Casting the Justice League (a dream cast list)

written by Justin Prince (@prince_justin)

With news recently breaking regarding a possible rumor that Christian Bale will reprise his role as Batman (with Nolan coming along in tow) for the future Justice League movie (for the record, I think that would be a bad idea), I decided to sit back and rattle off a dream cast of my own, while budget/actor commitments/and of course the studio would have final say, here are the actors that I feel would best fit the role of DC Comics super-team of super-heroes. As far as format goes (and because the DC Multiverse can get kind of confusing... even I still get lost here and there) I am going to stick to the New 52 Justice League, meaning the team will consist of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), The Flash (Barry Allen), and Cyborg.

Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent

Okay! so I intend this to stick. With Man of Steel  hotly anticipated at the box office, from the trailers alone he looks to fill out the red and blue tights well. I won't fight the masses too much on this one and I'm hotly anticipating seeing this when the film launches in June. I haven't been this psyched for a Superhero movie since Spider-man , the Tobey Spidey.

Now on to the list! I comprised this list primarily from the post-Flashpoint NEW 52 Justice League... 

Ryan Gosling as The Flash/Barry Allen

When it comes to the fastest man alive, I definitely envision Ryan Gosling donning the red and yellow. While Ryan Gosling has successfully become an internet sensation (Hey Girl) and played primarily the role of the main love interest in many a romance flick, the physicality and brutal nature of his character in Drive  makes me think he'd fit right in with the action/fight sequences required to play the role. Barry Allen has been described as witty, laid-back, humorous, friendly, and generally one of the more approachable members of the super-hero community. These personality traits coupled with Ryan Gosling's natural charm make for a fitting match.

Ryan Reynolds as The Green Lantern/Hal Jordan

Okay! before you try to tar and feather us here, let me throw two pennies at you. I agree that the Green Lantern  film was absolute horse doo doo and was damn near completely unwatchable. The things is, Ryan Reynolds is still a great fit for the role. I chalk up the lackluster reception of that film to horrible writing and production, but I remember when they first announced Ryan Reynold's as Hal Jordan I wholeheartedly agreed! Hal Jordan is a man possessing a strong sense of what ir righteous. In contrast he is also brash and arrogant. The type of character that Ryan Reynolds can definitely play if given the right script and director. I stand by my decision 100%

Michael Fassbender as Aquaman/Arthur Curry

The King of Atlantis is a regal hero with a strong sense of right and wrong. Jokingly made fun of, don't let an episode of The Big Bang Theory  turn you off, Aquaman owns the seas and from footage from the upcoming fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us, one of his moves is compelling a shark to hurl itself as an opponent for a quick nosh! Aquaman does not suck Raj, and when it comes to actors who can play this underwater BAMF, Michael Fassbender immediately comes to mind. He's no rookie when it comes to sci-fi/comic book films playing David in Prometheus,  Magneto in X-Men: First Class,  and even rumored to play Altaïr in the film adaptation of Assassin's Creed. BAMF material indeed! Fassbender's delivery would fit the character perfectly and the guy just "looks" like Aquaman... amiright!?!? Personal note: I was so close to picking Adrian Grenier as Vincent Chase as Aquaman... jessayin.

Alexandra Daddario as Wonder Woman/Diana of Themyscira

If this light eyed raven haired beauty seems unfamiliar, you may recognize her as Annabeth Chase from   Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  In that film she plays the demi-god daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom/war/handicrafts. She played an integral part in the film and looked right at home wielding a sword and shield. As far as playing the Amazon Princess, I see her fitting into the role nicely, the tenacity she displayed when playing Annabeth would translate well to Wonder Woman. Alexandra will reprise her role in the forthcoming Percy Jackson  sequel later this year.

Donald Glover as Cyborg/Victor Stone

While physically, the Community  star and Childish Gambino doesn't quite fit the role of the hulking half man half machine Cyborg, the wit and charm Glover would bring to the role would fit him nicely, while physically he doesn't have to look like an exact match (just hit the gym a bit more Don) the somewhat nerdy youthful exuberance that Glover would bring to the character would fit great with previous portrayals of Cyborg, primarily the widely popular Teen Titans  from Cartoon Network.      

Brandon Routh as Batman/Bruce Wayne

Okay, I know I'm a little bias. I'm a huge Batman fan. One of my tattoos is the scene when Batman passionately kisses Catwoman from the Hush  story arc. But before I get too sidetracked, allow me to explain. While I know he's already been a DC hero, but hey... if Chris Evans can be both Human Torch and Captain America, I don't see why Brandon Routh can't be the Bat. Aside from my fervent negative opinion of Christian Bale reprising the role, just look at him... that's Batman! If you saw Routh play Todd Ingram in Scott Pilgrim vs the World  (one of my favorite movies mind you) you'll see that the guy got big, kicking around Michael Cera's Scott Pilgrim like how the Bat would to any Gotham lowlife... just no psychic powers. Put him under the cape and cowl, he'd fit right in. Note: I'd like to add that I really did enjoy the Nolan-verse Batman, I just feel that with the way he closed the tale of his Dark Knight, having Bale reprise the role would be counterproductive to the character, and especially to the original ending.

Before I end this, I wanted to throw in a few honorable mentions, while not included in my New 52 centric lineup, if the studio decides to go a different route with the members of the JLA, this would be the way to go. If rather than Barry Allen as the Crimson Speedster, they have Wally West play the role, young/new Captain Kirk Chris Pine  would fit the role nicely, just maybe dye the hair a bit more red. If the John Stewart Green Lantern is more your speed, consider Omar Epps  to play the role of this critical member of the Green Lantern Corps. Martian Manhunter is one of my favorite JLA members, in previous iterations of the character he has always had some kind of accent, take Beninese actor Djimon Hounsou as the role, mostly likely playing a voice to a CG character.

SO! What did you think of my dream cast? Have a suggestion yourself? Sound off in the comments below and thanks for reading, cheers.