The iconic DC Comics storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths is being adapted into a three-part animated film series. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two was recently released digitally after the first installment premiered in early 2024. During a recent interview, producer Butch Lukic, who is known for his work on other DCAU projects, discussed the film’s larger budget.
However, at the same time, Lukic also highlighted the sheer volume of work it took to adapt the expansive comic book storyline into three films. As a result, Lukic’s comments indirectly imply that the DCAU film series may have encouraged one of the most toxic and controversial practices that has also plagued the MCU. Here is what the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths series‘ larger budget meant for those who worked on it.
DCAU Producer Butch Lukic Discusses the Budget For Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Movies
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two was released digitally on April 23, 2024. The film serves as the second installment in the Crisis on Infinite Earths series, which itself is a part of the DCAU’s Tommorowverse phase of animated films. While promoting the film, producer Butch Lukic discussed the larger budget the creative team received for the three-part project.
“The budget isn’t larger for more characters than any other animated movie we have done, except for a larger budget for the voice cast. Our FX budget was probably bigger, but everything else — character design, backgrounds, [story]boards, animation — was the same. Everyone had to do more work in those departments, for the same pay.”
Lukic made the above statement during an interview with Animation Magazine. Lukic’s comments implied that the larger budget was primarily dedicated to assembling the large voice cast which includes Darren Criss as Superman, Jensen Ackles as Batman, Zachary Quinto as Lex Luthor, and Alexandra Daddario as Lois Lane among many other A-listers.
Lukic also stated that while the film had a larger purse for its visual effects, that money was most likely required to animate the several different characters who appear in the movie. Given that the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline includes multiple characters and subplots, it is understandable that the film’s visual effects budget would require it to be larger than previous DCAU projects.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Movies May Have Overworked Its VFX Artists Amidst Marvel VFX Controversy
In the interview, Lukic suggested that despite having a larger budget a lot of it was spent on securing a high-profile voice cast. While Lukic acknowledged that the films had a slightly larger budget for visual effects, most of it was likely spent on the film’s effects itself and wasn’t used to fairly compensate VFX artists.
The poor working conditions and toxic environment faced by VFX artists have been reported in the recent past. According to reports, Marvel Studios is one of the worst offenders of overworking its VFX artists and allegedly not paying them properly for their work. Hence, it would be shameful to see the DCAU follow suit.
Given the sheer scope of a production such as the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths films, making VFX artists, animators, and other departments work for practically the same amount of money as previous, less demanding projects is not a good look for the DCAU. As a result, one can only hope that the VFX artists and other teams who worked on the films were not exploited and received fair compensation for their efforts.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One is streaming on Max while the second installment can be rented or purchased on VOD services like Amazon Prime.
