The DC Extended Universe has been struggling to achieve the right tone to match wits with
its Marvel counterpart, but despite a few hiccups, the franchise doesn't seem to be
slowing down anytime soon.
"Ride ain't over yet."
"My man."
Warner Bros. has still got quite a few new films on the roster for future development
that might just turn things around once and for all, so here's what DC has in store for
superhero movie lovers next.
Aquaman
He's been the butt of jokes for years, but James Wan's Aquaman film looks to finally
bring some respect to the man who talks to fish.
Of course, casting burly Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa in the title role didn't hurt.
The film will give the eponymous hero a few central foes, including Aquaman's half brother
the Ocean Master and arch-nemesis Black Manta.
Making a feature-length film about the sea hero is a risky venture, but Wan intends to
breathe new life into the watery comic character.
"Well, I think there's a certain perception of Aquaman, and I think part of the fun will
be to subvert that expectation."
Considering how well he's handled everything from horror films to racecar dramas, audiences
will likely be in for an action-packed adventure when this movie hits theaters December 21st,
2018.
Shazam!
It's been in the works for years, but for a while there it seemed like the long-awaited
adaptation of Shazam!
Might never actually come to pass.
Initial reports had Dwayne Johnson attached to the film as the villainous Black Adam,
but DC later revealed that Johnson's character would get his own film.
Instead, it'll be Chuck alum Zachary Levi who handles the title role, with Annabelle:
Creation's David Sandberg directing the picture.
Levi has described the picture as being akin to Tom Hanks' 1988 comedy favorite Big … only
with superpowers instead of a wish machine.
"I don't get it."
The movie is expected to launch production in 2018, so get ready to giggle when Shazam!
hits theaters on April 5th, 2019.
Wonder Woman 2
The first sequel to the summer's smash hit Wonder Woman was finally given an official
announcement at San Diego Comic-Con, with a release date set for November 1st, 2019
shortly thereafter.
After months of keeping fans in the dark, director Patty Jenkins confirmed in early
September that she is officially set to return for the sequel, and rumors suggest her salary
could be historic.
"Promise me you will protect it with your life."
Jenkins and DC Studios head Geoff Johns are teaming up with The Expendables' Dave Callaham
to work on the script, based on a treatment from Jenkins and Johns.
With Jenkins saying she wants to take Diana to America and rumors saying the film could
take place in the 1980s, Wonder Woman 2 seems like it will be an amazing ride.
And now that embattled producer Brett Ratner is out of the picture, Gal Gadot is officially
a go for it, too.
"Who will I be if I stay?"
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern has certainly had a rough history in Hollywood, with the Ryan Reynolds-led
adaptation arriving as a laughing stock in 2011.
"No thanks necessary, miss."
But DC isn't done trying to make Hal Jordan happen.
David Goyer and Justin Rhodes are working on a script to revive the fallen franchise,
with plans for the film to take flight on July 24th, 2020.
There's no word yet on the plot of the new take, but it has been described as "Lethal
Weapon in space," and is reportedly based on a comic book origin story.
We also know it'll focus on two different characters: the popular Lanterns Hal Jordan
and John Stewart.
Bringing Stewart in is a wise move since he's a fan favorite, and getting him in the mix
will help this film stand apart from its predecessor.
Flashpoint
DC's Flash movie, starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, has had a bit of a rocky road.
The film first found a director in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' Seth Grahame-Smith,
but he dropped out and was followed by Rick Famuyiwa, who also left.
Rumors have put Matthew Vaughn, Robert Zemeckis, and Sam Raimi in the mix, although it's unclear
as of the making of this video if talks are moving forward with any of them.
The script has also undergone quite a few rewrites, with reports saying it was being
completely overhauled.
Concrete details about the film finally began to be released at this year's Comic-Con, when
DC officially announced that the movie would be titled Flashpoint.
This seems to suggest that the movie will cover the famous 2011 comic storyline, which
is a move that could have huge ripple effects across the rest of the DCEU.
"Oh, sh.
Sorry."
Miller has been a consistent favorite in everything he's appeared in so far.
So, the pressure is on to get the speedy superhero to the theaters sooner than later.
"OKAY."
Cyborg
By the time Cyborg shows up in his solo movie, fans should be pretty familiar with him.
"Relax Alfred, I'll take it from here."
"Uh, do I know you?"
After making half a cameo in Batman vs. Superman, Ray Fisher's version of the character will
appear in Justice League and will appear in Flashpoint.
While details are still slim as to what his solo movie will entail, Fisher has said that
if he had his pick of the villainous litter as to who he'll fight it'd be the Phantom
Limbs.
The Batman
Batman has long been the cash cow of the DC universe.
But as much as Warner Bros. wants to get a standalone movie going with Ben Affleck's
version of the Dark Knight, the project has been very troubled.
Not only have there been numerous script rewrites and Affleck stepping back from the director's
chair, he's now said to want a "cool" way to escape the cape altogether.
He's since clarified that he's still planning to take the role, but reports on his commitment
to being the Caped Crusader have given DC fans a bit of whiplash.
Meanwhile, the film has tapped War for the Planet of the Apes' Matt Reeves to take the
helm, and he's supposedly got a guy in mind to take over for Affleck if the situation
calls for it.
Whether "Batfleck" takes flight again or not, Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke is expected
to be the central villain, which should make for one beefy bonanza indeed.
Dark Universe
Also known as Justice League Dark, Dark Universe is set to focus on the mystical side of things
with characters such as John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Zatanna, and Etrigan
the Demon.
Edge of Tomorrow's Doug Liman was initially signed on to direct, but he dropped out due
to scheduling conflicts, and the film has yet to find a new director as script changes
are underway.
Considering the success Marvel had with its similarly otherworldly Doctor Strange, it
stands to reason Warner Bros. will be keen to get this one off the bench soon.
Gotham City Sirens
While Suicide Squad 2 is also in the barrel, David Ayer will first tackle this Harley Quinn-centric
spinoff with Margot Robbie and other female heroes and villains across the DC Comics canon,
called the Gotham City Sirens.
"What?!"
No word on which characters will show up, though players like Catwoman and Poison Ivy
seem like prime candidates.
Along with getting a Wonder Woman movie out before Marvel could make Captain Marvel, DC
has an excellent opportunity take the edge in female-led superhero fare, which could
be a huge move for a studio playing catch-up… that is, as long as the movies are good.
"I'm known to be quite vexing.
I'm just forewarning you."
Justice League 2
Warner Bros. originally penciled this one in for 2019, though it's since been bumped
to an unspecified date to clear out some space for The Batman.
But of all the projects at the far end of DC's master plan, it stands to reason another
Justice League is one of the most bankable.
The Avengers has become a flagship franchise for Marvel, and DC is looking to leverage
Justice League the same way.
It'll just have to wait until after a couple of stand-alone films.
Man of Steel 2
It's the worst-kept secret in movie history that Superman returns for the Justice League
film, despite the events of Dawn of Justice.
But the studio doesn't seem to be in a major hurry to give him another solo adventure,
even though Man of Steel was technically the inaugural installment of this franchise.
The cast has confirmed a script is in the works, but with so many other movies on the
docket, it could be years until they actually get around to making this one, but when they
do, it'll surely be a brave new adventure for the big blue boyscout.
Suicide Squad 2
A proper Suicide Squad sequel is in development, but there's been no word on when it'll actually
hit the big screen.
Despite terrible reviews, the first film still made a whole lot of money—and introduced
characters like Robbie's Harley Quinn, and Will Smith's Deadshot.
"You might want to work on your team motivation thing."
The Accountant's Gavin O'Connor has officially signed on to direct and rewrite the script,
so with a behind-the-scenes team finally coming together, it looks like the rumored Fall of
2018 production start date isn't so unreasonable after all.
Nightwing
The Lego Batman Movie's Chris McKay will take on live-action superheroes in DC's planned
Nightwing movie.
The film is being scripted by The Accountant's Bill Dubuque, and, although it doesn't have
a star yet, the acrobatic shoes of Dick Grayson are going to be fun to fill.
Because according to McKay, he's not going to be relying on CGI to make his, "badass
action movie" happen.
Batgirl
After taking over the helm of Justice League from Zach Snyder, Joss Whedon will next write,
direct, and product an adaptation of Batgirl for the DCEU.
The title role is rumored to follow the New 52 version of Barbara Gordon and offer a darker
version of the character's storyline, featuring her using experimental surgery to recover
from a severe spinal injury inflicted by the Joker.
With the amazing success of Wonder Woman, it makes sense that DC is pursuing Batgirl,
and it wouldn't be surprising to see them push the movie ahead quickly.
Lobo
Word leaked last year that Warner Bros. is looking to bring the space bounty hunter Lobo
to the DCEU, after a Guy Ritchie adaptation fell through a few years back.
And Wonder Woman's Jason Fuchs is reportedly working on the script now.
The new project is apparently a fresh take on the character, and considering the success
Fox and Marvel have had with Deadpool, Lobo could be a foul-mouthed sweet spot for DC
to get in on the four-letter action, too.
Deadshot
Will Smith is a Hollywood star, so it's no surprise Warner Bros. is looking to spin him
off with a film focused on his Suicide Squad character Deadshot.
Outside of Ben Affleck, Smith is arguably the biggest star in the DCEU—so it's only
a matter of time until they get him suited back up for another fight against Batman.
Even so, the project is still very early on in development, so no release date has been
established just yet.
Black Adam
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been attached to co-star in a Shazam movie for years, playing
the villain Black Adam, but Warner Bros. is now developing a full-fledged Black Adam spinoff
film, which will split the character off into more of an antihero.
It remains to be seen how DC will juggle a two-pronged side section of the DCEU while
they're still trying to establish the main universe—but in the meantime, we've done
a little Photoshop to imagine how Johnson will look in character.
Joker's origin story
The Joker is one of DC's most popular characters, so it makes sense that they're taking yet
another stab at bringing him to the big screen—and this time, with a planned solo movie about
the character's origins.
The movie is said to explore what it took for the Joker to become a criminal mastermind,
using an '80s setting as a backdrop.
While it will obviously draw heavily from the comic books, it's supposedly intended
to feel more like a gritty crime drama than a superhero film, and is said to be separate
from any other iteration of the Joker in the DCEU.
The movie is set to be co-written and directed by The Hangover's Todd Phillips, with The
Fighter's Scott Silver joining as a co-writer.
Don't expect to see Jared Leto in the lead—Phillips apparently wants to recast the Suicide Squad
star, which makes sense considering the movie's different time period and separation from
the rest of DC's films.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Martin Scorsese is attached to the film as a producer,
and sources say that Warner Bros. is looking to secure Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of
the Joker.
In response to the rumored casting possibility, artist Royy Ledger drew some amazing concept
art of what a DiCaprio Joker would look like.
Joker and Harley Quinn's movie
Jared Leto is, however, expected to reprise his role alongside Margot Robbie's Harley
Quinn in their own film, which has been described as "When Harry Met Sally on benzedrine."
To that end, the studio has recruited a duo familiar with romance, with This Is Us's Glenn
Ficarra and John Requa in final talks to write and direct.
The pair also already have experience working with Robbie, having directed her in both Focus
and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
While the movie doesn't have a release date yet, it could be on the way soon.
Insiders say the plan is to fast-track the movie after the upcoming Suicide Squad 2,
with the timeline being pushed up thanks to the actors' holding agreements.
While it may seem like we're getting Joker overload with the Suicide Squad sequel and
the character's planned origin story movie, this film is said to be further along.
(laughing)
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