We bring the 2nd Unit back to dip our toes into Development Hell once again...kind of! As a pseudo-sequel of our Superman Lives episodes, we dig into the history of what was supposed to be Justice League: Mortal, the short-lived but fascinating first attempt at the superhero team-up. Directed by George Miller, written by Kieran and Michelle Mulroney, and starring a surprisingly young cast including Armie Hammer, Common, and Jay Baruchel, this goofy comic-book-accurate project met insurmountable obstacles on the way to production. We break down the full cast and story of this project (thanks in large part to cast interviews, articles from Collider, and the great work of the Canceled Movie Report podcast), go over a brief history of the Justice League, and explore the biggest reasons for this film's collapse: the Australian government and the 2007-2008 Writers' Guild of America strike. We marvel at the gambit of casting such young actors for such iconic adult roles, give a brief lesson on rabies symptoms, hypothesize future advancements in villainous tracking technology, have a fun discussion on currency conversion rates and tax credits, subject you to some truly awful Batman voices, remind you that Jack is still trying to track down a VHS copy of Nukie to torture Joe with, bring awareness to the pitfalls of bad acronyms/initialisms, Jack plugs his latest creative project, and we ask a question we've been wondering for some time: do the members of the Justice League all share a tailor? Suit up, settle into the Brother Eye console, and enjoy the show.
CW: Brief mention of Armie Hammer's sexual misconduct allegations, terrible Batman voices
Podcast Plugged In This Episode: The Geeky Dad Podcast (@geekydadpodcast and @RaphaelMoran on Twitter)
Things Mentioned In This Episode: Paul Dini, Grant Morrison, Elongated Man, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Guy Gardiner, Superman Lives, Superman Returns, Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Christopher Reeve, Bryan Singer, Clerks 2, Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Joel Schumacher, The Dark Knight, Batman Versus Superman, JJ Abrams, MCU, Iron Man, Hulk, David Goyer, Kieran Mulroney, Michelle Mulroney, Mr. And Mrs. Smith, Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking, Aaron Eckhardt, Juno, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, George Miller, Mad Max, Mad Max: Fury Road, Happy Feet,
Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Fat Joe, Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, Barry Osbourne, Merit Allen, Weta Workshop, Peter Jackson, Canceled Movie Report Podcast, Snyderverse, Wonder Woman 1984, Gal Godot, HappySadConfused Podcast, Joseph Cross, Strangers With Candy, Running With Scissors, Michael Angarano, Almost Famous, Sky High, Max Thieriot, The Pacifier, Nancy Drew, Minka Kelly, The Pumpkin Karver, The Kingdom, Adrianne Palicki, Friday Night Lights, Scott Porter, Music and Lyrics, Jessica Biel, 7th Heaven, The Illusionist, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Death Proof, Live Free or Die Hard, DJ Cotrona, Venom (2005), Windfall, Armie Hammer, Flicka, Arrested Development, Veronica Mars, Desperate Housewives, Megan Gale, Stealth, Teresa Palmer, The Grudge 2, December Boys, Talia al Ghul, Common, Smokin’ Aces, Jon Stewart, Green Lantern, Adam Brody, The OC, In The Land of Women, Barry Allen, The Flash, Anton Yelchin, Charlie Bartlett, Wally West, Kid Flash, Santiago Cabrerra, Love & Other Disasters, Heroes, Aquaman, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Martian Manhunter, Jay Baruchel, Undeclared, Knocked Up, Maxwell Lord, Seth Rogen, Zoe Kazan, Stephen Tobolowsky, Mark Waid, OMAC, Starro, WGA, AMPTP, DGA, SAG, IATSE, Redbox, Netflix, Wolverine, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig, Babe: Pig In The City, Man of Steel, Dragonball Z, Pedro Pascal, Nick Cage, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Goon, Seann William Scott, Jamie Lee Curtis, 3000 Years of Longing, Jessica Alba, Fantastic Four, Shazam!, George Clooney, Alicia Silverstone, Ahmed Best, Jake Lloyd
