Justice League

[greggbray]

Not sure where to put this...

There's a rumor circulating that the next film featuring a Bat-appearance will be in a Justice League film in 2015.  BoF reported it originally, but it has been picked up by other outlets as well.  For now it's scuttlebutt---but it could be the direction they're going in.

If so, what would you like to see in a JL film?  Do you think this is a good direction for WB to be going in?

To be honest, I'm happy for a JL film to be made, though I have some concerns about timing.  2015 isn't too far off, and much would seem to ride on the success of Man of Steel.   Thoughts?

[greggbray]

Ah, now I see where I could have put it.

Can an admin. kindly put this topic in a more sensible area?  Sorry...

[thecolorsblend]

I'm cool with this news. I've been an advocate of a Justice League of America movie being used as a spring board for other franchises for quite some time now. I want a Justice League of America movie that emphasizes the science-fantasy approach inherent in comics. It needs to be a reality that can support all the characters, as opposed to focusing on just one or two and pushing everyone else to the background.

That said, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Nolan's leading proctologist is worried about a Batman reboot springing forth from the Justice League of America movie. "That would mean, gasp!, an icky, nasty shared universe!! Heavens, that has NEVER been successful, certainly not lately!"

Stupid people, I swear...

[greggbray]

If *I* were the king of the universe....   

I would have the JL film be a sequel to MoS.  Let the story told have Superman act as an inspiration to others who have unique abilities, coming out of the woodwork, to work along side the last son of Krypton. 

I would tease a villain who turned out to be Lex Luthor--though I would add in a red herring about a secret brother eye project.  Let the final scenes introduce Batman.  Maybe alone in the cave, to indicate the reboot is coming.

Either that OR

Make JLA really a 'world's finest' movie introducing the big trinity--and then at the end, have them bring others together to discuss forming JL.  A JL begins kind of thing.

Either could work if in the right hands, of course.  Like colorsblend, I'd like a world of story that embraced all the possible characters in the DCU, while telling a terrific tale.

[BatmAngelus]

That said, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Nolan's leading proctologist is worried about a Batman reboot springing forth from the Justice League of America movie. "That would mean, gasp!, an icky, nasty shared universe!! Heavens, that has NEVER been successful, certainly not lately!"

Stupid people, I swear...

Seriously.  There's this completely illogical assumption, from people like him, that bringing in more sci-fi elements will immediately put Batman in Schumacher territory and lighten him up.  Has he seen the Timm-JL series?  Batman from the BTAS world fits right in and isn't any worse of a character than before.

[zDBZ]

My thoughts from another board:

I don't even get Batman with Robin, so unless he's a distant advisor and once-in-a-blue-moon, emergencies only reserve member, Batman with the Justice League makes no sense to me. Even within the DCU, I have troubles understanding just what the League is for and where its boundaries lie (why does Superman have to sacrifice himself to stop Doomsday, and why does Batman have to stop Ra's al Ghul from blowing up the Lazurus Pits alone, when the League is supposedly meant for these big threats?) I don't really have a great interest in a film based on this concept unless they can come up with a threat serious enough to justify all these heroes coming together, and again, Batman's role in such a gathering is iffy - I'd prefer him to be Elrond, not Legolas.

That said, I don't fear for the survival of the series if Batman ends up in a JL film.

[thecolorsblend]

Seriously.  There's this completely illogical assumption, from people like him, that bringing in more sci-fi elements will immediately put Batman in Schumacher territory and lighten him up.  Has he seen the Timm-JL series?  Batman from the BTAS world fits right in and isn't any worse of a character than before.

Well, let's grant the douchebag his premise for a minute. Let's say that's exactly what Batman becomes after a Justice League of America film.

So what?

He and his little cult have their perfect trilogy now so what are they complaining about? Wasn't their mantra back in 2007 that Nolan should be allowed to finish his trilogy before anybody does a JLA flick? Well congratulations, he's finished it! Now bring on the JLA!

My thoughts from another board:

I don't even get Batman with Robin, so unless he's a distant advisor and once-in-a-blue-moon, emergencies only reserve member, Batman with the Justice League makes no sense to me. Even within the DCU, I have troubles understanding just what the League is for and where its boundaries lie (why does Superman have to sacrifice himself to stop Doomsday, and why does Batman have to stop Ra's al Ghul from blowing up the Lazurus Pits alone, when the League is supposedly meant for these big threats?) I don't really have a great interest in a film based on this concept unless they can come up with a threat serious enough to justify all these heroes coming together, and again, Batman's role in such a gathering is iffy - I'd prefer him to be Elrond, not Legolas.

That said, I don't fear for the survival of the series if Batman ends up in a JL film.

If we can buy into the idea of an archer helping to turn back the alien invasion in Avengers, Batman fighting alongside the JLA should be an easy enough sell.

[greggbray]

A few thoughts here, though I know this is coming from the realm of personal preference:

I can take Batman: Loner. Batman with Robin.  And Batman: JLU Member.

Why?

Batman: loner gives us the opportunity to see how Batman behaves as a master detective.  There's a moment by moment interaction of the World's Greatest Detective examining crime scenes, coming to conclusions that even great men like Gordon haven't gotten to yet, while also exploring the various components of his fractured internal workings.

Batman and Robin show us the mentor side of Batman, something that has been really short-changed in all of the live action films.  I want to see the student become the teacher, and be the sole trainer of his partner.  In doing so, his partner is given a different kind of growth and bonding experience than Bruce had. 

Batman JLU:  Look, the JL is mostly man-Gods.  We have very few mutants as we've seen in the Marvel Universe.  They are great beings from other planets, other dimensions, other planes, and..okay, the Flash.  Who I love, but I guess is technically a mutant....eyes 'backspace key..'  ...eh, you get the point.

Why is Batman there?  He's the smartest human being in the world. In fact, he's usually several steps ahead of Superman (no intellectual slouch himself), Wonder Woman, and all the rest.  While not physically infallible, the JL needs his intellect.  His inclusion in the JLU Timm-verse is absolutely vital for this very reason.

One of the things that irked me in the last Nolan film was 'Batman could be anybody.'  That's not quite true.  Anybody *could* be Batman if they were remarkable--like Bruce Wayne.  JL operates better for it.

[thecolorsblend]

I think you could argue it goes even deeper than all that. Wonder Woman came to man's world and became a superhero. The Flash was doused in chemicals and lightning, boom, superspeed, so he became a superhero. Superman was sent to Earth, honed his powers and became a superhero. Green Lantern was chosen at random, drafted into the space cops and became a superhero.

Batman is unique among them not just because he doesn't have powers but because he chose this life. The other characters are what they are from a quirk of fate, an accident of birth, a million to one lab accident or whatever else. I don't think Batman would avoid the JLA. He might avoid the spotlight but he would elbow his way in to a group like that (A) to be their watchdog and (B) because, given his background, I think he'd genuinely believe they're screwed without his help, powers or no powers. There may be some ego behind that (which I'm okay with) but a guy with that kind of psychology... well, I personally don't think it's difficult to justify.

And let's be pragmatic, the JLA should be independent of all governments and political parties. Somebody has to bank roll their activities and even an Amazonian princess probably couldn't get the type of bank loans the League would need.

[Batman88]

You guys all make great points. Personally, I prefer the loner Batman but I can take Batman with Robin to a certain extent, even though I've never gotten he and Robin working together.