James Gunn and Peter Safran could wait until after 2023 to announce who DC Studios has recast for its major characters.
While Gunn has already promised that the reveal of the rebooted DCU slate is imminent, 2023 is already a huge year for the DC brand.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to arrive in March, followed by The Flash and Blue Beetle in the summer, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom closing out the year on Christmas Day.
That means Jason Momoa, Zachary Levi, and whoever is actually cameoing in The Flash will finally be able to promote their long-awaited films.
With all of that coming before Gunn and Safran's new story, here's a breakdown of why the newly formed DC Studios is likely to wait to announce any further recasts or replacements until 2024.
The Timeline of DC Studios Recasts
When Peter Safran and James Gunn were crowned the new co-heads of DC Studios, the big question was whether the DCU's current stars would continue to play their iconic characters in the reboot.
Only days after that management change was revealed, the announcement that Henry Cavill would not continue as Superman was the clearest indicator that a new cast was what DC Studios had in mind.
However, the fate of some stars is still unknown, including Shazam's Zachary Levi, Aquaman's Jason Momoa, and even The Flash's Ezra Miller. And, it's likely to stay that way for the next twelve months at least.
More Recasts Could Lead to Fewer Ticket Sales
While fans are naturally curious and excited about what Gunn and Safran have on the horizon, the knowledge that the DCEU is coming to an end is already working against the studio's upcoming slate.
At the moment, audiences don't know if Shazam 2, Aquaman 2, or Blue Beetle even matter in the grand scheme, as they were created under different creative leadership and may be rebooted completely.
But since Jason Momoa has been optimistic but vague about his DC future, and The Flash and Shazam are still in question, audiences are likely to still buy a ticket because of that "if."
This is why it's unlikely that Warner Bros. and DC Studios will announce recastings in 2023.
If they were to confirm that these current films are the last for these stars, audiences would lose interest in Warner Bros. DC slate leading to a string of box office bombs regardless of their quality.
Warner Bros. Wants to Wait and See
Another reason why DC Studios is likely to pause recasting news is that Warner Bros. wants to wait and see how the current cast's films perform.
It's been reported that some Warner Bros. executives are "amenable to continuing" with Ezra Miller after The Flash If Miller's long-awaited solo film succeeds with audiences and at the box office, that could influence the final decision.
The Flash and Miller's potential may also be why cameos from past Justice League stars have reportedly been removed from the 2023 film.
The fate of Zachary Levi and the Shazam cast may also be contingent on Shazam 2's performance. Of all 2023's DC films, Shazam just may have the best odds of surviving the reboot since the franchise has been more self-contained than the rest of the DCEU library and Peter Safran is credited as a producer.
At the moment, Blue Beetle is a real wild card in that it's not a DCU sequel or spin-off but a completely new origin story.
If Xolo Maridueña's performance, Warner Bros. and DC Studios could absorb Blue Beetle into the new DC Universe, making it the first film of the reboot.
The Waiting Game is the Best Game for DC Studios
Even though Warner Bros. and its new DC Studios are looking to the future, both still have to deal with the present.
If 2023 is the end of the current iterations of Shazam!, Aquaman, Blue Beetle, and The Flash, confirming that decision before these pre-existing films arrive in theaters does nothing for either studio.
It's in the best interest of all involved to wait until the end of the year and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's box office run to announce potential recastings.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how audiences respond to this year's slate and their respective box office performances.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods arrives in theaters on March 17.
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