Those of you who were rejoicing that a Justice League movie was finally happening... you might want to put the celebration on hold. Stuck in a Variety interview with Warner Bros. movie division president Jeff Robinov comes the disturbing news that Justice League is by no means set in stone — it's dependent on how the Superman reboot Man of Steel does this summer. The passage in question:
Further out, the studio's planning a "Justice League" tentpole — encompassing DC Comics mainstays Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and the Green Lantern — on the order of Marvel's "The Avengers." Will Beall is scripting but no director has been attached yet.
Stakes are high for "Man of Steel." Other than Nolan's Batpics, Warners has not been able to effectively exploit the DC library. Its 2011 "Green Lantern" underperformed, and a "Justice League" film wouldn't likely be in theaters before 2015, as Warner's top brass has indicated that they are awaiting the results of "Man of Steel," which opens June 14, before moving further ahead.
Well, as long as people want their Superman to be bearded, working on a fishing boat, and kind of bummed, Justice League has nothing to worry about. If not... it'll only mark the most recent time WB has announced a JL movie and changed their minds. But on the plus side, Man of Steel doesn't need to actually be good to make a lot of money, which is all Hollywood cares about. And Man of Steel does actually feature Superman punching things, which may be all audiences need to buy tickets to see it. I can take a lot of Superman's Deadliest Catch as long as there's a genuinely kick-ass fight scene in there somewhere.
