JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK - FAN CASTING

It was recently confirmed that the Justice League Dark film, long thought to just be a pipe dream of Guillermo del Toro, is actually in development at Warner Bros! Doug Liman was announced as the director. No release date has been confirmed but one would assume that we should be getting some announcements soon. One of those announcements will no doubt be the cast. When these films are announced fans all over the world throw their two cents in as to who should play which character and why. Often, especially when it comes to DC, an announcement will be made and people will be . . . Shall we say . . . Less than excited?

Ring any bells?

Usually I'll have an idea or two on who should play some characters, for example I would have cast Jon Hamm or Josh Brolin as Batman but I was excited to see Affleck's take on my favorite character. Now, I normally don't do this but I thought I would share my thoughts on who I would cast in a Justice League Dark film. 

JOHNNY LEE MILLER AS CONSTANTINE

Right off the bat I'm gonna tell you that this list will probably be full of people you didn't expect. I personally think Miller would be great as Constantine. I'm sure most people would prefer Swan McGregor or even a reprisal from Matt Ryan, but I'm more interested in the left field choices. 

Miller's most popular role these days is no doubt Sherlock Holmes on Elementary. On that show he proves himself socially awkward, cold, distant, but brilliant. Truthfully, it's not that far off from Constantine. John is brutally honest, cold, manipulative, and extremely clever. While this isn't a requirement it's hard to deny that Miller looks quite a bit like Constantine. In my.mind he would be perfect for the role. 

BRADLEY COOPER AS ALEC HOLLAND/SWAMP THING

Out of all the casting ideas I think this one is one of my favorites. Not to toot my own horn or anything . . . Uh . . . Anyway! While Marvel has decided to keep Cooper as the voice of a space raccoon I thought I would appeal to something different. Specifically a swamp monster that would probably be mostly CGI/mo-cap. Ok ok! I freaking loved Guardians of the Galaxy and Cooper's performance was wonderful. However, I think Swamp Thing would give Cooper the acting challenge that he craves. 

Alec Holland is a brilliant scientist that either becomes Swamp Thing or Swamp Thing thinks he was once Holland. Either way, it's a very compelling story and I have no doubt Cooper would knock it out of the park. With films like The A Team he's shown is that he's in great physical shape, with Wedding Crashers he showed us his dark side, and with American Sniper he showed us a lot of range. All three of these qualities are essential to Swamp Thing. I haven't read the whole character's history but I was a huge fan of Alan Moore's run and the new 52 volumes by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule. From those texts I have little doubt that Cooper would be the right man for the job. Even if he has to Andy Serkis his way through the performance ;) 

BILLY BOB THORNTON AS ANTON ARCANE 

If we're going by looks alone then I think I nailed it! Haha! I'm kidding of course (a little). Again, based on the work of Scott Snyder and Charles Soule during the New 52, I think Anton Arcane is not only a great villain but that Thornton would be perfect for the part. 

In a nutshell, Swamp Thing is the Avatar of the Green and Arcane is the Avatar of the Rot. Basically, anything dead he can control and manipulate. During one such event he was able to take over the world with the Rot, upsetting the balance of the Earth. While that story featured Animal Man and Swamp Thing teaming up I don't see why it couldn't be reworked in some fashion to include the Justice League Dark team. Thornton would be a great addition to that cast. I'm sure most of you know him as Bad Santa and yes I love that part for him, let's not forget he gave memorable performances in Armageddon and Sling Blade. I'd love to see him as Arcane. 

Let me be clear that I don't know if Arcane is the villain in Justice League Dark or not, I just think it's fun to speculate. 

DENZEL WASHINGTON AS THE SPECTRE

Again, let me reiterate that I don't know if this character will be in the film or not but, in my opinion, he should be. Although he's kind of a weird character he would fit into the magical world that Justice League Dark is all about. 

There have been three versions of the Spectre, Jim Corrigan, Hal Jordan, and Crispus Allen. However, I doubt that Hal Jordan would be introduced as the Spectre in this movie. So we'll look at the other two guys! Allen was black and Corrigan was white. In my opinion, especially the way casting is color blind, it wouldn't matter which version of the character Washington could play. Both are deceased cops brought back to life, possessed by the Spectre - the right hand of God! 

Of course I don't need to go over Washington's resume to explain why he'd be a good choice. He can play good guy, bad guy, and everything in between. Which is perfect for the Spectre! I'd love to see him in a film or TV show. He was hinted at during the short lived Constantine series but unfortunately we didn't get to see him. Maybe now, with this particular project, the Spectre can make his debut. And if he does? My choice would be Denzel for sure. But then again I'd cast him as any of the parts and he would be sure to pull it off :) 

DAVE FRANCO AS BOSTON BRAND/DEADMAN 

Deadman is definitely one of DC's strangest, but coolest characters. He was an acrobat with the nickname Deadman because he would never perform with a safety net. During one harrowing feat, he was murdered. However, he lived on as a ghost, able to possess any person. Here's the strange/cool part - he's able to be just as acrobatic in whatever body he possesses. Oh and that person speaks with his trademark Boston accent. Weird right? I came to know and love Boston from Brightest Day by Geoff Johns (have I mentioned him before?) and Peter Tomasi. He quickly became a favorite character and I was excited to see more of him.

Personally, I love James Franco. I think he's a terrific actor with a lot of range. However, I feel as though Dave has not been challenged yet as an actor. While I loved his performances in 21 Jump Street and Neighbors, he seems to always be playing the cocky asshole. But that's ok because Deadman is kind of a cocky asshole. However, there needs to be more underneath the character. It's a lonely existence not being able to communicate with anyone and being a ghost for, seemingly, all of eternity. I'd love to see Franco step outside of his comfort zone and try something just a little different. I love it when actors play against type and give amazing performances. I think you'll find that comic book/superhero films are the best way to do that. Especially a film like this which will no doubt be filled with a lot of spectacle, action, and (in this case) horror, there needs to be a cast that surprises everyone. In my opinion, the DCEU has been great at that so far. Let's give this young actor a chance to shine.

TOM HARDY AS JASON BLOOD/ETRIGAN

Yeah, yeah, yeah! Blah blah blah. He was already Bane. I know. I know. However, remember when the cast of Suicide Squad was first announced? Hardy was cast as Rick Flagg. Unfortunately he had to drop out, but luckily Joel Kinnaman stepped in for him. And he did a great job if you ask me. Anyway! I think Hardy would be absolutely perfect as the Demon in Justice League Dark. 

The Demon's story is pretty cool as it deals with King Arthur, Merlyn, Morgan Le Fey, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Ok well, not that last part, but you get it. Basically, he was a knight that betrayed his kingdom in exchange for the love of Morgan Le Fey. But she double crossed him. Merlyn cursed Blood to live throughout eternity with the spirit of Etrigan the Demon bound to him. Blood found a way to make this curse work for him and is constantly trying to redeem himself. So you see there's a little bit of awesome Medieval stuff mixed in with some Bruce Banner / the Hulk dynamics. You'll need an actor capable of playing a good looking man that looks like he's hiding from a dark past as well as that same actor being able to turn into a monster with a simple chant. I don't think there's a better choice than Tom Hardy. He's proven himself time and time again to be able to play ordinary people as well as monsters such as in Star Trek: Nemesis and of course, The Dark Knight Rises. 

Warner Bros, if you're reading this, please, please, please do not let Morgan Le Fey be the villain in this film. We already saw Suicide Squad. Do something different this time, *cough Anton Arcane and the Rot*. That is all

CHRISTINA RICCI AS ZATANNA 

I've mentioned this one before. I had a post about what superheroes I would love to see Tim Burton adapt and Zatanna, played by Christina Ricci, was on the list. I stand by that suggestion, however, I truly think she's too good of a choice to pass up. 

In a nutshell, Zatanna is the daughter of John Zatara. Once upon a time, he trained Bruce Wayne to be an escape artist. Around that time, he had a daughter about Bruce's age and they had a bit of a flirtation going on. Years later, Batman emerged and Zatanna became a popular stage magician. What her audience doesn't realize is that Zatanna has actual magical powers and uses them to protect the world. She's been a member of the Justice League, Batman's love interest, fought off demons, and made a killing on the Las Vegas strip. Not too bad all things considered. 

While this might be my childhood crush talking, I do think Ricci would be a great Zatanna. She's beautiful but seems to have some quirkiness underneath which I think is essential to the Zatanna character. I'm sure Zatanna will be one of the major players in the film. I think it's long past time for Ricci to make some sort of comeback. She's been in some TV shows and on Broadway, but these days doing a superhero film is basically big bucks and big exposure. As an actor, what more could you want? Luckily, Zatanna is a rich enough character that she would add a lot to the film and not just be eye candy. Although . . . there is that . . . and I'm fine with that!

I don't know the Justice League Dark characters as well as I know the regular Justice League. However, I do know these few characters pretty well and I think their inclusion in a JLD film would make for a really unique, exciting film. Plus I have little doubt that if these were the actors that were cast they would totally kill it. So bring it on, WB/DC! Keep that weird casting train running! It's done wonders so far!

Till Next Time!

JJ - the Comic Junkie!