Back in June, Warner Bros.' gestatingJustice League Dark, also known asDark Universe, suffered a serious blow whenGuillermo del Torobacked away from the project he was originally planning to direct. While the studio still doesn’t have a director in place for thesuperheroadaptation,The Tracking Boardreveals the project is moving forward once again, withScott Rudincoming aboard to produce.Guillermo del Torois still attached as a produce as well, but the project is now moving ahead at a much faster pace.
Scott Rudinis reportedly moving quickly to try and secure a production start date for sometime in 2016. The producer has already been approaching directors, and has been making updates to the script, written byGuillermo del Toro. The site reveals thatGuillermo del Torobacked out to focus onPacific Rim 2, which was officially delayed last month to give the director and his team more time. Warner Bros. hasn’t issued a release date for eitherPacific Rim 2orJustice League Darkyet, but the site claims that the latter is now a major priority for the studio.
The Tracking Boardalso has the first plot details, revealing that the story centers on “a series of ancient tomes stolen by a madman hellbent on the destruction of humanity.” After learning about these tomes, John Constantine assembles a team of heroes who “specialize in the mystic and arcane,” to save the world. While none of the other characters have been confirmed,Guillermo del Tororevealed last August that he wants to include Swamp Thing, Deadman, Shade, Madame Xanadu, Zatanna, Etrigan the Demon and The Floronic Man. The producers are planning on casting a new John Constantine, meaningMatt Ryan, who played the title character on NBC’sConstantine, will not be part of the project.
The movie is based on the comic seriesJustice League Darkwritten by Peter Milligan and illustrated byMikel Janin, which was first published in November 2011. The film will introduce both mysticism and the supernatural into DC’s Cinematic Universe, although it will not be connected to Warner Bros.‘Justice Leagueand theirDC Universeright away. The site claims that Warner Bros. eventually plans on bridging both worlds, insertingJustice League Darkmembers into other DC projects.
Scott Rudinis best known for producing prolific Oscar-worthy dramas such asCaptain Phillips,Inside Llewyn DavisandThe Grand Budapest Hotel. His next film, the critically-acclaimed biopicSteve Jobs, hits theaters in New York and L.A. this weekend, before expanding nationwide on October 23. He also produced the upcoming comedy sequelZoolander 2, which hits theaters in February, and is about to start production onThe Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter, starringJosh BrolinandDanny McBride.
