonian militaristic wear when fighting. Why the hell would he just say one day, 'Hey I should cover myself in a stretchy blue spandex body suit and then put on bright red underpants!' That just seems ridiculous and cheesy.
I really like Green Lantern's costume as well, his powers are alien in origin, so why make a simple costume for him? He doesn't sew the costume up himself, it forms from the ring's energy! I honestly think this costume is the way to go.
Batman's costume? Easy, stick with the same though behind the Dark Knight costume. There is no way that a man as smart as Bruce Wayne, without any powers, would fight mobs with guns in a spandex suit. Just keep it all black as well except for the tool belt.
Martian Manhunter. His costume is very easy too. I really like the costume from Justice League: Doom. It is darker toned, shows his symbol, and isn't his blue underpants number from the series. However, the costume creators should not get all colorful with the cape, keep it a deep blue, it works well that way. As for the material of his costume, don't make it too thick or too thin, think about what martians would wear in their military and apply that logic to what material to use for his costume.
Aquaman's costume. This is where the Hollywood crap might arise. Aquaman's shirt should not look like fish scales covering him all shiny and sleek. I would actually prefer to see his shirt as being an orange chain-mail. He is the King of Atlantis. So, when he fights, he should wear armor right? It also shouldn't be bright orange, a darker metallic orange would definitely work better for this film's style. As for the pants, I wouldn't put too much effort into them, don't let them be spandex, but not cargo pants. I would say the texture of Superman's costume would work well with a deep green that isn't too bright and flashy.
Wonder Woman will have an interesting time with this. Well she WILL have her whip and her tiara. I definitely wouldn't give her a sword as shown in the New 52 comics. I think she definitely needs her red boots, and blue underpants with stars. For her breast emblem, I like the standard golden wings and not the silver eagle again from the New 52.
Now this is the type of costume I think would work very well, except I would remove the shoulder straps, Turn the skirt back into one-piece garment and then make the tiara bigger to cover her forehead. Colors= perfect!
The Flash can be simple if not overdone. I think that the costume should stay mainly the same as in the comics, however, I would not under any circumstance make his costume's red color bright and obnoxious, I would actually dull it down just a little bit. He is called the SCARLET speedster, so let's make him Scarlet. Also with the Flash, just make the costume skin-tight, this is the only character that skin tight will work with. Barry moves at super-sonic speeds so anything loose will slow him down, also no fake muscles or armor. Let the actor, Ryan Gosling's, body define the muscles, nothing special should be added. Also, what the 90's show did that I agree with is taking the flash's yellow markings and making them more golden NOT METAL, but make the yellow more gold. Now his earpieces, leave them alone, put them there and leave them be.
Please apply all of those ideas into this picture. Also, wrap the costume closer to the eyes, there's no point of covering your entire body if your eyes are showing because apparently your eyes are the biggest thing about your person ......cough cough Superman...
One major thing that I think that Warner Bros. should use as a guide to creating costumes is that the superheros don't wear their costumes for fun, they wear them for their own purposes whether it be for armor or streamlining. I really hope that the costume designers for the JLA film understands this. If they want a darker more realistically toned film, make the heroes wear costumes that make sense to wear!!!