52 Fun Facts About Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

The Unproduced Justice League: Mortal

We just talked about a planned feature film about a Batman/Superman team-up/rivalry.  But did you know that in more recent times, Warner Bros. / DC almost went forward with a Justice League film?  This would’ve been directed by George Miller, who created the Mad Max franchise.  The cast was set and the costumes were fitted.  However, the studio, due to various unplanned mishaps, pulled the plug on the project.

Did You Know?

• Justice League: Mortal was to be the first live-action incarnation of DC’s most famous heroes — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman — together.
• Jason Reitman was the original choice as the director, but he bowed out stating that he saw himself as an independent filmmaker and not someone who makes big-budget superhero films.  George Miller of Mad Max franchise fame would sign on to direct in September of 2007.
• The studio settled on D.J. Corona as Superman; Armie Hammer as Batman; Megan Gale as Wonder Woman; Common as the John Stewart version of Green Lantern; Adam Brody as The Flash; Hugh Keays-Byrne as Martian Manhunter; Jay Baruchel as Maxwell Lord; and Teresa Palmer as Talia al Ghul.  Aquaman had yet to be cast.
• Due to a slew of mishaps — the writers’ strike, delays in filming, and the Australian government denying Warner Bros. a forty percent tax rebate — the film became doomed.  The studio would later change its mind and focus more on individual superhero films which also led to the debacle known as Green Lantern (2011).
• After Man of Steel (2013) finished filming, Warner Bros. went back to the drawing board and solidified plans to use the tone of Man of Steel as a launchpad for a shared DC film universe, now known as the DC Extended Universe.
• A recent rumor that later proved to be false stated that George Miller was to be the director of Man of Steel 2.

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