Justice League

Ben... Affleck... directing...

DO! NOT! WANT!

He directed The Town. I think its safe to say he knows what he's doing guys.

Yeah whether or not you think he's a good actor, the guy is a surprisingly good writer and director.

And in any case there isn't a real formula to what makes a good comic book movie director. I'd have thought Favreau would be a bad match for Iron Man but he pulled it off fantastically. Meanwhile there are plenty of otherwise competent directors screwing up super hero movies. So...who knows...

... I'll admit having no idea a movie titled 'The Town' even existed, actually. Huh. So, was it good?

Yeah. Really good. Starred Affleck, Jeremy Renner and John Hamm. He also directed Gone, Baby Gone. Guy has some chops.

To give Affleck his due as an actor, he was damn good as George (Tv's Superman) Reeves in Hollywoodland; he was able to successful evoke a person he really looks nothing at all like through vocal inflection and body language, which is really some of the must subtle kind of acting. And, as mentioned, with Gone Baby Gone and The Town he's demonstrated that he's really a fine director; the antipathy towards a lot of his acting projects is understandable, though, as he's often chosen some stuff that really didn't suit him at all.

On the topic of Ben Affleck, I've never found him to be a bad actor but just an actor who doesn't always choose the best roles to be in. He largely just doesn't have enough charisma to hold a film on his own, which is why his best films have him sharing the film with a stronger actor like Morgan Freeman in The Sum Of All Fears. The issue is that he has Leading Man looks but is at his best as a character actor.

Overall, with their current track record I think a Justice League movie might work if they establish a new Batman continuity with the upcoming Man Of Steel movie and put in the Green Lantern movie as well (I liked it as much as any of the Marvel movies but understand there is considerable hate for it, still I don't think it did anything so horribly wrong it should be stricken from canon), then introduce the others within the movie itself like the cartoon did for half of its characters. It would be nice to get Wonder Woman her own movie ahead of time but there is nothing saying they can't give her a more proper origin movie after the team-up that introduces her.

EDIT: Just came across this deleted scene from Superman Returns, in fact meant to open the film. I can see why it was taken out as it is a little slow, but it does set up an interesting tone as well as foreshadow some things (Superman starting to sweat when just beginning to be exposed to Kryptonite).

edited 8th Aug '12 10:57:46 PM by KJMackley

They could continue with all the Green Lantern lore established by the previous film and then just use John Stewart or whoever if they really wanted to distance themselves from that film's reception.

edited 9th Aug '12 1:42:15 AM by ShadowScythe

Or start with the old Lantern, kill him and make the ring choose another one.

1. That's not how Hal was succeeded as a lantern.
2. The second lantern is Guy Gardner, not John Stewart.
3. America isn't ready for Guy Gardner on the big screen.

1. 2. and 3.: Movies always do their own thing anyway.

I hate it when adaptations fuck continuity...

Then let's just have John Stewart.

What, like the DCAU?

The DCAU did its own stories in its entirety, though. They didn't skip having the other lanterns. You saw them at points. They just didn't tell their stories. I mean, there are certain leniencies that are assumed. Origin stories do have to be tweaked if the setting isn't the same and what have you. Doing something like skipping a lantern without mentioning him would seem fairly blatant to me.

It's not like comics have any kind of coherent continuity anyway.

Indeed. There's a difference between screwing continuity just because you can and messing with continuity with the reason/end-result of rebuilding on the changes you've made.

What you guys are suggesting is just killing off Hal and replacing him because it's convenient - basically screwing continuity just for the sake of it - which wouldn't be good.

@NDC: When it comes to Ben Affleck movies, you have to forget every conception you've build of him as an actor. To me, his acting is so-so, but The Town is an excellent movie that I'd highly recommend, and from that I'm looking forward to his next film Argo.

Agreed, though killing a character just to replace him with a "clean slate" replacement is just bad practice in general.

Until I see some kind of news for anything related to a Wonder Woman movie, I don't know how seriously I can take this.

Also, Man Of Steel has to not suck.

I guess the real deciding factor is if they determine if people hated just the movie or specifically Ryan Reynolds. It's sort of a similar dilemma with The Incredible Hulk fitting in with The Avengers (although much better received in comparison, TIH is certainly the unfavorite of the Marvel movies).

As for Man Of Steel, I would like get a kick out of it if there is a reference to Amanda Waller and the Department of Extranormal Operations (guessing it's a precursor to Cadmus) from the Green Lantern movie. I honestly think that is a big reason why the Marvel movies have been as successful as they are, the sense of continuity. There were rumors the Green Lantern movie was going to have a Superman cameo, but the schedules probably didn't align properly enough to make it happen.

Continuity with the comics: there is none. The movies are their own, entirely independent continuity. If you expect them to cleave exactly to the comics, or think there is intrinsic virtue in copying details from the comics, too bad.

For what it's worth I generally think it's a good idea for the movies to intentionally distance themselves from the comics. That's not to say I think they should be in name only adaptations but I wouldn't mind if they changed some fundamental aspects to make a better story.

I don't think it's about continuity with the comics, so much as it is just being faithful to the original.

That assumes that the original is always the best possible iteration. I find that many movie stories are much better than the actual origins that are presented in the comics.

edited 10th Aug '12 7:10:49 PM by Kostya

I think it's case by case.