The Gods Among Us (Earth-60145 film)

The Gods Among Us is a biopic about the Justice League, the greatest superhero team the world has ever known. It is directed by Theo and Susan Johnson with a script written by Danny King and Carson Manners. The film stars Chris Knight, Matthew McColchis, Miranda Rosen, Chris Byrde, Anthony Wesleyan, John Hardeski, and Dean Williams. It was released on May 30th, 2064.

Cast

 * Chris Knight as Bruce Wayne / Batman
 * Matthew McColchis as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
 * Miranda Rosen as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
 * Chris Byrde as Barry Allen / Flash
 * Anthony Wesleyan as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern
 * John Hardeski as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
 * Dean Williams as J'onn J'onzz / John Jones / Martian Manhunter
 * J. Wyatt Whitmore as Lex Luthor
 * Anthony Harris as Alfred Pennyworth
 * Dennis Rockwell Stern as Darkseid
 * Rachel Sontag as Lois Lane
 * Frank Collie as General Wade Eiling
 * Chris Lincoln Scott as Steve Trevor
 * Helena Sanford-Stern as Hippolyta
 * Xena Young as Mera
 * Gary Quinn as Ares
 * Charles Dalton as Steppenwolf
 * Jacob Lawson as Jack Napier / Joker
 * Susan Sorkin as Haley Quinzel / Harley Quinn
 * Jennifer Atkinson as Selina Kyle / Catwoman
 * Atticus Heller as Leonard Jones / Captain Cold
 * D.J. McDonald as Mick Rory / Heatwave
 * Zoey Dawson as Amanda Waller
 * Harlan Edison as Thaal Sinestro
 * Vincent Wells as Harrison Wells
 * Carlos Manuela as Cisco Ramon / Vibe
 * Grace Tyler as Caitlin Snow
 * Andrew Graham as Commissioner James Gordon
 * Eric Logan as Dick Grayson / Robin
 * Sean Wilcox as Orm Marius / Ocean Master
 * Ryan Collins as Jimmy Olsen
 * Jack Wagner as President Pete Ross
 * Charles Winston as Desaad
 * Kellan Davidson as Jor-El
 * Wenda Walberg as Lara Lor-Van
 * Alan Aronofsky as Thomas Wayne
 * Delia Rogers as Martha Wayne

Crew

 * Theo Johnson- Director, Producer
 * Susan Johnson- Director, Producer
 * Danny King- Writer
 * Carson Manners- Writer
 * Matthew Knight- Producer
 * Anthony Wesleyan- Producer
 * Anthony Harris- Producer
 * Emma Whilmer- Producer

Trivia

 * The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Writing, Best Score, Best Leading Actor (Chris Knight and Matthew McColchis), Best Leading Actress (Miranda Rosen), and Best Supporting Actor (J. Wyatt Whitmore). It won Best Picture and Best Writing, while both Chris Knight and J. Wyatt Whitmore won in their respective categories.
 * John Hardeski and Chris Byrde reportedly formed a very close friendship on set, despite Aquaman and Flash never interacting on one on in the film.
 * Miranda Rosen discovered she was pregnant the day after filming her last stunt as Wonder Woman.
 * Founding Leaguers Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman all have cameos in the film. Diana Prince appears as the owner of a grocery store that the Flash stops from being robbed. Barry Allen appears as the old man who talks Superman into returning to his fight with Darkseid. Arthur Curry appears as a foreign diplomat who is introduced to Bruce Wayne by Alfred Pennyworth during a gala.
 * Superman was the only living founding Leaguer who did not cameo in the film.
 * It is rumored that, to get in character and accurately portray the rivalry between Batman and Green Lantern, that Chris Knight and Anthony Wesleyan would often get into fights on set.
 * Dennis Rockwell Stern and Helena Sanford-Stern, who play Darkseid and Hippolyta, respectively, are married in real life.
 * The final cut of the film is 3 hours and 46 minutes. The extended cut is 5 hours and 48 minutes.
 * The movie took 3 and a half years to film.
 * Frank Collie died shortly after filming. The finished product was dedicated to him.
 * Kellan Davidson agreed to play the role of Jor-El for free as a favor to director Theo Johnson.
 * J. Wyatt Whitmore and Chris Byrde both screen tested for Green Lantern. John Hardeski screen tested for Superman. Rachel Sontag screen tested for Wonder Woman. Vincent Wells, Sean Wilcox, and Matthew McColchis all screen tested for Batman.
 * Dean Williams had previously worked with directors Theo and Susan Johnson on three of their most successful films, A Toast to the Groom, Arkwright, and To the Moon and Back in 30 Days. Williams won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in A Toast to the Groom, which also starred Frank Collie.
 * Gary Quinn said it was on his bucket list to be in a Theo and Susan Johnson film.
 * Feature film debut of DJ M@C. He is credited as D.J. McDonald.
 * Eric Logan has said he was initially unsure of which Robin he was playing, so he research Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. After discovering he was portraying Grayson, he incorporated a little bit of each of them into his performance.
 * Chris Knight had previously played Martin Stein in the biopic The Nuclear Man. Martin Stein would eventually become a member of the Justice League himself.
 * Harlan Edison hadn't acted in a film for 7 years and initially declined the role of Sinestro. However, after hearing that Theo and Susan Johnson were directing, he accepted. He was sought after for the role of Sinestro due to his iconic portrayal of the alien Kahl in the film The Human Heart.
 * Chris Knight prepared for the role by reading Bruce Wayne's autobiography "September 26th" and Alfred Pennyworth's autobiography "I Am The Batman". He also studied old footage of early Batman appearances. Physically, he learned 3 new fighting styles and worked out for months before filming, as well as during and continuing to after.
 * Anthony Wesleyan was the last Justice Leaguer cast, with only two weeks until filming began.
 * Chris Lincoln Scott had his life saved by the Flash when he was 19.
 * Matthew McColchis and Rachel Sontag were dating at the time of filming. They have a daughter together, Allie McColchis.
 * Chris Knight's older brother, Matthew Knight, came on as producer shortly after his brother was cast.
 * Chris Knight's son, Drake Knight, cameos as a young Bruce Wayne.
 * Jacob Lawson, who plays the Joker, is 13 years older than Susan Sorkin, who plays Harley Quinn.
 * Gary Quinn had previously acted in films with Matthew McColchis, Chris Knight, Miranda Rosen, Chris Byrde, and Anthony Wesleyan. He was in XYZ with McColchis, The Nuclear Man as Chris Knight's father, Flying with Angels with Rosen, Newmanville High School's 10th Reunion with Byrde, and The Final Death with Wesleyan.
 * Helena Sanford-Stern actually became the godmother of Miranda Rosen's son, Thomas Gallagher.
 * Future Leaguers Cyborg, Hawkwoman, Zatanna Zatara, Green Arrow, and Black Canary were originally in the script as small roles, but were all cut. Only Cyborg had been cast with athlete-turned-actor Randy Nieman in the role.
 * Chris Byrde spent several days with the real Barry Allen to get into character. When Byrde was first cast, it was met with initial doubt due to his reputation as a comedic actor, but the choice was defended by Barry Allen himself, who went on record and said "I don't understand why everyone needs to get all worked up about little old me. I, personally, think Chris Byrde is a fantastic actor and a wonderful person and, not to toot my own horn, but more than once I was called the heart and soul of the Justice League, so if anyone can pull that off, it's him." Byrde was a contender for a Best Supporting Actor nom.
 * Anthony Wesleyan had previously been cast in the Theo and Susan Johnson film Uninvincible, but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. His replacement, Nicholas Meyers, won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role.
 * Ryan Collins and Eric Logan, the actors for Jimmy Olsen and Robin, respectively, previously appeared as brothers in the indie film Paper Plains.
 * Atticus Heller was arrested for drunk driving after celebrating his casting in the film.
 * J. Wyatt Whitmore said he'd be interested in reprising his role in a Lex Luthor biopic.
 * John Hardeski was an Olympic swimmer.
 * Matthew McColchis and Chris Byrde raced each other on set for a charity event that Rachel Sontag was sponsoring. Byrde won the race.
 * Kellan Davidson and Atticus Heller both previously appeared in the Theo and Susan Johnson film 12:51.
 * Theo Johnson produced The Nuclear Man, which starred Chris Knight.
 * Zoey Dawson was cast as Amanda Waller after Gretchen Millburg left the project.
 * Two of the film's stars, Anthony Wesleyan and Anthony Harris, who play Green Lantern and Alfred Pennyworth, also produced.
 * After the film's release, Anthony Harris announced his retirement from acting, choosing to focus on his directing career.
 * 3 dogs were used to bring Ace the Bat-Hound to life. Tito, Edgar, and Carson were all loved by the cast and crew. When asked who he would most like to work with again from the film, Chris Knight answered "Tito, the dog who played Ace."
 * Anthony Wesleyan fought against using CGI to create Green Lantern's uniform.
 * Carson Manners was almost unavailable to write the script due to his filming commitments with the television show Summer Camp. This would have been the first time Danny King would pen a script without his longtime writing partner. The studio briefly considered bringing in writers Dawn MacMillan or Jeffrey Hardy.
 * The film's portrayal of Steppenwolf is what differs most from reality. In the film, he kills himself before he can be captured, but in real life after his defeat he was arrested by the United States military and used to understand alien technology for years.
 * Delia Rogers portrayed Chris Knight's half-sister in the film Black Crow. In this film, she portrays his mother.