A lot of potentially great superhero movies have failed to materialise, though George Miller's Justice League: Mortal remains among the most intriguing.
Only bits and pieces have ever been revealed about the project (you'll find an early version of the screenplay online if you go hunting), 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 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, Santiago Cabrera as Aquaman, Australian actor Hugh Keays-Byrne as Martian Manhunter, and Aussie starlet Teresa Palmer as Talia Al Ghul.
Concept art and storyboards have leaked online over the years and, using those as a basis, one talented artist has imagined how this take on the Justice League could have looked on screen. As we're sure you'll agree, they make for an impressive sight.
Last year, Miller reflected on how it felt to see his take on these DC Comics superheroes fall by the wayside.
"I've been sacked off a film - that happened with Contact and I was very enthusiastic about that. Then, we were very keen to do Justice League back around that time, and there were already photographs and publicity out, and then that fell away. I’m not saying that’s what jinxed it, but I think it’s just better to finish the film and offer it to audiences; to let them take on the story or not."
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.
Would you have liked to see Justice League: Mortal become a reality?