Batman has long been one of the most popular superheroes in the world, so it isn’t surprising that the character has been appearing in films for decades. Several actors have brought the Caped Crusader to life on screen, ranging from Adam West’s campy portrayal to Robert Pattinson’s darker, grounded iteration and everything in between. Soon, there will be another actor who dons the cape and cowl, as DC Studios is currently developing the Batman feature The Brave and the Bold, which will be part of the DC Universe. When looking over the Dark Knight’s cinematic history, one can’t help but wonder about some of the unrealized projects. There was one in particular that didn’t pan out, but that might have been for the best.
In 2007, a year before Marvel Studios released Iron Man and popularized the concept of a shared cinematic universe, Warner Bros. was interested in making a superhero team-up film. The studio hired famed director George Miller for Justice League Mortal, which was envisioned as the beginning of its own film series. Even though Superman Returns and Batman Begins were recent releases, Brandon Routh and Christian Bale weren’t asked to reprise their roles in Justice League Mortal. This meant recasting was in order, and a now controversial figure was picked to be the new Batman.
Armie Hammer Was Cast As Batman in Justice League: Mortal
Miller’s strategy for casting Justice League Mortal was to seek out rising young talent. The idea was that the ensemble would be able to carry DC Comics adaptations for years to come, as the hope was that Justice League Mortal would be successful enough to warrant sequels and spinoffs. For the role of Batman, Miller selected Armie Hammer, who had just turned 21 years old (to put that in perspective, Christian Bale was 34 when The Dark Knight premiered in the summer of 2008). Hammer’s take on the character would have been “almost deranged,” according to the actor, because he was suffering from “major trust issues.” It would have been a darker portrayal more in line with Bale’s performances.
Joining Hammer in the Justice League Mortal cast were D.J. Cotrona as Superman, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, Adam Brody as Barry Allen, and Common as John Stewart (amongst others). If the film had come to fruition, it would have marked the first time several of DC’s titans would have appeared in a big-budget feature film, underscoring the project’s sizable ambitions. Unfortunately, Justice League Mortal wasn’t meant to be. The film encountered numerous hurdles during pre-production. It was put on hold after the Writers Strike began in late 2007, and there were more issues even after the strike was resolved in early 2008. Justice League Mortal was subject to production delays and budgetary concerns. For instance, it was ineligible for a tax break from the Australian government because there weren’t enough Australian actors in the cast.
As Justice League Mortal limped its way through development hell, The Dark Knight premiered and changed cinema forever. Earning rapturous acclaim and grossing over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, reception to the beloved sequel changed WB’s strategy regarding superhero films. The studio decided it was better to produce solo films for the characters, so Justice League Mortal was cancelled. In a way, this was arguably for the best. Comic book adaptations were in a very different place in the late 2000s. The concept of an Avengers movie was foreign to general moviegoers, let alone the notion that there could potentially be two live-action Batmen running around. The Multiverse Saga brought the notion of variants to the mainstream, but in this era, it was seemingly smarter to play things a bit safer.
Though Hammer thought the portrayal of Batman in Justice League Mortal would have been cool, he was admittedly relieved the film didn’t come to pass. “I wouldn’t want to watch a 19-year-old Batman. I’d be like, ‘Who’s this spoiled rich kid who wants to play dress-up?’” he said years later. And while it would have been fun to see DC’s heroes united on the big screen, movie fans today probably share Hammer’s sentiment. Not only was Christopher Nolan able to end his Batman trilogy on a strong note in The Dark Knight Rises, Miller pivoted to a project that became one of the greatest action films ever made.
Justice League: Mortal‘s Cancellation Led to Mad Max: Fury Road
When his DC Comics adaptation fell apart, Miller decided to return to the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Mad Max. The director had been interested in making a new installment in his seminal franchise for a while, and now he had an opening. Of course, the film eventually known as Mad Max: Fury Road had its own long and arduous path to the big screen, but unlike Justice League: Mortal, it got there. Seemingly against all odds (at various points, Fury Road was under intense pressure from the studio, and stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron clashed with each other), Fury Road released in May 2015 and instantly became one of the best films of the 21st century.
By now, most are familiar with Fury Road‘s plaudits. The film received near unanimous acclaim due to its relentless nature, engulfing viewers with jaw-dropping spectacle and expertly constructed action sequences. Not only that, many appreciated the emotional story that gave Fury Road its beating heart. Theron delivered one of the best performances of her career as the fierce Furiosa, a character quickly cemented as a new action icon. Fury Road was even able to transcend its status as a big-budget genre picture and found success on the awards circuit. In addition to winning Oscars for various technical categories, it earned nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. It’s safe to say Miller rebounded nicely from the Justice League: Mortal debacle.
Fury Road is now such a staple of modern action cinema that it’s difficult to imagine a world where it doesn’t exist, but that might have happened if Justice League: Mortal had come to fruition. If the film was successful and launched a whole DC cinematic universe, odds are, WB would have wanted Miller to return to make another film or two. The director might have been able to use any Justice League clout to get a green light for Fury Road, but DC would have been the priority for the studio moving forward. On the flip side, if Justice League: Mortal disappointed, then it’s hard to see how Miller would have gotten the budget for Fury Road. Miller isn’t sure that another Mad Max film will get off the ground after prequel film Furiosa bombed a couple of years ago.
While cinephiles are undeniably happy that Fury Road happened, it’s still hard to not wonder about the “what if?” of Justice League: Mortal. It would have been very exciting to see what an action visionary like Miller would have been able to do with that kind of material, staging epic fights featuring some of the greatest superheroes in pop culture. A case can be made that Justice League: Mortal might have been a case of too much too soon (especially since Bale’s Batman trilogy was earning widespread acclaim), but the X-Men films had shown it was possible to craft compelling team-up films. Someone as talented and smart as Miller would probably have found a way to pull it off.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
