Guillermo del Toro Shares What His Cancelled Justice League Dark Movie Could Have Been- and Why It Fell Apart

Guillermo del Toro has opened up once again about his long-cancelled Justice League Dark film, offering fans the clearest look yet at the ambitious supernatural project that never made it to production. The filmmaker, known for his love of monsters and the macabre, had spent years developing a script centred on DC’s darker characters, including John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Zatanna, and Deadman.

According to del Toro, the writing process flowed effortlessly. He described the script as one of those rare projects where every piece simply “fell into place.” One element he was particularly excited about was Deadman. Though no official casting ever occurred, del Toro envisioned long-time collaborator Doug Jones in the role, praising his physicality and ability to convey emotion beneath heavy makeup. In fact, one of the film’s standout sequences would have revolved around Deadman body-hopping through a series of unsuspecting civilians, from an elderly woman, to a traffic cop, to a mounted officer, in a frantic, visually wild chase scene.

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Del Toro also revealed that the film planned to include a cameo from Batman. The appearance would have been brief but meaningful, grounding the supernatural team within the larger DC universe. In his version, Batman would have provided the squad with a plane, subtly linking their world of magic to the more traditional hero sphere without overshadowing them.

Despite a completed screenplay and strong internal enthusiasm, the project stalled. Del Toro eventually stepped away around 2015, and later attempts to revive the film under different directors also fell apart. The filmmaker says he hasn’t discussed resurrecting the idea with the current leadership at DC, noting that he’s become more selective about working within large studio systems.

Still, del Toro speaks fondly of the script, calling it “solid” and creatively fulfilling – a glimpse of a darker, stranger corner of the DC Universe that remains unseen, but not forgotten by fans.

About the Author

Megan Hilborne

Author

Megan is a freelance writer and film critic based in Portsmouth. She graduated with a degree in Film in 2020 and has continued her study of the medium in her day-to-day life. She takes particular interest in indie, horror, feminist and queer cinema. Some of her writing credits include an interview with Academy Award winner Sean Baker and Time’s 2025 Most Influential People inductee Mo Abudu.

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