WHAT IF: Justice League of America Had Been Made in 1960?

WHAT IF: Justice League of America Had Been Made in 1960?

This might seem like a silly idea to some -- but what might a Justice League movie have looked like in the 1960's? Would it have even worked? Click the link to hear my take on it.

By CombatWombat - Apr 09, 2015 08:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Fan Fic
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This might seem like a silly idea to some. Why on Earth would Hollywood have made a Justice League picture in an age dominated by Silver Age silliness? It would be almost 20 more years before Richard Donner teamed up with Christopher Reeve to prove superheroes could be taken seriously -- no way would this movie ever have flown.

 

Or could it have? 1960 marked the comic book debut of the Justice League of America, which instantly became a smash hit. Perhaps on some alternate world, this movie could have been made and transformed the DC icons into veritable pop-culture legends.

 

We’ll never know -- but feel free to keep reading if you’d like to hear my ideas about how I think that movie could have panned out.
 


Crew


 

robert wise director

Robert Wise - Director

 

One of the most prolific directors of his time, Robert Wise gave us such classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Sound of Music, Run Silent, Run Deep, and Helen of Troy. If there was any man who could have brought the Silver Age Justice League to life on screen, Robert Wise would have been that man.

 

rod serling writer

Rod Serling - Screenwriter

 

In my opinion, Rod Serling (writer/creator of The Twilight Zone and writer of the original Planet of the Apes) is one of the best Hollywood screenwriters ever. His imagination is boundless, his stories are fraught with eerie tension, and most of all, he absolutely loves science fiction. That’s all I would need from a man writing a story about alien gods and human lightning bolts.

 


Cast


 

Gregory Peck Superman

Gregory Peck as Clark Kent

Superman

Age (as of 1960): 44

Others Considered: Rock Hudson

 

You might say he’d have been a little old for the role, but personally I think Peck would be perfect as an older, Pre-Crisis Superman. If you need convincing, watch him as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird -- he’s patient, fair, wise, and kind-hearted. He’d have made a great Superman, in my opinion.

 

Elizabeth Taylor Wonder Woman

Elizabeth Taylor as Princess Diana

Wonder Woman

Age (as of 1960): 31

Others Considered: Audrey Hepburn

 

I can’t think of any single actress who might be better suited for Wonder Woman than Elizabeth Taylor may have been. Widely considered one of the most beautiful and talented actresses of all time, Taylor herself is a real-life cultural icon who could have brought grace and credibility to yet another cultural icon.

 

Marlon Brando Batman

Marlon Brando as Bruce Wayne

Batman

Age (as of 1960): 36

Others Considered: Charlton Heston, Clint Eastwood

 

Brando hardly needs any explanation. He’s considered to be one of, if not the single greatest method actor of all time. Could he be charming, debonair Bruce Wayne? Absolutely. Could he bring darkness and intensity to Batman? Oh, hell yes. Sure, the Silver Age might have been a rough patch for Bats in the comics, but having an actor of Marlon Brando’s caliber attached to him could have made the character’s popularity skyrocket.

 

Paul Newman Hal Jordan

Paul Newman as Hal Jordan

Green Lantern

Age (as of 1960): 35

Others Considered: None

 

Paul Newman was not only a talented individual, but also a truly stand-up guy. If ever there was a definitive “man’s man,” it would have been Newman -- and that’s exactly why I chose him for Hal Jordan. It helps that Green Lantern artist John Broome was rumored to have modeled Jordan off of Newman to begin with.

 

Robert Redford Flash

Robert Redford as Barry Allen

The Flash

Age (as of 1960): 24

Others Considered: Anthony Perkins

 

At this point in time, Robert Redford was a complete unknown whose career as an actor was just getting started. A lot of modern depictions of the Flash portray the character as somewhat younger than his fellow Justice Leaguers, so I thought that could have easily worked back in 1960 as well.

 

Michael Rennie Martian Manhunter

Michael Rennie as J’onn J’onzz

Martian Manhunter

Age (as of 1960): 51

Others Considered: Peter O’Toole, Laurence Olivier

 

Michael Rennie has a history with director Robert Wise -- he played the peaceful alien Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still. I think that alone qualified him as the lovable, Oreo-munching Martian J’onn J’onzz.

 

Steve Mc Queen Aquaman

Steve McQueen as Arthur Curry

Aquaman

Age (as of 1960): 30

Others Considered: None

 

The fallacy that Aquaman is a useless joke emerged from this exact time period -- so I thought it would be fitting (and quite hilarious) for him to be played by the “King of Cool” himself. If ever they wanted to make Aquaman a badass “Tarzan meets Judah Ben-Hur” character, all they’d have needed to do was cast Steve McQueen.

 

Heston Luthor

Charlton Heston as Lex Luthor

Age (as of 1960): 37

Others Considered: Cary Grant, Gene Kelly

 

Originally I wanted to cast this role against type, perhaps giving it to a charming “nice guy” actor such as Gene Kelly. Ultimately, though, I just really wanted to include Charlton Heston in this list. He was a really intense actor, and would have made a great Luthor back in the day.

 


 

And there you have it. That’s my idea for a vintage Justice League cast. Like it? Hate it? Comment below, let me know.

 

That’s all, folks -- for now, at least. Take it easy.
 

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MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 4/9/2015, 9:53 PM
@CombatWombat

MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 4/9/2015, 9:53 PM
Damn good stuff you got here!
CherryBomb
CherryBomb - 4/10/2015, 1:49 AM
Amazing.
I agree with every single casting choice.
Flawless.
SimplyAz
SimplyAz - 4/10/2015, 4:59 AM
Top notch fancast. Love it.
Ultimates
Ultimates - 4/10/2015, 10:59 AM
Yeah!

Good article!
breakneckbeck
breakneckbeck - 4/10/2015, 12:34 PM
This cast is unbelievably good.

I love the Newman Redford duo as Hal and Barry. They have exactly the chemistry that those two share, and each on their own would be fantastic in their roles.

I also love Michael Rennie as the Martian Manhunter. I love him in The Day the Earth Stood Still and he would be amazing as J'onn
CombatWombat
CombatWombat - 4/10/2015, 3:58 PM
Cheers @everybody!

It's crazy @breakneckbeck, but that thought somehow did not even cross my mind about Newman and Redford. Very true though, thanks for bringing that up! Just another reason why that would have been awesome to see!

butch sundance
MarkyMarkRises
MarkyMarkRises - 4/10/2015, 4:01 PM
Marlon Brandon as Bruce/Batman is [frick]ing priceless
MarkyMarkRises
MarkyMarkRises - 4/10/2015, 4:02 PM
*Brando damnit
MisterBatfleck
MisterBatfleck - 4/10/2015, 4:19 PM
This is AWESOME! I'd watch this in a heartbeat.
ScottMontgomery
ScottMontgomery - 4/10/2015, 4:25 PM
AWESOME
Spooks
Spooks - 4/10/2015, 4:46 PM
Brando as Wayne! if God and Heaven exists I will ask him when I see him why the [frick] he didn't give us this film! Lulz jk, I'm totally going to hell.
kong
kong - 4/10/2015, 9:00 PM
Holy shit great job!!!!
DeusExSponge
DeusExSponge - 4/10/2015, 9:08 PM
We must go back in time and make this happen!
BlackIceJoe
BlackIceJoe - 4/10/2015, 9:36 PM
This would have been great. I wish, I could up vote this twice.
FlyntCoal
FlyntCoal - 4/11/2015, 7:37 AM
Hell yeah!
CombatWombat
CombatWombat - 4/11/2015, 1:58 PM
Gracias, lady and gentlemen.

 photo charliebrown_zpsysmuo1xl.gif
AC1
AC1 - 4/13/2015, 6:31 AM
This is incredible. Part of me wishes you'd used Eastwood as Batman but I have no idea how well he'd portray Bruce Wayne - Brando, on the other hand, is a unique choice, and obviously his talent means he'd have portrayed all sides of the character well.

The highlight, for me, though, is probably Heston as Luthor.
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