FANCAST SHOWDOWN: Justice League Movie

Warner Bros. has been trying to develop a superhero team-up movie to match Marvel’s Avengerssuccess with their DC characters for quite some time now, with no luck. That all changed at this year’s SDCC, with the following announcement:

 “Warner Bros. is about to bring together two of its most iconic heroes: Superman and Batman will unite in a new film, the follow-up to “Man of Steel,” set for release in 2015.”

Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) will direct and is co-writing the story with David S. Goyer, who will then pen the screenplay. Production is expected to begin in 2014, with an anticipated release date in Summer 2015. But this is only the first step of their plan. The studio is planning a Flash movie in 2016 and finally getting to Justice League in 2017.

In honor of such news we thought, who doesn’t love a good fan cast discussion? Every nerd thinks they could do a better job with comic book movies, and with most Fox movies they’re probably right. So FTN’s own “experts” will try to give you our takes, and maybe you can let us know how we did.

For our first…we chose no other than the Justice League. The JL movie is rumored to have a cast of five: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash. We added Aquaman for fun since Superman is already cast, and each chose a wildcard; a character we would like to see in a cameo role or mid credit scene.

Let the games begin!

First up is Batman.

 

Although many might feel it easy to cast a badass as Batman, one must not forget his identity as Bruce Wayne. Wayne is a whole separate character.

Keeping that in mind I will stick to my pick of Jon Hamm. I wish he was a bit younger, but with recent rumors suggesting that WB is seeking a veteran Batman, I feel better about Hamm. Imagine Don Draper as a cool as ice Bruce Wayne, a man with a dark secret. He stands 6’2″ and actually looks like Batman. I wouldn’t worry too much about the action part, it’s not like Bale was a big action star before 2005′s Batman Begins. I think you focus on who can play Bruce Wayne, nowadays they can train anyone to be a badass.

Chris responded pretty well I must admit, with a choice that often comes up for James Bond: Clive Owen. In his own words:

“It takes a certain man to play the Caped Crusader, he needs to be physically strong, but still be able to charm the ladies and political donors. Clive Owen has that in spades. He can be the tough guy, such as Sin City’s Dwight, but also has the emotional range to Bruce Wayne. Not sure about him outside of an action role? Check out Closer, he runs through every emotion you can think of in that movie.”

FTN newcomer Zack went with a fan favorite pick: Karl Urban.

“First off, the man stands 6’1’’, and in action movies he packs on the muscle making him more than capable of handling such a physical role as the Batman. Second is the badass factor, with the way Snyder is taking this world into a darker place I couldn’t imagine a more perfect fit than Urban. I mean you have seen Judge Dredd right, he has that rugged ‘I will break your face’ look, and just thinking about him standing face to face with Henry Cavill all suited up gives me chills. Lastly, which is most important, is his acting ability. The dude can act and has a diverse array of skills much like the Cape Crusader himself. “

Both Chris and I question Urban’s ability to play Wayne. I mean as good as he was in Dredd, there are no plans for a sequel.

 

Next up is what might be the hardest role to cast: Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman needs to catch your eye and utterly terrify you all at once, least of all be a great actress. Whoever plays Diana needs to play her in a way that’s outside to our culture and ways, her speech may not come natural to all actresses as well.

It’s worth noting that both Zack and I had Gina Carano in the role, but reconsidered. Her acting ability is questionable at this stage of her career, and Chris making fun of her didn’t help. My second choice was Olivia Wilde. I’ve always had Jessica Biel in the role, but she turned it down before so forget her. I think Olivia is not only gorgeous with a unique look, but a solid actress. Let’s be honest here, she doesn’t need to be a body builder. Wilde is 5’7”, taller than both of the picks that my buddies have.

Chris surprised everyone with his pick, who until recently was mostly known for her role on TV’s Lost, Evangeline Lilly.

“As the bad assed Kate in Lost she has proven that she can play the tough, physically demanding role, while still having the talent to pull off the more demanding acting moments that a JL in the Nolan-verse would have.”

This is the part where I said: “I love Lilly, but it doesn’t bode well for Wonder Woman ever being able to leave Themyscira.” To which Chris said, “Ha ha…shut your face.”

Zack’s pick? Well his was a shocker as well, he chose Rhona Mitra.

“Rhona Mitra would make a great Wonder Woman, she has already proven she can be a badass werewolf slaying Vampire and still bring a sexiness to it. She would be affordable and I feel enough fans would remember her from Underworld and say ‘yeah I could see her kick ass as WW’. Just give her a sword and she’s all set.”

I was really looking forward to the pick of Green Lantern since Chris’s favorite hero is Hal Jordan. But it kind of turned out anti- climatic.

 

“For Hal Jordan we need that actor who can pull off the cockiness and confidence of a fighter pilot. I won’t lie, I thought Ryan Reynolds made a pretty good Green Lantern, but we need to erase that movie from everybody’s minds. My pick for Hal Jordan is Chris Pine. James Kirk would be a perfect Hal Jordan.”

Zack basically agreed and I actually couldn’t decide between Bradley Cooper and you guessed it, Chris Pine. So I went with Bradley Cooper, he showed how funny he is in The Hangover, and in the A-Team (if anyone saw it). But I think he has range as shown in Silver Linings Playbook. Let’s also not forget Cooper was the runner-up for the Green Lantern role, so it’s Warner Bros.’ chance to correct a mistake.

Next up is The Flash.

I had initially thought Ryan Gosling, but since I now had Chris Pine free I went with him. All of the qualities that made Pine an ideal Jordan also apply to Barry Allen, perhaps explaining the pair’s lasting friendship. I think Pine could easily be smart and funny enough to be Flash.

Chris actually chose Ryan Gosling (good thing I changed).

“He started as a heart throb, but as developed into a serious actor. He could pull off the sciencey Barry Allen while still having a ton of fun as The Flash.”

Zack chose someone used to going fast and furious, Paul Walker.

“Paul Walker would make a great choice for flash because I feel, since they are going darker with the MOS universe, that a darker more serious Flash is needed and for that there is no one better than Paul. He has the model good looks as well as the acting abilities to pull off someone like Barry. I could see him as a crime scene investigator and yet, as Flash, have a sense of humor to him. I mean, look at his FF movies, that’s a dark Barry right there.”

Next we turned our attention towards  Aquaman.

Considering the fact that he spent so much time in Lost shirtless and wet, Josh Holloway was a perfect choice for my Aquaman. Holloway most definitely looks the part, and he’s edgy. I think he’s the best guy if they go the New 52 route with him.

Chris didn’t want to pick another cast member from Lost, he chose rising star Charlie Hunnam. Ignoring my comments about why someone who is set to become a big star would want to play Aquaman, he went on:

“Aquaman needs some redemption, he needs to be depicted as a bad ass. Not only does Hunnam have the look, being blonde and all, but also his Jax from SOA is perfect for the role. Aquaman needs to be a bit brooding like Batman, and Hunnam brings that.”

Zack also went with a TV actor, one who recently spoke up about wanting to play Batman, Liam McIntyre.

“I have Liam McIntyre from Spartacus for Aquaman because, again, think darker. I also feel that the Roman/Greek mythology style would be a perfect background for Aquaman. I mean hello? Atlantis! Plus he’s got the good looks to back it up.”

I had Liam as a possible second choice for the role, but I’m not judging whether he’s good looking or not.

And finally we had our wildcards. Heroes we’d like to see included in a small cameo or credits scene for possible sequels.

I went with Idris Elba playing J’onn J’onzz aka The Martian Manhunter. Elba is long overdue for a movie like this. I think MM is a perfect addition to the team as he can arrive with a warning about a threat from space. His telepathy would allow for the quick sharing of storytelling elements. His other powers especially shapeshifting would be very useful as well. I had considered Zatanna and Cyborg also.

Chris went with Chadwick Boseman for Cyborg.

“I would like to see Cyborg eventually, I think you bring Vic Stone in as a cameo in the first movie, maybe as a STAR Labs employee, then turn him into Cyborg for the sequel.”

Zack always one to go against the grain chose Hawkman.

“I got Joe Manganiello as Hawkman. I mean, they did reference Thanagar in the prequel comics for MOS.”

So there you have it folks, you’ll be able to see our rosters below.

 

Ed (Me)

Chris:

Zack: