The DC extended universe has undergone rapid changes after the disappointing release of the theatrical version of “Justice League”. After this film, the shared universe abandoned serialized storytelling and instead allowed director-driven projects to be created without any real connection to the larger timeline. But things are about to change, as James Gunn and Peter Safran have been appointed co-CEOs of the universe and are making radical changes to everything related to DC. They recently revealed their plans for the future, and Gunn explained how already filmed projects such as “Shazam 2”, “Flash”, “Blue Beetle” and “Aquaman 2” fit into the big plans of the DC universe.
While moviegoers were thrilled that the DC universe would finally become cohesive under this new leadership, they faced disappointments, such as the news that Henry Cavill was not in the role of Superman, and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 3” was canceled. But during a recent presentation by James Gunn and Peter Safran to the press about their plans for DC, the director of Guardians of the Galaxy explained how the projects already filmed would actually fit into his vision of the future. As he put it,
So how can we put all these things together and make them meaningful, combine them and create one real universe, one real world. And I think we’re lucky with the next four films, to be honest, because we have Shazam, which leads to The Flash, which resets everything. Which then goes into the Blue Beetle, which is completely disabled, it can be completely part of the DCU. Moves on to Aquaman, which leads to Superman, our first big project. But the only thing we can promise is that everything from Superman onwards, or in fact you will see in a second, starting with our first project, will be canon and will be connected. We use some actors from the past. We don’t use other actors from the past, but from now on everything will be interconnected and consistent.
Well, that’s a relief. While it’s obvious that the DCU is making a ton of changes, it seems that all the films that are in the bank (except that discarded Batgirl movie) will fit really well into the plans for the future of the franchise. So these projects are safe and sound, despite the fears that fans felt while waiting for the official announcement of Gunn and Safran.
During James Gunn’s comments on the future of DCU, he mentions the connective tissue that various future projects should have. For example, it looks like Shazam events! “Rage of the Gods” will actually lead directly to Andy Musketti’s movie “The Flash.” It is expected that this blockbuster will change the official timeline of the franchise, which Gunn refers to in his comments. Let’s hope Ezra Miller won’t be involved in any more controversies, as it seems that the project is very important for the next list of DC films.
Next on this list will be Blue Beetle, which was originally supposed to be released on HBO Max, but is now heading to theaters. It looks like this project is pretty self-contained, so it could easily be moved to the new DCU timeline. And after that, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” will apparently be linked to an evolving Superman movie. Pretty exciting stuff, isn’t it?
After months of waiting, it’s really nice that the first list of upcoming DC movies has finally been released. The chapter of the films will be called “Gods and Monsters” and is expected to begin with the movie “Superman: Legacy”, the script for which is written by James Gunn himself. There will be a number of TV projects in the future, including “Lanterns” (about “Green Lanterns” by Jon Stewart and Hal Jordan), “Waller” (with another appearance by Amanda Waller performed by Viola Davis) and “Paradise Lost”. As for the movies, we get a Batman movie called “The Brave and the Bold,” which focuses on Bruce Wayne’s son Damian Wayne, who is one of the versions of Robin in the comics. And this is not all the plans of James Gunn and Peter Safarn.
The next DC movie to be released in theaters will be Shazam! Rage of the Gods March 17. Although Zachary Levy has recently got into an unpleasant situation. In the meantime, check out the movie’s release dates in 2023 to plan your next movie.
