Zack Snyder's Justice League is currently shaping up to become something truly massive. Drawing from all corners of the DC Universe, the epic film will feel like genuine "who's who" of DCEU characters. However, despite the fact that he was the first DCEU hero to debut, not everyone from Superman's (Henry Cavill) supporting cast will make it into the major DC team-up. Laurence Fishburne recently gave an interview about Justice League and admitted that he's not part of the film. Fishburne explained:
They asked me to come for a day, but I couldn't work it out, schedule-wise. And really, what do you need the newspaperman in Justice League for? You want to see the Flash. You want to see Aquaman. You want to see Wonder Woman. You want to see the Lantern. We've been waiting 35 years for these [characters] to show up on the screen. What were they doing over there? Marvel has been kicking their ass. This is the comic-book geek in me, who has a collection of comic books. I've been waiting to see these people on-screen forever.
It's admittedly somewhat disheartening to learn that Laurence Fishburne won't be back as Perry White in Justice League, but his rationale regarding the decision, which he revealed when speaking to The Los Angeles Times, makes sense. As much as he would like to return as the iconic newsman for the upcoming DC adventure, Justice League does not live and die by the presence of Mr. White. This film is ultimately a story that's responsible for introducing us to heroes like The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa), not to mention a Green Lantern, so removing a character like Perry adds room for them to receive more attention.
It's also worth mentioning that other supporting DC characters are slated to appear in Justice League as well. Although we're not going to see Perry White, we will still get to see Lois Lane (Amy Adams), Commissioner Gordon (J.K. Simmons), Iris West (Kiersey Clemons), and Mera (Amber Heard) -- just to name a few. Justice League has assembled an insanely dense ensemble of DC characters (heroes and villains alike), so we probably won't even notice Perry White's absence in the end.
Laurence Fishburne's comments about Marvel's current advantage over DC are certainly candid, but they're also not without merit. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has an enormous leg-up over the DCEU at this point, and the folks at DC need to do everything in their power to get their silver screen universe up and running properly with as few hiccups as possible. If that means sacrificing White's presence in the film and saving him for Man of Steel 2, then that decision will be well worth it.
Justice League will debut in theaters (sans Perry White) on November 17, 2017.
For an even better look at the upcoming DC adventure, check out the San Diego Comic-Con trailer for Justice League on the next page!
