With a pair of $1B-grossing films in Aquaman and Joker under their belt, not to mention Shazam’s critical acclaim, Warner Bros. is finally ready to get serious moving forward with their DC Comics properties. But as before, there continue to be a number of questions as to how they should proceed with Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, and others, without falling into the same slump they were in under the Zack Snyder era.
First off, there appears to be some movement in regards to the future of Superman, and it may not include Henry Cavill despite his insistence the role was still his. Variety confirms Warner Bros. has met with Michael B. Jordan to hear his pitch for the character. Jordan was rumored to be high on their list to replace Cavill, who has played Superman in three films beginning with 2013’s Man of Steel. The issue holding back an immediate deal is Jordan’s busy schedule, keeping him unavailable at least through 2023.
Meanwhile, Matt Reeves’ The Batman is moving right along for its planned 2021 release, but they are preparing for the long haul in case the film hits on a Joker level. Contracts being signed by actors including Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, and Paul Dano, who play villains Catwoman, Penguin, and Riddler, respectively, have options for spinoffs included.
In what has to be seen as another direct response to Joker, which became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, Warner Bros. is now open to more films being given the mature tag. Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad are both expected to be R-rated, even if their tones may not be as grim and dark as Joker was. With Disney possibly considering a PG-13 approach to the newly-acquired Deadpool, there will be a void of R-rated superhero projects that WB wants to fill.
There are also still hopes for Green Lanterns Corps and Flash movies, as well. No, they aren’t dead yet. Geoff Johns, who is working on a separate Green Lantern series with Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti, plans to turn in a Green Lantern Corps script by year’s end. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions may take charge of that one, but if that doesn’t work out Berlanti could move to the film side. Despite the news of It director Andy Muschietti boarding The Flash some time ago, that one is still a long ways off, 2021 at the earliest, due to Ezra Miller’s commitments to Fantastic Beasts 3.
So there’s a lot going on at WB to fully take advantage of their incredible roster of superhero properties, but nothing is set in stone and we could see any plans change depending on how upcoming films perform.
