Many potentially great superhero movies haven't been made, and Justice League Dark not becoming a reality remains a very real source of heartbreak for many DC Comics fans.
Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy) was set to direct the movie from a script by Michael Gilio (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves). Ultimately, the project never got off the ground, even with Road House director Doug Liman coming on board to replace del Toro in the director's chair in the mid-2010s.
It ultimately fell by the wayside. Del Toro has previously confirmed he planned to take inspiration from Alan Moore's Constantine work, with Swamp Thing, Deadman, Etrigan, Zatanna, and Klarion the Witch Boy among those set to appear.
Years later, J.J. Abrams had been enlisted by Warner Bros. to create a slate of Justice League Dark projects. However, like most of the movies and TV shows he was supposed to be developing for the studio following a lucrative deal, nothing came of those, and they were officially scrapped when DC Studios was formed.
Talking to Josh Horowitz about Netflix's Frankenstein, del Toro was asked about persistent rumours he'd been eyeing The Batman star Colin Farrell to play John Constantine.
"No, I was not casting yet. I knew I wanted Doug Jones to be Deadman, only because physically he could do the suit, and I knew his mannerisms," the filmmaker explained. "I loved that screenplay. I was in love with [it]. I thought it brought everyone in effortlessly."
Confirming that Constantine was the movie's lead, del Toro continued, "The plot made absolute perfect sense. I really loved how they got tangled. We had the Floronic Man as one of the villains. It was really great because Swamp Thing was very fleshed out."
"There was a moment when Batman came in briefly. They said, 'We need a plane,' and 'A friend of mine has a plane,' and then you were in Bruce Wayne's office. I would have loved to have done it. Now, I wouldn't."
While you'd think that giving Justice League Dark the green light would be a priority for DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, del Toro confirmed that he hasn't discussed the movie with the Superman helmer.
"No, no, no. Now and then, I write him about something else he's doing right. I think he's remarkably smart. I loved Superman," he shared. "I really enjoy the way he's viewing the universe. The screenplay is there. It was a couple of years of development. We never got to the art. It had great set pieces. My favourite one was a chase with Deadman jumping from one body to the next."
Elsewhere in the interview, del Toro all but confirmed that he was being eyed to direct 2013's Man of Steel, but admitted that the character isn't a good fit for him. He was also asked about Marvel Studios' continued struggles to bring Blade to the big screen and simply said that Wesley Snipes was his secret weapon.
Here's what Gunn previously said about potentially moving forward with this unmade version of Justice League Dark:
"I love Guillermo, and we own a movie theater together. By the way, Guillermo's never said that to me. I hear all these things about, 'Guillermo would love to do Justice League Dark.' Well, Guillermo's never said that to me. 'Just let Steven Spielberg do his Blackhawks movie that he wants to do!' Steven Spielberg, who I love above anyone else, has never said that to me. So these things get blown out of proportion."
"Years and years ago, I said I wanted to make a Thunderbolts movie. I was in a convention somewhere, and somebody asked me, 'What did I want to do that wasn't Guardians of the Galaxy?' I said Thunderbolts. And for years and years, it's like, 'James Gunn should be allowed to make his Thunderbolts movie.' I have a million things that I thought I wanted to do in certain moments."