Warner Bros. discovery has gone through a tumultuous upheaval ever since the acquisition happened with movies and shows being canned left right and center, amongst them a goodly number of the upcoming DC superhero slate and HBO’s various drama series, some even being tossed mid-, and in a few cases, post-production. The studio’s best attempt at capturing the famous Disney MCU magic had so far turned out to be something that drunkenly lurched from one middling film to the next.When it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran, who worked on Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadfor DC, would now be heading their production lineup, fans were left wondering what fate would befall the beleaguered Snyderverse that WB had started. With that in mind, it’s time to round up all the news and rumors to date to give fans an idea of what the state of the DC union isbefore Gunn officially announces their slate next year.Related:7 Actors Who Could Play Wonder Woman If The DC Universe Reboots
Batman
Reports are solid where Batmanisn’tgoing. With the upsetting of the current DCU, it’s solid that Ben Affleck won’t be reprising his role as the dark Knight who first appeared inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Following the canning of Affleck’s own Bat-movie, there’s as much chance of seeing the Oscar-winner reprising his role of Bruce Wayne as there is of seeing the MCU bring the formerDaredevilstar back as a multiversal Matt Murdoch.
Further, after tossing the finishedBatgirlmovie and dumping a rumoredBatman: Beyondfilm, Michael Keaton isn’t going to reprise the Caped Crusader anytime soon, either. The actor has been on a serious comeback of late, so the get was all on DC’s side, not his. As far as Robert Pattinson goes, Matt Reeves is getting to continue his pocket Batman universe but the latest Brit batisn’t going to crossover with DC’s new main continuityaccording to Gunn. Just who the new mainline Batman will be is up for grabs.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman 3, coming after the belovedWonder Womanand the more divisiveWonder Woman 1984, was another project that was left uncertain in the wake of the recent buyout. With the press going back and forth on what exactly happened behind the scenes—either DC’s version that they offered an olive branch to Patty Jenkins and she rebuffed them, or her version that falls into the “I didn’t walk away, you pushed me out,” mode of PR management—what is known is that the brass weren’t happy with Jenkins’ proposedWonder Woman 3idea and put the kibosh on it until they could figure out where they were going next.
It’s not even known if Gal Gadot will return as the character; she could fall the way of Jason Momoa and into Gunn’s good graces, but as one of the Big Three of DC’s pantheon alongside Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, signs aren’t great.
Superman
Henry Cavill may have gotten the shortest end of the stick out of the whole DC restructuring. Not long after he left The Witcher (no reason was given for why Cavill was leaving the show) and announced he would be returning as Superman in the DCEU, the whole deal fell apart.
That announcement, made only days before Gunn and Safran were announced as new DC co-bosses, apparently wasn’t ever as concrete as it seemed. Cavill is a man who may have looked the part and is a fun actor, but was relegated to movies that tonallyare the opposite of what aSupermanadaptation needs to beand there’s a good chance audiences are getting a lighter-hearted hero in the future, in line with the Big Blue Boy Scout persona that was established all the way back in 1938.
Aquaman
Pity the poor herorumored to have slept with a fishbut don’t pity Jason Momoa who is one of the few mainstream Snyderverse castings to have seemingly made the cut going forward in the revamped DCU.
Snagging a cameo at the end ofPeacemaker, Gunn’s own spinoff of hisThe Suicide Squad, and starring alongside Gunn’s ownPeacemakerstar, John Cena inKiller Vacation,the upcoming movie produced by Safran and written by Gunn’s own brother and cousin, Momoa stands to be of the few to survive the DC culling. WithAquaman and the Lost Kingdomstill coming out, there’s a decent chance it’s only one of the star’s franchise entries, not his swan song.
The Flash
Despite Ezra Miller’s legal battles and tumultuous times in the press of late, WB isstill going ahead with the actor’sThe Flashmovie(one that was supposed to have had Keaton’s Batman play a role, but c’est la vie).
Since the plot was rumored to be the Flashpoint story, a sort of multiversal reboot button for DC, that may be the only reason the film is still going through to act as a nuke on the former Snyderverse (including Miller’s Flash) and clear the way for DC to pick up the pieces that Gunn and Safran are setting up.
The Rest
Aside fromBatgirl’s unceremonious dumping, it appears everything else that was in production is at last being allowed to finish. The upcomingShazam! Fury of the Godssequel is on its way to theaters, and so is theBlue Beetlemovie with Gunn even recentlytweeting the poster to his Twitter account.Peacemakercontinues apace with John Cena and the rest of the gang with a rumor that Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller is going to be more prominent in the next season. With Margot Robbie’s continuedinterest in playing Harley Quinn and Gunn’s, too, it’s a good bet she stays in the picture too.
More:Will The Flash Change The DCEU As Much As Flashpoint Changed The Comics?
