Warner Bros. should adapt Grant Morrison's JLA

[Kyphael]

With the failure of Zack Snyder's DCU, and WB shifting gears to re-shape the DCU into a less linear shared universe, and a looser multi-verse, keeping what works (Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam) and ditching what didn't (Suicide Squad, Batflek), I believe the next Justice League movie should adapt Grant Morrison's stellar run from the books.

If you're unfamiliar with the JLA, Grant Morrison took over the book in 1997 due to low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books (Justice League Europe, Justice League International, Justice League Detroit, etc.) In 1997, DC Comics launched a new Justice League series titled JLA, written by Grant Morrison with art by Howard Porter and inker John Dell.



This series, in an attempt at a "back-to-basics" approach, used as its core the team's original and most famous seven members (or their successors): Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), and the Martian Manhunter. Additionally, the team received a new headquarters, the "Watchtower", based on the Moon. JLA quickly became DC's best-selling title,[4] a position it enjoyed off and on for several years. Morrison introduced the idea of the JLA allegorically representing a pantheon of gods, with their different powers and personalities, incorporating such characters as Zauriel, Big Barda, Orion, Huntress, Barbara Gordon (Oracle), Steel (John Henry Irons), and Plastic Man. He also had Aztek, Tomorrow Woman, and Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) as temporaries.

With Arrow just wrapping up its 8 season run, the time is perfect to introduce Connor Hawke in a DCU cinematic universe as its Green Arrow, and the first film should focus on none other than The Key as the main villain, adapting issues #7 and #8.



The Key is the perfect villain in the first JLA movie because despite being merely human, he has the cunning and guile to use psychic drugs to lock each member of the JLA into a kind of virtual reality which drastically varies from the original one. The Key knows that the JLA members will break out of it - and the psycho-electric power surge following that will fuel him to reach his goals. A dreamscape is the perfect opportunity to establish a quasi-origin act of the new JLA; J'onn J'onn Martian Manhunter's dream can spotlight the battle with The White Martians from JLA #1 (the film opening sequence can feature The Hyper Clan landing to swerve audiences, only to find out this origin story cut in half to all 7 heroes trapped in comas beneath the grinning, grimy fingers of The Key.) Green Lantern's dream can depict the fall of Hal Jordan as Parallax, and the rise of Kyle Rayner as the role Green Lantern in the universe. Batman's nightmare can adapt Mark Waid's Tower of Babel story where his fear of a villain using his contingency plan to defeat The Justice League becomes a reality (mirroring the movie's main plot.) Superman's dream can be a re-telling of his origin with Jor'el saving Krypton and Kal'el having never come to Earth and marrying a woman who is an amalgam of Lois Lane and Lana Lang. The Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman's dreams can intersect to depict Flashpoint as a sub-plot, with Queen Diana and Aquaman at war due to Reverse Flash, and Barry Allen sacrificing himself to correct the timeline, paving the way for Wally West becoming the new Flash, leading up to J'onn J'onnz's dream, and the formation of JLA.

The third act features Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) narrowly able to evade The Key's Key Men and waking the comatose Justice Leaguers, just as Green Arrow himself knocks out The Key with a boxing glove arrow to the jaw. The Key's plan is complete however, despite his defeat, and he was not acting alone, but on behalf of the villain Prometheus, who in the sequel will use the information downloaded from the events of the first film to systematically defeat The World's Mightiest Heroes in JLA: Prometheus Unbound.

The third film would bring it all full circle, adapting The Rock of Ages storyline where The League fights Prometheus and Lex Luthor and Joker's new Injustice Gang while a dystopian future reveals the Darkseid War has turned Earth into New Apokolips due to the actions of The Key, Prometheus, and Lex Luthor in movies 1-3.

A potential fourth movie can adapt General E. Eiling and The Ultra-Marines story.

[Redwyrm]

If not that then at least steal from the Justice League Unlimited animated run. There were a handful of epic storylines they could use.

[Kyphael]

If not that then at least steal from the Justice League Unlimited animated run. There were a handful of epic storylines they could use.

I'll take it, Bruce Timm had a great run and mind and I'd love to see a screenplay from him. Interesting enough, Bruce Timm also borrowed a lot of ideas from Grant Morrison's run on JLA, namely the White Martians origin, and he also used Aztek (a character Grant Morrison created for his JLA comics) and The Key, albeit in very minor roles.

[Stormcall]

That run is probably the best Justice League run of all time.

[Kyphael]

That run is probably the best Justice League run of all time.

Anyone disputing it would have a hard time. My God, each issue read like a movie.

Superman wrestled an angel in issue #7!