Happy April Fools Day, CBM. To celebrate, I'm listing all the rumors for the Justice League movie. What I'll do is I'll put the rumor and then put what fans thought of it, as well as my own opinion on it. You'll find I'll agree with a majority of fan responses. Note: These won't be in any order. Let's begin.
Rumor 1.The directors: There have been many rumored directors for this film. The ones however that caught the eyes of fans are Ben Affleck, the Wachowski brothers and Brett Ratner.
Fans response: Mostly mixed. However, fan response to this rumor varied depending on the director. Affleck was mostly mixed (probably more negative then positive). The Wachowskis were more positive, given their work on the Matrix films. Ratner was a big thumbs down, due to his work on X Men 3: The Last Stand.
My response: I can't really give judgement on the Wachowskis or Affleck, but I can on Ratner. I haven't seen any of the films Affleck directed, but I do plan on seeing Argo. I've only seen bits from the Matrix films, so I'm not going to fully judge on them. Ratner wasen't fully responsible for the fall of X Men 3, but I don't want to see him do this. Beyond that, I'll fully admit I haven't seen much of the directors' films, execept X Men 3.
Rumor 2: Batman actors: With the Dark Knight trilogy done and over with, WB have been looking for a new actor to play Batman. Among those rumored have been Armie Hammer, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Fassbender. For those unaware, Hammer was to be in the role in the unmade Justice League: Mortal. Gyllenhaal was in the running for Batman Begins. Fassbender hasen't been rumored, but he is a fan favorite.
Fan response: Mixed. This is mostly directed towards Hammer, seeing as how the Gyllenhaal and Fassbender rumors haven't been as high as this one. Some stated his looks would fit Bruce Wayne, but he dosen't give off the Batman vibe. Along with that, Hammer is taller then Man of Steel's Henry Cavill (another rumor coming up). This makes it hard for fans to imagine Hammer as Bats, considering it's hard to imagine Batman being taller then Superman. Hollywood Magic could help, but it may still look weird on film.
My response: I do agree. Hammer is a good actor, and could pull off Bruce Wayne easily in my opinion. I'm a bit iffy on him playing the Caped Crusader, much like everyone else. I'd be okay with Gyllenhaal or Fassbender, despite the fact he's Magneto. My personal choice is Jim Caviezel from Person of Interest. Watch the show to see why. But this isn't the only rumor for Batman in this film.
Rumor 3: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Batman: Reprising his role of John Blake from TDKR, Gordon-Levitt would star in the film as the next Batman. Which, of course, means no Bruce Wayne.
Fan response: Negative. Mostly would be okay if he were Wayne, but the rumor did state he'd reprise his role of John Blake. That's why the response was negative. Others have said he wouldn't be good, stating he, much like Hammer, isn't threating enough to be Batman, namley compared to Cavill.
My response: Agreed. While I do like JGL and do believe he is a great actor, his character should stay in Nolan's world. Justice League without Bruce may be like The Avengers replacing Steve Rogers with Isaiah Bradley. As previously stated, Caviezel is my top choice for the role. I wouldn't mind if JGL was Nightwing, but I don't think he'd do good as Wayne. Lucky for us, it's been debunked.
Rumor 4: Lobo: The character of Lobo was rumored to appear in the film. We all know he is a bounty hunter, and normally acts as an anti hero. The rumor didn't state if WB would use him as an ally or enemy for the team. To add to this, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was rumored to play the role.
Fans response: Mostly mixed. A lot of fans think it would be best for him to keep the anti hero role, if he was to have a large role in the film. However, no one really wanted the Rock to play him, stating it would be the Rock playing himself.
My response: I have to agree. I wouldn't mind Lobo if he had a major role film, but don't use him if he's not going to play a large role. As for the Rock, also agreed. As much as I like the Rock, I'd rather him play Black Adam (assuming that ever gets off the ground). He's not right for the role. I, along with many of people, think Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kevin Durand, or Mickey Rourke would be a lot better. My personal choice is JDM, but I wouldn't complain if the other two got the role. Luckily, Dwayne has stated he's no longer interested in the role.
Rumor 5: Frank Miller's involvment: Comic book writer, Frank Miller, may have a part in the film. Miller is perhaps best known for the Dark Knight Returns. But that's not the bad part. What is is the fact WB sent full grown men to pose as comicbook fans to a comicbook store, for research.
Fan response: Negative to mixed. While fans respect Miller and his work, they think he's just to dark of a writer to have involvment in this. Fans were even more dumbfounded at the whole posing as comicbook fans thing.
My reponse: I agree with the 2nd thing. This is something I can't really believe this studio would do, when they could just ask Bruce Timm or Paul Dini (who isn't interested in writing the film). Since I'm not too familier with Miller's work aside from what fans have said, I can't really pass judgement.
Rumor 6: Seperate universe: The film would take place in it's own universe, rather then share continuity with Man of Steel. This means that Cavill's Superman, Reynolds's Green Lantern, and possibly Strong's Sinestro won't appear. While many aren't big on the 2011 Green Lantern film, Man of Steel seems to have impressed a lot, just by the trailers.
Fans response: Negative. As already stated, Man of Steel has been impressing many people, and some consider the rumor bad for 2 reasons. One, it defeats the purpose of rebooting Superman in the first place. Two, it's a real slap in the face for those who think Man of Steel will be amazing.
My response: I'm in full agreement. Man of Steel has imprssed me greatly, and I'm looking forward to it. To not put Cavill in it would both confuse and anger fans as well as the general audience. Director Zack Snyder did state his Superman would not appear in Justice League, but has recently said it's a good possibilty for him to appear in it, which is good news for us.
Rumor 7: Darkseid to be the villain: The villain of the film may be one of the new gods himself, Darkseid. The character's only appearence so far in live action is on Smallville, but didn't have as a large of a role as one might think, for those who haven't seen the series finale. Interesting enough, Marvel's The Avengers 2 could have Thanos, who appeared at the first film's end credts, as the main villain.
Fans response: Mixed. Some do think it's a bit odd that he'd be considered when Thanos may be the villain for the Avengers sequel, especially if the two come out in the same year. This would lead non comic book readers to think DC ripped off Marvel, when in fact it's the other way around. Darkseid appeared in comics first, but Thanos appeared on the big screen first. Others think it would be good, considering he'd be a villain that could bring the team together.
My response: I'm half in half. In my fancasts for JL, I did put him as one of the villains, alongside Joker, Luthor and Sinsetro. But if Thanos is the villain for Avengers 2, then I do think someone along the lines of Brainiac would do. However, the Masters of Evil turn out to be the villains for Avengers 2, then I'm okay with Darkseid. It depends on what gets confrimed first. Bit of a side note, before his death, Michael Clarke Duncan, was rumored to voice the character in Man of Steel, possibly an end credit cameo.
and
Rumor 8: Bale and Nolan on board JLA: The latest rumor states that Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan might return for Justice League. Nolan would serve as producer while Bale would reprise his role of Batman.
Fans response: Positive. Fans couldn't believe this when it first popped up on the internet. While some aren't big on Bale's Bats and aren't wanting him to comeback, for the most part, fans want to happen.
My respose: Agreed. While I don't think Nolan's version of Batman would fit in this world, it could easily be changed to where it could. However, this was debunked. Basically, Nolan is producing the film, but Bale won't be back. Even more exciting is the fact Zack Snyder is producing and could direct.
Well, that's it. For the most part, it seems this isn't looking to good for JLA, aside from the last rumor. The JGL, seperate universe, and Lobo rumors have been debunked, while the others still remain in limbo, much like the movie itself. I do think it's starting to shape up, but we can only hope. Reynolds recently said he'd only do it if the write director and writers are on board. I guess only the future will tell how this film will do. We do know that Will Beal, who wrote the very poorly recieved Gangster Squad, was to write the film, but the reception of Gangster Squad caused WB to scrap the script entirely.
Just for the heck of it, I've decided to make up rumors that could be similar to the ones seen here, moslty based on reception. But I'll let you all decide if these are for better or for worse, and if it's something WB would do:
"Gareth Edwards may be up to direct Justice League, with his Godzilla to make an appearence"
"Jennette Mccurdy may have a role in a DC/WB film; may play Batgirl, Supergirl or Starfire"
"Rumor: Bryan Cranston and Jim Caviezel up for Jim Gordon and Batman in Justice League"
"Could Tommy Wiseau play Joker in JLA?"
"Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburne may reteam for Martian Manhunter in Justice League"
"Christopher Walken possibly in talks to play Alfred for Justice League"
"Brad Bird possibly up to direct JLA"
and
"Bruce Timm is on the short list to rewrite JLA"
Don't take the rumors seriously, seeing as how some people suggested these to me. Like I said, you all can decide if they're good or bad. And do correct me if I missed something on the 8 rumors I've listed, in terms of reception.