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'Justice' No Match for Striking Writers

Reuters
Posted: 2008-01-17 13:50:01
Filed Under: Movie News
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 17) - The superheroes of "Justice League of America" will have to hang up their costumes, because the Hollywood writers strike prevents Warner Bros. from sorting out problems with the movie's script.

Writers' Strike Casualties

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    Golden Globes
    Faced with the threat of a WGA picket line and a universal agreement among nominees to boycott the ceremony, the traditionally glitzy, boozy extravaganza has been replaced by a news conference to announce winners. Sounds like a real hoot. (Focus Features)

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'Shantaram'
    Warner Bros. called off the February start date on this Mira Nair-directed flick, in which Johnny Depp was set to star as an Australian heroin addict who escapes prison, pretends to be a doctor in India and eventually fights against the Russians in Afghanistan. Busy guy. (Getty Images)

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    'Bruno'
    Although Sacha Baron Cohen has completed the script for his film about gay fashion reporter Bruno, shooting has yet to begin. The reason: Its improvisational 'Borat'-like filming style necessitates on-the-fly script rewrites, which is NOT cool during a WGA strike. (Getty Images)

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'Justice League of America'
    It could be a long time before Superman and Batman meet on the big screen. With no shooting script and options expiring on potential cast members (man, we would have liked to see the buxom Megan Gale, pictured, as Wonder Woman), Warner Bros. has had to postpone production on its ensemble superhero flick. (Getty Images)

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'State of Play'
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  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'Transformers 2'
    With no script, Michael Bay will likely have to push back production -- as well as the June 26, 2009, release date -- on his follow-up to last summer's mega-hit 'Transformers.' Somewhere, Optimus Prime is crying. (Paramount)

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'Edwin A. Salt'
    Thanks to strike-prompted script concerns, this Tom Cruise starrer -- about a CIA agent accused of being a Russian sleeper spy out to kill the president -- lost two directors, Terry George and Michael Mann, before nabbing Peter Berg ('The Kingdom') to helm. (Getty Images)

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'Angels and Demons'
    Tom Hanks has plenty of time to grow his hair out to reprise his role as cryptographer Robert Langdon. Due to an unfinished script by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman, the Ron Howard-directed prequel to 'The Da Vinci Code' has pushed its release date from Dec. 19, 2008, to May 15, 2009. (Getty Images)

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'Pinkville'
    United Artists postponed Oliver Stone's historical drama about an army general (Bruce Willis) investigating the My Lai Massacre, citing Stone's penchant for script-tinkering during shooting. As a result, Willis dropped out, making the film another casualty of the writers' war. (Getty Images)

  • Writers' Strike Casualties

    'Nine'
    Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Sophia Loren will have to wait to flaunt their singing and dancing skills. This Rob Marshall-directed musical, which had planned to start lensing in March, is another victim of an unfinished script. (Getty Images)

The feature, starring DC Comics staples such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in live-action flesh, was to have been a special-effects extravaganza for the studio. George Miller ("Happy Feet") was attached as director.

Word leaked in the fall that the script, by the husband-and-wife team of Kieran and Michele Mulroney, was good but that subsequent rewrites, including the latest by Miller, had pacing issues and took the project in the wrong direction. With the 11-week writers strike in full swing, the studio decided it was best to wait to iron out the problems.

Adding to the woes were questions of tax-incentive qualifications in Australia, where Miller was preparing to shoot. The project's costs were escalating, and the script would need an overhaul if the movie didn't qualify for discounts.

The decision to put the project on hold now frees up the actors who had been cast in such roles as Superman (Scott Porter), Batman (Armie Hammer), Wonder Woman (Megan Gale), Green Lantern (Common) and the Flash (Adam Brody). Extensions on their contracts expired Tuesday. The studio is not afraid of losing the actors because playing iconic superheroes in "Justice" is seen as a starmaking turn.

"Justice's" delay is considered good news for Christopher Nolan's camp. The director is in post-production on "The Dark Knight," the sequel to "Batman Begins," and is said to have been unhappy with the "Justice League" movie because its version of Batman clashed with his one, starring Christian Bale. Nolan has been resisting directing a third "Batman" movie, though the studio would relish the possibility and could begin heavy courting.

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2008-01-17 13:39:25
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bbwbbwnl 01:17:08 AM Jan 21 2008

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Maybe!! I think so!
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LMoore8084 08:17:00 PM Jan 19 2008

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I am sure there are plenty of other up and coming hungry writers out there with plenty of fresh ideas to save our tv and movie needs.

jiminboxers 06:25:59 PM Jan 18 2008

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HEY STACY INSTEAD OF BEING ON LINE GET OUT AND GET A JOB THEN YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT FINDING SOMEONE RICH.

elysemoonblaze 02:26:29 AM Jan 18 2008

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I think this whole thing with the writers guild should have been over with when people started losing their jobs before christmas... obviously there are quite a few hard working people in hollywood that aren't actors, and not writers or directors and don't have million dollar homes and cars and depend on a weekly paycheck and without them the show won't go on, and they lost jobs, their paychecks and right before christmas.. do you think they can explain to their kids why "santa didn't show".. why christmas morning mommy was crying over breakfast? they seem to prove that hollywood is a bunch of overpaid and annoying plastics running around without underwear or a ounce of common sense... I really hope they start thinking about how this affects other people.. and the only people I am really rooting for are the people that are getting ****** over and when they get back to work won't be getting raises or bonuses or residual dividends off internet rights.. **** the writers if you ask me.

epmd88 12:07:29 AM Jan 18 2008

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Scrap the movie and get Tom Welling to play superman ....somebody believable for the role of Flash.

billy817 07:56:13 PM Jan 17 2008

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DEGUY YOU RIGHT WING IDIOT WHO DO YOU THINK THE ENTIRE
HOLLYWOOD ESTABLISHMENT IS?? THEIR THE RADICAL RIGHT
WING SKULL AND CROSS BONES, THE BIGGEST MOBSTER THUGS
ON PLANET EARTH. THATS WHY WE THE PEOPLE'S CONSTITUTION
HAS BECOME THEIR'S TO S H I T AND P I S S ALL OVER CAUSE
IGNORANT IDIOTS LIKE YOU EXIST IN AMERICA TODAY TO DEFEND
THEIR "WE'RE GOD AND EVERYONE ELSE ARE JUST P I S S ON SUCKERS"
WHO ARE NOTHING BUT ATM'S FOR THE THUG BONESMAN AND
THEIR EVIL EMPIRE THAT WAS ONCE AMERICA BUT HAS BECOME
THEIR KINGDOM FOR PROFIT ONLY.

deguy126 04:12:00 PM Jan 17 2008

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The writers strike is a good thing for the mob-control union, Heck my kids just might get some family time if they stay out much longer,

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