Currently, Adam Brody and D.J. Cotrona star as the grown-up, superpowered versions of Freddy Freeman and Pedro Peña in WB’s Shazam! franchise. But before they joined the Shazam family in 2019, both actors were supposed to play members of a much higher-profile team of DC heroes. In the early 2000s, Brody and Cotrona were cast as the Flash and Superman in George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal. The film was all set to begin filming in 2008 before it was unceremoniously cancelled later that year. And although he eventually got a chance to suit up as another DC character, Brody continues to have fond memories of (almost) slipping into Barry Allen’s shoes.
Brody reflected on his Justice League experience while speaking with ComicBook.com about Shazam! Fury of the Gods. When asked about Miller’s plans for the film, he recalled that they actually started prep work overseas before Warner Bros. handed down the axe. But in spite of the studio’s decision, he still thinks fans would have enjoyed the finished product.
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“It’s nice to have D.J. in this,” said Brody. “We share that piece of history. Honestly it was pretty brief. I think he was in Australia longer than I was — I thin he was cast before I was, and he was out there training I believe. I was out there for a couple of weeks. We were doing some table reads and some notes sessions. George Miller’s a genius, and he’s got some really eccentric, cool people around him. I fully believed in it. I really liked the script, and I thought it was going to be really good. In hindsight, and seeing what he did with Mad Max, I only think that moreso, but who knows? Maybe the ‘what could have been’ is better than what would have been.”
The critical acclaim surrounding Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015 definitely renewed interest in what Miller’s take on the Justice League would have looked like. Regardless, the heroes weren’t destined to appear onscreen together until 2017, though the results were less than impressive. In the meantime, the DC cinematic universe is about to start fresh with a new series of films and TV shows mapped out by James Gunn and Peter Safran. But unfortunately, we still don’t know if these plans will culminate in another Justice League movie.
Were you looking forward to seeing Brody and Cotrona suit up as members of the Justice League? Let us know in the comment section below!
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