Justice League: A Surefire Success or a Missed Opportunity?
Five years ago, a Justice League movie seemed destined for greatness. Marvel had demonstrated not only the feasibility of a mega-crossover but also the perfect blueprint for a shared universe of diverse characters and franchises. Warner Bros. was riding high on the success of The Dark Knight, one of the most acclaimed movies of the 21st century. And as The Avengers had proven, there was a billion-dollar market for it.
However, the landscape has shifted dramatically as the movie’s release approaches. While Warner Bros has made a fortune from its shared universe — the DCEU — it has hardly been a resounding success. Apart from the atypical Wonder Woman, the DCEU has been panned by critics and audiences alike. Even massive opening weekend hauls have been tempered by the rapid evaporation of their fan bases. These movies have relied on name recognition rather than quality.
No one is fond of a morose Superman, a trigger-happy Batman, or a Spring Breakers-style Joker.
Since Suicide Squad, we’ve been told that Justice League would rectify the DCEU’s issues. It would be the movie they finally got right, where everything would come together.
However, as more troubling news emerges, this no longer seems to be the case. Warner Bros executives reportedly deemed an early cut of the film “unwatchable” and ordered a third (and presumably final) set of reshoots to rework the majority of the movie, from basic plot points to the film’s overall tone. With less than three months before showtime, the movie is still filming, leaving little time to piece it together into something presentable.
The unexpected departure of director Zack Snyder from the project in post-production has further complicated matters. Although Warner Bros found an excellent replacement in Avengers director Joss Whedon, Batman actor Ben Affleck has revealed that the two directors’ approaches and interpretations of the material are radically different.
Affleck told Entertainment Weekly that the film is “an interesting product of two directors, both with kind of unique visions, both with really strong takes. I’ve never had that experience before making a movie.”
Now the narrative has shifted once more. It’s no longer “Justice League is where the DCEU gets it right,” but Warner Bros looking ahead to their Flash movie, now revealed to be based on the Flashpoint comics, as being cinematic Ground Zero. In the comic, the Flash accidentally creates an alternate timeline, resulting in 2011’s company-wide New 52 reboot.
Warner Bros is no longer interested in fixing the DCEU in real time. Perhaps they’ve dug themselves into too deep a hole to reasonably escape, or maybe they believe that rebranding their shared universe will win back the fans who abandoned ship over the last four years. Regardless, Warner Bros seems intent on rebooting the entire franchise only a few years into development. It’s akin to what would have happened if Days of Future Past had been released in 2004 instead of 2014.
While I can’t say I’m holding out hope for Justice League to be the course-correction the DCEU desperately needs — I’ve been burned by such optimism before — I don’t think the movie is doomed to fail. As a DC superhero movie featuring seven of the company’s biggest names, it’s bound to make a staggering amount of money. However, given the movie’s rumored budget, it might not make much, if any, profit.
Joss Whedon is an exceptional director with a proven track record of pulling off this exact type of movie. He has a particular talent for balancing large casts of characters, and the extent of the reshoots may give him more control over the final product than his last-minute addition might otherwise suggest. It seems DC might be desperate enough to let him run wild with the project, which is more than could ever be said for Zack Snyder and David Ayer.
It’s a dubious prospect. Whedon has to work with someone else’s half-finished movie, is overseen by a historically heavy-handed committee, and is forced to meet a nearly impossible deadline. If anyone can make it work, though, it’s him. Just don’t hold your breath for a miracle.
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