Again: the show isn't a factor. Most people who will see the movie have never seen the show, because it's stupid. It's the exact same concept as the movie, but it's stupid because it's animated. The same goes for X-Men: that name said nothing to most people before the first movie came out, because they don't watch cartoons and they certainly don't read no fucking comic books (COME ON). Of course they didn't care who was in X-Men: they didn't know the X-Men! At most they were aware that it was some stupid cartoon that's been turned not stupid by adapting it into a movie.
The Justice League concept is well known not because of the cartoon or even superfriends, but because it's a simple, archetypical idea. Big superheroes get together. That's easy to understand, easy to explain, and easy to retain, so it's found it's way into popular culture. That's why it's a concept the movie can't afford to betray (again: assuming its purpose is making big bucks and not being a trascendental film).
Here's why I find the biggest fault with your argument. You say that no one will read the comics or watch the cartoon, yet they somehow have an understanding of what the JLA is. How? How do they know all this? How did your friends know about Spidey's webshooters being mechanical originally? I'll tell you how. Either they read the comics or watched one of the many incarnations of the character on TV (one live action TV show, a bit part on The Electric Company, and three cartoons just off the top of my head). If those aren't a factor, then the general public is not going to be disappointed if Batman or Superman don't make it into the JLA movie because they won't know to expect them. Plain and simple. And if they do expect them, that means that they've been exposed to the comics or cartoons over the years, which will also mean that they've been exposed to the other characters and used to the idea of them being in the JLA. Either way, it's not much of a stretch to still entice them to watch a JLA movie devoid of the big three. All you'll need is a really big budget with cutting edge FX and a cool teaser trailer to get people through the front doors and into the seats at the theaters.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
