Long before the release ofBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, director Guillermo Del Toro has been teasing a potential big screen adaptation ofJustice League Dark. For now, the live action DC Comics movie slate is more than full at Warner Bros., but there may be hope for aJustice League Darkmovie still. Some new information points to Warner Bros. looking at doing an animated version of the film followingBatman: The Killing Joke.
ComicBook.comhas discovered that The British Board of Film Classifications has listed the bonus features that will be included on the Blu-ray release animated feature adaptaion ofBatman: The Killing Joke. Among those special features is a bit of content labeled as “A Sneak Peak at Justice League Dark.” This would seem to heavily imply that the animation side of Warner Bros. is already in development on the project.
According to the uncovered information about theJustice League Darkbonus feature, the segment is said to be just under eight minutes long, which would further imply that the studio has a bit more to show than just a potential announcement for the project. Granted, this is far from a confirmation, but it would make a lot of sense. As of last year, it seemed like the live action version ofJustice League Darkwas all but scrapped whenGuillermo Del Toroleft the project in favor ofPacific Rim 2, which he also ultimately decided not to direct. According to an interview with The Daily Beast about the film, it was pretty much good to go whenDel Torodecided to exit the project.
“Warners liked the script, they were very enthusiastic and wanted to green-light it but they wanted it to coincide with the shoot ofPacific Rim 2I was put in a very difficult place facing a difficult choice, and I chose to doPacific Rim 2.”
For those that may not know,Justice League Darkfirst appeared as a title in DC Comics in 2011 and featured mostly supernatural characters like John Constantine,Deadman, Swamp Thing and Zatanna. The team essentially took on missions that the regularJustice Leaguewasn’t fit for and a lot of the storytelling centered on supernatural andoccult elements. GivenDel Toro’s sensibilities and track record, it makes total sense that he wanted to do the project and that Warner Bros. wanted him to do it, but they have both very clearly moved on.
Luckily for fans who wanted to seeJustice League Dark, it is starting to look like theanimated featurewill provide some comfort. In all honesty, it could wind up being the best thing for the property, as the animated side of Warner Bros. has always been very well regarded and as of right now, the live action side of things is a bit more shaky. We will have to wait and see if these rumors are true, though asBatman: The Killing Jokewill be debuting at San Diego Comic Con with a VOD release of the film coming on July 23 and the Blu-ray following shortly after on August 2.
