The playing field has changed, and the battle between Marvel Studios and the DCEU is as much about streaming as the big screen. As usual, Marvel has the upper hand with the number of must-see projects they have coming to Disney+, but WarnerMedia is taking some big swings to close the gap. Their biggest gun, Wonder Woman 1984 is already the biggest film they’ve had on HBO Max, and next year brings the anticipated Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
More is coming, though. With four blockbuster films per year headed to the screen starting in 2022, there will also be two additional that are smaller in budget and with riskier characters. And that means films such as Static Shock and Batgirl could be headed directly to HBO Max, according to the recent New York Times profile on DCEU chief Walter Hamada.
This is just the beginning, too. Similar to the previously-announced Peacemaker series starring John Cena, a spinoff of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Hamada says “with every movie that we’re looking at now, we are thinking, ‘What’s the potential Max spinoff?'”
What we don’t know is how far Hamada plans to take these these HBO Max programs. With Marvel, there’s a real connection between the TV series and the big-screen MCU. But will a show such as Stargirl have similar potential within the DCEU? It would be a waste if these characters are limited to streaming and nothing more.
One thing you won’t be seeing on HBO Max, at least for now, is a sequel to Zack Snyder’s Justice League. As of right now, there are no plans to follow that up but if it proves a gigantic hit with fans, who knows what could happen?
