It looks like Jason Reitman was being courted for Justice League and passed on the opportunity. This news is brought to us thanks to an interview on the Howard Stern show via slashfilm:
Juno director Jason Reitman was also on the Howard Stern Show today and revealed that he turned down an offer to direct Justice League of America for Warner Bros. Howard’s first question was “How’s the script?”
“Good, FINE… You know, I mean. I had to sign something, they send me the script and it comes on this spy paper which cant be xeroxed,” revealed Jason Reitman. “They have a time when I have to have the script back to them and the script is fine and I could be spending…” Jason later continued: “What am I going to do with Justice League of America? So Basically I’ll make a movie that is not as good as X-Men, then I’ll be the guy who made a movie not as good as X-Men. Where just like you talking about, going to smaller stations, if I make another small movie, and it’s really good, it performs well…” “Right now I’m thought of as a particular type of director. I’ve got an oscar nomination. I’ve made two indie films that play film festivals that are considered thoughtful. I want to stay in that world, I like making those type of films.” Reitman later let it slip that the budget for Justice League would have been $150 million.
I think it was wise for him to pass on Justice League. No good news has come out with regards to this project and the ship already seems to be sinking before it has left the harbor. To quote the immoral Mr. T “I pity the fool that directs this mess.”
Reitman has chosen wisely to stick to what he loves to do. He is building a library that he can be proud of, and that his fans will enjoy. I like directors that have a distinct style and I think a large part of developing your fingerprint is to do films that you can take ownership of, and make your own.
@ krystina
aaaaaahhh okay i see. which is exactly why they should do what MARVEL is doing and make an individual move for each character before the movie comes out so that what you just pointed out doesnt happen (which it will cuz they are making no efforts into making a flash or green lantern film)
but ur right about that i didnt think about that- and it WILL happen.
still i will stick to what i sayd earlier and- i think this can (CAN) be a great movie
I say that if directors left and right wanna pass on this thing, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
@Jamie
I used X-Men, not as a comparison of who has the best powers, but as an example of how certain members of an ensemble cast get the shaft when it comes to screentime. I’ve seen all three X-movies and still know nothing about Cyclops. NOTHING. TNow, with regards to JL, the filmmakers have a unique problem here. If they push the big members of JL like Supes and Bats(which they WILL in order to bring in audiences), they will end up putting the others on the back shelf. I’m worried that it will become a two-man train with the others bringing up the caboose. Put all those heroes(and stars with egos) into one movie and I think it’s a recipe for disaster. As much shit as people gave Halle Berry for wanting more to do in X3, she had a point. If she’s gonna spend her time on location filming this movie, give her something to do. I’d be pissed if I was just milling around in the background when I could have taken a more lucrative starring role in another flick. I just do not see a way in which everyone’s screentime will be properly balanced in this film. They can try their best, but you gotta know that the meat of the screenplay is going to focus heavily on the big dogs, leaving the others trying to catch a scrap here and there.
@ krystina
hey i AM a big fan of jla but i also agree with you on the whole “why it shouldnt be made into a movie” list you have (in fact- i can make that list longer)
BUT- i think that this movie can (WILL!!!) get loads of money if they choose the right actors, make all heroes do their part and keep a good story- i mean a movie with the green lantern, flash, superman, batman, and aquaman can be amazing if put in a good story (lol not even great just good enough)
can you imagine how good this can be if they choose great actors and have a good story to it? just picturing that squad all together in the big screen makes me want to watch it.
and i barely think itll be like x-men because they are like a group of small heros but jla is like- the best of dc
This guy unleased Juno on me. He can pass on everything as far as I’m concerned:)
I’m still convinced that Justice League is not a good idea. Hardcore fans and casual viewers alike will most likely be upset that a) the movie basically centers on one hero while the others are put into the background or b) the story spends so much time trying to establish and build everyone up that screentime ends up being spread too thin amongst all of them. To steal a line from The Lord of the Rings, it’ll be like butter scraped over too much bread. X-Men barely, and I do mean BARELY, got away with this balancing act and even still, there were characters in those films that completely got the shaft. If your name wasn’t Wolverine, you basically didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, Justice League is a unique case because all(or most) of the characters involved here are already household names, so you really wouldn’t have to waste too much time setting everyone up, but they have the unique problem of making sure that every character gets their due. Otherwise, that character’s fanbase will get pissed and avoid the movie. It will be a very delicate balancing act, so they need to get someone who has a track record with balancing emsembles. Now, don’t stone me, but when I was typing that last sentence, I immediately thought of Steven Sodebergh. He did a stellar job balancing a ton of big stars with Ocean’s 11, and if you think that he can’t do action, keep in mind that Chris Nolan wasn’t exactly the go-to guy for a comic book movie, but he rocked the shit with Batman Begins.
sorry bout the 2bl comment dougster
oh COME OOOOON!!!!
okay i think that it is a good move on his part but theres GOT to be someone that can direct this film!
i mean just get rid of the actors they chose by sticking their hands in a jar full of names and get real actors.
this film can be made into an amazing movie, i mean- a movie with superman batman and the flash all at once? this can kick so much ass why are people saying its going to suck!?
i DID say myself that it was going to suck but i was talking about the time they tryed to do it with those unknown actors, but if they start fresh and do it right it will be a great movie
oh COME OOOOON!!!!
okay i think that it is a good move on his part but theres GOT to be someone that can direct this film!
i mean just get rid of the actors they chose by sticking their hands in a jar full of names and get real actors.
this film can be made into an amazing movie, i mean- a movie with superman batman and the flash all at once? this can kick so much ass why are people saying its going to suck!?
i DID