Steppenwolf will be getting an upgraded look for the upcoming Justice League movie.

That’s right, the Wrap has just confirmed that the role Steppenwolf, who was revealed to be the Big Bad of the upcoming Justice League movie back in May, is being played by Irish actor Ciaran Hinds (Caeser in HBO’s Rome, and Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones). The Wrap’s saying that Hinds just wrapped his performance as the alien fiend, which much like Brolin’s performance as Thanos in the Marvel movies is a motion capture role.

Steppenwolf was first seen in this deleted scene from “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”:

However, the Wrap’s sources are saying that Steppenwolf’s going to have an “upgraded” look in the upcoming movie. Now, the three boxes (Motherboxes) in that clip are what Steppenwolf is apparently after in the Justice League movie.

According to JL producer Charles Roven, “[Back] before there was a history … mankind, the Atlanteans — before they were under water — the Amazonians and, actually, the old gods, teamed together and decided that — based on an event that happened — these mother boxes were going to be placed in the care of, as I say, the Amazonians, mankind, and the Atlanteans. So that allows us to get into some of those environments.”

Justice League hit the big screen on November 17, 2017, and will be the fifth DCU movie.

Original Post: 7-23-16 Why the Justice League Footage is Better Than a Trailer

How’s this for some Justice League movie news? Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. debuted footage for the upcoming Justice League movie today. It’s not officially a trailer, but it’s actually better. We’ve got an embed of the footage below, so go ahead and watch, and then let’s take a second to talk about why it’s awesome with a little dash of not-so-awesome.

OK, Ready? Let’s do this.

The Good Parts of the Justice League Footage

Reason #1 – A Little Mystery

IT DOESN’T GIVE AWAY THE PLOT! Sorry for the all-caps there, but the biggest reason that this Justice League footage is better than an actual trailer is it gives us the basic setup for the movie (I believe that an enemy is coming … I’m looking for warriors…) without giving away the whole plot. In recent years, trailers have more and more become just mini spoilers for the movie, with maybe, MAYBE one or two plots details held back. But here, we get to meet the players, get the basic idea, see some cool footage, and we’re out. It gives more of a reason to want to see the movie.

Reason #2 – Some Humor

The DC superhero movies (most recently Batman v Superman) are a good bit more grim and dour than their Marvel counterparts, and this isn’t a good thing. They need to lighten up, at least just a bit, and with this footage, it looks like they’re doing just that. Here’s to hoping they allow more than just a Flash (see what I did there?) of humor.

Reason #3 – Good Casting

Everyone was surprised when Ben Affleck did well as Batman. And Gal Gadot has been well received so far as Wonder Woman. And now that we’ve had a chance to see some more of Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Ezra Miller as the Flash, it looks like they’ve cast well. I can’t wait to see some footage of J.K. Simmons as the Commish. Also, here’s the first image of the complete Justice League line-up for the movie:

The Bad Parts of the Justice League Footage

OK, are you ready for the bad? The costumes for Cyborg and the Flash aren’t looking great. I think they could stand to refine them a little. Otherwise, I have just one small gripe. And that’s when Bruce Wayne reveals himself to Barry Allen. (“Barry Allen, Bruce Wayne.” “You said that like it explains why there’s a total stranger sitting in the dark…” and later “Look, man, I don’t know who you are…“)

Really? Barry Allen doesn’t know who Bruce Wayne is? First off, Barry Allen is a science geek and tech-head. There is no way he wouldn’t know the name of the man who runs one of the largest tech-related companies in the world. And Bruce Wayne is not a private person. He maintains a very public persona as part of his Batman cover. So most people actually would know who he is. It’s like someone who is a die-hard Mac user not knowing who Steve Jobs is. That’s just lazy.

Anway, small gripes aside, the footage is pretty cool. The Justice League movie could be shaping up into something fun. Stay tuned for more Justice League movie news.

Featured Image: courtesy of Uncanny Knack