Finally, A JLA Movie! "Wonder Twin Powers... Activate!"

It was 46 years ago that The Justice League of America first appeared in The Brave and Bold #28. Almost immediately, fans started fantasizing about the movie. Well our prayers have been answered, and we have the success of “X-Men: The Last Stand,” to thank for it.

An insider tells me, Warner executives are tired of Marvel making more successful movies than DC. After the last X-Men movie, they green lit the JLA movie. After much searching, they hired Kieran and Michele Mulroney to write the script. Kieran is best known for writing the screenplay for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

In 2002 Warner began developing a Batman vs. Superman movie. I have been told the director—Wolfgang Peterson—quit the project to make "Troy" after much frustration. Warner shopped for a new director and finally buried the idea with the success of both “Batman Begins” and “Superman Returns.”

Currently, all three members of the “Holy Trinity” of the JLA have movies in the works:

The new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” will again star Christian Bale. My sources tell me that Frank Miller, not Chris Nolan, may be directing the movie. Heath Leger (A Knight’s Tale) will play the Joker. (keep the Brokeback Batman jokes to yourself). Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking) will play Harvey Dent/Two Face. It is also rumored that Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherri Baby) will play Rachel Dawes instead of Katie Holmes. (You would think after having L Ron Hubbard’s baby, Tom would let her out of the dungeon.)

The new Superman movie, “Superman: The Man of Steel,” will again star Brandon Routh and be directed by Brian Singer. The movie would have been shelved if not for its international success. Executives are demanding a shorter more action packed movie. I am told that we should expect several villains.

The Wonder Woman movie’s release date has been moved to 2009. Joss Whedon is no longer the director. I have been told that he was pissed that Wonder Woman had a crappy origin and fought shitty villains. Eva Green (Casino Royale) is presently the favorite to play the Amazon princess.

With these members of the Justice League already on the big screen, will the same actors play the heroes? Do we want a JLA movie with different actors? I have already complained about Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) being cast as Bethany Cabe in the new Iron Man movie. Am I the only one who cares about continuity? In my right opinion, if an actor appears in the same “universe” as two different people, one of them better be a clone.

I’m also worried it may be tricky to make this movie believable. In a live action movie, it is difficult to make flying characters using heat rays and magic rings appear realistic. On top of that, there is going to be an equally powered group of villains. This is why we didn’t see much flying in the X-Men movies. With little effort, this movie could become a laughing stock.

Good or bad, we want the movie. You can’t get cheesier than the 1970’s Super Friends and they currently are some of my favorite DVDs. I can't wait!

Richard

Check out this fan created JLA Movie Trailer:

Wonder Woman: From The JLA to The OC

Are you ready for this, Joss Whedon has chosen the OC’s Rachel Bilson to be the new Wonder Woman.

Oh my God, why? She is totally wrong for this role. She is too young and way to small to be an Amazon. How in the hell are we supposed to believe she can fight—much less kick anyone’s ass? I’m sure this news is causing Linda Carter to roll over in her grave. Oh wait, she’s not dead yet. Or is she?

I was very happy when I heard Joss Whedon was directing Wonder Woman. I enjoyed watching Buffy and I even liked Angel (at least the first season). I really liked Firefly and was upset when it was cancelled. I think he has done a wonderful job writing Astonishing X-Men. I was even pleased that he scheduled to take over Runaways from Brian K. Vaughn.

So why would a comic friendly guy like Whedon choose Rachel Bilson? I have it from a good source that he has been struggling with the Wonder Woman script. He wants this movie to be as good as Batman Begins but frustrated because Wonder Woman’s origin and villains aren’t as cool. So in desperation he is returning to his roots. Wonder Woman will look and feel a whole lot like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It seemed for quite some time Buffy herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was scheduled to play the Amazonian princess and was pretty upset when she was not chosen. Whedon had also considered Charisma Carpenter for the role. I had even heard that he seriously considered American Idol winner Katharine McPhee.

Perhaps Joss was inspired by This wonderful scene from the OC:



Did you watch it? To me it makes the choice even worse. She would be great as Donna Troy maybe, but NOT Wonder Woman!

Whedon might as well make this movie a series on The WB. Hey it worked for making Superman a teenage heart throb on Smallville.

So who would I choose for the role? I’m glad that you asked. If the movie was being made 15 years ago, Demi Moore would have been perfect. If it was made 10 years ago I would have chose Lucy Lawless. Catherine Zeta-Jones would have been great 5 years ago. In my right opinion, there is only one woman perfect for the role today, Kate Beckinsale. She’s the right age. She has already established that she can kick some ass, and she would look amazing in the Wonder Woman outfit.

Join me in bombarding Warner Brothers and Joss Whedon with emails. We can force a change of this ridicules choice before they start filming.

Later

Pride of Baghdad: The Lion King Meets Apocalypse Now!

In my opinion, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD is a must read!

I finished it last night and I was blown away. I sold out of it immediately when it was released a couple weeks ago. So when I got my shipment this week, I broke my own rule and grabbed the first one.

This graphic novel is based on a true story you probably remember from the news a couple years back. In 2003 a pride of lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during one of the US bombings of Iraq. This story follows The Pride’s short journey into freedom.

Artist, Niko Henrichon (Barnum!), creates a beautiful and believable world that has the cuteness of The Lion King but the horrifying reality of Apocalypse Now.

Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways) again proves that he is one of the best of the new generation of writers. His dialogue flows so naturally and effortlessly, and best of all, his use of metaphors doesn’t get in the way of the story.

I must say that I was a little surprised that Vaughan took the high road and avoided being too political. It would have been easy to turn this into a Bush bashing story. Whether you believe President Bush is a liberator or conqueror, it would be hard to disagree with his subtle points. No matter how right or wrong this war may be, there are—and will continue to be—innocent casualties. It is easy to forget about them when we refer to them as collateral damage.

Many people are missing the subtleties of Vaughan’s symbolism. In my right opinion, he is not declaring Saddam Hussein and his ilk as victims. Yes, the Iraqi military liked to use the term, “The Lions of Baghdad.” However, this particular pride of lions represent the guiltless Iraqi people who were enslaved by Hussein. In fact, one of the stories main protagonist, remembers a brutal attack she received by certain “brother” lions. Uday and Qusay perhaps?

This parable also uses other animals to symbolize various countries of the world. The bear represents Russia and The Pride deals with him similarly to Iraq’s dealings with Russia. Also, note the actions and words of the monkeys, the turtle, the horses and even the birds. Let’s discuss who they represent.

The graphic novel format is the only way this story could be told. It wouldn’t have had the same impact as a monthly series. My only complaint is minor. The story reads a little too fast. You could easily read it in one or two sittings. However, this is mostly due to the great flow of the story. You really should read it more than once to catch all the nuances.

Go pick it up at your local comic shop. If they don’t have it, ask them to order it for you. If that doesn’t work, contact me and I will sell you a copy and mail it to you for free.

Later