Warner Bros. Sets Justice League Movie for 2009
February 28, 2008

After a series of starts, stops, ups, downs, and the now much-too-talked about writers' strike, the fan-friendly superhero Justice League of America project is back on track with Warner Bros. In a statement released on Wednesday, Warner Bros. confirmed that writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney have returned to work on the Justice League script, which will soon be handed to the studio and director George Miller in the next few weeks.

According to Variety, the live action Justice League - the superhero ensemble of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman - will be coming down the cinematic pike in the very near future, as "Warner Bros. is pushing ahead with its plans to make 'Justice League' in time for a 2009 debut."

With the writers' strike now a not-too-distant memory, casting has been steadily picking up in recent weeks as Adrian Brody has been cast as Flash, rapper Common as Green Lantern, Armie Hammer Jr. as Batman, and Megan Gale as Wonder Woman. While other casting news should hit the net soon, there's been rampant speculation that actor D.J. Cotrona might be cast as Superman. At this point, it's still anyone's guess.

The whole idea of a live-action version of Justice League is cool, but at this point it's still too early for us to get over-the-top excited about the final product. Although we're stoked at the latest news that Warner Bros. has the project back on track for a 2009 release, the comics-to-film marketplace is getting REALLY crowded these days. Also, the idea of Justice League on the big screen comes with its own unique set of complexities that some of the other superhero films haven't had to deal with - namely the fact that some of these characters haven't been introduced on the big screen or established in their own individual films. If the movie doesn't work, it could potentially kill the hopes of any potential big screen versions of The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. That's not something we want to think about.

Given the fact that Christian Bale has proven himself as a worthy Batman, will that organically trump Armie Hammer's portrayal of the Caped Crusader? After Brandon Routh's turn as the Man of Steel, how will fans relate to a new Superman so soon after Superman Returns? At this point we're thinking that unless each character is executed properly, the movie might be a tough sell. Despite our questions, we're praying everything turns out in the end.