Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Fantasy casting for Justice League Movie



Warners Bros has commissioned a couple of fellows to write a script for a Justice League live action film;this has quite a few fanboys and girls feeling rather giddy as you can imagine. Who would be cast in this movie,given the new Superman/Batman and upcoming Wonder Woman projects,is a tricky wicket to figure out. However,in the grand tradition of fantasy football,I have picked my preffered players from the past and present of DC comics adaptations that would make the perfect ensemble:




BATMAN: TIM BURTON VERSION

As much as I adore Christian Bale's take on the Dark Knight and even have a fondness for Adam West's hokey ways,Michael Keaton was the first onscreen version of Batman that I ever saw and he still rules the role. Keaton was a controversal choice back then due to his strong comedic style but when you look back at his work in the Batman films,you can see the dark edges of the character nicely defined. This is one of my favorite scenes in the original Batman,where Bruce Wayne lets alittle of his alter ego slip into his daylight hours(also,if there's a Legion of Doom for the new JA film,Nicholson's Joker must be in it):



My understudy for this part would be the Batman from Batman:The Animated Series,voiced by Kevin Conway(yes,animated versions are allowed here). The series was greenlighted due to the success of the Tim Burton films,so it's fitting.




SUPERMAN:SMALLVILLE STYLE

Some of you are saying"How can you not pick Christopher Reeves?!" Because EVERYONE would pick Chris Reeves,that's why. A few would even go with George Reeves,from the old school TV series or Dean Cain from the newer Lois & Clark. Tom Welling is one of the main reasons that Smallville works;he's only believable as Clark Kent but brings a refreshing humanity to the character. He's also not afraid to change things up abit. To demonstrate,here's a clip of Clark stepping to the bad side(thanks to a Red K ring) and having to be taken down by Pa Kent:



I would,of course,love to have Chris Reeve and Brandon Routh's a decent Man of Tomorrow but it would be cool if there was a Smallville movie. If the X-Files can get big screen treatment,why not?





WONDER WOMAN/LYNDA CARTER

Big shocker,not! There are not many live action versions of Diana Prince to pick from and as much I like the current animated WW on the Justice League series(she seriously kicks ass),Lynda Carter is the standard upon which Princess Diana of Paradise Island is set. She never played the character in a condescending way nor turned her into a cardboard cutout. Lynda also worked well with others,as seen in this clip with Wonder Girl as the two of them attempt to save some actors in trouble:






THE FLASH/SPEEDSTER REDUX

Yes,this is another Smallville pick but Kyle Gallner is spot on as the Fleet Footed Wonder and even tho the character was called Impulse in his latest appearance on the show,he's the go-to guy for this character. John Wesley Shipp's early 1990s primetime show attempted to breath life into the Flash but Kyle has achieved that in only a few episodes,making him a brash young punk with some good intentions:



My second runner-up here would be Flash from the current JA animated series,whose voice is provided by Smallville's Lex Luthor,Michael Rosenbaum. See what I mean about how great a Smallville movie would be?

OTHER POSSIBLE TEAM MEMBERS:




Static Shock: He's a newer superhero, Virgil Hawkins,a kid given electrical powers due to a chemical explosion in his hometown that also made a slew of superpowered bad guys as well. Teamed up with his tech buddy Richie,the two of them try to keep the peace and a regular high school life. Guy's got a way with words and heroics:






Aquaman: The Sea King's a classic character,can't really do a Justice League movie without him. The Smallville version of him is okay and I'm sure that Justin Hartley would've made an excellant Arthur Curry if the CW had given that show a chance,but I still dig the Superfriends version:






Black Canary: This is one DC superheroine who deserves a reboot,a sweet looking gal with a "Canary Cry" that can be the last thing you ever hear. She's been in the DC world for a long time and there are few versions of her outside of the printed page. The only live action one I've seen was on the short-lived series,Birds of Prey,as the mom of one of the characters. Lori Loughlin,of Full House fame,played BC and she would totally rule the roost of a JA movie:



I could go on and on but as Judge Judy says,I've got other fish to fry today. If and when this Justice League movie gets off the ground,I hope that the best of the current crop of DC all-stars are recruited. This could be another X-Men or a new Mystery Men,depending on what calls are made.

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