Boring You With More Justice League Movie Talk

I know I’m probably the only one who gives a crap about this, but it’s my blog and I’ll cry if I want to! Or cast as it were.

The Justice League movie’s rolling along at full speed, with news coming in that three agencies have been hired to start the casting process.

So with that news in mind, I figured I’d take this opportunity to dream cast the Justice League. Like I said, this is just me being self-indulgent. If you can’t think of anything more boring, head away now!

I’m going off the line-up that’s been floated online, hence no Hawkgirl or Martian Manhunter, etc.

We’ll start at the obvious place -

Superman

The scuttlebutt seems to be that Brandon Routh has been asked to hand in his blue tights, which I think is a shame. He did a really good job in Superman Returns, and it would have been nice to see him get to stretch his wings and show us a less reserved and insular Superman, as the character will no doubt be stepping up to take charge in this movie.

Superman’s an incredibly difficult role to cast, given that everyone has such a strong idea of who he’s supposed to be; he has to be big and strong, but not a dumb beefcake. He has to have intelligence, charisma, and an aura of strength and resolute calm.

Before Superman Returns gestated, one name that kept getting thrown around in relation to the Big Blue Boy Scout was Jim Cavaziel. He’s certainly older than Bryan Singer chose to go in Returns, but he’s got the authority necessary to pull of the road. Given that he’s expressed both an interest in the role and he hasn’t really done anything since Passion of the Christ, I’m sure he’d be up for it.

Batman

Christian Bale’s not wildly enthusiastic about the prospect of the JL movie. I think it’s probably best to leave him and Nolan to continue doing their thing, keeping the Batman films a separate entity to this one. It’ll allow them to flesh out their hyper-realistic version of the Dark Knight, while giving those of us who like a little theatricality to their take on Batman to get the alternative they’ve been looking for.

It’s a shame Billy Crudup’s just been cast in the Watchmen movie, as I thought he’d be perfect for the role. But instead, if either Goran Visnjic or Mads Mikkelsen can reign in their accents, I’d love to see either of them in the role.

Wonder Woman

The filmmakers have a lot to prove with Wonder Woman in this film, given that the public’s imager of her continues to be Lynda Carter’s wishy-washy portrayal. I’m hoping for the full-out Amazon warrior portrayal here, which I’m sure will blow away all the expectations of the audience.

In a perfect world, Jennifer Connelly would don the tiara and silver cuffs, but I’d be equally happy with Morena Baccarin, who was attached to the role before Joss Whedon’s WW movie fell through.

Flash
I’d say it’s a safe bet they’ll be going with the Wally West version of the Flash, in which case I’d love it if Ryan Reynolds’ dreams came true and he donned the scarlet togs. If not, however, I think Jensen Ackles would be a more than able replacement.

Green Lantern

Given how freakin’ many Green Lanterns there’s been, it’s hard to know which one they’ll go with. John Stewart would give some much-needed ethnic diversity, and he’s also had the most amount of exposure thanks to the JL cartoon, but Kyle Rayner could offer the rookie perspective the movie would sorely need. Given how much the idea of using the Hal Jordan bores me, I won’t bother to cast him. If they get GL right, Warner Brothers could have an entire other franchise on their hands, with a whole corps of characters spanning the universe.
I’d cast either Leonard Roberts or Alimi Ballard as John, and Adam Brody or Shia Labeouf as Kyle.
Aquaman
Ol’ Aquaman has even more work to do to prove to the public he’s not lame. Given they need to prove right off the bat that he’s got what it takes to play with the big boys, I imagine they’ll be going with the hard arse, harpoon-for-a-hand version of the character. The tension he’d provide amongst the cast would be invaluable!

Kiefer Sutherland would be my first choice for Green Arrow, but given that they’re sticking GA in that Supermax movie and skewing younger, I think this would be the perfect place to let ol’ Agent Bauer grizzle and glower! He’s certainly a much better fit for the role than Entourage’s Vincent Chase!
Seeing how quickly this entire thing is coming together, it wouldn’t surprise me if official casting announcements start getting made soon. In the meantime, if even one of these people comes close to snagging one of these roles, I’d be happy!