This is the age of superheroes. The biggest blockbusters, casting news, contracts and updates revolve around the Marvel and DC Movies, which is supported by a frenzied fanbase around the world. While Marvel has established itself as the leader in the field with a total of 18 movies released till date (starting with Iron Man in 2008), DC has also been trying its level best to compete with a flurry of quick releases like Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman, and Justice League.
Though critical success has evaded the DC Extended Universe (except for Wonder Woman), it is an axiomatic fact that the franchise is here to stay. They have a huge list of movies proposed for or under-development, apart from Aquaman, Shazam!, Wonder Woman 2, Cyborg and Green Lantern Corps. How many will actually see the light of the day remains to be seen, but there is no denying that Warner Bros views DC as an extremely profitable venture in the long-term.
Let’s have a look at all these proposed movies and evaluate the possibility of their release:
Batgirl
First, we got the news that Joss Whedon would be directing the Batgirl movie, but then he dropped out and now journalist Roxane Gay, who actually dissed the Justice League movie, is supposedly in talks with Warner Bros to write the movie-
https://twitter.com/rgay/status/976267552404930566
Roxane’s credentials? She has experience writing for comics, including a Black Panther spinoff. Whether or not she will land up the job remains to be seen, but we fully expect a Batgirl movie to enter development in the next few years. After all, Barbara Gordon is a solid character in the DC-verse who fights crime not because of some emotional issues like Batman suffers from, but because she chooses to. How cool is that?
The Batman
Ben Affleck’s role as the caped crusader was praised In Batman v Superman, which was largely panned by critics. An announcement was soon made for a standalone Batman movie, where Affleck would reprise his role as the titular superhero and would also direct it.
However, things change in the unstable DC universe at the drop of a hat and soon Affleck was out of direction, with new director Matt Reeves, which is actually really great, because both Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War of the Planet of the Apes had a dark intensity around them, something which would be fantastic for a Batman movie. According to Matt, things are going ‘really, really well’ for the movie (see tweet below) and we are inclined to believe him.
Really, really well, thanks! I could not be more excited! 🦇
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) April 3, 2018
Fans are still unconvinced though, whether Affleck is still playing Batman or some other actor has been roped in. We heard some news for Jake Gyllenhaal but frankly, he doesn’t fit the role. Let’s hope we see a 2019 release.
Black Adam
In comics, Black Adam is a particularly evolved character, progressing from being an antagonist to an anti-hero to more of a protagonist. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will be reportedly playing the character, but in a standalone film, and not Shazam! As we previously thought. Now Shazam! is in production and any movie involving The Rock is certainly likely to happen, so the Black Adam movie might be a possibility for 2021.
Flashpoint/Untitled Flash movie
The Flashpoint story is one of the most fascinating to have come from DC comics and has been already shown on the CW TV series and in animated movies like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, which was really good. Involving time travel, alternate dimensions, Thomas Wayne as Batman (that means Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan in The Walking Dead would play Batman!), and Martha Wayne as the Joker (how crazy is that!), a live-action adaptation of the Flashpoint arc would be the ultimate spectacle, and probably catapult Ezra Miller’s Flash as a hero for all ages.
The movie is being handled by Horrible Bosses writer-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, and should see a 2020 release because they really did announce it ages ago. A recent update on the movie suggests that it may no longer be called ‘Flashpoint’, so we need to wait more and see what comes out of there.
Justice League Dark
After the colossal demise of the Justice League movie, plans for Justice League Dark- the darker, grimmer universe of superheroes featuring characters like Swamp Thing, Zatanna and John Constantine seem to be off. There were many big names initially associated with the project like Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Jackson, and Joseph Kahn but all have left.
Alex Garland, who has directed Ex-Machina and Annihilation, has said he wants to direct a Swamp Thing movie. Only time will tell whether we will get to see a JL Dark movie or standalone film of one of the characters.
The New Gods
A movie on the New Gods, if made properly, can prove to be a huge game-changer for DC. The scope is enormous, given it largely consists of celestial gods battling with each other, so any treatment has to be done in the most careful and reverent manner.
Those who are not aware what New Gods is all about, here is a succinct explanation of the same. Last month, noted director Ava DuVernay (Selma, A Wrinkle in Time) was reportedly signed by Warner Bros for the DC New Gods movie. If the movie comes to fruition, it might be the most ambitious project undertaken by the studio till date. We hope we get to see a New Gods movie by 2021/2022.
Nightwing
We have had enough of Batman movies but no solo movie on Robin or Nightwing. Everyone is familiar with Robin, but who is Nightwing? Nightwing is the identity adopted by orphaned circus acrobat Dick Grayson when he grows up out of his colorful Robin pants and then becomes the intense Nightwing. It was reported earlier that The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay would be directing the Nightwing movie but he is also working on Dungeons and Dragons now, which has a release date of July 23, 2021. So a delay of minimum five years is expected, with a Nightwing movie possibly releasing in 2023?
Suicide Squad 2
Suicide Squad got trashed by critics and also by fans because honestly, it was a horrendously edited movie with a weak villain. However, it also made bucketloads of money and actually won an Oscar (No Marvel movie has won an Academy Award to date). There were rumors of Mel Gibson directing the sequel, which was greenlit even before the first movie was released and everyone is tied to the contracts, so this is certainly going to be made. The Rock, playing as Black Adam is touted to be the villain of Suicide Squad, with a possible release date of mid-2019. Gavin O’Connor, who has directed Miracle, Warrior, and The Accountant, will be at the helm of the movie.
Untitled Birds of Prey film
The current Birds of Prey comics lineup includes Batgirl, Black Canary, and the Huntress, as well as different female superheroes and possibly villains, which could ultimately result in any possible exciting combination for a live-action adaptation of a movie. Christina Hodson, who has been roped in by Warner Bros to write the upcoming Batgirl movie, has a script for Birds of Prey as well, and the studio is currently on the lookout for a director.
Untitled Harley Quinn film
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn was one of the standouts in the disastrous Suicide Squad, and the character received a lot of praise to the extent of people desiring to see a solo Harley Quinn movie. With Suicide Squad being confirmed, it is likely we would see a Harley Quinn movie being announced as well. Margot Robbie had confirmed last year in December that a separate movie was in the works so this will certainly be made.
Untitled Justice League sequel
A Justice League sequel is an inevitable conclusion to all the DC movies being made but after the below average performance of the first one, a sequel will only be made once Warner Bros get their act together with the script and director. They simply cannot afford another BO disaster.
Joker origin movie
We all shat our pants when we heard a solo Joker movie (possibly origin movie) is being produced by Martin Scorsese with director Todd Phillips at the helm. Though Joaquin Phoenix, who is rumored to play the titular clown prince of crime, has stated he has no clue whether the movie will be made, we are having our fingers crossed, because this will be SO GOOD!