Why There SHOULDNT be a Justice League Movie!

Why There SHOULDNT  be a Justice League Movie!

With the ending of their only good movie franchise, the reboot of a not so good movie franchise, and a struggling reboot of their comic universe, is a Justice League movie really something W.B. and DC should be thinking about?

Editorial Opinion
By netherrealmninja - Jul 12, 2012 12:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Justice League

Well folks, as we approach the epic conclusion to an awesome comic book movie trilogy in Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, I can't help but think about the future of DC comics and what films Warner Bros. has up their sleeves. There's the reboot of Superman titled "Man of Steel" which I'm actually not to skeptical about, mostly due to my ground level standards I have for anything other than Superman comics because there hasn't been a half way decent stand alone Superman anything since the awesome 90s cartoons. There's been talks of a Green Lantern sequel, as if we need yet another notch on the comic book movie wall of not so great films right next to George Clooney's bat nipples. Lastly, there's the rumor of a Justice League movie. This could possibly be the worst idea I've heard concerning comic book movies, tied with giving Deadpool laser vision and protruding swords from his arms in Wolverine Origins. So without further bashing, lets break all of this down and discover why there really shouldn't be a Justice League movie at this current point in time.

My first point brings us to the not so awesome reboot of the DC universe. The new 52 reboot has done nothing but suffer and wallow in a pit of horrible writing and cancellations. The Superman comics are on their third writer, the only thing I've even heard about the Wonder Woman comics is "It's got good art!", and there are so many effin' Batman comics and spin offs that even trying to find continuity between all this would be a nightmare. With that said, lets say they do decide to go through with a Justice League movie. Chances are they are going to use the film as a means to attract attention towards their failing comic reboot, and in order to do that they would have to adapt a story line from said comic reboot to the big screen. Lets do some math here, what do you get when you take a faltering comic book reboot, subtract a story line from said comic book reboot, and then add in every comic book nerds most despised concept (creative licensing woo!)? Give up? You got a recipe... for disaster!

O.K. so I may be jumping to conclusions here. They really don't have to adapt any kind of story line from the comics, they could just create('ive licensing woo!) their own conflict and origin for the team. That will work right? Right?! Nope! There is absolutely no way, with the train wreck of a movie track record they have, that Warner Bros. can pull off anything in the least bit original or creative for that matter regarding any kind of comic book character or group of characters. "But Ninja, Warner Bros. Isn't responsible for writing the script! That's all on the writer and director!" yeah well Warner Bros. hires these so called writers and directors, so I'm gonna be a jerk and place the blame on them, and out of their entire comic book filmography there were only two people that didn't screw up, Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan. Considering that neither of those people will have any involvement in a Justice League movie, I think it's pretty safe to assume the direction of this film.

Now onto the final nail in the proverbial "coffin" that Warner Bros. is building around themselves. this is something that has really got under my skin and makes me truly wonder how W.B. could even conceive a Justice League movie. Now lets say I'm entirely wrong in all of the previous points I've just brought up. Lets say not only do they find the next "Shakespeare" in film, but by some grace of god, the writing on the comic book side of things becomes top notch and they have an awesome story full of action, romance, comedy, and everything else under the sun. Lets say everything is perfect. I still have one question. How in the hell are you going to be able to fit the Justice League on film?! Kind of a dumb and confusing question I know, and you're probably thinking "Just look at the Avengers you moron!", so lets do just that! In my opinion there was one huge factor that was solely responsible for turning The Avengers into a juggernaut, continuity. The idea of taking all these Marvel film and not only creating character attachment but also connecting them to each other with the little end credit clips that we have all come to enjoy was probably the single smartest move made by Marvel. Not only did it provide the whole "cliff hanger" effect and made us instantly think "Man I cant wait to see what happens next!", but it did an excellent job in setting up the atmosphere and creating a helluva conflict that truly captured the audiences' attention. Marvel did such a perfect job in not only creating the antagonist for the film but they also convinced us that he was a big enough threat that it was going to take more than just the individuals themselves, so it provided us with the reasoning behind The Avengers. That's how The Avengers did what it did and raked in billions of dollars. If you don't believe so just take a look at a perfect example of stuffing a bunch of characters in a movie without continuity, Spiderman 3. I wont even bother getting into that monstrosity so lets focus back on this monstrosity to be!
It took 4 years worth of films, character development, and planning to make The Avengers successful. Does Warner Bros. honestly think they can recreate that kind of success by just throwing the Justice League at us? "But Ninja, they've been planning the Justice League movie for years now!" yeah but the difference is that there is absolutely nothing to show for it. There is absolutely no character development, no continuity, no main antagonist, hell, there is no evidence in any DC movie that these super heroes even exist in the same universe. For Christs' sake as of right now there are absolutely no heroes in the DC film universe! Batman is done. The Dark Knight Rises is the very last we will see of the current Bruce Wayne so after that there's no Batman, There's no Wonder Woman, as of right now there's no Superman, no Flash, no Martian Manhunter, no Aquaman(thank god), the only super hero we have right now is the Green Lantern if he even survives the cut, which i doubt it will.

So let me get this straight, you guys have no established characters on film, and with that no established villians, a horrible filmography, a failing comic reboot, and you are seriously touting a Justice League movie thinking that you're going to get anyone excited enough to pay attention? Well you got me paying attention, but not because I'm excited. I'm actually kind of offended that you guys even have the balls to put the idea of this movie out there. With all the crap falling apart around you and your only ace in the hole about to be played next week, I would figure that you would direct your time and resources towards i dunno maybe finding competent writers that aren't going to make whores out of your characters, and not ruin a character to the point of cancellation (Green Arrow), at the very least you could spend some effin' time in creating the on film personas of the Justice League before mashing them together. Who cares if the individual films suck, which they most likely will. I would rather see the culmination of your crappy super hero films than to just see a film that cannot and will not make sense of anything that would transpire in said film. If you did that at least it would show that you actually tried.

In conclusion, I'm pretty sure the assumption of me being a straight up DC hater is embedded deep in your minds by now, but in all honesty that's not true. I'm actually a fan of DC. Superman:Under the Red Sun is one of my all time favorite comic arcs. Deathstroke is one of my favorite characters(he took out the entire Justice League in the Identity Crisis arc! holy crap!) and I will honestly tell anyone that DC makes better animated films than Marvel. This rant doesn't come from someone who hates DC, not at all. It comes from a fan of comic books who wants to see some of his favorite characters come to life on the silver screen, not some bullshit halfway excuse of a film attempting to ride on the coat tails of an actual solid film. Who knows, maybe I'm dead wrong here, nothing I've stated above should be taken seriously. After all, this is just a ninjas opinion!

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SCOURGE
SCOURGE - 7/12/2012, 1:03 PM
Well said...
jrocka
jrocka - 7/12/2012, 1:17 PM
oh please... if people keep saying it can't be done, we would still be watching in a black and white TV.
BarnaclePete
BarnaclePete - 7/12/2012, 1:19 PM
I'd rather they try and screw it up then never try at all.
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 1:28 PM
im not saying it cant be done, but there is absolutely no reason for them to ruin a potentially legendary movie concept by rushing it out and turning it into an absolute failure which I believe will happen if they decide to work on a justice league movie before establishing each main league member in film. we, as fans, deserve better.
DarkGrifter
DarkGrifter - 7/12/2012, 1:33 PM
"a failing comic reboot"
I guess you never looked at the actual sales figures of the months following the reboot, because DC comics have been selling very well, more so than Marvel. DC has also on many occasions had more titles in the top ten then Marvel. Just a few months ago there were no Marvel titles in the top ten. I'm not trying to bash Marvel, I'm trying to show you that the New 52 isn't doing as terrible as you make it out to be. Check Newsarama for the sales figures.
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/12/2012, 1:41 PM
"a failing comic reboot"

So why is Marvel following suit, then...? "DC New 50" = "Marvel Now"
TheNephilim
TheNephilim - 7/12/2012, 1:48 PM
You really don't need the solo films first.... That's what Marvel did and it was cool, but it wasn't why Avengers made a mint. The shared universe was for the comic geeks not the casual fans.

Most of the audience of the Avengers didn't see all the solo Marvel films, I'd bet many of the non comic geeks saw just Avengers. Avengers was a very simple plot; people went to it because it was a well done brawler. The general masses of people know who the JL characters are for the most part (probably better than the Avengers prior to Ironman).... sure you'll need to explain John Jonz. The back stories are for people who have accounts on this site and comixology. ;)
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 1:50 PM
you got a point grifter but i would almost bet my bottom dollar that the main reason for the sales figures is more because of the fact that it is a reboot rather than the story qualities. if you look at it from a financial point then yeah the 52 isnt doing to bad, but from the quality point theres just too much crap going on. they already canned 2 writers for superman. Green Arrow, Static Shock, and Captain Atom among others have already cancelled, which sure im all for replacing the not so stellar or original characters with better ones but each one of those characters were actually quite popular and had a decent fanbase, not to mention that were not that far into the new 52 and already we are experiencing cancellations. There hasnt really been any real attention grabbing stories in the new 52 yet which i can understand considering its still a somewhat new launch but i still believe the main reason for the money being brought in is more attributed to the "new and improved" factor than actual stories.
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 1:52 PM
lol i sure caught a lot of attention with my failing reboot remark
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 2:05 PM
now i will agree that there are some good titles in the new 52 (grifter, suicide squad, red hood, deathstroke, im actually excited to see deathstroke vs lobo!) but I honestly believe that its a chicken coop full of headless chickens running around at dc headquarters. There's so much going on that its very hard to focus on DC as a whole and with all these changes in writers, cancellations, and spin offs i feel as if im looking at different pieces to completely different puzzles rather than pieces of a whole picture
SageMode
SageMode - 7/12/2012, 2:40 PM
MOONDOGGYX

DC New 52 = Marvel's Ultimate Universe.
DarkGrifter
DarkGrifter - 7/12/2012, 3:01 PM
Well it's been nearly a year since the reboot and they are still selling very well and have seemed to have found a consistency in the sales. And that only really happens if there is genuine quality in the titles and people want to continue reading the story. But I'll agree there are a few titles that lack the quality they once had, which has resulted in cancellations and it's a shame because it is down to a lack of creativity in the writing and story. But there are still a lot of great titles in the 52, and a lot of it is down to personal preference; and it's well know that both Grifter and Deathstroke were on the verge of being cancelled (which as you stated you liked), so something which is generally believed to be bad, you may find you actually like.
On a side note the four titles you mentioned happen to be my favorite titles too :P
Jaywing
Jaywing - 7/12/2012, 3:11 PM
It's so ridiculous how people think dc has only put out crappy movies. And the 'ace' that they are playing next week is a pretty damn big ace. Also... Sure avengers was a fantastic movie but people need to stop acting like every marvel movie is some cinematic masterpiece. They did great making the team up movie, but it's not like marvel didn't make their fair share of mediocre movies. To say DC shouldn't even try is a horrible thing for any comic book fan to say.
Jaywing
Jaywing - 7/12/2012, 3:23 PM
In my opinion, it wasn't the four year build up that made the avengers great. It was Whedon, it was the individual actors, it was the script, the special effects. It was an individual movie made to stand on its own. Had the avengers sucked... That doesn't mean all the other marvel movies sucked too. They are meant to stand on their own. The shared universe only enhanced little aspects of each movie. And sometimes hurt (only my opinion) a characters solo outing. The thing that makes a great movie is... A great director, great actors, and a great script. With those things a justic league movie could easily be just as amazing without a four year buildup
djohnpi
djohnpi - 7/12/2012, 3:53 PM
Dude this was just what i was thinking. Lets say they just put out a Jl movie, hell just put it out who do we think will enjoy this. Lets remember not just comic book fans such as myself enjoyed the Avengers. There were all kinds of folks who saw the Avengers and liked it. Much as some of you like to say, not a lot of people saw the other Marvel films i would say just look at the sales. I would just say please do it right and what the hell is right at this point. Thanks Man!!!!!!!!!!!!
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 4:22 PM
ok lets clarify a few things here. the very last line of the first paragraph of this editorial states " So without further bashing, lets break all of this down and discover why there really shouldn't be a Justice League movie at this current point in time." i guess maybe i should have capitalized the last 5 words of that sentence. My intentions were not to bash on DC as a company. They have done more than enough to change the world and anyone would be a fool to under mind them. The point i was trying to get across is that a justice league movie should be the last thing on their minds right now. Sure, they could get a couple of decent writers, write a somewhat successful script, throw it out there and make a few bucks, there are a plethora of films out there that have done that, but i would hate for DC comics to do that with something as big as the justice league. I, as a fan, want the the justice league to be as big if not bigger than the avengers. To say that the sole reason behind the avengers reception was a decent script and director is just silly. Both Batman begins and the dark knight were a product of an awesome script and a visionary of a director. The success of the avengers was not only a product of good writing and directing but the end result of years of planning and an awesome and innovative sense of advertising (i.e. the cut scenes) and thats not just an opinion thats a fact that can be backed up by the billions of dollars earned and amount of records broken by this film. Deny it all you want but the avengers set a whole new standard for comic book movies, not taking any credit away from DC, The batman films are right up there as well. Heres a question for you guys to ask yourselves and be honest when you answer this. Would anyone really have cared about the avengers as much if the individual films did not exist? I seriously doubt that the avengers would have made as much money if none of the solo films existed. with that said, it would be very easy for DC to just ignore that and just shoot a justice league movie, have it do pretty good in the box office, lets be generous and say it does as well as the batman films have currently done, which is well above average for a film i will say. However, this isnt just a batman movie, its not a superman movie, its a collection of the worlds finest! why cheap out on it and just produce an above average film when it has been clearly proven that a comic book movie can become an instant classic. I cant and will never say that im right or that youre wrong in any of this, but what i will say is that we have all seen how awesome a comic book movie can be with enough planning and character establishment, why settle for less?
Jaywing
Jaywing - 7/12/2012, 4:29 PM
Thanks for clarifying that makes a lot more sense. I completely agree with you that the solo films helped the avengers make a ton more money. But to me the justice league could make just as quality of a film without the lead up. Sure... It wouldn't make as much money obviously. But I think DC's Superman and Batman combo have way more name recognition to the average person. I'm not disagreeging with you, I see your points. I just have been waiting so long to see the justice league on the big screen. The thing I agree with you most on though is they NEED TO GET IT RIGHT. If that takes long... Then they should wait.
Jaywing
Jaywing - 7/12/2012, 4:31 PM
And I admit I didn't see your last paragraph stating there shouldnt be a Hal movie RIGHT NOW... But you can't blame me as the title of this article is 'why there should NOT be a justice league movie' haha
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 4:49 PM
lol yeah I figured that title would draw in some people... and my thing is. The Avengers did it. why cant dc just wait and have the JL do it too?! Plus one thing that people often look over is that would most of us have really paid attention to the avengers if we didnt know Robert Downey Jr would play such an amazing Iron Man or Hemsworth a Thor and Evans a Cap? If we were keeping this batman for the Justice League I honestly would probably look forward to it but considering that we are now working with an entirely new cast I would rather DC not risk anther George Clooney/Batman incident with something like the justic league
Jaywing
Jaywing - 7/12/2012, 4:53 PM
Agreed. The problem DC is going to encounter if they do a shared universe is people just saying they ripped off marvel. But marvel did beat them to the punch so I gotta give them credit on that
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 4:54 PM
im just waiting on Justice League vs The Avengers on film! C'MOOOOOOONN! lol
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 5:08 PM
also on a little more serious note i want to thank everyone for giving their input. I feel greatly appreciative that my article has garnered your attention, both good and bad! and if you guys think this was a little controversial wait to you check out the bombshell im about to drop here in a couple of days! STAY TUNED!
DarkGrifter
DarkGrifter - 7/12/2012, 5:18 PM
You're welcome, sir! It's clear that you care very much for this franchise and want the best possible outcome for a Justice League Movie. Thanks for taking the time to do such a detailed write-up
Toasty
Toasty - 7/12/2012, 5:56 PM
You know what, i'm going to make an editorial, it's going to be called why stupid people should think before writing editorials and while they're at it grow a brain cell do some research and leave personal opinions out of they're editorials.
Jaywing
Jaywing - 7/12/2012, 6:49 PM
@toasty haha you win comment of the night. I think you said what weve all been thinking.
Ghostt
Ghostt - 7/12/2012, 8:20 PM
They need to focus on Flash, not Justice League. If they can accomplish that, then they got a JL movie!
SageMode
SageMode - 7/12/2012, 8:35 PM
JUST1SUPERGUY

DC 52 Relaunch was created to appeal to the new audiences much akin to the Ultimate Universe, but instead of making it a separate universe, that's their main one now, revamping their characters (most of them appearing younger in age like the Ultimate) with new or slightly altered origins. This was DC attempt at selling more comics since Marvel pretty outsold them in sales for over 30 years annually.
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/12/2012, 9:54 PM
@toasty
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/editorial

Notice how the word "OPINION" is commonly used in the definition. Also it's *their* towards the end of your sentence. You definitely don't have to agree with me on anything I've said. Like I stated before, this is all just my view on things and I'm not expecting everyone to agree with me, hell it's one of my goals to strike up a debate, but just an F.Y.I. friend, before you go off taking the high ground, pointing fingers, and calling people stupid make sure you don't render your point absolutely moot with your own ignorance via "stupid" remarks. Also by all means please write an editorial stating your "OPINION" on something, It's an awesome way to get your view out there! :)
AC1
AC1 - 7/13/2012, 9:06 AM
I completely agree with this article. I'm slightly more of a DC fan than a Marvel fan, but I can see that the only reason The Avengers worked is that Marvel really took their time with it and planned it out meticulously. DC/WB are clearly trying to rush out a Justice League film to compete with Marvel, and it's the stupidest idea ever. It is very likely to blow up in their faces, and end up as a complete mess. Plus, most audiences are going to see it as an Avengers rip-off, which it very well could be if it is rushed out.

DC need to take their time with it. They shouldn't even think about releasing a Justice League film for like 6 years, and that's if they start planning it right now, and if somehow The Man of Steel can be worked into their plans.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 7/13/2012, 9:33 AM
When Iron Man came out, I had a lengthy argument with my brother about why the Avengers movie should be made. At the time, he argued that a Justice League movie seemed more likely if they set it during the climax of World War II, to fit in with the idea of allied forces of either side uniting to save/conquer the world, and the desperate themes.

I'm of the opinion that the Justice League should be treated as a cast, not a story. You really, really don't need to see an origin story on how the League united to fight a big giant starfish.

Story is what matters.
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/13/2012, 10:39 AM
@ netherrealmninja - "i'm just waiting on Justice League vs The Avengers on film! C'MOOOOOOONN! lol"

Movie Superman(alone) > Movie Avengers+Movie Shield+Movie FF+Movie X-Men... lol
I HATED Superman Returns, but he lifted a whole small continent... with kryptonite stabbed into his back!

I agree with the article to the point that fast-tracking the JL movie to compete with the Avengers is a bad idea. I pretty much concur with what Acira said...

I actually posted on a different editorial about how WB/DC could get its shared universe and JL movie off the ground in a good way. i'll post it here too, if you guys promise to not call me a troll... lol
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/13/2012, 10:42 AM
To be fair, I think that the Avengers Strategy could work also. I really think that the General Audience(and myself), doesn't have the patience for another 5 lead-up films. But one thing that WB/DC should definitely learn from Marvel is that not every member of the team needs their own film. Not to crap on anyone's favorite characters, but really Flash, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter don't need their own films. Kinda like Shield, Black Widow and Hawkeye didn't need their own film before the Avengers. If done right, DC could have a solid Shared Cinematic Universe by 2016. Check it out...

2013 - Superman: Man of Steel. Hint at a shared Universe. Maybe during a flashback to Clark's youth, have someone mention the Waynes getting murdered in the background.

2014 - Greeen Lantern 2. Introduce Martian Manhunter. The enemy could be the return of whoever destroyed the martian civilization. Of course, they are headed to earth. More News about a man dressed as a bat in Gotham. At the end, mention that there may be other threats headed to earth...

2015 - Wonder Woman. Introduce Aquaman. Of course, the treat would have to be something from Greek mythology. Diana needs the Posiden's Trident to stop it and where is that, Atlantis, of course! More references to Batman. Actually have him called Batman.

2016 - Superman 2: Speeding Bullets. Introduce the Flash. The Threat should be Braniac with Luthor playing a major part. Probably doing something stupid to gain the type of power that money can't buy. Flashes "accident" is a result. This time have reports of Batman saving Gotham and being praised as a hero. As Braniac is defeated have him mention that there there are "horrors" in the universe that Kal-El are not yet aware. Horrors more powerful than Superman. And Earth is now on their radar. Reveal that Braniac came to earth to collect all of its information... before it is destroyed!

2017 - Justice League. Introduce (new) Batman. By this time, five years have passed since TDKR so a new actor and version of the bat will be accepted by the general audience...
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/13/2012, 8:18 PM
@moondoggy You know, you just might be on to something here, but here's the ultimate downer. There's no way DC is going to wait 5 more years for another Batman movie. I mean, they're already trying to do a Justice League movie to try and cash in on some Avengers money. What makes any of us think that they haven't already been thinking of a "better" Batman series, especially considering how successful it was (basically the only successful movie adaptation of any DC toon). I'd be willing to bet that right at this moment, there's some pinhead sitting in his loft writing what could possibly be the worst reintroduction of the Dark Knight that wont even measure up to Mr. Nolans' works of film brilliance. I'm calling it now, the next Batman reboot is going to crash and burn!
MoonDoggyX
MoonDoggyX - 7/14/2012, 8:48 AM
@netherrealmninja - "There's no way DC is going to wait 5 more years for another Batman movie." They waited 4 years between TDK and TDKR...
netherrealmninja
netherrealmninja - 7/14/2012, 3:54 PM
@moondoggy yeah but thats a sequel...but then again its been how long between the superman movies?
halvor311
halvor311 - 7/16/2012, 9:41 PM
I think you make a lot of good points. I don't have a whole lot of faith in WB or Jeff Robinov from what I've heard, especially given how important and hyped Green Lantern was and how badly it flopped afterwards. I think DC needs to do what Marvel did and create their own film division and have someone like WB just do distribution or something like that. GL was the first try in a shared universe (I'm guessing) and I think Superman will be a more full-fledged effort at such a project. But with the JLA, I think doing the opposite of what Marvel did might actually be a really good idea, and the New 52 Justice League comics are truly amazing to me. The Justice League movie could set up a bunch of villains for individual movies or something like that. Good review though. :-)
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