There are only two weeks before “Justice League” is finally released in theaters, and the hype could not be more palpable. If all goes according to plan, Warner Bros.’ all-star superhero spectacle, featuring Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash (with more than a little hint of Superman) is expected to gross between $110 – $120 million in its first weekend. Audience turnouts are expected to be high, but how will “Justice League” fair with critics? Well, if “Wonder Woman“‘s warm critical reception last June is any indicator, than DC’s superhero universe may be on the upswing since the dreary days of “Suicide Squad” and “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
“Justice League” is of course the product of two directors, Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon, who have very distinct visual styles. After Snyder left the production in late May to deal with a family tragedy, Whedon stepped on board to finish what was started. Although there have re-shoots on Whedon’s part, the extent of with are either massive or small, depending on who you believe, the cast is not worried this will compromise the integrity of the original product. In an interview given last month, Ben Affleck, who plays Batman and his alter-ego, Bruce Wayne, enthusiastically expressed that “Joss came in and walked a very fine line between Zack’s sensibility tone and direction. We found a really fun and inspiring synthesis of their two forms of storytelling.” Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman, said, “This is Zack Snyder’s movie. Joss only did a couple of reshoots. He was Zack’s guy and knew exactly what he wanted to get.”
Not much is known of the plot, except for the fact that like “The Avengers,” “Justice League” will feature our five heroes coming together to save the planet from impeding doom, at the hands of the menacing Steppenwolf, played by Ciaran Hinds.
“Justice League” is directed by Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon. It stars Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Ciaran Hinds and J.K. Simmons, among other notable stars. Here’s the motherload of 60 images and the first six clips of the movie.
More photos on page two.