Once upon a time, back in 2007, a standalone Justice League movie almost came to pass. With a $220 million budget, the film's cast of heroes assembled, costumes designed and Mad Max director George Miller set at the project's helm, it looked like the movie now known as Justice League: Mortal was to be a sure thing.
The film was to star Armie Hammer as Batman, D.J. Cotrona as Superman, Santiago Cabrera as Aquaman, Adam Brody as The Flash, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman and the hip-hop artist Common as Green Lantern as they united to defeat Teresa Palmer's Talia al Ghul and the evil businessman Maxwell Lord, to be played by Jay Baruchel.
But it simply wasn't to be. The Writer's Guild Strike of 2007-2008 hurt the project, as did the Australian government's refusal to grant the film a 40 percent tax rebate for filming in the country. Combined with Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan's distaste for having a second Batman running around on the silver screen, the project got the axe, never to see the light of day.
Miller is once again in the headlines thanks to his work on Mad Max: Fury Road, so now is the perfect time to examine what could have been. Here are seven facts about the Justice League movie that wasn't.
It Would Have Featured Lots Of Australians
George Miller is Australian, and as a result most of Justice League: Mortal would have been filmed in Miller's home country. But that isn't all. Much of the film's cast (Megan Gale, Hugh Keays-Byrne and Teresa Palmer) and crew were also Aussies. This was done because the Australian Film Commission had a large say in the casting of the film, as the Australian government was to grant the movie a 40 percent tax rebate to film in Sydney and for bringing so many jobs to the area.
The Australian government eventually denied Warner Bros. the tax rebate, and production was moved Vancouver, with the goal of having the film finished for the summer of 2009. As we all know, that didn't come to pass.
Christian Bale And Christopher Nolan Didn't Think It Was A Good Idea
Production on Justice League: Mortal was in full swing in 2007, with the goal of having the film released in the summer of 2009. That would have been one year after the release of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. But Christian Bale wasn't to star as Batman in this Justice League film, meaning there would be two Caped Crusaders in two, separate on-going film series.
That idea didn't set too well with Nolan and Bale. "It'd be better if it doesn't tread on the toes of what we're doing," Bale said in an interview in Aug. of 2007. And step on toes it would have, since certain plot elements and characters (like Talia al Ghul) were rumored to have been featured in the movie and would have clashed with Nolan's plans for The Dark Knight Rises. Though Bale and Nolan's distaste for a Justice League film wasn't the only reason the movie got the axe, it certainly didn't help.
The Flash Would Have Been The Star
Barry Allen is an everyman. He isn't an alien, a god or some maniac in tights. He is an average guy, blessed with the power of super speed. In that way, it makes perfect sense for The Flash to serve as a Justice League film's backbone, as he is a character people can easily relate to. In Justice League: Mortal, Flash (as played by Adam Brody) would have been the newest member of the team. We would have also gotten to meet Flash's wife Iris and his friend Wally West, further fleshing out the character in a way we still have yet to see on the big screen.
Maxwell Lord Was The Primary Villain
Ever heard of Maxwell Lord? No? Well he would have been the main villain of the movie. Think Lex Luthor, only different. He is a ruthless businessman willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, and in the comics wished to bring the Justice League under his control. In the case of Miller's film, Maxwell was obsessed with superhumans, and looked to create chaos the world over by poisoning the food at his thousands of restaurants the world over. If you were expecting the League to battle Darkseid, Brainiac or some other super villain, you would have been sadly disappointed.
It Featured Jon Stewart Green Lantern
To fans who grew up watching the animated Justice Leauge cartoon show, Jon Stewart is THE Green Lantern, not Hal Jordon. So it was going to be exciting to see Stewart brought to life on the big screen by hip-hop artist Common. Judging from the leaked script for the film, Stewart made pretty imaginative use of his ring in the movie, at one point projecting an image of the Man of Steel in order to fight a mind-controlled Superman.
Wonder Woman Fans Would Have Been Happy
It won't be too long before we finally get to see Wonder Woman on the big screen in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but we could have had the powerful Amazon on film much sooner. According to the leaked script for Justice League: Mortal, Wonder Woman was featured heavily and might have been the film's breakout star. She is depicted as powerful and capable, perhaps even more than Superman, who is mind controlled at one point in the film. In fact, she is the only character in the movie Maxwell Lord is unable to bring down.
Even George Miller Now Thinks It Was A Bad Idea
Despite the film's projected $220 million budget, Justice League: Mortal never came to pass, as Warner Bros. instead decided to pursue solo films like the conclusion of Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy and a standalone Green Lantern movie. And perhaps it was for the best that Justice League: Mortal never saw the light of day. The leaked script is equal parts fascinating and baffling, and some of the film's casting choices were also questionable. Even Miller seems to agree. Speaking to the The Word Ballon Podcast with John Siuntres last year, Miller says it was good the movie wasn't released.
"It was very faithful to the comics at the time, very DCU," Miller said. "Ultimately I think its good that it didn't come out as there were some parts that were cool that they got right and there were some things that people were going to hate. Some of it was very aimed at kids."
Still, Miller's recent runaway success with Mad Max: Fury Road makes it hard not to wonder what a Miller directed Justice League film would have looked like.
What do you think? Was it for the best that Justice League: Mortal never saw the light of day? Let us know in the comments below.
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