Guillermo Del Toro talks 'Justice League Dark'; reveals a new team member

While Warner Bros. seems completely lost in the development of their Justice League film, Guillermo Del Toro's Justice League Dark (aka Dark Justice or Heaven Sent) is progressing right along. At this point it wouldn't be a complete surprise if it's ready to roll first, although the studio probably would hold off until the entire superhero line is in a better position. What we know about the film so far is that it will feature anti-heroes from the supernatural realm of the DC Universe, so don't expect to see Superman flying in to the rescue. While at WonderCon to promote this summer's Pacific Rim, Del Toro spoke to Collider about the film's development while also revealing the addition of a rather obscure character.

Del Toro: "The route we’re going is Constantine is our lead.  Constantine is the guy who leads us in and out of the plot.  We have Swamp Thing, Etrigan, we have Zatanna, we have—I will spoil it—the Floronic Man.  We have stuff that those who love the darker side of the DC Universe are going to appreciate, and we’re trying to be true to the origins of the characters."

We were already aware that most of these characters, including the unmentioned Deadman, would be a part of the team. The one surprise addition is Floronic Man, a plant-based character best known for his appearances during Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run. He's the sort of character that only a
devoted fan would recognize, much less have any desire to use in a feature film.  He's undergone a lot of changes over the years, but Del Toro's desire to "be true to the origins" means his version will likely be an alien from the plant world of Floria. It also means he may be one of the film's villains, and not an actual member of the team.

Back in January, Del Toro said he had the "perfect writer" for the film, but he remains tight-lipped on just who that is....

Del Toro:  "I won’t say who it is.  I’m not allowed.  But we’re waiting, and when the right time comes, hopefully that writer will take over, and then we’ll see if it’s directed by me or someone else and I’ll just produce.  I don’t know."

So it's still up in the air if Del Toro will even be behind the camera for this one, although it sounds like a project very near and dear to his heart. That could factor in to his final decision, and could cause him to push back any number of the various projects he's got sitting on the backburner....

Del Toro: "I’m literally playing with two of my oldest and most favorite characters in my life—Swamp Thing and Etrigan.  These were the guys I was drawing with crayons when I was a kid.  I cannot tell you how happy I am, but I am finishing my bible, and then I deliver that bible, which is about 45 pages, to Warners, and we have a screenwriter that we like and that we talk to, but he is writing his own movie right now and is thinking about it.  But I am going to try to wait for him."