JL: Doom why not more JLU?

[Gotham Central]

What I find interesting about a lot of the DC Direct to DVD films is how much they fall back on the greatness that was the old DCAU. Sometimes its the artwork more often its the voice talent.

My question is why keep puttering around the edges...why not just make more DCAU TV/Films? They were critically acclaimed and well received by fans. Why not simply make more?

 

[Christopher]

I think it's just that the folks currently running WB Animation prefer to do something new instead of going back to that well. This is somewhat speculative on my part, but when new executives take over from old executives, they're generally more interested in making a name for themselves with their own projects than with continuing what the old guard was doing. (Which is reportedly why the John Carter movie hasn't been well-promoted by Disney -- because it's a leftover from the old guard at the studio and the new guard isn't as attached to it.) There was a regime change at WB Animation/Cartoon Network in the early 2000s, I think, and though JLU continued for a few seasons into the era where we started to get things like Teen Titans and The Batman, there was evidently no interest in doing any new DCAU shows once JLU ended. The preference now is apparently for each production to be in its own separate reality, to be a different take on things, etc.

It could also be that Bruce Timm just got tired of doing the same thing for over a decade and wanted to change things up. Bringing back the familiar actors, according to the interviews Andrea Romano has given, isn't so much about connecting with a given continuity as it is about working with people who know the roles well and are proven quantities, people the production team works well with, people who can just come in and nail it rather than starting from scratch and needing to learn as they go.

I don't know what you mean about the artwork, though. None of the DC Universe DVD movies have replicated the Timm/Murakami art style of the DCAU shows, beyond a certain general WB house style in the use of lines and color. They've tried to use a different design approach in every production, almost always less stylized/cartoony than the DCAU look, with the exception of The New Frontier (but that was about emulating Darwyn Cooke's design style, which is highly Timm-influenced). Some of the design styles may resemble the DCAU look to some viewers' eyes, but the creators aren't actually trying to make the films look like the DCAU. (In fact, the designs in JL: Doom are much more like those in Young Justice, since they have the same character designer.)

 

[Disruptor]

Possible reasons are that stand-alone adaptations of comic stories allow them more creative freedom and don't require viewers to have watched gobs of episodes of Batman, Superman and Justic League/Unlimited to know what's going on. I would assume they want to appeal to some impulse buyer market that would enjoy a stand-alone adventure.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Bruce Timm wanted to end the "Timm'Verse" and explore other animated designs and stories after "Justice League Unlimited" ended, that's why there has been no more DCUA projects. This question keeps on coming up it seems every SDCC. Maybe one day we will see a return of sorts, but I doubt it.

 

[Mr Light]

JLU ended in May 2006... six years ago. If their target audience is 12 year old boys... that target audience is 18 now.

 

[Saul]

Yet they seem to try and appeal to fans of JLU by using the same voice cast.

 

[Mr Light]

Using the old voice actors won't confuse the new generation of 12 year olds, though, whereas if it's a continuation of a decade old continuity, it might.

 

[BDJ]

Using the original DCU voice actors won't confuse the current demographic of 12 year olds. Although it makes for a nice continuity if, like me, you've treated your 12 year old to your video library of the entire DCU and he's completely up to date with the entire set of series. Batman and Superman TAS along with JL and JLU. We're currently enjoying Young Justice and Green Lantern together. Makes for great father and son time.

 

[Christopher]

Yet they seem to try and appeal to fans of JLU by using the same voice cast.

I've already explained, they didn't make that choice to appeal to the fans, they made that choice because they knew these actors, worked well with them, and knew that they understood the characters and could be trusted to give good, solid performances. Andrea Romano has explained this in many interviews.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Phill Lamar said some stuff on twitter that broke my heart.

But Nathan Fillion needs his vanity projects.

"Sigh"

 

[23skidoo]

Yet they seem to try and appeal to fans of JLU by using the same voice cast.

I've already explained, they didn't make that choice to appeal to the fans, they made that choice because they knew these actors, worked well with them, and knew that they understood the characters and could be trusted to give good, solid performances. Andrea Romano has explained this in many interviews.

And it's not as if they do it with every film. In fact I made a comment in another thread bemoaning the fact they kept changing the voice actors for Superman and Lois, etc (at the time I posted that I was not aware that Doom was in fact a continuation of JLU - I didn't realize that until the Blu-ray fired up and I recognized most of the names as being the JLU voice cast).

For all we know the next DCU film might have John Barrowman or someone doing Superman's voice. I don't really expect continuity of that nature as long as they continue basing the films on standalone graphic novels. Which I guess makes sense because if they want to have ongoing continuity they might as well just commission a new weekly TV series.

Alex

 

[Christopher]

^Doom isn't a continuation of JLU. It's in a separate continuity despite having the same actors. For one thing, it has Hal Jordan as GL instead of John Stewart. (And although it's reusing Nathan Fillion as Hal, I doubt it's in continuity with Emerald Knights.)

 

[Nowhere Man]

I seem to remember in All Star Superman commentaries that they wanted to try different styles and actors on each movie. When Batman TAS and Superman TAS came out I was at or close to the target age, when JL and JLU came out, I was older, but still watched due to the continuity. Now, it's been over ten or even longer years since those shows we're on the air. It's a shame we can't have that again, but Mark Hamil has retired and I suspect Kevin Conroy will not want to continue much longer. The other actors may not want to continue either. Unfortunately, that era is over and frankly, I think a lot of the new movies suffer because of it. I've really lost interest in the past few years in the DCAU. I've yet to see one that I really loved. Most were just ok.

 

[Christopher]

^Umm, none of the movies made in recent years have been in the DCAU. There hasn't been any new content set in that universe since 2006. Crisis on Two Earths was based on a script written for the DCAU, but was changed enough that it didn't quite fit. So I'm not really sure what it is you're saying.

 

[Gotham Central]

^Doom isn't a continuation of JLU. It's in a separate continuity despite having the same actors. For one thing, it has Hal Jordan as GL instead of John Stewart. (And although it's reusing Nathan Fillion as Hal, I doubt it's in continuity with Emerald Knights.)

Funny you should mention John Stewart...I was watching JLoom and they depicted Jonn Jonzz as a black man (which is a first) and called him John. I was actually confused for a second as to why John Stewart was suddenly in the movie.

 

[Guy Gardener]

J'onn J'onnzz.

Which coincidentally sounds a hell of a lot like John Jones.

His name is deceptively common.

A friend of mine was telling me years ago, no idea where he got the info from, that John has dozens of (Civilian AND superhero) identities he uses in different parts of the world so that all the little countries feel secure that they have a national hero looking after their homefront instead of yet more Americans, which is really nice of him.

Justice League Doom was written by Dwayne McDuffie, and even if that's so, there's no reason why John would see human bigotry as anything but laughable compared to the intensity of Martian bigotry... White Martians eat Green Martians don't they? Vegetarians vs. cannibals. Talk about an extreme philosophical schism? How often does your meal say "please, please don't eat me."

If you ever watched/read Static Shock, you'll understand Dwayne's point of view on black characters.

 

[Christopher]

Funny you should mention John Stewart...I was watching JL: Doom and they depicted Jonn Jonzz as a black man (which is a first) and called him John. I was actually confused for a second as to why John Stewart was suddenly in the movie.

It's not a first; Phil Morris played J'onn in Smallville. For that matter, the majority of actors to play J'onn in TV/film have been African-American: in addition to Morris, we've had Carl Lumbly in JL/U (and this), Dorian Harewood in The Batman, Jonathan Adams in JL: Crisis on Two Earths, and Kevin Michael Richardson in Young Justice. The only Caucasian actors to play the role have been David Ogden Stiers in the unaired 1997 JLA pilot, Miguel Ferrer in JL: The New Frontier, and Nicholas Guest in Batman: The Brave and the Bold -- plus Daniel Riordan in a 2006 video game and Dwight Schultz (!) in DC Universe Online.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

A friend of mine was telling me years ago, no idea where he got the info from, that John has dozens of (Civilian AND superhero) identities he uses in different parts of the world so that all the little countries feel secure that they have a national hero looking after their homefront instead of yet more Americans, which is really nice of him.

That was something John Ostrander introduced in the Martian Manhunter ongoing series from the late 1990s.

 

[Christopher]

JLU's J'onn J'onzz eventually adopted a "civilian" identity as a Chinese man.

 

[Gotham Central]

Funny you should mention John Stewart...I was watching JL: Doom and they depicted Jonn Jonzz as a black man (which is a first) and called him John. I was actually confused for a second as to why John Stewart was suddenly in the movie.

It's not a first; Phil Morris played J'onn in Smallville. For that matter, the majority of actors to play J'onn in TV/film have been African-American: in addition to Morris, we've had Carl Lumbly in JL/U (and this), Dorian Harewood in The Batman, Jonathan Adams in JL: Crisis on Two Earths, and Kevin Michael Richardson in Young Justice. The only Caucasian actors to play the role have been David Ogden Stiers in the unaired 1997 JLA pilot, Miguel Ferrer in JL: The New Frontier, and Nicholas Guest in Batman: The Brave and the Bold -- plus Daniel Riordan in a 2006 video game and Dwight Schultz (!) in DC Universe Online.

You're talking about the actors. I'm talking about his human secret identity. Its usually been white...even in JLU (though you have a point about Phil Morris in Smallville).