Adaptations of the Justice League in other media | |
---|---|
Created by | Gardner Fox |
Original source | Comics published by DC Comics |
First appearance | The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960) |
Films and television | |
Film(s) | Justice League of America (1997) Justice League (2017) Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) |
Television show(s) | Super Friends (1973) Batman Beyond (2000) Justice League (2001) Static Shock (2001) Justice League Unlimited (2004) Young Justice (2011) Justice League Action (2016) DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2020) |
Games | |
Video game(s) | Justice League Task Force (1995) Justice League Heroes (2006) Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008) DC Universe Online (2011) Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012) Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) Injustice 2 (2017) |
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Since their first appearance in The Brave and the Bold #28 (February/March 1960), various incarnations of the team have appeared in film, television, and video game adaptations.
In February 2007, it was announced that Warner Bros hired husband and wife duo Michele and Kieran Mulroney to write a script for a Justice League film. [1] The news came around the same time that Joss Whedon's long-developed Wonder Woman film had been canceled, [2] as well as The Flash , written and directed by David S. Goyer. [3] Titled Justice League: Mortal, [4] Michele and Kiernan Mulroney submitted their script to Warner Bros. in June 2007, receiving positive feedback, [5] which prompted the studio to immediately fast track production in the hopes of filming to begin before the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. [6] Warner Bros. was less willing to proceed on development with a sequel to Superman Returns , having been disappointed with the box office return. Brandon Routh was not approached to reprise the role of Superman in Justice League Mortal, [7] nor was Christian Bale from Batman Begins . [8] Warner Bros. intended for Justice League: Mortal to be the start of a new film franchise, and to branch out into separate sequels and spin-offs. [9] Shortly after filming finished with The Dark Knight , [10] Bale stated in an interview that "It’d be better if it doesn't tread on the toes of what our Batman series is doing," though he personally felt it would make more sense for Warner Bros. to release the film after his planned "Batman 3" (later called The Dark Knight Rises ). [8] Jason Reitman was the original choice to direct Justice League, but he turned it down, as he considers himself an independent filmmaker and prefers to stay out of big budget superhero films. [11] George Miller signed to direct in September 2007, [6] with Barrie Osbourne producing [12] on a projected $220 million budget. [13]
The following month roughly 40 actors and actresses were auditioning for the ensemble superhero roles, among them were Joseph Cross, Michael Angarano, Max Thieriot, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, and Scott Porter. Miller intended to cast younger actors as he wanted them to "grow" into their roles over the course of several films. [10] D. J. Cotrona was cast as Superman, [9] along with Armie Hammer as Batman. [14] Jessica Biel reportedly declined the Wonder Woman role after being in negotiations. [15] The character was also linked to actresses Teresa Palmer and Shannyn Sossamon, along with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who confirmed that she had auditioned. [16] Ultimately, Megan Gale was cast as Wonder Woman, [17] while Palmer was cast as Talia al Ghul, whom Miller had in mind to act with a Russian accent. [18] The script for Justice League: Mortal would have featured John Stewart as the Green Lantern, a role originally offered to Columbus Short. [19] Hip hop musician Common was cast, [20] with Adam Brody as The Flash / Barry Allen, [21] and Jay Baruchel as the lead villain, Maxwell Lord. [22] Longtime Miller collaborator Hugh Keays-Byrne had been cast as Martian Manhunter. Aquaman had yet to be cast. [10] [13] Marit Allen was hired as the original costume designer before her death in November 2007, [23] and the responsibilities were assumed by Weta Workshop. [24]
However, the Writers Strike began that same month and placed the film on hold. Warner Bros. had to let the options lapse for the cast, [25] but development was fast tracked once more in February 2008 when the strike ended. Warner Bros. and Miller wanted to start filming immediately, [26] but production was pushed back three months. [9] Originally, the majority of Justice League: Mortal would be shot at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, [13] with other locations scouted nearby at local colleges, [12] and Sydney Heads doubling for Happy Harbor. [4] The Australian Film Commission also had a say with casting choices, giving way for George Miller to cast Gale, Palmer and Keays-Bryne, all Australian natives. The production crew was composed entirely of Australians, but the Australian government denied Warner Bros. a 40 percent tax rebate as they felt they had not hired enough Australian actors. [13] [27] Miller was frustrated, stating that "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Australian film industry is being frittered away because of very lazy thinking. They're throwing away hundreds of millions of dollars of investment that the rest of the world is competing for and, much more significantly, highly skilled creative jobs." [28] Production offices were then moved to Vancouver Film Studios in Canada. Filming was pushed back to July 2008, while Warner Bros was still confident they could release the film in summer 2009. [29] [30]
With production delays continuing, and the success of The Dark Knight in 2008, [31] Warner Bros. decided to focus on development of individual films featuring the main heroes, allowing director Christopher Nolan to separately complete his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. Gregory Noveck, senior vice president of creative affairs for DC Entertainment stated "we’re going to make a Justice League movie, whether it’s now or 10 years from now. But we’re not going to do it and Warners is not going to do it until we know it’s right." [32] Actor Adam Brody joked "They [Warner Brothers] just didn’t want to cross their streams with a whole bunch of Batmans in the universe." [33] Warner Bros. relaunched development for the solo Green Lantern film, released in 2011 as a critical and financial disappointment. Meanwhile, film adaptations for The Flash and Wonder Woman continued to languish in development while filming for a Superman reboot was commencing in 2011 with Man of Steel , produced by Nolan and written by David S. Goyer, which would go on to launch the DC Extended Universe.
The Justice League are a common narrative plot thread in the DC Extended Universe starting with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman teaming up against Doomsday and in Suicide Squad where Bruce gets the files on Barry Allen and Arthur Curry from Amanda Waller.
The theatrical version of a live action Justice League movie was released in November 2017 and received mixed reviews from critics and earned over $657 million worldwide. The film was directed by Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder although Snyder is the only person to receive a directing credit for the film. [34] Whedon was brought on as a consultant, then given control over the project after Snyder stepped down following his daughter's death, and the film was rewritten by Whedon, with the original script being completed by Chris Terrio. [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] The film stars Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, [43] [44] Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman, [45] Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, [46] [47] [48] [49] Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash, [50] Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman [51] and Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg. [52] The film also stars Amy Adams as Lois Lane, [53] Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, [54] Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, [55] Joe Morton as Silas Stone, [56] Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, [57] [58] Amber Heard as Mera [59] [60] and J. K. Simmons as James Gordon. [61]
Snyder and Warner Bros released a 4 hour director's cut of Justice League via HBO Max on March 18, 2021. [62] This version presents Snyder's original vision for a Justice League film with a more grounded and darker tone as well as an overall aesethetic more in line with Snyder's previous DCEU films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice rather than the lighter, more family friendly tone of the 2017 theatrical cut and features a radically overhauled ending. [63] Additional footage seen in this cut is mainly footage that was shot for the theatrical cut but was discarded when Snyder left the project although a handful of new scenes were filmed once the director's cut release was greenlit. [64] Characters who did not appear in the theatrical cut in 2017 such as Martian Manhunter (played by Harry Lennix), Iris West (played by Kiersey Clemons), Ryan Choi (Zheng Kai), Darkseid (Ray Porter) and DeSaad (Peter Guinness) are also included in this version of the film. [63] The Snyder Cut also features a new score by Tom Holkenborg. [65] Holkenborg was intended to score the original version of Justice League, but was replaced by Danny Elfman during reshoots. [66]
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #28. Writer Gardner Fox conceived the team as a revival of the Justice Society of America, a similar team from DC Comics from the 1940s which had been pulled out of print due to a decline in sales. The Justice League is an all-star ensemble cast of established superhero characters from DC Comics' portfolio. Diegetically, these superheroes usually operate independently but occasionally assemble as a team to tackle especially formidable villains. This is in contrast to certain other superhero teams such as the X-Men, whose characters were created specifically to be part of the team, with the team being central to their identity. The cast of the Justice League usually features a few highly popular characters who have their own solo books, such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, alongside several lesser-known characters who benefit from exposure.
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics. The title of the series varied from season to season, as did the superheroes on the team. Nine seasons, comprising a total of 93 episodes, were produced.
DC: The New Frontier is an Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Award-winning six-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, and published by DC Comics in 2004. The series was collected into two trade paperback volumes in 2004 and 2005, an Absolute Edition in 2006 and a deluxe edition in 2015. The story was adapted into an animated film, Justice League: The New Frontier, which was released on February 26, 2008.
Batman Total Justice is a line of toys produced by Kenner based on Batman and other, connected, DC Comics characters.
"One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through the books published by DC Comics. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the "Infinite Crisis" storyline, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many different comic books within the DC Comics range.
Justice League: The New Frontier is a 2008 American animated superhero film adapted from the DC Comics limited series DC: The New Frontier. The film was written by Stan Berkowitz, with Darwyn Cooke providing additional material.
Tower of Babel is a 2000 comic book storyline that ran in the DC Comics monthly series JLA #43–46. It was written by Mark Waid.
Throughout his 80-year history, the Flash has appeared in numerous media.
DC Universe: Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection is an action figure line based on the highly popular Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series. Though it was based on the show(s), the line has continued well beyond it, and has been re-branded in 2008, as a Target exclusive. Mattel announced in February 2011 that the line would come to an end later in the year with the final figures being released on the Mattel website including the final two three-packs, a seven-pack as well as the three exclusive Con three-packs being made available to the public.
The many incarnations of the DC Comics superhero Green Lantern have appeared in numerous media over the years.
DC Universe is a toy brand manufactured by Mattel. It has five sub-lines – Classics, Fighting Figures, Giants of Justice, Infinite Heroes, and the reintegrated Justice League Unlimited line.
Flashpoint is a 2011 comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011. The core miniseries was written by Geoff Johns and pencilled by Andy Kubert. In its end, the series radically changes the status quo for the DC Universe, leading into the publisher's 2011 relaunch, The New 52.
Robot Chicken DC Comics Special is an episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken and it was aired as a one-off special during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on September 10, 2012.
Justice League is a 2017 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, and Cruel and Unusual Films, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Zack Snyder who was replaced by Joss Whedon after Snyder left the project and written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, the film features an ensemble cast including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J. K. Simmons. In the film, following the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Batman and Wonder Woman recruit The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg after the death of Superman to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The DCEU also includes comic books, short films, novels, and video games. Like the original DC Universe in comic books, the DCEU is established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
The 2017 film Justice League had a troubled production history, undergoing major changes before and during production, including a change in directors. This resulted in the theatrical release being markedly different from its conception in pre-production and principal photography.
Justice Society: World War II is an American animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. It is the 43rd film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, being the second installment in the DC Animated Movie Universe's second phase, and the seventeenth overall. The film is directed by Jeff Wamester and starring the voices of Stana Katic and Matt Bomer. It tells an original story of the Flash ending up back in time to World War II where he meets the Justice Society of America and helps them thwart the threat of the Nazis and the Advisor.
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) media franchise has experienced a turbulent history since its inception in 2013, characterized by highly publicized clashes between studio executives and talent, constantly changing approaches to worldbuilding, and repeated changes in management. Warner Bros. Pictures originally announced plans for a shared universe of live-action films based on the DC Comics, starting with the release of Man of Steel (2013), with director Zack Snyder set to spearhead the franchise. Following the negative reception to Snyder's follow-up film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Warner Bros. created DC Films, a new division led by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg tasked with overseeing development of the DCEU. DC Films attempted to correct the course of the franchise, culminating in the troubled production and disastrous release of the crossover film Justice League (2017), which significantly deviated from Snyder's original vision.