It’s almost time to learn more about the new DC Cinematic Universe (DCU).
Three months later James Gunn and Peter Safran have been named co-heads of DC StudiosToday (January 30) the duo will announce their 10-year roadmap for Warner Bros’ rebooted DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
And frankly, they cut it well. Gunn has repeatedly stated that he would be sharing the first official details on the DCU’s new blueprint before the end of January 2023 – so the pair will certainly be moving forward a day before the end of February.
Eventually, however, DC fans will learn more about Gunn and Safran’s DCU master plan. Yesterday selected members of the press were invited to a private presentation on the revival of the DCU. Per industry insider Grace Randolph (opens in new tab)those plans will reportedly be released on Tuesday, January 31st at 9:00am PT / 2:00pm ET / 5:00pm GMT (that’s 3:00am AEST on Wednesday, February 1st for Australian readers ).
So what can we expect when the DCU’s new lineup is revealed? Here are six things to watch out for before the big announcement.
1. Superman returns
One project we’ll definitely be hearing about is a new Superman movie. In December 2022, Gunn confirmed the next Superman flick (opens in new tab) would focus “on an earlier part” in Clark Kent’s life. However, it will not be a traditional origin story.
That means unfortunately Henry Cavill will not return as Superman. Cavill had played the legendary Kryptonian in three DCEU films – find out which ones in ours DCEU movies in order Guide – and made a cameo appearance in 2022 Black Adamwhat turned out to be his final appearance as Kal-El.
2. Matt Reeves’ bat verse stands alone
Since Gunn and Safran’s appointment, DC fans have been wondering (and, in some cases, worried) about the future of Matt Reeves’ Bat-Verse.
The Batmanwhich was released in March 2022, was critically acclaimed for tackling the neo-noir detective aspect of the legendary Caped Crusader (read our review of The Batman for more on what we thought). A sequel and two HBO Max Spin-offs — a series starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin and an Arkham Asylum TV show — have since been greenlit.
Since Reeves’ bat-verse preceded Gunn and Safran’s hiring, many expected him to be integrated into the reimagined cinematic universe. However, Reeves said colliders (opens in new tab) that his bat-verse will remain independent of the duo’s 10-year plan for the DCU. Todd Phillips’ Joker film series, its sequel – Joker: Foil a Deux – arrives October 2024, expected to remain as a standalone entity as well.
Will we learn more about it The Batman2, or some details on these HBO Max offshoots as part of today’s announcement? We cross our bats, we will.
3. Gone in no time?
Gunn and Safran’s DCU reboot has bigger problems to solve than Reeves’ bat-verse.
For one thing, what are you doing with the DCEU movies that aren’t in theaters yet? Shazam! wrath of the gods, Blue Beetle, The Lightningand Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are all scheduled to hit theaters before the end of 2023. Will some or all of these characters be brought into the new DCU?
Some will and some won’t. In December 2022, Shazam! wrath of the gods Director David Sandberg was photographed wearing a hoodie with the new DC Studios logo (opens in new tab) thereon. That’s what led the fans to believe that Shazam‘s film series continues (while you’re here, check out our Shazam! wrath of the gods trailer breakdown).
In the meantime, Aquaman Star Jason Momoa alluded to the fact that the ocean-dwelling superhero will also appear in the DCU (per OneTakeNews (opens in new tab)). It is unclear what the future will bring Blue Beetlehowever, once the Mexican superhero’s solo flick is released in August.
As for The Lightning, the future of the supercar is also uncertain. With criminal charges filed against the actor over the past 12 months, it’s unlikely that Gunn and Safran will continue with Ezra Miller’s iteration of the character. It’s plausible that The Flash’s time travel and multiversal plot details will play a key role in DCEU’s transition into Gunn and Safran’s rebooted universe. However, we’d be very surprised if the duo retained Miller’s services as part of their DCU.
4. Stop wondering
The fate of the above characters is yet to be confirmed – hopefully we’ll get some details on that later today – but one superhero who won’t be part of the proceedings is wonder woman.
In December 2022 Patty Jenkins – director – performed wonder woman‘s two DCEU films – confirmed that wonder woman 3 didn’t make headway at DC Studios (opens in new tab). Putting two and two together, it seems like Gal Gadot (who played Diana Prince in four DCEU films) won’t be returning as a super-powered Amazonian in the new DCU look either.
Of course, Gunn and Safran – more on other possible surprises later – could surprise us with a reboot wonder woman film series. Our opinion? Don’t expect Diana Prince to be part of her original 10-year plan.
5. TV Show Inclusions
DC Studios isn’t all about movies. Alongside these Bat-Verse TV spin-offs, we can expect to hear more about the company’s broader TV slate.
Within our exclusive report on The dark knight Trilogy stays on HBO Maxwe’ve covered the news about it Titans and Doom Patrol — two HBO Max staples — would end after their fourth season. No show will then be part of the DCU.
However, there are other series in development that should be part of Gunn and Safran’s master plan. peacemaker Season 2, announced in January 2022, is definitely on the way. Dead Boy detectivesa spin off from Doom Patrolis in development, but it’s unclear how, if at all, it will sit in the broader DCU.
Meanwhile, Gunn has confirmed that the DCU’s slate of films and TV shows – live-action and animated – are connected to each other (opens in new tab). Fan-favorite series, such as Harley Quinn‘s R-rated animated show could be merged with Gunn and Safran’s DCU. Other DC-owned properties, such as B. those under development Green Lantern Corps TV show, plus the second season of The Sandman, could also be folded into the revived DCEU. However, since the latter will be further distributed Netflixits possible addition to the DCU could mess things up from a licensing and contractual perspective.
6. Surprises galore
All of this sounds compelling, but we also expect Gunn and Safran to make some shocking announcements as part of DCU Chapter One.
We already know that Constantine 2 (starring Keanu Reeves) is still in its infancy. One developed by Ta-Nehisi Coates superman A project that is independent of Gunn’s upcoming Superman film is also in development. We would like to receive more information about these projects, e.g. B. their directors, plot summaries or other casting news.
However, there are many intriguing characters in DC Comics that could be ripe for live-action and/or animated adaptations. For starters, after doing a survey on Mastodon, Gunn revealed that Booster Gold (opens in new tab) was the superhero fans most wanted to see on the big or small screens.
Elsewhere industry leakage ViewersAnon (opens in new tab) posted two clues about upcoming DCU projects – one that might tease a Batman and Robin Project. Other teasers posted by Superman in the movie (opens in new tab) and Stephen Colbert (opens in new tab) suggest we learn about movies and shows no one was expecting, one of which is rumored to be a “big upcoming DC movie” that somehow wasn’t leaked online ahead of the reveal. Make us curious.
Finally, Randolph has asserted that the new DCU is nothing like that Wonder‘s cinematic juggernaut. Randolph compared it to the mythological tone of Jack Snyder’s DC films, such as justice leaguewhich may not be music to everyone’s ears.
Still, we’re excited to see what awaits us in the next decade of the DCU. Warner Bros.’ DCEU has long been a drift, and if it’s to truly rival Marvel on the world stage, it needs an exciting roster of huge swing-style movies and big TV series. To you, Gunn and Safran.
Read on for more DC coverage how to see it Batman movies in order. Alternatively, find out which DC movies made our list of the best superhero movies or which movies and TV series are part of ours The best HBO Max movies and The best HBO Max shows Guide.
