Justice League (2018 Film)

Justice League is a live-action film based on the superhero team, the Justice League, which is based in the DC Universe. It is produced and distributed by Warner Bros.Studios, and is based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. The film is directed by Zack Snyder, written by Christopher Nolan, Robert Orci, and David S.Goyer, and composed by Hans Zimmer. In the film, the Justice League forms when demons invade Earth and is ruled by a indestructible ruler.

Development of the movie began in 2015, after the sucess of Batman Vs. Superman. It was originally supposed to release in 2015, though got pushed back due to unresolved casting and problems with the script. When the entire cast was finally signed on, the movie started filming in 2016, and ended in 2017. The movie filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Washington, D.C, and Chicago, Illinois. There were also scenes filmed underwater.

The movie premiered on April 16, 2018, in Toronto, Ontario, and was released in 2D and 3D on May 21, 2018. The film aquired many critical awards and nominations, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, among others. It also reached $2.95 Billion Dollars in box office gross, making it the #1 all time highest earning box office gross movie, and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 21, 2018. There will be a sequel, Justice League 2: Hunted, and will be released on July 4, 2020.

Summary:
When the world is invaded by demons, 7 heroes must team-up together to stop this nearly-impossible threat from taking over Earth. But in order to save the world, lines will be divided, paths will be crossed, and sacrifices will be needed if neccesary. Featuring the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and many more.

Plot:
The Movie begins in Space, where Metron, Observer of the Universe, watches Earth, where he states that the planet will not be ready for the horrors that is set to begin.

Meanwhile, in Gotham City, multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne travels back from Wayne Enterprises to his state manor, which is just out of Gotham. He then goes into the Bat-Cave and puts on the Bat-Suit, preparing to take down another criminal that night. While he is hunting down Firefly, Batman was able to track down a mysterious figure heading into the sewers. As he continues to follow the figure, Batman sees that a box was planted into the wall, and the figure self-destructs, killing itself. Batman then examines the box and goes off into the sewers. On Oa, Green Lantern Hal Jordan was training with Killowog, Tomar-Re, and Salaak, when he was asked to meet with the Guardians Of The Universe. They state that there is a evil brewing on Earth, and that he best investigate in Gotham City. So Hal goes off to Earth and starts his investigation.

In Metropolis, Victor Stone, a high school graduate and extreme athlete is walking down the alley one night, when he sees someone head into S.T.A.R. Labs, which is where his father, Silas Stone works.Vic follows the mysterious figure, and then sees him planting something in the wall. When his father asks what he's doing there, Victor says he saw somebody come in here and placed something there. Silas doesn't believe Victor, and asks Victor to leave. Just as he is about to leave, the box implanted in the wall is beginning to charge, and Victor takes a look at it, until it releases a huge blast which severly burns half of Victor's body. Silas then takes Victor to the emergency room in S.T.A.R. Labs, and keeps him there until he gets access to the Red Room.

Green Lantern arrives in Gotham and measures for any unnormal events happening. he gets traces coming from the sewers and goes there right away. He then meets Batman, who Hal thinks is the reason for the activity. They then fight causing damage, until Batman reasons with Hal. They compare notes and decide to go to Metropolis and meet up with Superman, who is currently fighting a figure. When Green Lantern and Batman get there, they see that Superman had defeated a monster that is otherwise known as a Parademon. Just out of nowhere, the box that Superman collected and the box that Batman collected both explode and hundreds of Parademons fly out of them. The three heroes are able to take down a couple dozen, but more and more parademons are flooding the skies of Metropolis, and Hal decides to call in The Flash. He gets there right away, and helps them out.

In Washington, the President calls in General Nathaniel Adams and Colonel Steve Trevor to discuss the horrors happening in Metropolis. They both state that they have a secret weapon to fight the monsters invading Metropolis. Trevor goes and talks to Wonder Woman, who knows of the situation, and goes off to fight. The President then orders General Adams to send the entire millitary to help calm down the chaos happening, and stop the parademons.

After getting the code for the Red Room, Silas takes his son Victor to the most advanced area of the room and hooks him up with some highly advanced technology. A few minutes later, after the cells have regenerated, Victor discovers his new look and is able to take down several parademons who were able to get into S.T.A.R. Labs. Victor then leaves the building and Silas looks for Dr.Morrow and Professor Ivo, whose bodies were then found in the wreckage.

In a flashback, there was a young boy skipping rocks into the water in Maine, waiting for his father to come back. He then looks at the water, as a man comes out of it and asks if the boy is Arthur Curry. He then replies yes and is asked to go with him, in which he says yes again. They travel underwater to a mysterious city hidden from the rest of the world. Arthur then asks what this place is, the man replies that this is the ancient city of Atlantis, and also states that he is Arthur's real father. Back in present day, Arthur is King of Atlantis, and goes by Aquaman, as he has saved many innocent creatures from evils such as Ocean Master and Black Manta. Aquaman is given the news that the surface world is being invaded by creatures, and Arthur then leaves for it.

The Millitary arrives at Metropolis, as they try to shoot the parademons and kill them. Unfortunately, everything failed, until Col.Trevor decided to grab on to a parademon, put a bomb on him with countless more around him, and then the bomb exploded, as Steve Trevor sacrificed himself for the world. Meanwhile, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and The Flash meets Wonder Woman, who saves them from a huge tank that was about to blow them to bits. They team-up to fight the invasion, as Aquaman also joins them. But out of nowhere, a huge portal opens up and a huge shadowy figure comes out of it. He then slams the ground with his 2 arms, and the 6 heroes fall unconcious. Moments later, Green Lantern wakes up and stares down with Darkseid, who is ruler of Apokolips. As he is about to destroy the heroes, Victor comes out of nowhere and blasts Darkseid across the city. He helps Green Lantern get up and then wakes up the others. They form a plan to stop the parademons, take out Darkseid, and send them back to where they came from. Superman and Green Lantern goes to help the millitary take down the parademons, while Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg goes to take down Darkseid. The Flash and Cyborg manages to distract Darkseid, while Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman all goes for his eyes. Batman throws smoke grenades to blurr Darkseid's vision, while Aquaman takes out one of his eyes with his trident, and Wonder Woman takes out the other eye with her sword. Cyborg then is able to open a boom tube back to Apokolips and they all push Darkseid through. Superman and Green Lantern then manages to send the parademons back, thus ending the invasion.

At a ceremony in Washington, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg are all congragulated for their hardwork in stopping the alien invasion, while the entire crowd honor Col.Steve Trevor, who made the ultimate sacrifice while on the line of duty. The 7 heroes then decide that if there is another crisis like this, then they will fight it again, but as the Justice League!

In a post-credits Scene, Amanda Waller talks with Captain Atom and another person about the possibility of taking down the Justice League if neccesary. Waller then reccomends several heroes to be recruited, while the shadowy figure accepts the job, and it reveals that he is the Martian Manhunter.

Cast:
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman: A Kryptonian who was sent from Krypton to escape its destruction and arrived on Earth. He was raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who had taught him many morals. Clark then became Superman, who had saved Metropolis and the World several times, including from General Zod, and others. He had teamed up with Batman before and is one of the most favored heroes on Earth.

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman: Son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. At a young age, Bruce lost his parents to a thug in a alley, and never forgot that night again. He was raised by his butler Alfred Pennyworth, and had trained all around the world. When he came back, he saw a opportunity to fight crime and avenge his parents' deaths. He then became Batman, and always protects Gotham when there is a crime afoot.

Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman: Daughter of the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta and the God Zeus, Princess Diana was trained when she was young, and still trains. As a adult, she is described as rough around the edges, but is strong, courageous, fearless, and brave. She carries a sword, a shield, and the Lasso Of Truth with he, along with tiny daggers.

Liam Hensworth as Green Lantern: When he was a young boy, Hal Jordan lost his father after a horrifying plane crash. Now as a adult, Hal works for his ex-lover and best friend Carol Ferris' company as a test pilot. But one night, a alien from another world came down to Earth, claiming for the one person with the most willpower. Hal was that one, as he then became Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and now the only ones he works for is the Guardians Of The Universe.

Grant Gustin as The Flash: Barry Allen had a great life for most of his childhood, until his mother was murdered. His father was thought to have been the murderer, and was sent to jail, where only a few years later, he died. Now, Barry works for the Central City Police, until he was mistakenly struck by lightning mixed with chemicals in the lab. He then decided to fight crime as The Flash, fastest man alive!

Jake Gyllenhall as Aquaman: As a newborn, Arthur Curry was abondened by his parents and lived on the shores of Maine. Then, years after, Arthur was brought to Atlantis, discovering that he himself is of Atlantean origins. He had worked hard to make up for years in the surface world, and then found out that he is of the royal family. He was crowned King Of Atlantis at a older age, and helps both Atlantis and the Justice League whenever one or both need him.

Chadwick Boseman as Cyborg: Victor Stone was just a normal high school kid who had tried to impress his father, Silas Stone. He signed up for football, where he was possibly one of the greatest players in Ford H.S. history. But his whole world changed when he was severely injured in a accident at S.T.A.R. Labs. He was then reborn as Cyborg, as he had cybornetic technology integrated into his body. He may be inexperienced, but could become one of the most important members of the Justice League.

Damion Poitier as Darkseid: Darkseid is the ruler of a faraway planet known as Apokolips, which is just a deathly fireball. He has amazing abilities and powers that could be used to even rule the entire universe! His omega beams may be his strongest ability though, as when it comes into contact with anything, it could be sent anywhere in the universe, sent back or forward in time, or even destroyed entirely! He has his loyal servents to help him rule the cosmos, along with his vast army of Parademons.

Also, Denzel Washington plays Silas Stone, Danny Huston plays General Nathaniel Adams, Charlie Hunnam plays Col.Steve Trevor, Aaron Paul playing as Doctor T.O. Morrow, and Barack Obama making a cameo as president himself

Production
Development

For years, DC Comics and Warner Bros. have been trying to release a Justice League movie, but many times having failed because of either the scripts weren't good enough, or the movie wasn't able to meet the deadline, etc. But after the Dark Knight Trilogy was released, they had began to start working for a Justice League again. And Once Man Of Steel released with its success, They wanted a Justice League movie with Henry Cavill in it. Unfortunately, in a interview, Christopher Nolan stated that Man Of Steel was in a different universe than the Dark Knight Trilogy, so if a Justice League movie was going on with Henry Cavill, they would have to find a new Batman. The movie was slated to release in 2015, but it was once again delayed, and was put off the table indefinately, until they could actively push the movie into production quickly. On August 22, 2013, it was announced that Ben Affleck would be playing Batman in the Man Of Steel sequel. Warner Bros. quickly signed Affleck on for a Justice League movie, and development was back on. In early 2015, casting began for the movie, with the earliest announcements were Jake Gyllenhall being casted as Aquaman, and Adrianne Palicki being casted as Wonder Woman. And with Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck reprising their roles as Superman and Batman, the movie began to get on pace again. A few months later, DC announced that Darkseid will be in the film as the main villain, and will be played by Damion Poitier. Just then, Warner Bros. handpicked Christopher Nolan, David S.Goyer, and Robert Orci to write the story, while they selected Geoff Johns, writer of DC Comics, and Marc Guggenheim, developer of Arrow, to develop the story and Hans Zimmer, who composed such movies as the Pirates Of The Carribean series, the Dark Knight Trilogy, and the two Man Of Steel movies, to compose the score for the movie. The castings were finalized as Liam Hensworth is set to play as Green Lantern, Matt Lanter as The Flash, Chadwick Boseman to play as Cyborg, Denzel Washington to play Silas Stone, and Danny Huston, Charlie Hunnam, and Aaron Paul set to play as General Nathaniel Adams, Colonel Steve Trevor, and Doctor T.O. Morrow, respectively.

Filming

The movie was set to film in Toronto, Washington, and Chicago, with most of Toronto being the base for Gotham City, while Washington was the base for itself, and Chicago being the base for Metropolis. The overall budget for the movie ended up at $750 Million Dollars. The movie was also planned to be shot in 3D and IMAX Theaters. The big announcement was that for the Atlantis scenes, they would actually be filming underwater. The movie was projected to begin filming in the beginning of 2016, and end in the beginning of 2017, but due to equipment damages, and several injuries around the areas in Washington, the movie instead began filming at the end of 2016, and end at the end of 2017. The film was shot at 48 frames per second, which only The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has done before. Filming officially began on September 9, 2016, and officially ended on March 2, 2017.

Music

In October 2015, DC and Warner Bros.Studios announced that Hans Zimmer would be composing the music for the movie. Zimmer stated that he was excited to be a part of another DC movie, and was happy to be reunited with Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan, and David S.Goyer. Zimmer also said that the music in the movie would be entirely different from the Dark Knight Trilogy and the Man Of Steel movies, saying there will be no returning elements for the music, as it will have a more complexed feel to it. The music is more modern now than the Dark Knight and Man Of Steel movies, showing that Justice League will be the most darkest, yet most exhillirating movie that he's ever composed.

Marketing

The film was announced at the 2015 New York Comic Con, following the success of Batman Vs. Superman. Zack Snyder, Chris Nolan, David S.Goyer, Hans Zimmer, Henry Cavill, and Ben Affleck returned from the most recent movie, Grant Gustin returned from playing The Flash on Arrow, and on his own Show, while newcomers Robert Orci, Adrianne Palicki, Liam Hensworth, Jake Gyllenhall, and Damion Poitier arrived at the show.

At the 2016 WonderCon, Zack Snyder, Chris Nolan, and Hans Zimmer went to the DC/Warner Bros. Panel to update the progress of the movie. They also announced that filming would begin in September, 2016, and that they will reveal photos of filming at the New York Comic Con.

In 2017, filming wrapped up in March, and Zack Snyder once again went to the Panel at WonderCon. He then revealed 5 minutes of unshown footage, as it revealed a lot leading up to the movie. He also stated that there will be more footage shown at San Diego Comic Con, and the first trailer for the movie would be shown a few weeks after that.

Finally, at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con, Zack Snyder, Chris Nolan, David S.Goyer, Robert Orci, Hans Zimmer, Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Adrianne Palicki, Liam Hensworth, Grant Gustin, Jake Gyllenhall, Chadwick Boseman, and Damion Poitier all showed up at the panel. They talked about how amazing it was to work on set, and the difficulties of joining a stacked cast.