In a time when studios were delaying and rescheduling films and projects due to COVID-19, DC and Warner Bros. were leading the charge with projects such as Matt Reeves' The Batman, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Black Adam, and James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, just to name a few.
But it now appears WB is tapping the brakes in canceling Ava Duvernay's New Gods and James Wan's Aquaman spin-off The Trench.
Despite this news, there's way more upcoming DC content coming down the pipeline than what was lost, and some of their projects are surprising.
GREEN LIGHT FOR THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the DCEU projects that are still on track for a 2022-23 release include the likes of Green Lantern Corps, Batgirl, and Supergirl.
"Other projects on the slate due out in 2022-23 include Warners' and New Line's Black Adam (July 29, 2022) and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods (June 2, 2023), as well as Warners' Blue Beetle, Batgirl, Supergirl, Green Lantern Corps and Static Shock."
Black Adam starring the Rock and Shazam! Fury of The Gods were already considered a sure thing, especially since they've been openly promoted by their cast.
The real news is that Warner is moving forward with projects like Supergirl and Blue Beetle, characters and stories that normally would've remained relegated to the realm of television.
The Hollywood Reporter's release also detailed other DC projects being developed, but with little information for fans curious about DC's ever-growing library of pre-existing heroes.
"Zatanna and a third Wonder Woman are also in development, while an upcoming Superman, from producer J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Ta-Nehisi Coates, is too early in development to say if it will be connected to the larger DC Universe or if, like The Batman, will stand on its own."
HOW MANY BATMANS AND SUPERMANS AGAIN?
It's no secret that DC is suffering from an identity crisis in comparison to the MCU, and to the fans' credit, they've hung with the studios in hopes of a course correction and renewed direction for some time now.
In recent years, both DC and Warner Bros. have seemingly forsaken the MCU model in place of stand-alone films as they strive to move past their former attempts and the stigma of the SnyderVerse.
And while more time and films are needed to properly evaluate this model, it's hard to ignore the fact that the current slate of DC films is confusing for fans and requires them to separate one Batman or Supergirl, and now Superman, from another.
Still, the fact that the studios are moving forward with more unknown properties like Zatanna, Static Shock, and Blue Beetle indicates the studio is willing to branch out and explore their library of characters as opposed to reinventing the same standbys year after year.
And just maybe, this change of course may be what finally helps the DC side of the comic book film franchise truly find itself.
