The Flash
" What on Earth is DC doing ? " That ’s been the ultimate question in picture circle recently , particularly in the last week but really for month if not years . Ever since it became clearMan of Steel- a film that remains incredibly standalone in its vision of a proto - Superman - was going to be the jumping off point for DC ’s massive shared universe in the backwash of Marvel ’s immense success withThe Avengers , there ’s been confusion and skepticism in equal measure . A enfranchisement in flux is really the in effect room to put it . A slate announce in late-2014set a game plan through to 2020 that by now is jolly much in tatters ( in contrast , Marvel ’s comparable versionunveiled around a similar time does n’t look all that different ) and so many motion-picture show are announced , reported or speculated on that it ’s nigh on impossible to keep up;The Batmanhas a satisfying two years of cackle and we ’re unlikely to see it before the decade ’s out . What are DC actually doing?Well , in the light of all the recent rumor , let ’s break down the accurate truth and , from that , try and see how the series is diversifying and fracturing off in many different directions .
Movies Officially Confirmed By DC
We ’re go to start by laying out the introductory facts , primarily distinguishing between movies that have been - through one way or another - officially corroborate and slated ( albeit in many vitrine without firm dates ) by Warner Bros. from those in early stage of development .
There are just three moving picture will determine going dates : Justice Leagueon November 16 , 2017 , followed byAquamanon December 21 , 2017 andWonder Woman 2on December 13 , 2019 . All other cinema that once had set weekends have since been moved to indeterminate slots or dropped from the slate completely . However , two more dates are set in 2020- February 14 and June 5 - but we do n’t which movies will take these .
Besides this trio , from Warners ' own SDCC board we know there are seven more motion picture that they are openly working on : Suicide Squad 2,The Batman , Shazam!,Justice League Dark , Flashpoint , Green Lantern Corps , andBatgirl(this flurry was also whereWonder Woman 2was corroborate ) .
Out of these , the only picture show with semi - firm dating isShazam!The plastic film , which is notable for being a Warners / New Line co - output , will be directed by David F. Sandberg , get going production next year and isexpected to arrive in 2019 . That latter item has led some to think the film will get the April 5 appointment it was originally given in DC ’s monumental ( but now defunct ) slate announcement , although that ’s not actually been clarify .
Several of the other picture have repeatedly add up up in reports as priorities for the studio apartment and thus campaigner for those 2020 dates . Most recentlySuicide Squad 2(which is presently research for a director ) but alsoJustice League DarkandBatgirl , whose commencement date depends on managing director Joss Whedon ’s turnabout from reshoots onJustice League . The Batmanis another likely prio , although despite being heavily covered we do n’t know how far along it really is - Matt Reeves did n’t start up combat-ready prep until finishing on last month’sWar for the Planet of the Apes .
Flashpointis a little more complicated . The Flashmovie was originally reckon likely for 2018 but since miss several directors and has been through a handful of rewrite , to the point we do n’t know how much of the initial estimation remains ; it ’s thus now of unknown potential and date , something further muddied by its canyon - altering plot . Rounding things off , Green Lantern Corps.was once set for July 24 , 2020 , but likeShazam!andThe Flashthat has presumably transfer - any reporting of such a date is a holdover from old report .
And so we have three movies with set date , one in the latter part of each coming year , then seven movies in active confirmed ontogenesis . Everything else ? Well , that ’s more complicated .
Unconfirmed Movies In Various Stages of Development
Now , there are several movies that get babble out about a lot that are n’t in the premature list , plainly because they have n’t been announced . Briefly , Cyborgwas in the beginning slated for 2020 but seems to have slide down in priority and does n’t hold that anymore;Man of Steel 2reportedly has a playscript and is circulate Matthew Vaughn , but there ’s been no expressed confirmation;Black Adamnow exist disjoined ofShazam!and it ’s frankly ill-defined how Dwayne Johnson now factors into the dealership any longer ; and while Chris McKay’sNightwingmade a splash sooner this yr , it ’s still early daylight . All of these movies are in some phase of development but not part of the company ’s outwardly official plans .
And then there ’s the Joker . The past calendar week ’s contribute reports regarding four movies tie to the Clown Prince of Crime ; as well as the aforementioned and confirmedSuicide Squad 2 , there was the reassertion of a Harley / Joker film ( now with Crazy , Stupid , Love ’s directors attached ) that’sapparently dissimilar to David Ayer ’s long - mootedGotham City Sirens , as well as a Martin Scorsese - give rise Joker origin account . That last one , crucially , is the one film said tonot be in the DCEU continuitybut part of a new , separate standard . It come out all of these are being talk about , although it really ask re - submit that none are official yet ; Ayer himself saidSirensisn’t greenlit , Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are just in talks for Harley / Joker , and the Scorsese project is in " early stages " .
In short , we have seven movies that are part of the DC discussion yet in a very primeval commonwealth and so are even harder to define than the likes ofGreen Lantern .
All caught up ? Good . Because from all this we can finally begin to see how DC ’s next look .
What The Hell Is DC Doing?
Even make all the particular on the last varlet clear does n’t really explain too much about DC ’s plan , at least not straightaway .
Their expansion initially felt like a lineal , accelerated caricature of what Marvel ’s done with the MCU ; a mixture of origin - explaining solo movies and big squad ups . It did bring in more distinctly disjoined property likeSuicide Squad , but otherwise , that initial 2014 ticket - when the initial game programme became really all the way - felt like a rather dim-witted reordering of the former Marvel docket whose most refreshing musical theme was take in some origin storiesafterthe squad - up .
So much has changed since that original announcement - not least the optimism for the series - although now there may be a re - emergent sense of parliamentary procedure , at least up to the end of the decade . At SDCC , eight motion-picture show were confirmedthat , in addition to the two already in production , provide an interesting roadmap . There ’s five following the nucleus Justice League ( with the later two -FlashpointandGreen Lantern Corps.- look at definite genre turns ) a lighter entry in the bod ofShazam ! , a gritty contrast withJustice League Dark , and something sort of in the midsection withSuicide Squad 2 , which has some overlap with Gotham and thusBatgirl(as well as the already - includedThe Batman ) .
So what we seem to be witnessing is a massive franchise diversifying . At the DCEU ’s core are the heroes that were always going to build it , but the in - development motion picture suggest warner are just as invested in explore alternative side - especially if they ’re nefarious . Further , all the talk of standalones within the shared universe -especially in regard toThe Batman- have it wait like they ’re moving from a constantly rolling roulette wheel of story and rather trying to simply work up good solo films . Why else do a completely disjoined Joker movie as part of a new banner ? It ’s an endeavor to propose more than the rather singular ingathering thus far .
This may seem to go against the deal universe model as previously accepted - it ’s removing the on-going story factor as a unmortgaged , repeating focus - although that may be fresh . Many of the other Marvel imitators are working on a smaller scale -The ConjuringandMonsterVersenarratives are nowhere about as sprawling as the MCU - and those that have aimed gravid - the dissentious DCEU andDark Universe- have struggled to garner as strong interest . It ’s becoming vindicated that to really have recollective - term success requires building a firebrand name . Indeed , while Marvel is all connected , outside of die - strong fans the real appeal is that stamp of calibre the logo suggests ; nobody go toGuardians of the Galaxyjust for its Thanos scene , and it sounds like afterAvengers 4they’re pass away to do a piano restart .
DC ’s approaching find like that in a ground - up way , intentionally go in several directions . That ’s probably why they ’ve tried to put away in on Christmas releases - it builds subconscious loyalty . Of course , it would also be poorly - advise to not mention the franchise ’s mixed reception thus far , withBatman v SupermanandSuicide Squadin particularly gaining vituperative reviews ; splintering off intend those who care the films can get more , but the many who do n’t wo n’t simply give up .
Much of what we ’re get wind about these upcoming films would seem to attest to that , chief among it the idea of them being " managing director - lead " . This has been thrown around from the very other 24-hour interval , seemingly as a way to distinguish from the distinctly manufacturer - dominated MCU , but was undermined by repeated cases of re - edits and studio meddling . Now , though , there ’s a ring of truth to it;Patty Jenkins stated there was no tonal mandate onWonder Woman , both James Wan and Matt Reeves have made clear that was an all important part of their declaration negotiations forAquamanandThe Batmanrespectively , and everything we get word from Sandberg , McKay et al suggests a prioritization of vision above all else .
Of of course , that does n’t appear to have been the initial architectural plan and that this is being prepped in the month leading up toJustice Leagueis sure as shooting interesting . Everything prior to the team - up has felt like of likewise - pitched franchise ethos - evenSuicide Squadfit the mold . For WB to be bugger off ready to go off into many lane aside fromJL(including a non - canon one ) could indicate they ’re not too confident in it being the harmonious success many have it nail down as needing to be . But that still fits the system of logic of what we ’re say ; they are n’t doing a total uracil - turn , but are starting to adjust tact so unlike tastes are supply to .
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If you want to find method acting in the seeming Warner madness , that is likely their future layout . case-by-case flick that are part of thematically link up torpedo - franchises take form one whole under the DC streamer . It ’s different to the MCU and indeed much of how DC is perceived in comics ( although imprints and standalone stories are definitely a big part of them ) - and that make it hazardous and does n’t get away from their current approach being a bit scattershot . However , it is still a method that may finally see the ship aright itself . Only fourth dimension ( and four Joker movies ) will evidence .
Next:Will Zack Snyder Return To Justice League’s Production?
