After spending years developing the project, Guillermo del Toro made a big move a few weeks ago when it was announced that he would no longer going to be making the DC Comics film Justice League Dark. At the time of this breaking news, no official reason was given for the break - but now the director has gone on record about the situation, and has revealed that it's all because of Pacific Rim 2.
The Daily Beast caught up with the Crimson Peak director last week at San Diego Comic-Con, and it was during their interview that the filmmaker explained his departure from what would have been his fourth comic book adaptation after Blade II, Hellboy, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. He explained that Justice League Dark is in a good place right now, but that he simply couldn't make the timing work. Said del Toro,
Warners liked the script, they were very enthusiastic and wanted to green-light it but they wanted it to coincide with the shoot of Pacific Rim 2. I was put in a very difficult place facing a difficult choice, and I chose to do Pacific Rim 2.
Justice League Dark is going to be a live-action version of the DC Comics of the same name, which largely centered on the group adventures of characters including John Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, and Etrigan the Demon (among others). Rather than being sci-fi/superhero driven, these stories focus more in the horror/fantasy/magic realm, with the heroes fighting against evil supernatural forces.
The project didn't have a release date when Guillermo del Toro was attached to make it, but if the schedule is going to conflict with Pacific Rim 2, that means the studio might be planning the movie to come out in the same year as that sequel - 2017 (of course, now that del Toro is no longer attached, that may push Warner Bros. plans back a bit). If the film does come out two years from now, it will be on the calendar the same year as two other DC Comics properties: Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman and Zack Snyder's Justice League.
This news makes sense, if not only because del Toro has been ramping up for Pacific Rim 2 lately, while there has been very little talk about the development of Justice League Dark. Hell, it was less than a week ago that the filmmaker revealed that he is planning to start filming the sequel in November, and that he's been actively designing the epic final battle for the last few weeks.
How do you feel about Guillermo del Toro's choice? Do you feel he's right to stick with Pacific Rim 2, or would you have rather seen him make Justice League Dark? Who do you think should replace del Toro on the comic book movie? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
