Many potentially great superhero movies have failed to materialise over the years, though George Miller's Justice League: Mortal remains among the most intriguing.
Only bits and pieces have ever been revealed about the project (an early version of the screenplay is floating around online if you search hard enough), including the fact the Mad Max director considered shooting it completely in motion capture, similar to Beowulf.
Unfortunately, Justice League: Mortal ended up being a victim of the 2007/2008 writer's strike, though it got far enough along to assemble an impressive cast of young actors. The idea was for them to grow into their roles over a series of movies that would have launched a shared DC Universe around the same time the MCU was created.
Adam Brody was cast as Barry Allen/The Flash, with D.J. Cotrona as Superman, rapper Common as John Stewart/Green Lantern, Australian supermodel Megan Gale as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Armie Hammer as Batman, Australian actor Hugh Keays-Byrne as Martian Manhunter, Aussie starlet Teresa Palmer as Talia Al Ghul, and Santiago Cabrera as Aquaman.
The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with the latter and found out just how close he came to suiting up as Arthur Curry in this CG DC Universe.
"Technically, I was Aquaman in 2007 when the writer’s strike hit," Cabrera said. "Just before, we went to Australia, I was with George Miller — I’m just such a fan, I think he’s phenomenal. And I had a little communication with him. My friend Tom Burke, who was fantastic in Furiosa, which I just loved, he was like, 'Hey, George says 'Hi.' It was a feeling like, would you like to be a superhero?"
"The strike hit, so they put [Justice League: Mortal, which remained shelved] on hold. But just being in his world, I went to Wētā, Peter Jackson’s FX company, where I tried the costume on. So it felt very real for a second there. But at the same time, it was like: Don’t do these things. In this business, until it’s all out there, until you’re at the premiere and you’re talking about it like I am now, it’s never real."
"Clearly, I was excited for that one," the actor continued, confirming he's open to starring in another Marvel or DC project. "So if anything came again, I feel, why not? I’d love to go into the villain territory though, I think I’d enjoy it."
The Justice League eventually made their way to theaters in 2017 and the results were hit-and-miss. Joss Whedon was enlisted by Warner Bros. to take over from Zack Snyder, with the result being an okay movie that was largely a mess. A director's cut followed four years later but many fans still feel like they've yet to see the definitive take on this team on screen. Perhaps DC Studios can change that.
As for Miller, he shifted focus back to the Mad Max franchise after Justice League: Mortal fell apart, choosing to focus on Fury Road and this year's Furiosa.