Rumors on the 'Justice League' Villain and the 'Suicide Squad' Lineup

Before we knew the plot or cast (or the title) of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, questions were already being asked about Justice League. Who would be part of the team? What villain would force DC's greatest heroes to join forces? Those questions haven't been answered yet but Latino Review claims to know who the villain will be, plus the lineup for the upcoming Suicide Squad movie.

The site, which shoots about 50% on stuff like this, claims Argo screenwriter Chris Terrio will be introducing the villain Brainiac in Justice League. Generally considered a Superman foe, the presence of Brainiac could suggest a tighter connection to the Man of Steel films. It also means we probably won't be seeing much if anything of Darkseid, who has long been rumored to be the Justice League bad guy.

While we wait to find out if Fury and End of Watch director David Ayer will be at the helm for Suicide Squad, speculation has already begun on which of DC's heels will comprise the team of expendable government agents. The seven members are Deadshot, Vixen (also a Justice League member), Harkness aka Captain Boomerang, Blockbuster, Mindboggler, Jaculi, and Multiplex with the first three as the leads. What, no Bronze Tiger? No Rick Flag?

The Suicide Squad film hasn't even been confirmed yet so assuming anything about the storyline is way premature. Justice League has been in development for awhile so the chances of Brainiac appearing are far greater because Terrio, Zack Snyder, and David Goyer are probably working on the story together.

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'Argo' Screenwriter Chris Terrio Brought On to Write 'Justice League'

The build up to Warner Bros.' eventual Justice League has taken many twists and turns, but the pieces finally seem to be coming together. Zack Snyder is steering everything up to this point, helping to get the momentum going with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. Will Beall had been the guy who wrote the first Justice League script, it got thrown out with David Goyer coming on to give it a go. But more works needs to be done, and a good way to do that is by bringing on Chris Terrio, the Oscar-winning writer of Argo.

So having Terrio come aboard has its privileges, namely his familiarity with Ben Affleck. But Terrio is already getting his feet wet in the DC universe as the Batman v Superman scribe, which should make things easier as this new cinematic universe is constructed.

Justice League is rumored to be arriving in 2017 but nothing is confirmed just yet. [Deadline]

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'Batman vs. Superman' to get Rewrite from 'Argo' Screenwriter

While fans wait with baited breath for more word on Joaquin Phoenix taking on the role of Lex Luthor in Batman vs. Superman, the film apparently needs a bit of retooling. Warner Bros.' #1 dude David Goyer wrote the initial version of the script, but now it's getting a fresh rewrite from Oscar-winning Argo writer, Chris Terrio.

Terrio is obviously close with the studio and star Ben Affleck, who will be suiting up as an older, grizzled Batman in the Man of Steel sequel. Details on it remain scarce but we know it will introduce Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot, and Nightwing and the Flash are expected to be in the mix. Jason Momoa and Callan Muley are being eyed for bad guys in the crowded superhero film, which is expected to help set up a future Justice League movie.

With Goyer involved with a number of projects, including the recently confirmed Sandman adaptation, it makes sense to bring in a heavy-hitter like Terrio. Directed by Zack Snyder, Batman vs Superman opens July 17th 2015. [THR]

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Ben Affleck to direct 'Bunker Hill' for Warner Bros.

Ben Affleck has long had a number of directorial projects to choose from, and that was before his Argo took home the Oscar for Best Picture. Already with an adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand, an American remake of French thriller Tell No One, a Whitey Bulger biopic, and an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's Live By Night, Affleck is now adding another promising picture to his busy slate.

Warner Bros. just paid a hefty sum to secure the film rights to Nathaniel Philbrick's upcoming novel, Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution as a directing vehicle for Affleck. Argo scribe Chris Terrio is already attached to adapt the script, which is set in 1775 Boston and centers on the famous Battle of Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary War. Here's the official synopsis....

Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents  have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord.  In June, however, with the city cut off from supplies by a British blockade and Patriot militia poised in siege, skirmishes give way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists.

Philbrick brings a fresh perspective to every aspect of the story. He finds new characters, and new facets to familiar ones. The real work of choreographing rebellion falls to a thirty-three year old physician named Joseph Warren who emerges as the on-the-ground leader of the Patriot cause and is fated to die at Bunker Hill. Others in the cast include Paul Revere, Warren’s fiancé the poet Mercy Scollay, a newly recruited George Washington, the reluctant British combatant General Thomas Gage and his more bellicose successor William Howe, who leads the three charges at Bunker Hill and presides over the claustrophobic cauldron of a city under siege as both sides play a nervy game of brinkmanship for control.

With passion and insight, Philbrick reconstructs the revolutionary landscape—geographic and ideological—in a mesmerizing narrative of the robust, messy, blisteringly real origins of America.

Boston is obviously an area Affleck knows well, and the historical/political relevance has to have Warner Bros. thinking of this as a future awards contender. Affleck is currently adapting Live By Night as his next feature in front of and behind the camera, so this may come after that is completed. Then again with so many options available, some of which are very high-profile, it'll be interesting to see what direction Affleck goes in.

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