Following the success of Guardians at Marvel, WB may be looking for space properties:

http://www.latino-review.com/news/hot-rumor-dc-puts-legion-of-superheroes-into-active-development

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/33817/dc-plans-a-legion-of-superheroes-film

I'm just happy they are even thinking it.

Great new if true, but I don't quite believe it.

The thing is, while GoG was a great movie, it had no similarity whatsoever to the LSH, other than being set in a sci fi setting.

So if they think A implies B, they're wrong....

... though in this case, B is just awesome on its own!

'twould be the height of irony for the LSH to get a MOVIE after their book gets cancelled... just saying...

Ninja'd. I just posted something too. I'm just happy they are thinking of it.

Merged threads. Thanks.

I wonder if Flying Foxlike Creature is a certainty to appear.

Is the TMK run the closest fit to GOG?

Thanks for the merge. I'm already think of who I want to play characters. I hope they go with teens though.

Seems to me that they would do well to remember that all those kids who watched the Legion cartoon are now teens, and use that as the inspiration for the movie rather than any recent comic runs.

My youngest son was 13 when he began watching this. He's 21 now.

His sister was twenty-five, and watched it with her 3-year-old. (and loved it)

^^Well, the point being that there's a whole bunch of folks of prime movie - going age who have some familiarity with the Legion through the cartoon!

This movie has me a bit cautious. I hope it isn't made into an overly serious movie like Man of Steel or the Nolan Batman movies. If it's like GoTG in terms of tone and characters, then I will embrace it wholeheartedly.

I'd hate for Legion to become a feature-length movie. If any book was made for the serial drama treatment (like Smallville and Arrow), it's the Legion. It would make a perfect soap opera.

And I also can't imagine that anything DC does prompted by their Avengers-envy can be even remotely good.

I can see it. The movie would of course have to diverge from the comic book anyway, but the Guardians movie has something that a Legion movie might need to solve what was always a bit of a problem with the comic - the idea that a "club of teenagers" were trusted to save the universe. The solution is that they're not. (similar to how the "Guardians" were seen as a joke) Comics have tried to justify this notion, but it might be too tough a sell for movie audiences.

I don't doubt WB is exploring the possibility - it's a franchise that could have a rotating cast of young people (no RDJ-type salary disputes) where the only thing consistent about their costumes is that they don't wear masks. It just needs a good hook for a movie (and yes, a Superman movie tie-in doesn't hurt)

Due to having a lower cost. Legion Lost would be better for a TV show. Sci-fi set in a sci-fi universe doesn't last long due to cost. Having a few future super hero kids stuck in the past could work.

Also due to cost they would need to stick to characters without flashy powers. Or just one big one. By flashy I mean big special effects like super strength, energy powers, etc. Or aliens like Blok and Gates. Cham could always look human but the rest of his powers would be tough.

The ones that I think would work well would be:

Saturn Girl
Phantom Girl
Invisible Kid
Shadow Lass
Karate Kid
Timber Wolf
Triad/Duplicate/Duo Damsel
Brainiac 5
Dream Girl
Star Boy
Matter Eater Lad

In terms of cost, the thing that's expensive isn't necessarily flashy powers per se,(like energy projection) but the result of those powers. None of the GotG have flashy powers, but what cost was the grandscale destruction that makes the film feel BIG. Superman's powers themselves aren't that difficult to show, but to do it justice you'd need to see the repercussions of those powers in a big way.

And yes, realistic-looking aliens would come with a big pricetag, but I think the Legion would have to be one of those "go big or go home" time of feature films. Otherwise you'd get "Super-Hero Academy" or some family-film.

Honestly, it blows my mind that this is even a little bit of a possibility!

I agree about a movie. I'm saying for a TV show like Smallville, Arrow, etc.

Not to be a wet blanket, but the problem with a Legion of Superheroes movie would be that DC Comics would be involved in the creative process. The company just can't seem to get anything right anymore--especially where the Legion is concerned. But if they were to create a Legion movie, I'd hope that at the very least they would have the sense not to associate it with current Superman, Justice League etc. movie continuity.

I can agree for the most part. But I'm an optimist and always hope lol. I don't mind it being tied in if it's done well. We may even be able to get Superboy. But then they would have to take Kal into the future to be Superboy. I'm fine with that!

You know what would be really awesome on the big screen? The "tour of the future" sequence from Adventure #247, winding up at the Nine Planets Ice Cream Shop!

I see this as a bad thing, sorry to say. WB is simply reacting to Marvel. "They did that, well, we can plug "x" in to do it too."

That never really works well. WB is painting by numbers with no real soul to it right now. There are a few books here and there, amazingly enough right now Aquaman is one. But when they let people with no love or knowledge of the books make the movies, they fall flat.

DC is suffering from "what I hear you saying is...." rather than "you've told us this, and we understand. Here's how we are going to give you this!" and they are losing people.

They would have to go with a much smaller cast to give anyone screen time of more than two minutes a movie. It just doesn't bode well to me.

Legion would work better, I think, as ...well... the old star trek style of show. Moving cast characters in and out as you need them, one or two episodes a year when they gather en masse to take out a big gun like Mordru.

And even that is problematical. The big problem is money. It's what limits the shows. "Okay, we need x amount of sets per show. We have to limit the sets, limit the effects, so the show becomes a one or two set talkie piece instead of a balls to the walls action piece. It's why I don't really like the tv comic shows right now.

Well, that...and all the daytime emmy emoting pauses.

It's also why I really came to dislike ST:NG. They talked themselves to death.

All that said, I would love a fantastic Legion movie. It would make my old heart go pitty pat.

A Legion origin story, with just the founding three and R.J. Brande (perhaps ending with the introduction of a few new members, like Lu and Tinya), could be affordable, cast and effects wise, compared to one that starts in media res with the entire team doing something Legion-y.

For a proper Legion story with a cast of many, I suspect that a quality animated story might be the best we can hope for, unless the cost of effects comes way down, and the actors are all no-name starting actors.

Could see a first movie ending with the death of Lightning Lad to generate momentum for a sequel...

Wilford Brimley for RJ Brande!

No more origin stories! So sick of it. Thank god Marvel has said they are doing away with them after GoG. Just getting stuck in. If there's going to be any origin it should be when they first meet Clark Kent in the past to bring him to the future to be Superboy and defeat some big bad guy. To then take him back and he never remembers doing it.

Yeah I'd probably do something like:

Act One: Introduce the basics of the Legion ' s world and a threat that will require using experimental time travel tech to solve.

Act Two: A team of Legionnaires goes back in time to save/recruit Superboy.

Act Three: Superboy returns with them to the future for the big climactic battle.

What with this "suggests" business? Of COURSE there's going to be a Legion movie. It is known that Benedict Cumberbatch has already secretly signed to play Dr. Gym'll. (Source: Internet.)

Who should be the main villain for the first movie?

Mordru? Fatal Five? Time Trapper?

I completely agree. No more rehashes. This also has the benefit of us getting more Legionnaires into the movie, hopefully.

I think the Fatal Five would be good, but might add too many characters at once. Mordru's my bet. The Time Trapper can be for a sequel since he/she/it is a bit more powerful than Mordru.

Aw, but if we want a sort-of cute sarcastic talking animal, who better than Gates?

And I am not completely biased when I suggest that!

I demand to see Quislet and Proty in the movie!

If this ever gets made (and I'm skeptical), there's GOT to be a try-out sequence, complete with an Arms-Fall-Off Boy cameo--or I'll freakin' WALK OUT!!!

Okay okay, alright already. I'll play the redneck future Time Trapper. Sheesh.

Actually, a try out sequence would be a great way to deal some exposition about who the Legion is, how the 31st century work, etc. and have some fun at the same time.

Yeah, it would be a great opening sequence.

The Legion cartoon was amazing: a small cast, for the newbies, and sufficiently many easter eggs each episode to keep the old-timey fans happy.

I agree that the Legion is so huge, it really needs to be treated as a series, or at least a serial.

However, here's a challenge: find ONE issue that could serve as the basis for a script on its own.

I'm voting for Adventure Comics #306.

One issue? I can't really think of any. The most I can think of are single story arcs!

Try-outs would be great. The audience could be introduced to the Legion from an outsider's (and later on, newbie's) point of view.

How cool would it to see a Legion movie from Polar Boy's point of view in which he is rejected by the Legion, but ultimately saves the day. At the end of the movie, they offer him membership on the team, but he declines to form the Legion of Substitue Heroes to help other rejected applicants?

I think Polar Boy, as he was depicted in the Adventure Era, would be a good candidate for a "lead" character. He would be very identifiable to most audiences as a sort of everyman.

If, you know, the normal dude on the street had cool powers.

Because he was stitched up by Sun Boy at his try out and the rest of the Legion were meanies. Let's see how a modern movie audience empathises with the Adventure era Legion

OK, so what story arc would grab the interest of a first-time Legion viewer?

I don't see how you could do the Great Darkness Saga in less than three films-- and would the first one have enough action to capture everyone's attention? (This is known as the [color:#FFCC66]Golden Compass[/color] problem.)

You mean, cold powers.

Not sure it's the story to appeal to the masses, but I'd love to see "Super-Stalag of Space!"

Practically, though, I'm thinking something more like "The Fatal Five that Twisted Time" would be more likely what we'd need to get in order to have a successful Legion movie.

If we were doing a trilogy, I actually think "Earthwar" would be awesome.

If they're doing a trilogy, I think the final movie should be the battle with the Time Trapper from LoSH v3#50.

I give you Superboy! This is the kid, Dylan Sprayberry, that played Clark Kent in Man of Steel. He was 13 when that was done in 2013. So Lets say Legion wouldn't come out until 2016, he would be 16ish. Perfect for the Legion!

There are some two- or three-issue stories I can think of. I was toying with the Fatal Five/Death of Ferro Lad, but a death in the first movie might be too abrupt.

Was Shadow Lass' introduction a single issue? I think it was a two-parter. That was a good story, but having only 5 Legionnaires might be too few.

Definitely not the Great Darkness, I think it's something that would fit a series better.

I think the Postboot three-parter with Mordru would work well, although Shrinking Violet as the Emerald Empress would have to be removed and Mysa's connection with Kinetix should be dropped to make it fit. We can still start with tryouts and also revise the cast down to a dozen or so Legionnaires.

I don't think the length of GDS is an issue, it could reasonably fit a 2 hour movie (tightly), just look at how much was crammed into Avengers. The issue with GDS is accessibility. I dig "in media res", but a full out GDS as a first outing would be a little daunting intro to the concept for filmgoers, not to mention the resolution would need a lot of changes to translate to film. Comic Book readers don't mind and even like the challenge of a book saying "If you don't know Darkseid and the New Gods, go get some!" whereas movie goers would say "WTF is this?". Also, I'm relatively sure ol' stoneface will be off limits for a Legion property, when he's the potential adversary for the JL films.

While I hope the movie isn't somber like Man of Steel and Chris Nolan's Batman movies, I also hope it doesn't go too far in the other direction because the characters are teens. If we end up with something that's a Disney-fied yawner like Tim Allen vehicle "Zoom!" or similar movies, I'll be disappointed.

I’d prefer it is the young teen Legion so I think it would have some humor. But then some teen fare like Hunger Games is very serious and popular.

I would prefer something a bit more upbeat without being too saccharine, too. bright, shiny but realistic future. Not a dystopic or depressing world please!

With you there. The world is depressing enough. I don't want in my movies too.

More rumors from Bleeding Cool.

Is is it kind of selfish for me to say that I want this movie to die in development hell? If we're being honest here, the Legion represented the last comic franchise that was really special to me that hasn't been tainted by Hollywood and mainstream culture yet. Green Lantern bombed and Superman is now a dour,morsoe mess. I want the Legion to remain as kind of a niche fandom as we are now. I know it's childish for me to think this way and it prevents the fanchise from gaining new exposure, but I fear that the Legion may become changed to fit the more "mainstream" taste in superheroes and that will soon trickle into the comics version that everyone will start to accept as the true version, besides a few old guard fans.

To quote another poster on another forum I frequent:

"In terms of this idea that the current batch of Didiots does not respect the older creators, I think this is true of many, but not all. I do think there is a disdain for the Silver and even Bronze Age because those comics were explicitly targeted at kids, and the modern Dark Age comics are targeted at 45 year olds who are so addicted to comics that they buy dozens of titles every month and eat 20-title crossovers for breakfast. But I'm not sure they think it's completely unimportant so much as that it is just not "hip" anymore. And they're trying really hard to make superheroes "hip" to all the people who don't think superheroes are very cool.

Again this is all about their constant quest to make their superheroes seem "relevant" and "hip." They don't seem to have cottoned onto the fact that historically, superheroes have never been "relevant" and "hip." Superheroes are more like, say, Jedi Knights. They have a code of ethics that is NOT the same as that of normal people, and it makes them who they are.

DC used to know this. But the guys in charge don't anymore."

I don't want to see Cosmic Boy tweeting on the 31st century version of Twitter. I don't want to see Phantom Girl joining a rock band to make her seem "edgy". I don't want Brainiac 5 to become part of the "geek chic" movement to be shamelessly pandering. I just want the Legion.

Could it be connected to the absence of a Legion reboot?

Remember, to believe that you have to believe they are capable of joined up thinking, so it's a bit of a stretch.

I agree 100% with Indian Lad and the poster he quoted.

I don't know. There's already a lot of things I haven't liked about recent portrayals of the Legion in the comics, so I'm not really sure how a movie could make that worse.

And I actually kind of love the fact that I have friends whose kids know who the Legion of Super-Heroes are despite not really being into comics, simply on the strength of the cartoon series from few years ago.

"C'mon Coz, the Shurg is dead, do the Twerk!"


Shamelessly pandering in order to put butts on seats is what it's about for them. Actually, I could just remove the "for them". Guardians was known for it's humour & sci fi, so we could get the Legion as hapless Subs in the 30th century.

Had darker sci fi been hugely popular like Prometheus and a new Bladerunner, we'd get Cannibal Tenzil being hunted down by the police force of the future.

If the news is just so bad, that idealism and identity are key to films, then we've got a fifties utopia where heroes are ...oh, wait, that would be my Legion...

I don't begrudge them trying to get a success. Unfortunately, reacting, bandwagon jumping and pandering takes a lot of the soul and spark out of the best of movies (and of franchise longevity too probably)

I don't expect to see the Legion I like best in there. They may stick with the origin, or they may have something else in mind. They might just be checking out Superboy's copyright to see what they can do.


I've not seen loads of superhero movies. That's 120 minutes of comics I could be reading after all. Whatever way they go, I'd like to watch it and have been entertained. There's not too many movies that can do that these days, so it would be nice. I'll not get too hung up on it (well, maybe if they become complete laughing stocks...). I do enjoy having the Legion swear words to myself though. I'd miss that.




That's not how normal people are?! That sure explains an awful lot. I wish someone had told me though.

The stories of my past have a special place in my heart, and nothing that DC will do could change that.



Kind of off-topic, but it makes me happy that the article features a picture of the Reboot-era Legion!

Last chance to see

Could be. One glaring absence (as pointed out by newsarama among other sites) was no new Legion comic for the DC mini-relaunch coming in June. But then also absent were the Atom and Firestorm - both characters currently being built up on the Arrow and Flash tv shows respectively. So perhaps instead of rushing something out for all of these properties, DC decided to wait and go for the right pitch.

Also I think Lemire jumping ship put a lurch in whatever Legion plans DC may have had as they were possibly looking to him to be at the helm for a Legion relaunch.

...or Lemire jumped ship because DC didn't green light his take on the Legion. Lemire was definitely re-introducing the Legion to readers in his arc to connect them with the Justice League. Perhaps Lemire left both titles in a lurch when he got a red light on future plans for an intertwined Legion/JLU crossover future.

I'm not convinced that Lemire really had any grand plans for the Legion beyond just wanting to use them in this story. Hence the kitchen sink approach to the cast/continuity.

Weird bit of something (could be nothing), but the Twitter account that I run for my podcast was followed today by an actress named Natasha Blasick who says she's trying to brush up on her comic knowledge because she's just been cast as "Phantom Girl" in an upcoming "superhero film".

Perusing her Twitter page, she refers to it as an "indie feature film". Maybe it's some Legion fan film that got a decent budget?

Talk about your insubstantial rumour.

I thought I was.

The movie in question is Cat-Man and Kitten with the Vigilante Vixens. According to her IMDB profile.

"In a society filled with superheroes, Cat-Man and his partner Kitten, team up with the all female team, the Vigilante Vixens to battle the evil Black Puma and the Death Battalion."

She's been on different LSH Facebook groups as well. According to her the character is in public domain, and it's not a Legion movie. I suspect she may mean Phantom Lady, but not know the difference.