Doug Liman to Direct Justice League Dark

Doug Liman is set to direct the forthcoming Justice League Dark, an adaptation of Dark Universe from Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. According to Variety, the director has also departed the Gambit film that is set to star Channing Tatum—Variety reports that the split was mutual.

Justice League Dark will be produced by Scott Rudin, with a script from Michael Gilio. Liman has replaced Guillermo Del Torro, who had been attached to the film before getting sidetracked by other projects.

The film will revolve around a dark Justice League featuring Swamp Thing, John Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman and Etrigan the Demon. A couple of these characters have already appeared in movies or on television. Constantine has been brought to the screen several times before, including in a 2005 movie starring Keanu Reeves. Swamp Thing was also been given an onscreen incarnation way back in 1982 when Dick Durock played the character.

Justice League Dark is said to have a substantial role to play in the DC Cinematic Universe, one which is floundering after the middling receptions of both Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.

Justice League Dark promises to be another film featuring an ensemble cast for DC, which may not play in the studio’s favor. Suicide Squad promised a team-up of villainous characters, but it ultimately fell short in the eyes of many critics and audience members. The same could be said of Batman v. Superman to some extent.

Whatever the case may be, Liman is definitely an interesting choice to direct Justice League Dark. His Edge of Tomorrow was a surprisingly smart film, so perhaps this DC film will follow suit. Only time will tell.