Guillermo Del Toro Opens Up about His Lost JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK Movie; He Wanted Doug Jones to Play Deadman

For years, fans have wondered what Justice League Dark might have looked like under the direction of Guillermo del Toro, a filmmaker whose style feels tailor made for DC’s supernatural corner.

Now the Frankenstein director is shared details on the version that never made it past development, sharing surprising casting intentions, story details, a Batman cameo moment, and why he ultimately moved on.

Del Toro had originally been set to direct from a script by Michael Gilio. Doug Liman even stepped in at one point during the mid 2010s, but the project drifted and eventually disappeared.

At the time, del Toro planned a team lineup pulled from Alan Moore’s Constantine era that included Swamp Thing, Deadman, Etrigan, Zatanna, and Klarion. It was a dream roster for fans of DC magic and monsters.

The filmmaker revisited all of it in a conversation with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast while discussing his new Netflix take on Frankenstein. Horowitz brought up long running talk that The Batman star Colin Farrell had been eyed to play Constantine, prompting del Toro to set the record straight.

"No, I was not casting yet. I knew I wanted Doug Jones to be Deadman, only because physically he could do the suit, and I knew his mannerisms. I loved that screenplay. I was in love with [it]. I thought it brought everyone in effortlessly."

Constantine was absolutely the lead of the story, and del Toro said the script balanced the ensemble with real clarity.

"The plot made absolute perfect sense. I really loved how they got tangled. We had the Floronic Man as one of the villains. It was really great because Swamp Thing was very fleshed out."

He even described a quick but memorable Batman appearance designed to fold the mystical team into the larger DC world.

"There was a moment when Batman came in briefly. They said, 'We need a plane,' and 'A friend of mine has a plane,' and then you were in Bruce Wayne's office. I would have loved to have done it. Now, I wouldn't."

Despite James Gunn now steering DC Studios, del Toro revealed that the two have never discussed reviving the project.

"No, no, no. Now and then, I write him about something else he's doing right. I think he's remarkably smart. I loved Superman. I really enjoy the way he's viewing the universe.

“The screenplay is there. It was a couple of years of development. We never got to the art. It had great set pieces. My favourite one was a chase with Deadman jumping from one body to the next."

Del Toro also noted that he had once been considered for Man of Steel back in 2013 but felt the character didn’t align well with his sensibilities. And when asked about Marvel’s ongoing attempts to get Blade back on track, he kept it simple. Wesley Snipes, he said, was his “secret weapon.”

Gunn himself has addressed the possibility of using del Toro’s version as a foundation and made it clear that fan assumptions often take on a life of their own.

"I love Guillermo, and we own a movie theater together. By the way, Guillermo's never said that to me. I hear all these things about, 'Guillermo would love to do Justice League Dark.'

“Well, Guillermo's never said that to me. 'Just let Steven Spielberg do his Blackhawks movie that he wants to do!' Steven Spielberg, who I love above anyone else, has never said that to me. So these things get blown out of proportion."

Gunn pointed out that even his own offhand comments can spiral into years of speculation.

"Years and years ago, I said I wanted to make a Thunderbolts movie. I was in a convention somewhere, and somebody asked me, 'What did I want to do that wasn't Guardians of the Galaxy?'

“I said Thunderbolts. And for years and years, it's like, 'James Gunn should be allowed to make his Thunderbolts movie.' I have a million things that I thought I wanted to do in certain moments."

It’s interesting to hear del Toro talk about Justice League Dark and it makes it easy to imagine what could have been. His passion for these characters, his love for the script, and his clear vision for Deadman, Swamp Thing, and Constantine paint a picture of a supernatural DC movie that might have been something awesome.

It’s a bummer that we’ll never get to see his vision come to life.