In an alternate timeline, we’re currently in the midst of a robust run of interconnected DC films that’s building towards aJustice League 2, all spearheaded by filmmakerZack Snyder. But the thing about plans is they can change rapidly, as they did whenBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justicehit theaters back in 2016 to disappointing box office and critical reception. And once Snyder leftJustice Leaguein post-production, Warner Bros. pivoted hard towards removing the connective tissue between their DC films. But what’s old is new again, as a new report suggests the studio is going to attempt just that one more time – they intend for their upcoming slate of DC movies to be part of an interconnected universe.
The news comes viaTHR, in their report on Warner Bros.cancelling two DC projectsyesterday:Ava DuVernay’sNew Godsmoviewhich would have made Darkseid a main character, andJames Wan’sAquamanspinoffThe Trench. The studio said in a statement that these films did not fit in their current schedule for DC projects, but noted that they could be revived down the line. But that certainly begs the question, what’s the plan?
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According to THR, DC is “plotting its films and shows to share the same universe,” which includes upcoming projects likeAquaman 2,Black Adam, andShazam! Fury of the Gods. The one big outlier here isMatt Reeves’The Batman, which reboots the titular character withRobert Pattinsonfilling out the role, but THR says this film is set on an alternate Earth known as Earth-2.
Indeed, key to this plan going forward isThe Flash, which finally begins production this month under directorAndy MuschiettiwithEzra Millerreprising the titular role. That moviewill introduce the idea of the multiverse– the notion that other versions of Earth exist with different realities. To that end, the film will findMichael Keatonreprising his role as Batman from theTim Burtonmovies andBen Affleckreprising his Batman role from the Snyder films, exemplifying how two different Batmen can exist in two different realities at once.
So going forward, there will be outliers likeThe BatmanandJokerwhich exist in different realities, and potentially thatJ.J. Abrams-producedSupermanmoviethatTa-Nehisi Coatesis writing that will introduce audiences to a Black Superman, but films likeAquaman 2andBlack Adamwill occupy the same reality and will have stories that are interconnected.
Key to this plan is HBO Max, and Warner Bros. is keen on crafting TV spinoffs for each of their DC films.James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad– which will be part of this interconnected universe when it hits theaters in August – has an HBO Max spinoff calledPeacemakerstarringJohn Cena, and evenThe Batmanhas an HBO Max spinoff in the works revolving around Gotham P.D.
It’ll be interesting to see if Warner Bros. can nail the interconnected universe idea a second time. Arguably the reason they failed the first time is because they wanted to fast-forward to their ownAvengersmovie. They saw what Marvel was doing, and instead of methodically building up characters with their own individual films, they followedMan of Steelup with a mini-Avengersmovie inBatman v. Supermanand rushed straight into aJustice Leaguemovie, before audiences were able to build a strong connection to characters like Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman.
But now audiencesdohave connections to these characters – future installments in theAquamanandWonder Womanfranchises are highly anticipated, andDwayne Johnsonis making his DC debut withBlack Adamwhichhits theaters next year. Other future DC movies includeBatgirl,Supergirl,Blue Beetle,Green Lantern Corps., andStatic Shock, so there’s certainly a lot of promise there. Again, the big question is whether they’ll rush too quickly again, but having HBO Max as an outlet for longform storytelling is certainly a positive.
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