JUSTICE LEAGUE - 5 Ways Joss Whedon Is Going To Completely Change The Movie
Now that The Avengers helmer Joss Whedon is essentially both writing and directing the Justice League movie, we take a look at five ways that could completely change the DC Comics adaptation.
Due to a family tragedy, Justice League director Zack Snyder recently announced that he is handing over the reigns of the movie to The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron helmer Joss Whedon. Before that happened, the filmmaker was hired by Warner Bros. to pen the scenes being reshot over the next couple of months, a sign that the studio wanted to make some big changes ahead of the film's release.
After all, why not just ask Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League writer Chris Terrio to return and pen these extra scenes? We'll probably never know for sure, but a Justice League movie featuring scenes written and directed by Whedon (who is also handling the post-production phase and has already replaced the composer) is inevitably going to feel a lot different to Snyder's original vision.
What you'll find here then is a look at five ways we believe Joss Whedon is going to completely change Justice League. From character cameos to story and tonal alterations, it's gonna be different, alright!
5. Gotham City Gets Bigger
Joss Whedon has signed up to take the helm of Batgirl, and while work on that is in the very early stages, the filmmaker clearly knows what's in store for Barbara Gordon when he brings her to the big screen at some point in the next few years. It's been clear for a while now that Justice League will take us to Gotham City (hence why J.K. Simmons has been cast as Commissioner Gordon), so Whedon dropping in some Easter Eggs teasing Batgirl's presence in this world makes a whole lot of sense.
A cameo should probably be taken off the table due to the fact that Whedon is more than likely nowhere near the casting stages, but Gordon mentioning his daughter or making reference to Batgirl makes perfect sense. Throw in the fact that a Nightwing movie is happening - something which has happened since Justice League finished its initial shoot - and references to Gotham City's other vigilantes will almost certainly be added.
4. A Larger Focus On Wonder Woman
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a very divisive movie, but something even its biggest haters seemed to agree on was the fact that Gal Gadot's entrance as Wonder Woman was downright awesome. That's why Warner Bros. heavily marketed her solo outing around that theme and now that the movie is a box office smash, you'd best believe studio bosses have asked Whedon to throw in a lot more Diana Prince.
That's something the filmmaker probably doesn't have an issue with, especially as he tried so hard to bring the character to the big screen for so many years. His Wonder Woman screenplay has faced some criticism online this week for being sexist, so hopefully, her scenes will be a little more tasteful (with a lot less attention devoted to her feet). Throw in the fact that reshoot set photos seem to point to World War I flashbacks and the chances of this fan-favourite hero getting a bigger role in Justice League seems like a certainty.
3. No Sequel Set Up
Bear in mind that when Justice League was announced, it was going to be subtitled "Part 1" with "Part 2" set to follow shortly after. That changed after the mixed response to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as it became apparent that Warner Bros. was reluctant to shoot two expensive movies back to back which could potentially be critical and commercial disappointments. Despite that, Steppenwolf still feels like, well, a stepping stone, to Darkseid so chances are Snyder has laid at least some groundwork for him to appear down the line.
However, with Snyder taking a step away from filmmaking, the studio could be keen on shaking things up and that may involve taking the Justice League franchise down a very different direction with a new creative team. If so, they're going to want to make the movie a little more open-ended, something Whedon expertly did with both The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. That could mean a whole new ending!
2. More Humour
There were jokes in the movies which preceded The Avengers, but the second that hit theaters, humour became a huge part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joss Whedon injected a lot of laughs into the critically acclaimed release and everything from Iron Man 3 to Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy put a big focus on making moviegoers chuckle as a result.
The Justice League trailer made it clear that we can expect some funny scenes, but you have to believe that Whedon's role in these reshoots guarantees even more of that. That's sure to be music to the ears of those who say that the DC Films Universe is too dark and needs to lighten up and something Warner Bros. is probably keen on as they look to replicate the success found by Marvel Studios. Joss Whedon using humour to make these characters more likeable will also help, something which is actually essential as they all have solo movies on the way in the next few years.
1. A Different Style Of Action
In terms of action, Whedon will probably stick to Snyder's style of slow motion but when you look at both The Avengers and its sequel, it's clear to see that the director has his own idea of how superheroes should be shown in battle. With that in mind, I fully expect him to have added some sort of new team shot which sees all of the members of the team fighting side by side in a massive tracking shot, something it's going to be pretty damn awesome witnessing in live-action. I do expect plenty of Snyder's action scenes to remain, though (mostly due to expense).
How much do you guys think Joss Whedon will change Justice League? As always, feel free to let us know your thoughts on that and more in the comments section down below.