George Miller’s big-screen treatment of DC Comics’ Justice League franchise will not move forward as planned, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The superhero coalition headed by Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Flash will not fly into action any time soon due to script issues. The project is likely to get back on track once the writers’ strike has ended.
Warner Bros. was reportedly happy with the original script by Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney, and wanted to fast-tack the film into production. A more recent pass by Miller, however, had studio execs worried about pacing and overall direction. Budget was also an issue, especially if the production doesn’t ultimately qualify for tax incentives in Australia, where the film was going to be shot.
Casting rumors has The O.C.‘s Adam Brody set to portray The Flash, playing opposite Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights) as Superman, Armie Hammer (Flicka) as Batman, rapper Common (Smokin’ Aces) as Green Lantern and Megan Gale (Stealth) as Wonder Woman. The actors are released from the film but are expected to come back if they’re still available when the pic finally goes into production.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros has begun promoting its Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, which has Christian Bale returning as the caped crusader of comic lore. Director Christopher Nolan was reportedly less than thrilled with the idea of having two different versions of Batman on the big screen, and is probably happy with the studio’s decision to shelf Justice League. The Dark Knight is slated to bow in theaters this summer.
Fans eager to see a Justice League movie can still look forward to Justice League: The New Frontier, a direct-to-video animated feature based on the graphic novel by DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke. Following Superman Doomsday as the second release in the DC Universe series, the PG-13 production is scheduled to hit retail on Feb. 26.
