I was worried that this year’s Comic Con wasn’t going to have much in the way of new stuff, new trailers, new posters, new details. But Warner Bros actually came through with a brand-new, full-length trailer for Justice League. The trailer debuted during the big Justice League panel, which featured Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ben Affleck (The Batfleck), Ezra Miller (The Flash) and Ray Fisher (Cyborg). Jason Momoa came through too, because his Aquaman is in Justice League, plus he’s got his own stand-alone movie coming out. While there is new information in this trailer, I feel like it got recently re-cut to include MOAR Wonder Woman, because that’s the rare WB property that hasn’t been butchered. WW is actually one of the biggest success stories of the year: we’ll soon see how WB f–ks it up though, I’m sure. Anyway, here’s the trailer:
Apparently – and I’m saying this because I’m going by what other outlets are saying – this trailer shows that the Justice League is getting together to fight the “big bad,” who is Steppenwolf (played by Ciarán Hinds). We don’t actually see Steppenwolf full-on, but we hear his voice and people look scared. But basically this trailer is all about Aquaman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Cyborg. It’s a game of spot-the-Batfleck. That’s possibly because Warner Bros no longer wants to be in business with the Batfleck, at least according to The Hollywood Reporter. WB is looking to ease Affleck out of the role, and Affleck might not even do the stand-alone Batman movie that has been in the pipeline for a few years. I think that’s a smart move on WB’s part. Well, it’s a smart move after a series of boneheaded moves, including hiring him in the first place.
Here’s The Batfleck addressing those rumors head-on during the panel. NSFW for language, because I’m pretty sure Ben was high and/or drunk.
Best comic book movie poster ever. #JusticeLeague pic.twitter.com/87USiw2SmN
— Josh Wilding (@Josh_Wilding) July 22, 2017
PS… Do Wonder Woman and Aquaman ever get together? Because I sort of want them to get together now.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid.
Wow, they photoshopped the hell out of Gal in that poster. Doesn’t even look like her, which is strange because she’s absolutely stunning without it.
They were trying to copy the vibe of Alex Ross’ art. But that didn’t require such photoshopping.
Affleck And Gadot are barely recognizable on the poster
Aquaman and WW do get together in flashpoint, which was announced yesterday! But the world is in war, atlantis and the amazons of themiscyra are fighting etc
But yes, they do get together
Yeah, Ben was on something. Either that or he was told not to bring his morose bs to Hall H like he did last time. The others came with mega energy and you could tell he was trying to match them but falling flat. It was just off the beat.
Also, notice he didnt say he was coming back in the standalone. He merely said that he was lucky to play the “greatest superhero” and that he likes the new director. And that bit about batman being a greater privilege than the others in the same room was really weird. I found it disrespectful to the other actors and the fans of those superheroes (especially Wonder Woman)
“he was told not to bring his morose bs to Hall H like he did last time” They said: no Sadfleck dude. We know you’re hangover but you need to be a fucking happy puppy and cheer your fucking drunken ass. A quick line of coke before hitting the stage would do it.
Which is EXACTLY what his response looked like, and the first thing I said watching him: “He is hungover and trying to hide it, probably did coke.
Well maybe he is happy. He no longer has to hide his new relationship with that average Kevin Bacon looking woman.
And damn Moma is the new Thor of the DC universe.
Did anyone notice how Fisher said Zac picked a really good guy to clean up , finish up for him. At first he said clean up but quickly switched to finish up.
Yes I noticed that fumble
Sami, I thought that was incredibly rude and disrespectful too – not just to fans of the other characters (I would say Wonder Woman every day of the week) but to the other actors sitting up there with him. Maybe it’s just my imagination but it seemed like Gal wasn’t too keen on clapping for that arrogant answer. Ugh, I loved him decades ago in Chasing Amy and now I just can’t stand him.
Go Gal/Wonder Woman – go kick some villains the true feminist (strong, intelligent, warriorlike and save all the mankind) way..
I. Love. Her!
Jason Momoa! ❤
Ben is getting high, saw pics on the Daily Mail the other day of him smoking a joint. I personally think he has zero F’s to give anymore.
He’s bounced in and out of rehab and started right back up — lots of addicts never really clean up and he seems to be one. WB is smart to cut him loose–they might be able to salvage their reboot. Two questions: 1) how much are they paying Weldon to pull this rabbit out of his hat? and 2) at what point will Affleck become uninsurable?
No to a Bloatman stand alone movie! After the justice league movie how about they find a sober early 30 something handsome unknown to be Batman.
In that poster with that blurpy double chin, he looks like Basement Man. Next!
He doesnt even lok like Ben Affleck in that trailer.
Yep, as I predicted, Wonder Woman front and center! No complaints here, she’s fantastic.
Affleck’s comments really don’t mean anything. If these rumours are true WB won’t want to out until after Justice League is out and has (ideally) made gobs of cash.
This is definitely a “there’s smoke and likely fire” scenario. It’s interesting because either he wants out or there are genuine problems with his health/behaviour. A Hollywood studio doesn’t give a damn about drug or alcohol addiction unless the problems are costing them money and/or are going to damage some bottom line or future prospects. Maybe he’s done with them, or maybe things are that bad. I’m very curious.
I’m also dying of curiosity. If I had to guess I would say that once his script was rejected, he lost all interest in directing or starring. I suspect they will strike a balance in which he will be in the standalone but only in brief introductory shots. That movie will probably be about a young batman to try and explain why he got so jaded. I feel certain that WB and DC are scouring the earth for a young Ben Affleck lookalike as we speak.
I agree. The standalone Batman will be an origins story starring a younger actor. That’s how they will phase him out. They’ll claim that was always the plan. Thereafter Ben will maybe drop in for Justice League movies or they’ll only show the actor in the cowl.
They definitely recut the trailer for WW. They redone a lot for JL because DC doesn’t know what they are doing. Last year the teaser showed a more joking Flash. Then a few months later a more serious flash. Before they relied heavily on Batman for the trailer. Now it’s all Wonder Woman (which is smart).
What it tells me is that they might have done some new edits to the movie and it might be a mess. It’s also SO DARK. Does DCEU not believe in lighting?!?
As for Ben he looks high in this. So that’s awesome. And they hired him probably because they could get a director and writer out of the deal. Now that he’s not doing either of those things all of the sudden they are moving in a different direction. What a mess. No way ben can last an entire triology they are smart to consider cutting him now
Last week I questioned the WB decision to continue to invest in Affleck as Batman. Now the news is they’re clearly waivering in that decision.
I love the new poster with the stylized lettering. Very clever.
FatMan should really just go away. The guy is a mess and ruins the character. I can’t believe they cast him in the first place. Everyone else in that movie looks young, twenties or thirties. Ben looks fifty. Ugh.
is not just about the age: Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright look amazing (and I hate the addition “for their age” because they actually look better than most 20 something starlets, I dare to say Gal Gadot included) They take care of themselves, they work hard, train hard and took their job seriously: they looked like Amazons. Even more muscular and stronger than Gal Gadot. Why the guys always get a pass and even when they look like shit they always have some excuse and still get praised and women have to work ten times harder just to hear that they were just doing what was expected? His lack of commitment, let aside his personal issues, would be reason enough to have him fired altogether, not only as a director and writer, but as an actor as well. He can’t keep hiding himself by saying that his Batman is an “old fucked up” so to imply he’s just playing himself and that’s enough.
Good point. Affleck just didn’t look capable of doing anything Batman-esque, whereas the women in the WW movie were fierce as hell.
Here’s my thoughts on the Batfleck sitch:
WB wants a critical and financial hit other than WW. Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad were financially ok, but critically trounced.
Ben wants a critical/financial hit as well. There’s been a string of disappointments for him. BvS, SS, and Live by Night were not what he wanted.
Ergo, whether he remains as Batman will depend on the success of Justice League. If it’s like WW, Ben will stay. If it’s like BvS, he’ll be out soon as possible.
WB has better think carefully though. Casting Batman is tough. Ben’s a mess, but he’s alright as Bats. A recast could be a huge mistake. For every Micheal Keaton, there’s a George Clooney. They could,make things worse by replacing Ben.
If they replace him they will do so with a younger actor which will allow them to excuse his departure as “we needed to tell the origin story of this particular Batman and Ben couldn’t play a younger version”.
Fans responded to Batfleck but seem to have had enough of the darkness. And the fans really didnt connect with the new Joker. So that’s something else to consider. I’m not sure they have a choice but to make the movies lighter and that can only happeneed with a younger batman. I can also see them parking Batman standalones to the side after the upcoming one and just focusing on the franchises that do work.
I’m thinking the same thing. That’s why they postpone the production of Batman till next year. Ben wants to see how Justice League turns out and decide whether he should stay. Yet it is confirmed he has three contracts, two fulfilled(BvS and JL). So he has to do one more movie. It would be either Batman or Justice League 2.
DCEU is a mess. They probably would abandon it in two years, and reboot it after a decade.
Would Suicide Squad count as part of that 3 movie deal since he made a brief cameo?
Ha, that was like Wonder Woman 2 + Some Other Guys! Not surprising they’re cashing in on the success, it’s still in the top 10 at the box office and got great reviews. I will probably catch this on cable or netflix just to see her, after Man of Steel and BvS I will NOT pay money for a Zach Snyder movie, I think they’re pretty terrible.
Ben was always an odd choice for Batman, IMO, he’s never struck me as an action hero type actor. There’s too many reports of friction, dropping out, getting cut from the role, etc for there not to be something going on here.
This cast is so underwhelming. But yay for Ciarán.
I’m reading the “they’ll cast younger and tell an origins story” responses and I’ve a couple questions.
1. Why does anyone want another Batman origins? We don’t need it.
2. How would casting younger help the JL franchise? I’m sorry, but I think it makes zero sense to set up a franchise and then move backwards to origins and younger versions. I prefer to see team development.
Personally it doesn’t make sense to me either, but at this point WB must be desperate to beat Marvel (not realizing that Marvel’s team development is why their cinematic universe is awesome), and diehard fanboys won’t care as long as it’s “awesome.”
Ben told EW after the panel, “Certainly, if the Batphone rings, I will answer.” That’s pretty vague to me. I think it’s all very undecided going forward. The next JL isn’t filming for a couple of years and Reeves wants a Batman trilogy. That’s a looong time to count on someone as notoriously unstable as Ben.
His quotes sound more like he is campaigning for the job than that it’s his to leave. I don’t think the decision to remove him is Ben’s and I think he is freaking a bit. Ego had him believing he was the man who had all the cards. Being fired would completely derail him.
@Deb I agree. He was really kissing Reeves’ ring at the panel and saying words that were enthusiastic job interview lingo but his actual energy didn’t match it. If he’s leaving then I really don’t think it’s by his own choice. He has had a good relationship with WB but when he lost them a ton of $ with LBN and then he bowed out as director over his rehab stuff (I still think that on some level WB encouraged him to say a public statement because they need Bats to be likeable and therefore bankable) that now they’re rethinking his role. And I am sure they are not thrilled at seeing their Batman be more of a tabloid star than a critically acclaimed actor/director/writer. I agree when Lainey said Batman is Ben’s masculinity. His ego and “high of the gamble” got in the way of making good decisions (as usual) and when Reeves threw out his script I think that struck him hard and added to WB’s second guessing. He’s always put his career before his personal life. So now he’s campaigning to keep a job he may have already lost. He’s reliving the Gigli saga again by being overexposed but this time it’s with a different Jennifer, different movies, 10+ years older, sad “girlfriend” situation, and the same addiction and relationship issues.
I don’t think he was drunk but I do think he was maybe hungover or else had too much weed because he was a real downer. Just needed some Simon and Garfunkel to play over him and he’d be the living GIF. I only saw a couple of clips and didn’t watch the full panel so I could be wrong. Sad to see him this way.
Yes. That means that it all depends how JL will perform, and even if is a hit, he can’t take credit for it because his Batman is not anymore front and center: Wonder Woman is, rightfully so, after her success. So I’d say that more than JL performance at the BO, it all depends on Affleck’s commitment not only to solve his personal health problems, which probably made him unfit to direct a blockbuster and handle the pressure, but also the fact that he should stop bitching about how tired he is about being asked about Batman. Dude: you signed for this, you knew the pressure would be on you. Handle it like a grownup. Hence this newfound happy puppy behaviour. He sounded so fake and, to use Fincher’s description of Affleck, “duplicitous”
I never like Affleck as Batman, and I never liked how BvS was practically written as a Batman movie with Superman as a bit player. JL did not have Wonder Woman use one of her signature abilities (deflecting a bullet, but dodging it.) Please no Batman/Wonder Woman hook up (sorry Bats, after WW’s stand alone Steve Trevor is a tough act to follow.)
Ben is so not into this. And he has aged like ten years in the last three. He needs a serious intervention and a serious makeover before he will carry a movie on his own again.
He wants to be taken seriously for his art and I think he realizes now this is his legacy, and it’s what he is most asked about. I think he regrets ever saying yes. He’s stuck now and however this ends, he will always have to talk about being Batman. Since he clearly doesn’t deal well with stress, it likely has exacerbated his other issues into the spiral we’ve seen the past few years.
I’d add that what really made him relapse was the failure of him as a director: both Live by Night being a bomb commercially and critically and getting fired as the Batman director and writer, I think he knows, he’s completely aware of the fact tag he’s a mediocre actor and the praise and respect he so much desires form the Hollywood community could only come form his work as a director and writer (and producer) so his failures on those fields I think wight the most personally for him. Not a surprise that right after LBN bombed he started drinking heavily again, thus the rehab. The rehab announcement had nothing to do with his personal situation, it was for business. to send the message that he’ll get himself straight for WBros. bosses.
But surely staying such a very brief stay only reinforced the negative, showing he wasn’t really ready for sobriety. Also I think his drunkenness started years ago, from rumors even during the filming of BvS. and Live By Night suffered because.
@Deb totally agree. The alcohol problems have been around a really long time though. Long before his marriage and any of that. So I think when he was at his highest professionally with Argo, and it was clear he really worked hard to get there, then thinking to himself that LBN would be the same critically acclaimed hit and instead it bombed both critically and commercially that any progress he was making with his sobriety was shattered. LBN wasn’t a great movie but it wasn’t bad either. He should have hired an actor to play the lead IMO. I’m sure that it was upon WB’s urging that he focus on just the acting because even Ben said in an interview that playing this part is incredibly intense and requires 100% focus so it would be nearly impossible to both be and direct Batman. So I think he was somewhat ok with being axed as the director but then having his entire script thrown out. That had to hurt and feed into other existing problems.
@Deb, LBN suffered because Ben took a very long book and tried to cover too much. That was the criticism of it, that he should have had the screenplay tighter, cut out parts of the story. There was praise that his directing had improved in some area. I can’t remember what area that was. But the movie did not fail because of his drinking. I’ve never heard that. The criticisms were specific. But anyone can go on some gossip site and find that if they want to somewhere. It doesn’t make it true, drinking ruined that movie.
He was praised by all the people on board the movie, and he has always been considered very professional when directing. He just made a huge error in trying to cover too much in the book as far as timeline and storyline in a few hours and it lagged in parts, losing momentum at times. Like some critics said, if he wanted to that, it would have worked better as a mini-series. And he probably would have been better off focusing on directing only in this movie. Many good directors have the same problem sometime in their career. Marty Scorsese had the same criticism in Silence, overly long and lagging in places.
But I do think the horrible reviews crushed him as he co-wrote the screenplay and directed it, and then it bombed. I think his big relapse came then.
@Jayna good to know about the book and timeline. Thanks for that insight. No wonder LBN lagged in so many different areas of the movie. If it was a mini series it would have been great. I agree that his drinking didn’t ruin BvS or LDN; it was the reviews and unpopularity of both films that caused a major relapse, or at least tipped him over the edge in a big way. I did lol so hard when Sienna Miller said in an interview that Ben insisted on filming love scenes for something like 8 hours. That gave me all the eye rolls! Like c’mon man. Was that totally necessary, lol!
They really made Batman low-key in the trailer, didn’t they? I really think Ben has lost his luster for WB. They picked him for this fresh off his rise just after Argo. He is so far removed from who he was then. It’s like his addictions have completely engulfed him. I do prefer the Marvel format as I am not a comic book junkie and they are made more for mass appeal, I think. I do think Joss Whedon will turn things though. He’s good at telling good stories.
I agree, he was trying hard to match up to the energy of the other actors, but who commanded that stage? Jason Momoa did, as always his presence is HUGE literally, but as much as Ben is a “movie star” with tons of movies under his belt, he looked out of place, maybe it’s the age difference between him and the others, but look at Harrison Ford, how he was compared to Ben during the Blade Runner roll out, he didn’t say much but when he did it was funny and on point, he knows he’s the SH!T, whereas Ben looks insecure still.
Also anyone notice Ben’s face in the trailer, kind of waxy and plastic, his lifestyle is showing on his face.
I’m more interested in seeing Justice League than I previously was, but I am wary since DC suffers from “good trailer/bad movie” syndrome, excepting Wonder Woman.
I think if there is going to be a problem with JL it is that DC didn’t do any team building like the MCU did. We had a bunch of stand alone movies before the Avengers came along and DC is still scrambling to play catch up. Suddenly we have a new team movie with a bunch of characters that no one knows about (outside of comic fans) and SS was a good example of how bad an idea it is to waste half your movie on rushed character exposition. The new Batman rollout has been fairly disastrous for them, so I would also lean towards just taking your losses with Batfleck and going more for an origins movie if Batman has to have his own picture again.
I thought the same thing on the Marvel strategy to introduce the characters before bringing them all together. It made such a difference to me knowing a little of their stories first.
You know who would be a good Batman? Chris Pine, but not likely to happen obviously since he was Steve Trevor, but he’s got the looks, good age for a trilogy, decent actor, funny, I would believe him as Bruce Wayne and the Batman…just saying
No one is bringing up the alluding to the Green Lantern? No?
please, elaborate. I didn’t catch it, so I’m interested. Word is that Armie Hammer has been cast as GL.
There was a part in the trailer where someone said: “No Lanterns. No Kryptonian. This world will fall, like all the others.”.
It gives off the “there’s no superman, nor a Green Lantern on Earth to protect it”.
BUT THEN, at 3:44 in the trailer, there’s a green light reflecting in Alfred’s glasses
Yes i noticed that!!!!! hope it’s not kyle rayner, much rather alan scott or maybe hal jordan 🙂
I seem to remember that in BvS there was at least one small clip that alluded to Robin. Perhaps the origin story could focus on Batman’s earlier years and what happened to Robin. I still agree with many of you that it isn’t necessary to have the origin movie, but WB seems totally committed.
And Gal Gadot looks like Eva Longoria in that JL poster, they need a much lighter touch with the Photoshop.
Just pondering after watching the trailer…Ben’s actual face is sooo different from what he looked like in the first appearance as Batman. He was naturally aged at that time and looked good. Now that he’s had so much work to remove signs of aging, I wonder how long it takes makeup to put his face back to what it was, because in the movie he has lines he doesn’t have IRL.
The trailer looks lit, I can’t wait to see it.
And I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion here, but I like Affleck as Batman. He looks like the comic. He’s like 6’5” 200+ pounds and that’s big. I can’t even think of another actor out there that could look physically more like Batman.
Now he is aging, but I’m not going to shit on him for that as I hate when people do that about women getting older.
Personally it doesn’t matter to me that he’s a scumbag in real life. I can separate the art with the man.
I hate Woody Allen, but if Annie Hall is on, I will watch and lmao.
Same with Polanski, Horrible person, Great freaking director.
Because at the end of the day, all our favorites probably have some secret thing in their past or even present that they have done that we would judge, you never know people or who they really are. Best to just enjoy their work and not put them on pedestals.
Well said, Maria. I also like him as Batman. My husband is a huge comic book nerd and showed me some of the comics the movies have been based on. He was really skeptical at first, too, but he now likes him in the role. Ben looks the part. It is hard for me though to separate his professional work from his personal life because his business is literally everywhere, shoved in our faces even when I’m not in an entertainment news or gossip site. Has gotten ridiculous. But I’ve always tried, at least! He’s a privileged white guy in his 40s so ultimately with or without the Bat he’ll be fine professionally. There’s a lot of forgiveness in Hollywood for men.
Ben was a great Batman and got a lot of praise. The problem is Ben has gained a lot of weight and face is bloated. He’s lost some, but he’s nothing like he was three years ago or four. He’s only 44. There’s no reason to look as bad as he does if he wanted to be Batman. The comic book fans on all the sites are happy to hear he might still be Batman. But his looks haven’t changed because of age. They’ve changed from an unhealthy lifestyle. I’m not just talking about booze. I’m talking about out of shape, eating habits, exercise, etc.
Ben was extremely handsome as Bruce Wayne in BvS. There’s no reason at only 44 he still couldn’t be that handsome. He had great bone structure, nice skin, eyes. That’s all missing right now. He needs to go to AA weekly and change his lifestyle and put health and exercise first. To be Batman/Bruce Wayne again, he has to trim back down and get that chiseled good looks back also.
@Jayna 100% agree! On all fronts. The last 3-4 years have been especially hard on his looks. The trailer for JL makes him look waxy. An old client of mine is a filler and from what I learned about them through work he has had WAY too much filler on his face. Add to that the weight gain and bloat and he just doesn’t look like himself.
I’m glad I’m not alone. Ben may be a screwed up guy, but he was great as Batman imo. Aid you think about it, Ben couldn’t possibly have more issues than Bruce–a screwed up guy in his own right! So I’m sad to think he’s leaving the role. He was definitely in my top three Batman portrayals. Of course if he’s not into it, plus if he’s a liability to himself and others on the set, it’s probably for the best if he goes. But I for one was pleasantly surprised by his performance in the role.
Finally some Affleck Batman love! I’ve been a peripheral comic fan for years. Indoctrinated by my younger brother. In my opinion, Ben’s Batman matched where Batman would after decades of crime fighting and dealing with his personal issues surrounding his parents’ deaths. Of course, he is age appropriate for me so I really enjoyed seeing a troubled, weary but still passionate about his city and fighting crime Bruce Wayne. That is what I love about his interpretation.
I have loved Ben Affleck’s work for years but his looks have blossomed. He is definitely a man who has become more handsome as he has aged. In The Town his physique was on point. That is my preference in real life. But holy crow his body in BvS. That is the fantasy body for sure but that is not a sustainable body/lifestyle for him and I can see why he struggles with getting back to it. The alcohol, the stress and then he tries to mitigate the effects of all that with fillers and botox. Not good. The sexiest part of him portraying Bruce Wayne (as compared to Doug in The Town) was that Bruce Wayne is a sexy, well taken care of, mature man. He can get back to that but he will have to stop the chemicals.
I just can’t get excited for the DC universe for some reason. Like it looks good, but I was practically jumping up and down for the new Thor trailer, but eh on this one.
And not to be mean, but all those actors have looked better.
I went looking for the meaning of the DC in DC Comics and found this about the impact on society by DC superheroes.
‘Few people know that Superman radio show in USA was solely responsible for disorganisation of Ku Klux Klan members.This group had a sizeable downfall in its members as KKK was put as a villain in Superman radio show.’ Batman has big shoes to fill.
DC did stand for Detective Comics, but after restructuring it is now just the letters DC.
Ezra Miller is dressed like the Full Metal Alchemist. Awesome!
He’s still Creedence Barebone to me, but I’ll give his Flash a chance 🙂
Another ponder…. Ben was good as Batman in the first movie, but that was filmed before his spiral truly engaged. JL was filmed while spiral was fast and furious. Why assume he did as well in that film? Maybe he didn’t and that’s part of the discussion at WB. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t so present in the trailer? Alfred had a greater role in the trailer.
Wow. You really have to give it to everyone else on this panel. Because Ben Affleck is playing the best character in the entire universe and I assume everyone else there is just to support him and play secondary roles. Where the world would be if we did not have Ben and his fucking best character ever.
Ben Affleck kills the vibe wherever he goes…….
This looks like s***t! Very predictable and utterly stupid. The flash is cute and funny.
I really hope he is out as Batman. He just puts off such a creepy vibe to me; can’t see past it to any character he tries to portray.
From Comingsoon.net
Reshoots are massive. Most of the set pieces staged by Zack Snyder will remain.
Reshoots are about “connective tissue and character work between those set pieces.”
They went on to say that Henry Cavill and Ezra Miller have had scheduling headaches and Jason Momoa had to be pulled off Aquaman solo movie.
Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot did not have scheduling issues.