Could the next superhero franchise that Warner Bros grotesquely mishandles be the biggest one of all for them – the Justice League? The studio has hired Kiernan and Michele Mulroney to write a script for a movie featuring DC Comics’ legendary superteam.
But there are some big questions around the film. Which characters from League history would appear? If Batman and/or Superman are in it, would the studio get Christian Bale and/or Brandon Routh. And who the fuck are Kiernan and Michele Mulroney?
Last one first: They’re nobodies. Kiernan is Dermot Mulroney’s brother, and the couple apparently did an uncredited rewrite on Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They had a couple of other scripts go nowhere. They’re pretty much in keeping with Warner Bros’ recent spate of decisions to wreck their big screen franchises.
As for the rest of the questions: nobody knows yet. Maybe the Mulroneys will do all their research with Superfriends DVDs and we’ll get that giant fucking Indian. Wes Studi always needs work. And they can get Freddie Prinze Jr to play one of the Wonder Twins!
A Justice League film makes a certain amount of sense for the studio, though, because it’s a real franchise-starter. DC is plagued with characters who are second tier and lower, and this film is a way to create audience awareness of them. Just imagine, this could lead to a Hawkman movie in 2012.
In the meantime I’m going to hit the New York Comic Con this weekend and try to get myself a DVD of the unaired Justice League of America pilot. At least this movie couldn’t be worse than that. Plus, I’ll get a chance to hear grown men going on and on about how much they love the Justice League cartoon in person, instead of just having to read it on message boards.