First of all, I have to say that I've always been a Marvel-ite. Give me Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America over Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern any day. Batman notwithstanding. Batman transcends the Marvel/DC argument. The point being, Warner Brothers could scrap the Justice League movie indefinitely and it would make absolutely NO difference in my life.
That being said, I would still love to see the Justice League hit theaters, and after Marvel's The Avengers scored hard at the box office, there is no way WB won't be going forward with Justice League. But who will they bring aboard to direct it? Ben Affleck (The Town, Argo) was rumored to have been approached to headline the superhero mashup, but he recently shot that rumor down. So, the question remains, who will direct? Here's a list of five directors I'd love to see bring the Justice League to the big screen.
5: Guillermo del Toro
I love Mr. del Toro. After watching Hellboy and Hellboy 2, I'm convinced he could helm a JLA movie and take it to greatness. Being no stranger to comic book movies (Hellboy, Blade 2) he knows the genre. Also, being the director of Pan's Labyrinth, he's no stranger to writing and directing AMAZING films. And with his style, he could bring a fantastical element to the movie that (in my opinion) a good DC movie should have....Batman notwithstanding. However, that being said, the likelihood that he would return to another comic book property is fairly slim. And if skipping JLA means that del Toro can focus on original stories, like Pacific Rim, I'm ok with that.
4: Zach Snyder
I know. I know. He's already directing Man Of Steel. But take a look at his track record. Dawn of the Dead (2004), 300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch, and now Man Of Steel. 300 and Watchmen are already considered to be good movies. 300 has a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes and a prequel in the works. Watchmen has a 64% percent and is in the top ten highest earning comic book movies of all time. Say what you will about Dawn of the Dead and Sucker Punch, I dig both of those movies quite a bit as well. Seeing as how we already know Snyder can pull off a superhero team-up movie, as well as visually arresting movies, I think he would be a shoe-in for JLA. But, I know. He's already directing Man of Steel.
3: Peter Jackson
We all know Peter Jackson. The Lord of the Rings movies. And we love him for that. That alone is not why he is on this list. He is on this list because A) His directorial career is almost 40 years old and he's directed some gems (Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners); B) He could bring some gravitas that JLA would need if it is going to aim for that “darker” tone that Christopher Nolan nailed with his Dark Knight Trilogy; C) He directed The Lord of the Rings.
Sue me. I'm a nerd. LOTR holds some weight for me.
2: Martin Campbell
Mr. Campbell holds a soft spot in my heart. GoldenEye was the Bond movie that got me into Bond movies. Then he came back and directed Casino Royale, effectively doing the same thing with a new generation that he did with me by injecting new style into a very old franchise. We know he can put together action sequences, we know he can direct compelling characters, and we know he can tell a story. Focusing that lens on the Justice League would be an inspired choice. Note I'm not counting Green Lantern against him. Script issues and studio tampering can lead to a screw-up like that one.
1: Alfonso Cuaron
My number one spot. I chose Cuaron because I believe he combines all of the attributes of the other four in a clever cocktail of directorial prowess. Like del Toro, Cuaron has a style that lends itself to fantasy in amazing ways. Like Snyder, he works with visual details within the story that aim at catching one's eye. Like Jackson, Cuaron knows how to turn up the drama and add weight to the story. And, like Campbell, he knows how to put action on the screen and turn characters into *characters*. Don't believe me? Watch Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban and watch Children of Men. Both are prime examples of all of the attributes I described. That's why I think Alfonso Cuaron would be the perfect choice to direct Justice League.