Well, the writer’s strike may not have yet claimed the Comic-Con as a victim, but it has definitely claimed the start date of the Justice League movie. The script needed work and that’s impossible with a strike on. Director George Miller was on board and a youthful teenaged cast had been signed.
Castmembers were informed late Tuesday that their options would not be exercised, but they were also told that the studio is determined to make the film, with them in it. Unfortunately, there were insurmountable problems that made a delay the best option. The studio’s reasons included not getting the official response it needed on tax breaks from shooting in Australia.
The decision to put the project on hold now frees up the actors who had been cast in the roles of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash. D.J. Cotrona, Adam Brody, Anton Yelchin, Common, Teresa Palmer and Megan Gale had been cast in the movie in November, with their holding deals extended at least once as the studio tackled the script problems. The extensions expired Tuesday, after which a pay-or-play situation would have taken effect. The studio is not afraid of losing the actors because playing iconic superheroes in “Justice” is seen as a starmaking turn.
Both trades point out that this leaves Warners without a superhero movie for ’09 (Watchmen is not mentioned; guess that’s a dark, dystopic vision) According to THR, it’s also good news for DARK KNIGHT’s Christopher Nolan, who didn’t much care for the idea of a younger Batman to compete with his. He’s also said to be resisting the idea of a third Batman film. As always, at WB making a superhero movie is always a torturous process.
