Writer Will Beall Reveals New Details About His Early ‘Justice League’ Movie Draft
Screenwriter Will Beall, recognized for his recent work on Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, has shared insights into his early involvement with a draft of Justice League.
In 2012, Warner Bros. tapped Will Beall to write the script for DC’s ambitious Justice League project, shortly after the debut of Marvel’s successful The Avengers. Beall, riding high on early buzz from his screenplay for Gangster Squad, faced a setback when the film was poorly received upon its 2013 release, leading to his Justice League script being completely discarded as Warner Bros. and DC opted to start over with the project.
In a new interview with TheWrap, Will Beal remembers his time at DC and working on projects like Aquaman and Justice League. “I wouldn’t call my experience dysfunctional,” he stated. “I can only speak about my experience… I didn’t have a dysfunctional experience on Aquaman. I had a great experience working on Aquaman. I love working with James Wan. I loved working with Geoff Johns, and I had a great time working on that movie.”
The differences between Will Beal’s Justice League and the Snyder Cut
During the interview, Beall also discussed his contributions to an early version of Justice League, noting that elements of his work appeared in the later “Snyder cut.” “I did a very early draft of Justice League. Some of it found its way into the Snyder cut. I was delighted that I could help,” Beall explained.
Delving into the specifics of his draft compared to what ultimately made it to screen, Beall pointed out significant differences between his version and the Snyder Cut. “The biggest difference with mine, I think, was that much of the second act was that little sort of coda that was on the Snyder cut, where it’s this post-apocalyptic sort of dream sequence or flash forward, and there’s good guys and bad guys, they’re forced to team up. Much of my second act was taken up with that.”
Beall described his unique approach to the storyline, revealing cinematic inspirations behind his vision. “My version of it owed a lot to ‘Back to the Future II,’” he said. Despite substantial alterations to his original script, Beall remains positive about his role in the development of Justice League. “I’m proud of the script that I wrote and I’m happy that it helped. I feel like I did my job.”
Looking to the future, Beall expressed openness to participating in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s revamped DC Universe, which kicks off with 2025’s Superman. “These are incredibly great characters,” he commented, drawing parallels between iconic roles across different genres. “Whether it’s Batman, or Axel Foley, or Mike and Marcus, these are truly iconic American characters.”
Stay tuned for the latest news on the future of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe