The DC Shakeup had been going far too long before new DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran took over. Now that Gunn is settling down to reconstruct the new DCU timeline, M3GAN director Gerard Johnstone, whose Justice League Dark movie script was previously scrapped, breaks silence on why his movie didn’t happen.
“It was just a tough time for DC… I was told that they don’t want to spend money on another new movie with a bunch of characters no one’s heard of, and I understand that. It was a shame,” Johnstone said in a recent interview with ScreenRant.
“I really was just halfway through the scriptwriting process with that one. So Deadman, Swamp Thing, Constantine, Zatanna. [I felt like Zatanna was actually the main character], and there was a lot of conversations and jostling I had with the guys, because they were like, ‘Constantine’s the main character,’” Johnstone added, “I was like, ‘No, Constantine’s kind of the coolest character. But Zatanna is really the main character.’ Because she’s discovering her magical powers for the first time. But it was fun, man. The characters all went to hell to get Zatanna’s dad.”
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It is worth taking note that Johnstone had written the script after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, which potentially explains the inspiration behind bringing a new band of new unknown characters together, whose main goal was to venture into Hell to rescue Zatanna’s father.
Johnstone then concluded by expressing his hopes in getting to pitch the film again in James Gunn’s DCU, seeing as most of the characters are already developing stories under the new DC slate. Not to mention that Gunn had also directed Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, which could pit Justice League Dark and GOTG as their own franchise versions.
What do you think of a Justice League Dark movie?
Meanwhile, Gunn’s new DCU starts off with Superman: Legacy, which is expected to premiere on July 11, 2025.
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