Force Friday is almost upon us, and in keeping with tradition, it’ll herald a new Star Wars merchandise line that places a particular emphasis on The Last Jedi ahead of its launch in December. But Disney and Lucasfilm’s juggernaut isn’t the only 2017 tentpole in the midst of its promotional campaign.
Case in point: Justice League. Coming hot off its impressive showing at SDCC 2017, Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s film is currently undergoing some fairly extensive reshoots – reshoots that reportedly caused quite a few headaches due to Henry Cavill’s ongoing commitment to Mission: Impossible 6 – but that has in no way quelled Warner’s marketing push for its long-anticipated event movie.
Earlier this week, for instance, we caught a glimpse of the official 2018 Justice League calendar, along with a piece of merch dedicated to Amber Heard’s Queen of Atlantis. Now, Instagram user Brodie Perkins (via CBM) has published a handful of meticulously detailed 3D renders of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and his minions, the Parademons. If you’ve been keeping track of Justice League‘s progress, chances are each sketch will be overly familiar, with Steppenwolf’s design in particular sure to spark some debate.
First unveiled via Justice League‘s show-stopping SDCC trailer, it’s already been reported that Ciaran Hinds’ towering, otherworldly foe will be rendered entirely using CGI, which may well stoke fears that JL will succumb to the same criticisms levelled against Batman V Superman for its decision to lean heavily on visual effects right around the film’s climax. The result meant Doomsday appeared as a floaty (and therefore overly fake) villain, so it’ll be interesting to find out how Justice League‘s Steppenwolf looks on the big screen come November – November 17th, to be specific.
Meanwhile, The Last Jedi shoots for theaters on December 15th, and we understand Rian Johnson’s sequel is set to deliver a “really cool” send-off for Carrie Fisher’s Leia to commemorate her final Star Wars performance.