Justice League 2 is expected to be a pretty huge movie by the time it comes out. Warner Bros. put out an okay first film with Justice League, which was the mini-debut for three characters not yet established in this live-action version. They brought in Cyborg, The Flash, and Aquaman. All three are expected to be back for the second movie, but the sequel could include a few other superheroes as well.
The real issue many have with DC and Warner Bros. is that they are completely relying on people to know their characters enough by now to not need an origin story or solo movie right off. This is why the new Aquaman solo project has to sort of go to the past a bit to show us how he was set up to be who he is today. The same had to be done with the solo Wonder Woman film.
They have yet to set up Green Lantern for this universe, although they did have an attempt at this a number of years ago with Ryan Reynolds playing Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in the movie. It has been universally panned, and it is considered to be one of the worst superhero movies in history. The question is, what are they planning to do with the second Justice League movie? There might be more questions too, such as who the villain(s) will be and when it releases.
Justice League 2 Release Date Update
The release date for Justice League 2 has shifted often during the last year or so. There was a quiet release date penciled in for June 14, 2019. The problem with this is that it has since been removed because it interfered with a lot of stuff. This is a major issue DC has had for some time. They just threw stuff together to compete with Marvel Studios and Disney, but Marvel did not make the same mistakes Warner Bros. and DC are making.
DC threw out a Superman movie and then added a new Batman and Wonder Woman to the Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice movie. They also used some tape to add in Aquaman and Cyborg. Flash was in this too, but he appeared in a Bruce Wayne dream of sorts. They are setting up Shazam for his own solo movie before the next Justice League film will be out. Both Aquaman and Shazam have to be out of the way before Justice League 2. As of now, Justice League 2 filming has not even started yet.
Shazam and Aquaman are both finished and will be out either later this year or in 2019. Yet a Wonder Woman 2 film, which is already underway, will likely be out next summer. This means a Justice League 2 movie would be tough to have by that June 2019 time frame. The theory is that we will get a Flash and Green Lantern solo project and perhaps another Batman movie before we reach the summer of 2020. If Green Lantern is done, we could introduce him to the series right away.
As of now, the summer or winter of 2020 seems like a better time frame due to all you could do in that period. None of these really need solo movies, but a John Stewart version of Green Lantern should be done. Maybe even a new Batman film to introduce a new Batman if Ben Affleck is indeed stepping away from the role. They are also planning to bring Deathstroke into Justice League 2, so a Batman solo project would be a good way of introducing him to the DCEU, or as they now call the franchise, “The World of DC Movies.”
Warner Bros. And DC Are Trying Way Too Hard To Be Like Marvel Studios And Disney
Marvel Studios worked their stuff in pretty well before they brought in an Avengers project. They started with two Ironman films, a Captain America film, and a Thor film. Marvel also featured Black Widow and Hawkeye throughout their films. They would then add other players like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch by establishing them at the end of a film, as well as Spider-Man after they got the rights from Sony.
The only person they did not put in another movie before he was given a big role for a solo movie was Black Panther. They threw T’Challa in for the Civil War film, which was a Captain America movie and not an Avengers film. This is in spite of the fact the Avengers cast was in it. Spider-Man would also debut here for the MCU, but the character had already been part of recent films for Sony. So, setting up this character in another origin story was never a plan for Marvel or Disney.
Tom Holland was given a solo film for Spider-Man, then he appeared in the next Avengers film. Next, Black Panther had a solo project, and then he appeared in the Avengers movie. The Guardians of the Galaxy had two films out of the way before they appeared in Avengers: Infinity War and a third Guardians film that will come out next summer. Even Spidey has another movie in 2019, and both are planned for release after Avengers 4. Yet DC is trying to compete with Marvel’s output, and that is just asking too much.
They could have focused on a few Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman films while slowly integrating other heroes in if needed. Then, they could find a way to bring in the Justice League. Now, we’re getting a mini set up for a New Gods movie, and the Legion of Doom is expected eventually. All of this with next to zero real set-ups. They are merely expecting everyone to just know these stories while Marvel Studios decided to start from scratch to build their own universe and even change stuff along the way.
What Is The Story Of Justice League 2?
As of now, there is only a little bit known about Justice League 2. So far, we’re getting that they are planning to introduce the New Gods, which includes the likes of Darkseid, with their own movie. This should also introduce a number of interesting characters and give more information about the characters before they are set up for a bigger movie. Darkseid was seen hitting Steppenwolf in the last film for his failure. Yet, we also were given a set-up for a Legion of Doom series.
It is a theory, as of now, that Darkseid will be the main villain in Justice League 2. The only real issue with the movie is that it likely won’t go as it was initially planned. Zack Snyder originally wrote out or was writing out the Justice League 2 film from the overall story perspective. Meanwhile, Chris Terrio was writing out the actual screenplay. Snyder also was planned to direct the movie. But he had to bow out of the franchise last year, which brought Joss Wheaton in to finish the movie.
Joss also directed and helped to properly put the MCU together for Disney, so it was not a bad pick. However, Snyder is now gone, and as a result, his direction could also be gone. Due to this, we very well could be getting a completely different story and overall direction than previously thought. Joss may direct this one and may also take over the story, but it’s unknown. Terrio is still doing the screenplay, but a lot could change.
It appeared that, according to the IMDB page, they were going to bypass the obvious Darkseid inclusion for Justice League 2. Instead, the Legion of Doom was apparently their direction here. Thus far, Jesse Eisenberg is planned for a return as Lex Luthor, and Joe Manganiello will join the franchise as Deathstroke starting in Justice League 2, although he did have a small introduction in the first film.
Updates On The Superhero Cast of Justice League 2
If the cast holds up, we’re guaranteed to get Henry Cavill back a Superman, as well as Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ezra Miller as The Flash. However, Ben Affleck returning as Batman is up in the air. If he decides this is the right road for him to go down, we’ll see him back for Justice League 2. There was a Batman movie he was supposed to star in, write, and direct.
Then he lost the directing role, and eventually, the whole project fell through. This was around the time it appeared he would not return to the franchise. As of now, it looks like we won’t see Affleck return, and there is no one named to replace him right now. Though Warner Bros. will likely find a notable actor to replace him, this has not happened yet. Fans and rumors had actor Jake Gyllenhaal connected to the Batman role to replace Affleck, but he did not seem to be interested.
The biggest rumor thus far is that Armie Hammer could replace Affleck and likely would be a good choice for the role as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. His last superhero movie stint was by no means great, as he played the Lone Ranger in a film that was considered to be quite terrible by most critics. However, Hammer has since been nominated for several awards due to his film roles and appeared in some really good movies.
He also had a great action role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., where he worked with Henry Cavill. Both reportedly got along very well, so Hammer’s replacing Affleck would work well. Batman is a tough character to play, but Armie is a terrific performer. Superman and Batman are great friends in the comics, and due to Hammer and Cavill’s previous on-screen chemistry, the two actors could mesh well in the DC films.
Updates On The Villain Cast For Justice League 2
With a Legion of Doom, you’ll need more villains besides Lex and Deathstroke. That means we very well could see Jared Leto return as The Joker. He’s already set to be in Suicide Squad 2, despite not being the man who will play the character in the solo Joker movie. Joaquin Phoenix will end up playing The Joker for this, which is kind of weird, to say the least. If we see Joker, we could see Harley Quinn in the movie too, although that all depends on her status as a hero or Squad member.
The next issue is who to cast in the movie beyond the obvious trio of Joker, Lex Luthor, and Slade Wilson, all of whom were clearly going to be useful in the series. But it’s likely Zoom, Reverse Flash or even Gorilla Grood could be a great Flash villain to utilize here. They could even bring in Vandall Savage, as he was a well-known member of the Legion of Doom in the animated versions.
Right now, we know Black Manta and Black Atom will come into play for Aquaman and Shazam respectively. Both were in the comic book version of the Legion of Doom, so it makes sense. They could easily be in there, as well as Sinestro if a Green Lantern project gets off the ground beforehand. While Supergirl and the Injustice video game already used Brainiac, they could use him for the Legion, considering he was a major part of it in the comics. Cheetah could be set up with Wonder Woman 2, so she could also be used as an add-in to the Legion.
Ultimately, the list of the villains will likely be Joker, Lex, Slade, Atom, and Manta. If we add additional heroes, we’ll need additional villains. That could be where we’ll get a Sinestro addition
So far, Dwayne Johnson is expected to play Black Atom, and the Aquaman film will introduce us to Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta. You’ve seen him in the Baywatch and Get Down movies. He’ll also be part of The Watchmen television series, where he could still be playing Manta. Watchmen is part of DC Comics like Black Manta, so it does make sense. All this being said, we’ll have to wait and see who will be on the Legion of Doom team. But, they’ll have enough established guys to make the team actually work.
What To Look Out For Regarding Justice League 2
Right now, there is no definitive word on what we will see come Justice League 2. This is likely because Warner Bros. and DC are seemingly going in the positive direction of Marvel Studios and Disney now. They are trying to properly set up primary villains and superheroes. They are doing a Wonder Woman 2, Aquaman, and Shazam movie, all of which will be out before the end of 2019. We could even see a Flash movie and Green Lantern movie by then or by the summer of 2020 if they are truly needed.
The New Gods movie will likely give a great set-up for Darkseid and the entire list of both heroes and villains. We’ll have a proper introduction to new heroes and villains by this point. This way, by the time a Legion of Doom does come about and the Justice League 2 movie comes into play, it’ll all make sense, and we’ll have added depth for everyone. It will actually matter, as all the characters will have been fleshed out by then.
A Justice League 2 trailer is not available yet as they have not begun filming and the story clearly does not seem complete. Yet, the overall idea of waiting before they go into this direction for the franchise makes sense. They needed to do this long ago, and their waiting will only serve to add interest down the line. The fast set-up seemed great for the comic book fan that knew everyone and everything but not for the overall fan-base that would be interested in seeing the movies.
Disney and Marvel Studios thought this through, and they have executed everything perfectly to get where they want to go. They planned their phases out perfectly, and everything is set up to work out properly. Warner Bros. and DC needed to do this, and with Snyder out, a quiet reset to their plans is a better concept. That looks to be the direction they are going, thankfully.
For Justice League 2, why not include both Green Arrow and Hawkgirl. For the Legion of Doom, keep Black Adam, but include Dr. Allarog. For directing the movie, keep Joss Whedon, but also consider someone like J.J. Abrams, too. This is something to think about for Justice League 2!!!