THE ATOM
It has been five years since Ray Palmer has taken up the mantle of the Atom. An award winning physicist Palmer won fame and a Nobel Prize for his development of size reduction particles using a white dwarf star. Ray is living high on life and is a member of the universally famous Justice League of America. Taking the name of the 1940’s adventurer, the Atom, who Ray idolized as a kid, Ray becomes the ‘Tiny Titan’ of the JLA, being the team’s resident scientist. Though Ray is always in the shadows of his teammates (both literally and figuratively) he still enjoys a great friendship with the other ‘misfit’ members of the team, Carter Hall and Ralph Dibny. Ray’s story is told from the perspective of a bug, riding on the shoulders of his teammates into battles where he assists in more of a support capacity than anything else. After a series of news reports saying Palmer’s status on the League is unnecessary with all of the big guns the League has. This coupled with the scientific community blacklisting him and his wife Jean leaving him for his cavalier outlook on life. Ray becomes depressed and almost quits the League until he discovers one of his lab assistants David Clinton has taken Palmer’s white star technique and modified it to allow temporal alteration as opposed to Ray’s spatial alteration. Palmer attempts to stop Clinton from altering the past but the two get into a scuffle which leaves Ray knocked unconscious. Palmer awakens to find that Clinton has stolen the time technology and his designs are stolen so that Ray can’t follow him. Palmer attempts to call the League but is approached by Rip Hunter, who tells him that David Clinton poses a great threat to the fate of all humanity past, present and future. Hunter gives Ray a time belt to go after Clinton and the two go on a trip ranging from the Wild West, to a point in the future where all but a few heroes remain and David Clinton, now calling himself Chronos, is the supreme ruler of the universe. Though Clinton thwarts any attempts that Ray has at stopping him, Ray uses his size altering abilities to shrink Chronos to his level and the two battle on the subatomic fields causing massive destruction in the new future. When Clinton is all but beat, he stages a last minute attempt at beating Ray by traveling to the beginning of time. In his attempts to recreate the universe in his own image, Palmer stages a last ditch effort and shatters Chronos from the inside out with his size reduction and stops his reign of terror across the universe. After this large explosion Ray sees his entire life flash before his eyes literally, and he sees instances of him discovering the white dwarf star, helping the League in the Crisis and an infinite number of realities flashing before his eyes. He is saved from eventual death from Ganthet, who tells him that no being is ever supposed to view the beginning of time, and the universe is indebted to him. Upon his return to the present Ray discovers that no one remembers what he has done and everything is the same. Ray goes back to Jean and rekindles their relationship and continues on in the League. When he tells Carter and Ralph about his story they ask if anything really changed and he says that he isn’t sure. Meanwhile, Rip Hunter and Ganthet discuss the ramifications of the Atom’s journey. Ganthet tells Hunter that due to the splintering of Chronos at the beginning of time his infinite molecules have given birth to the multiverse and that something dark and terrible has been born because of it. A new universe is shown as Qward, and a dark figure, the Anti-Moniter, rises from the rubble. The movie then flashes to credits.
For the style of this movie it would be kind of Silver Age fantasy mixed with Galactic realism, seen through the eyes of Ray Palmer in his journey through space and time. It will show what the perspective is for an insect around gods in his days as the Justice League, and how Ray becomes increasingly larger in scope, perspective and relevance as the film proceeds to his final climactic battle with Chronos at the beginning of the film. It will show Ray’s view of the sub-atomic world, prehistoric earth and the dinosaurs, his time in the Wild West, fighting Nazis with the original Atom in the Justice Society and the dystopian future eerily similar to the Batman Beyond universe (scratch that, it is Batman Beyond.) The main theme of the film would be one’s relevance in the bigger picture, and that the smallest of us can do things truly extraordinary.
Ray Palmer: Matthew Fox
The star of our film, Ray Palmer is a guy having the time of his life being a superhero until everyone seems to turn on him. He starts to feel kind of insignificant next to his seemingly perfect teammates in the Justice League but learns how important he really is by the end of the film. I think Fox would bring the intelligence and light-heartedness to the role that would equal Ray Palmer. Fox can also have that wide-eyed amazement in the face of his time faring adventures.
Jean Loring: Carla Gugino
Jean Loring needs to be tough as nails but really concerned over the safety of her husband’s life. She needs to be good enough to be loved by Ray, but to self-important to realize how lucky she is to have him. I think Carla Gugino could fill that role excellently.
David Clinton: Hugh Laurie
I originally wanted Laurie in the role of Palmer, but changed my mind as I wanted someone younger for the role. I still wanted to use Laurie though, and felt that he would be the perfect candidate to play a neurotic and eager scientist who isn’t evil, but wants to discover everything about the universe that he can. Laurie can play this character well.
Al Pratt, the Atom: Bruce Campbell
As the idol of childhood Ray, the original Atom seemed like an unstoppable force for good in the world. Once he goes back into the past and meets his hero, Ray discovers Al Pratt to be a five foot tall guy in a hockey mask whose atomic powers are the only reason he’s on the Society because frankly he’s kind of a prick. I’d love to see Bruce Campbell play the diminutive superhero who no one on the Society gives a damn about. Of course Ray teaches Pratt what it’s like to be a real hero, which leads him to becoming the hero he always idolized as a kid.
Ralph Dibny: Kevin Bacon
For the record, Elongated Man and Hawkman would be the only members of the League who are explicitly shown. Sure the others will be seen in news stories as flying across the screen towards danger. I picked Bacon to play the Elongated Man because he has that likeability and wit that Ralph needs. He’s kind of neglected by the public and finds it absurd that the League calls upon Plastic Man just as much as him.
Carter Hall: John C. McGinley
Carter is really the Atom’s best friend and takes it hard when Ray quits the League. He’s a nice guy but really is a giant badass in fights alongside the League. Ray is the only person Carter really respects, which is why the two get along so well. I’d want McGinley to play the character with the intensity of Dr. Cox, but with more outward emotion. I also like to point out that McGinley voiced the Atom in JLU so it works here.
Jonah Hex: Tommy Lee Jones
When Ray travels back to the West, he’s going to run into Jonah Hex. I’d like Hex to be this gun slinger who doesn’t seem fazed by the fact that he’s in the middle in a time controversy. Tommy Lee Jones would be awesome as this.
Bruce Wayne: Clint Eastwood
When Batman’s the only remaining hero left in the world for Ray to turn to, he’s got to be even scarier than his regular incarnation. Clint Eastwood as older Batman is every fanboy’s dream. Why wouldn’t he work amazingly in this capacity?
Rip Hunter: Bruce Willis
I like the fact that Rip Hunter is this grizzled time cop who likes to get his hands dirty. But he wants to show Ray what he’s really capable of and gives him the reigns. Bruce Willis would also be great as this type of character.
Ganthet: James Garner
The fact that an immortal being watching over the cosmos is probably the most likeable guy in the universe is just awesome. And who’s more likeable than James Garner? No one, that’s who.
