Part of the Geek Chic camp is clamoring for a JLA movie, no matter which characters are in it. Another swears that the Big 3(the holy trinity of Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman) MUST be included. Still another portion says there's no way the Dark Knight should be in it, since Christopher Nolan's revolutionary and much-revered "real world" approach to handling the Caped Crusader wouldn't allow him to properly fit in with a bunch of spandex-wearing folk flying around and leaping buildings in a single bound.

     Me?

     I believe that while all of the above are right, all are also wrong. How so? Just take a look at any JLA comic in which the Big 3 appear, along with their co-stars(Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, whoever). Batman, for all his lack of powers and standard humanity, generally has leadership of the team deferred to him anyway, due to his unmatched genius as a combat strategist. No matter what the situation, he is usually the one to figure out what the hell's going on behind the scenes of the battle, and churn out a way to stop the villain of the month. Superman has the brawn, Wonder Woman the heart, the other team members give their all--but no one comes close to match-ing wits with our man in the cowl.

     A Justice League movie can definitely work with the Dark Knight in it, if the rest of the movie is designed as "realistically" as possible. By that, I mean that while the League must face an enemy(or enemies) powerful enough to threaten the entire planet, the main thrust of the adventure must focus on the human element of the tale, which all too many such films either ignore completely, or their directors simply don't know how to handle(that would be you, Tim Story). To do a Justice League movie right, it has to be part origin story(how the heroes meet and the League itself forms), part conflict(the heroes are too used to working individually, and must find a way to overcome their own egos in order to save us all) and finally, a reckoning--where the enemy, for all their power, finds they simply cannot stand against justice enforced.

Superman: Tom Welling
Forget wimpy Brandon Routh. Just as Pierce Brosnan is Sean Connery's only legitimate heir to the Bond role, Tom is definitely the new official Kid from Krypton.

Wonder Woman: Catherine Zeta-Jones
There is not another actress on Earth who looks like she just stepped out of the Wonder Woman comic pages as the imposs-ibly hot CZJ! She's got the look and the chops to pull this one off!

Green Lantern(Hal Jordan): Aaron Eckhart
He's got the All-American good looks and the cocky smile to pull off Hal Jordan's air of confidence and invincibility.

Green Lantern(John Stewart): Denzel Washington
Why do we need two Lanterns in this movie? I have my ideas--and trust me, a JLA movie done right would have to be big enough for both! And again, just like CZJ, Denzel could pull it off!

Aquaman: Leonardo DiCaprio
Would he do it? Probably not! If he did sign on, could he man-age to make Aquaman NOT be the JLA's bitch? Damn straight!

Nightwing: Christian Slater
Why Nightwing in a JLA movie? Twofold--to bridge the gap between generations, showing that some years have passed since the Dark Knight began his personal war on crime, and for Warner/DC, to set up the beginnings of their promised "Titans" movie. Once upon a time, when Steven Segal was in the runn-ing to play Batman in Burton's Batfilm, Slater would've made the perfect Robin(see the bike scene in Heathers). This is one of those "about-time" things.

Lois Lane: Zoe Deschanel
Again, why Lois in a JLA film? Because the big blue Boy Scout is one of the three main stars, and we the audience will need a private, human moment for him in between all the action. Pic-ture Lois' dialogue(see picture below), a moving yet brief homage to another bygone era for our heroes, as the Man of Steel heads off to what he believes could be his final battle, even with all the power of the assembled heroes backing him up. Behind every good Man of Steel, there is a woman of spit-fire and iron...and Zoe has the "spunk" as a friend of mine put it, to carry off the role(plus, she looks old enough to have won a Pulitzer!).

Lex Luthor: Patrick Stewart
Don't get me wrong; I love Kevin Spacey to death. I think he is one of the most phenomenal actors of our time...but he was just plain wrong in Superman Returns! The sad thing is, it wasn't his fault--blame Bryan Singer's poor direction of a great actor! If you want the Real Deal, then you have to go with the O.B.(Original Baldy), the master thespian himself--Patrick Stewart! He has the skill, he has the range, and he has that voice which could rattle the rafters all the way from Metropolis to the Fortress of Solitude, if he chose! And I can definitely picture Stewart's intellect matching up against Bale's Batman!

Black Manta: Wesley Snipes
Luthor's always going on about how he wants land, land, land... but all his desired territories are bordered by the oceans, which make up the majority of the planet! It makes absolute sense that Luthor would want to team up with someone who can give him complete control over every inch of the world--and of course, we all know Luthor would betray him later! But in the meantime, having Black Manta on Luthor's team would give a valid reason to have Aquaman team up with the rest of our heroes.

Metallo: Michael Chiklis
Forget about the Thing! Here's a role Chiklis will really be able to sink his teeth into(outside of Vic Mackey), and he won't have to suffocate under tons of makeup! "Mind over muscle", Luthor is famously quoted--but with enough raw power to back it up. Metallo's a mercenary, Luthor needs a muscle-bound flunkie to hold off/possibly kill Superman...and with his kryptonite heart, Metallo is the perfect choice! It's a role Chiklis was born to play, and damn sure he'd make the most of it!

     Let's face it: Wonder Woman is one of the most powerful heroines of the entire DC universe, but she's always gotten short shrift in the comics because few are the writers who know how to write for her! Just like Bats and Supes, WW is a major player in any JLA movie--and so she needs a moment of human connection as well. Picture a scene wherein Hypollita defies Zeus and the pantheon of gods in order to bring a grave mess-age to her daughter in Man's World...and is therefore cursed to age 20 years for every hour she's there! Yes, Hypollita, like all Amazons, is immortal...but it would be a heartrending moment for Wonder Woman to see her mother in such a state(and would be a perfect explanation for why Lynda Carter--tv's origi-nal Wonder Woman, and the only one worthy of this role--would look old).

     And so there you have it...without giving too much away, my choices for who should be in a JLA movie and why! Yes, even if Warner Bros. can't get any of these actors, there is still a way to work all of these characters in properly, to give the fans--US--a film truly worthy of the heroes we grew up with and love! Oh, and for those of you still harboring lingering doubts as to wheth-er Batman should be in a JLA film...in my story, the Bat and Supes don't show up until near the middle and end of the film(respectively) anyway!