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‘Justice League’ Set Visits — Is This A Smart Move Or Fearfully Desperate?

By Stephen Jordan
Published on: 05:50 PST, Jun 23, 2016

Zack Snyder’s Justice League movie is going to hit theaters in 2017, following the pretty rough reception of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s no secret that many critics, as well as general audience members, found problems with, or even hated, the movie. Some damage control from the studio was inevitable following the film’s debut, and it looks like we’re seeing that in an unprecedented manner.

Justice League is currently filming, and several online publications were invited for a set visit, to see what Warner Bros. has planned up close and in person. Collider, Birth.Movies.Death, Slash Film, Uproxx, along with others, all got to visit the set and learn a whole host of new information on the plot, characters, and even got a glimpse into the costume department.

A visit to the set of Justice League sounds like a pretty great idea and a fantastic way to let fans know early on what they can expect from the film, from some of the very same publications that may have trashed Batman v Superman. It sounds like the perfect way to start changing public perception and easing the hearts of those who are furious in the comment sections. On the other hand, this could be one incredibly bad move on Warner Bros. part.

Mild spoilers for Justice League up ahead.

“You know, when Batman v Superman first came out, I was like, ‘Wow, okay, woof,’ ” Snyder said during the set visits. “It did catch me off-guard. I kind of felt like — and I have had to, in my mind, make an adjustment.”

That adjustment apparently resulted in a much lighter tone for the film with more jokes and humor. Many reporters and journalists who participated in the Justice League set visits described had full reign to describe a few scenes they witnessed being filmed. One involved Ben Affleck’s Batman meeting Ezra Miller’s Flash for the very first time, and the scene had plenty of levity and humor, even Affleck’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne was described as different than what he did in Batman v Superman.

While on the surface this sounds promising, the fact that this unprecedented set visit even happened the way it did could be pointing to trouble in the future. Not only for Justice League, but maybe for some of the other DC Comics films coming up.

Suicide Squad is coming out in August. As far as we know, the studio is happy with it and is even planning on doing a sequel, as well as allowing Harley Quinn to star in a spinoff film. But if that’s the case, why not just push the promotion on Suicide Squad, to temper the sour taste left in people’s mouths after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Justice League has only been filming for a few weeks, isn’t it far too early to be revealing details from the set?

This could be desperation. Warner Bros. released a deleted scene from Batman v Superman the Monday after the movie had its opening weekend. It seems clear that those involved do not know what they’re doing when it comes to marketing BvS, and Justice League. We remember that BvS trailer that upset fans by revealing Doomsday towards the end and showing off the Trinity, with the very next trailer purely focusing on the conflict between Batman and Superman.

It’s clear from the reports on these set visits that Justice League is going to be a lighter film in tone than BvS. But San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner, and it does seem like Warner Bros. will be there to promote Justice League. Were these set visits really necessary if that’s the case? If you were planning on revealing any info on Justice League and the tone of the film, Comic-Con would seem like the most appropriate place to do so.

There were no set visits like this on Wonder Woman, or Suicide Squad, or even on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This could be a really desperate move by WB to try and move their DCEU in a more positive direction, as far as its public perception. Is Suicide Squad not good enough to change the minds of those who hated BvS? Or is WB just in panic-mode, not knowing what to do? We will just have to wait and see.

The synopsis for Zack Snyder’s Justice League can be read below.

“Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”

Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman debuts in cinemas June 2, 2017; Justice League arrives on November 17, 2017; The Flash races into theaters on March 16, 2018; Aquaman hits July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film arrives on October 5, 2018; Shazam will open on April 5, 2019; A Justice League sequel on June 14, 2019; another untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; with Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020.

[Image via Warner Bros.]

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