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Holy Pajibas, Batman! It’s an Unnecessary Franchise!

The Daily Trade Round-Up / Daniel Carlson

Trade News | September 27, 2007 | Comments (24)

I’m a comic book geek, but only to a certain extent, which means I’ve never read or been remotely interested in the adventures of the Justice League. If you ask me, having Superman partner with anybody seems demeaning to the partner, unfair to the villain, and kinda pointless for the Man of Steel. I mean, he can fly, he’s impervious to blades or bullets, his eyes emanate heat waves, he can freeze things with his breath, and if he feels like it he can reverse the flow of time. Just for the hell of it. Does he really need Hawkman hanging around? Anyway. The point is that Warner Bros., horny as all get out for your hard-earned dollar and determined to get it with superhero movies, is fast-tracking their adaptation of DC Comics’ Justice League with a possible 2009 tentpole release scheduled. A few days ago, George Miller — whose resume improbably includes both the Mad Max series and Babe: Pig in the City — was signed to direct the movie, and Jessica Biel is now in talks to fill out the red spandex Wonder Woman sees fit to wear. The studio is a little anxious to get the project underway since guild and union deliberations could lead to a possible writers’ strike, and of course, there’s also the matter that Christian Bale and Brandon Routh don’t appear likely to reprise their roles as Batman and Superman, respectively, for Miller’s film. However, Warners apparently digs the script for Justice League, from Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney, so much that it’s putting the next Superman flick off until Justice League is done. Personally, I think Warners should thank their blessed stars they’ve got Christopher Nolan directing Bale in their new Batman series, which will likely rank as the greatest superhero movies of all time, and just move on.

Shifting gears dramatically: Martin Scorsese has signed on to direct an as-yet-untitled documentary about George Harrison. The documentary is currently being tagged for theatrical release, which is a bit of a change, considering Scorsese’s Bob Dylan biopic, No Direction Home, was created for PBS. Also, while No Direction Home only covered early Dylan through the 1960s, the Harrison film will likely cover his career with the Beatles as well as his solo work, including his work as founder of Handmade Films, the company behind Monty Python’s Life of Brian and Time Bandits. (For some reason, I find that really unnerving.) But if this sounds like something you want to see, get ready to wait. Interviews and production won’t even start until later this year, and the film is expected to take several years to finish. So, Hare Hare, Krishna Krishna, it ain’t gonna happen for a while.

Finally, this morning’s trailer watch features the new preview for Run, Fatboy, Run, starring the decidedly unfat Simon Pegg as a man determined to win back his old fiancée by running a marathon. It’s directed by David Schwimmer and promises to be a thoroughly modest romantic comedy, completely at ease with the conventions of the genre. The new trailer isn’t quite as good as the old teaser, but Pegg is still mugging affably to the strains of the Fratellis even while staring down Hank Azaria’s junk (true story), and that’s all you can ask for:

Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a low-level employee at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going Bald.


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Comments

Justice League is for "teh noobs." I think I'll enjoy Run Fatboy Run solely because of Pegg.

Posted by: Kevin Longrie at September 27, 2007 6:29 AM

Run, Fatboy, Run...promises to be a thoroughly modest romantic comedy, completely at ease with the conventions of the genre.

/Are you sure you haven't seen it already? It really ain't all that; For once I can't go 'Ha Ha' to all you Americans because I get to see a Pegg movie ages before you. According to IMDB, Simon co-wrote this, he must not have contributed much, or maybe he's only good at writing funny with Edgar Wright or Jessica Stevenson...

Posted by: cockroach at September 27, 2007 7:14 AM

Dylan Moran is definitely funny though; made me wish the movie had centred around him, and seeing as the love interest is his characters cousin,and he flirts with her, it could've gone to cool places

Posted by: cockroach at September 27, 2007 7:19 AM

I can't imagine how they'll be able to get around to explaining who everyone is fast enough to actually have a damn Justice League movie, becuase god knows a superhero movie can't ever just go in, both guns blazing, and expect people to figure it out for themselves.

Does he really need Hawkman hanging around?

There are some really good JL comics and even the animated series was pretty good. It's not just about the villains, there's a lot of room for interesting social issues and conflicts of character. Superman and Green Arrow are both heroes, for example, but they come at it from completely different areas and don't really get along.

I'm not even a DC fanboy, but a friend of mine has thrown some really excellent stuff my way. It's worth checking out. Darwyn Cooke's "The New Frontier" is pretty excellent.

Posted by: twig at September 27, 2007 9:04 AM

I really liked the newer Justice League animated feature, especially when they started getting into Homeland Security Issues. I mean Superman IS a weapon of mass destruction and there were some serious implications with human beings handing over all of their safety concerns to a bunch of "heroes" who either couldn't be killed or would take everything in our arsenal just to wound them.

I thought tha was definitely one of the better animated epics out there. I just don't see how it can translate to a live action medium that would work for a mainstream movie format. There is so much psychological stuff going on in the animated features that its bound to lose a great deal in translation. The idea that Superman is aware of his ability to kill but simply chooses not to? I mean the episodes where he was going around using his heat ray eyes to give people labotomies? AWESOMENESS INCARNATE.

Posted by: cmoody at September 27, 2007 9:57 AM

Being, well, who I am, I simply must chime in. The DC Animated Universe, from Batman:TAS to Justice League, has to be the best comic book adaptation for a medium ever. Yes, even better than Nolan (which is a feat). So for them to try and do the same in live-action is at best redundant, at worst suicide for the franchise. Even with Ryan Reynolds as a possible Flash.

Alex The Odd, please tell me you are cool with Simon Pegg. I can live with your hatred of you-know-who, but please let me have Pegg at least.

Posted by: Vermillion at September 27, 2007 10:10 AM

Honestly, the best current ensemble comic book series that tackles contemporary themes is The Ultimates, Marvel's reboot of The Avengers. It's dense, politically-charged, yet entertaining as all hell. Which is probably why there will never be anything more than the so-so animated films that were made recently.

Frankly, I'm OK with that.

But Justice League... that's going to be brutal to adapt. Too much of a combo of aliens, alternate dimensions, Amazons, Batman, Atlantis... it's just too much. Too many characters, too many histories to do it any... um... justice.

OK. Geek rant - OFF.

Posted by: TK at September 27, 2007 10:16 AM

Oh god, twig I hadn't even thought of that angle. You'd drown in exposition. Oh the humanity.

Never fear Vermillion. My crush on Simon Pegg is both massive and unrelenting. It dates back to the days of Spaced's original run. In fact I spent half my evening last night watching Pegg and Nick Frost talking about nature documentaries for some god awful program on chanel 4, that's how much I love him. How could anyone not? Satisfied?

A friend is lending me the entire run of the JL animated series so that I can have a marathon superhero session. I'm considering feigning illness for a week to get it all in. I'm so freaking excited it's unreal.

Posted by: Alex the Odd at September 27, 2007 10:20 AM

Jessica Biel is now in talks to fill out the red spandex Wonder Woman sees fit to wear

Jessica Biel is to Katie Holmes as Talisker 18-year is to Zima. Even though it's 95% likely the Justice League movie will blow huge, sweaty rhinoceros balls, and even though suspicion remains about Biel's acting chops, I find this news, coupled with the Ryan-Reynolds-as-Flash idea, to be encouraging. (How much acting would even be involved? Lynda Carter was a great Wonder Woman, and she's just an excruciatingly bad actor. "Just stand around and look amazonian, Jessica . . . hmmm, squashing the heads of the caterers, the electrician and three of the grips with your sheer physical beauty is a bit Method, but you've got the character down.)

The potential for Ryan Reynolds/Flash making snarky sexual comments about Jessica Biel/Wonder Woman actually has me humming a little bit.

Obviously, Holmes could still fuck up the actual Wonder Woman franchise, but Biel is a far better fit for the actual concept of Wonder Woman -- so beautiful she hurts the eyes, a chiseled work of art physically -- and this provides a delicious opportunity for shame in the Cruise encampment over Katie getting pwned by Jessica, as the kids say. Do the kids still say that?

After Shaun and Hot Fuzz, Pegg gets an automatic look in anything.

Posted by: socalledonlycousins at September 27, 2007 10:59 AM

George was my favorite Beatle. I loved the videos he did with Eric Idle. I'm prepared to be patient and wait.....

Posted by: nancy at September 27, 2007 10:59 AM

God, Ryan Reynolds would make a great Flash. He was practically the Flash in Blade: Trinity.

As long as he had someone good writing his dialogue - or does he actually ad-lib?

Posted by: twig at September 27, 2007 11:29 AM

I'm imagining something along the lines of Reynolds vs. Faris in Waiting...:

Flash: So are those golden manacles on your wrists, or are you just glad to bondage me?

WW: Give it a rest, Mr. Instantaneous. By the way, you're aware that "Mr. Instantaneous" is not a compliment? When women say, "Wow, he was fast," it's not an expression of fulfillment.

Flash: Seriously, Double-dub, you've got the lasso, the bracelets, the dom-shorts onesie . . . I think we both know where this is headed. I know a secret way into the Fortress of Solitude, and it's a little-known fact that Supes has a well-stocked Dungeon of Delights for the occasional superheroine-turned-hellcat.

WW: Not if you were the last superhero on earth. A weekend spent wondering whether that irritating red blur is also responsible for the unsatisfying itch in my super-shorts is not my idea of a good time.

Flash: Oh, you better rope and throw and brand me, dubba-dubba-licious, 'cause I've got some truth to tell, and the truth just might hurt both of us. In a good way.

WW: I'd rather date the Atom, jackass, and he's . . . you know [*wiggles pinkie*]. Not in this lifetime. [*walks away*]

Flash: God, I love her . . . almost as much as she loves me. Heck, almost as much as I love me.

Posted by: socalledonlycousins at September 27, 2007 11:49 AM

I really don't see "Justice League" ever getting off the ground. That movie has "development hell" written all over it. I didn't like JL all that much but I've read a couple of the graphic novels that were quite excellent and have made me change my mind. "Identity Crisis" is well worth picking up and "Kingdom Come" is freaking epic. I'll have to check out the animated series on DVD, I've heard great things.

Posted by: Rob at September 27, 2007 11:50 AM

Well, if socalled does the dialogue then I'll certainly spring for cinema tickets.

Posted by: Alex the Odd at September 27, 2007 12:21 PM

Fucking A, socalled, that was some inspired writing there. Well done, sir.

But seriously - one of the reason that ensemble pieces sometimes fail and the individual superhero movies can succeed is that by focusing on one character, you can dig deep into the "why" of it. Superman has always been about being so different, and the burden of being the only one. Batman is about revenge and pathos and a sort of quest.

The reason the Ultimates would work is because it deals with (as bizarre as it may sound) relatively real-world stuff - science is predominately the responsible party, with the exception of a couple of alien invasions. But it preys on our national paranoia, and is effective as a result.

X-Men (the first two, anyway), worked because there was the overriding theme of being separate, the equality parable involved.

What themes does the Justice League have to offer? Teamwork? Fuck that. If I want a movie about teamwork I'll go to a high school gym class. So... what? Each character on their own is interesting, and the comic, taken as part of the continuum and knowing all the backstories works. But as a stand alone, with no knowledge about their past lives and battles and histories, it'll just be a confusifying mess of over-production.

Posted by: TK at September 27, 2007 12:37 PM

TK: Sort of the reverse of the Spiderman 3 problem: way too many stories, cool powers, and agendas thrown into one film. It becomes a checklist. "Okay, we've shown Wonder Woman's tricks, plus Hawkman's backstory, now let's shoehorn in a segment with Green Lantern . . . .

They could narrow it to the Wonder Twins' story: incestuous relationship, failed career as magician's assistants, descent into junkie hell, and subsequent adoption off the streets by Batman (once Robin became too . . . you know . . . mature I think is the word NAMBLA uses). Think House of Yes meets X-Men meets A Clockwork Orange meets Capturing the Friedmans. But are we losing our target demographic here?

Posted by: socalledonlycousins at September 27, 2007 1:01 PM

(By "reverse" I meant it's the heroes, not the villains, with the overstuffed ensemble.)

Posted by: socalledonlycousins at September 27, 2007 1:07 PM

TK;

I think you nailed it. League of Extrordinary Gentlemen all over again.

Posted by: twig at September 27, 2007 1:34 PM

I think Ryan Reynolds could probably nail the very early douchebaggy Wally West, but I am honestly kinda pissed that the only thing they are looking for in Wonder Woman is a pretty face. As a comics fan, that royally irks me something fierce. You need someone gorgeous of course, but you also need someone with presence and (as silly as it sounds) dignity to wear what is probably one of the worst costumes in funny book history. I really like Wonder Woman when she is used right, and not when she is a) Just tits, or b) A raving feminazi.

They shouldn't have ditched fucking Whedon.

Posted by: Ken Hart at September 27, 2007 2:20 PM

A Justice League movie can be done. HAS been done. Last season's "Smallville" was ALL Justice League. Just look at the first ep of the animated series for instance - the crisis just has to be big enough. In fact, go ahead and watch the entire series.

I'll wait...

Jessica Biel as Wonder Woman is pure awesomeness. Will it happen? I doubt it.

Posted by: Meander at September 27, 2007 7:22 PM

Daniel, the topic & tone of the first portion of your first paragraph rings familar; namely, Seanbaby's hilarious Super Friends articles.
http://seanbaby.com/super.htm
Which has nothing to do with anything, of course.

Posted by: depotoad at September 28, 2007 12:56 AM

About JLA, The Movie: I can hear the plane crash already. It's still in its first whistles at the distance, but it's just a matter of time. The studio is anxious; they're spending 160 million, so it's gonna be "family entertainment" (I do cringe whenever I hear that); they're gonna try to be politically correct, get some sort of character balance and will probably end up turning Batman into Adam West all over again. Seriously, this'll probably make it big at the box office, but sure as hell it's gonna be DC's Fantastic Four.

About WW: I love Jessica Biel. Not much of an actress, but I love her. I don't love WW, just... whatever. And even so, I still can't see Biel as WW in any possible way. No complains here if it ever happens, cause it's just another chance to see the girl, but, sorry, it won't work. Make it Megan Fox and we'll probably talk about casting.

About JLA, the comics: it's not much about heroes as it is about gods. Don't expect simple "hero plots". This is the reason there is a JLA: Superman is all that, but he needs his pantheon, he needs the conflicts, humanity, more thinking and different points of view, and obviously the action taking place in many fronts at the same time. Their storylines are usually bigger than life and existence - see The Authority as a parody of exactly that. That's pretty much what the DC universe is/was about (I don't like it for a long time now), while Marvel has always been about the world, superheroes being people and vice-versa.

About The Ultimates: it's probably the best thing Marvel has put out since "that" Amazing Fantasy issue.

Posted by: gargumma at September 28, 2007 1:25 AM

"And if he feels like it he can reverse the flow of time."

...you only get a pass on my nerd-rage because, for some reason, the first Superman movie is still movie-canon.

Seriously, post-Crisis Superman, while still immensely powerful, is no longer godlike, and his strength does have an upper limit--he couldn't even throw the moon at someone, let alone reverse the Earth's revolution. And is that or is that not the most retarded movie moment ever?

"I think I'll reverse the flow of time by, er, derp derp derp, makin' Earth go backwards!" It sounds like the kind of plan Supes would come up with if he were raised in the Ozarks.

By the way, the deadliest member of the Justice League? Batman. He beat them all, once.

Anyway. Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan in a Green Lantern movie, and I'll be happy.

Posted by: Shadowen at September 29, 2007 3:46 AM

What is the first song in the trailer - the "DooDaDoo" one that is in lots of trailers these days

Posted by: Brian at September 30, 2007 3:05 PM