Screenwriter Will Beall, known for his most recent work on “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” and “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” has opened up about his past involvement with DC Comics adaptations, including an early draft of “Justice League.”
Contrary to reports of dysfunction within the DC film universe, Beall describes his experience positively.
“I wouldn’t call my experience dysfunctional,” he said. “I can only speak about my experience … I didn’t have a dysfunctional experience on ‘Aquaman.’ I had a great experience working on ‘Aquaman.’ I love working with James Wan. I loved working with Geoff Johns, and I had a great time working on that movie.”
Beall also touched on his work on an early version of “Justice League,” adding, “I did a very early draft of ‘Justice League.’ Some of it found its way into the Snyder cut. I was delighted that I could help.”
When asked about the differences between his draft and the final versions, Beall revealed, “The biggest difference with mine, I think, was that much of the second act was that little sort of coda that was on the Snyder cut, where it’s this post-apocalyptic sort of dream sequence or flash forward, and there’s good guys and bad guys, they’re forced to team up. Much of my second act was taken up with that.”
Beall added an interesting detail about his approach: “My version of it owed a lot to Back to the Future II.” Despite the changes made to his original vision, Beall remains proud of his contribution. “I’m proud of the script that I wrote and I’m happy that it helped. I feel like I did my job,” he said.
“So your first job as a writer, working with any of these things is to is to be a good steward. Right, it’s sort of to ‘do no harm’,” Beall added. “And so you have to respect the fans and you have to respect the characters and and what makes them great, and not try to outsmart it.”
When asked if he would return to work on James Gunn’s new DC Universe, Beall was open to the possibility. “These are incredibly great characters,” he said. “Whether it’s Batman, or Axel Foley, or Mike and Marcus, these are truly iconic American characters.”