With "Green Lantern" out this weekend, we had to ask: Which other movies inspired by comic books does Geoff Johns consider his favorites? The DC Entertainment chief creative officer gave us the scoop on five of them.
"Superman" (1978): Johns credits "Superman" director Richard Donner, his former employer, with inventing the modern-day superhero film. "What he wanted to do was create a comic book film that wasn't campy, but that was actually what it would really be like for a comic book hero to exist in the real world. I think 'Superman' had so much heart, which people overlook often in these things, (when) it's just all action. You need heart."
The Richard Donner cut of "Superman II" (2006): Donner shot most of the 1980 sequel at the same time he was working on the original. Then he was replaced by Richard Lester. Johns is a fan of Donner's re-edited version: "I highly recommend checking out the Richard Donner cut of 'Superman II.' It's brilliant."
"Batman" (1989): This atmospheric, brooding Caped Crusader update by visual genius Tim Burton was the antithesis of the goofy small-screen 1960s version. "I've got to give a nod to Tim Burton's 'Batman,' just because it did bring Batman into a whole different place and it took (him) away from the TV show."
"Iron Man" (2008): The DC bigwig gives props for the blockbuster starring Robert Downey Jr. as Marvel's high-flying Tony Stark. "I thought 'Iron Man' was just a brilliant, fun movie that took a character no one knew and introduced it to a whole new audience. And I think 'Iron Man' paved the way and really showed what you could do with a second-tier character."
"The Dark Knight" (2008): Its box office success speaks for itself, but Johns singles out a great performance. "Heath Ledger's Joker is untouchable."