‘Wonder Woman 1984’: All the DC Universe movies to get excited for
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will be released on Friday, Feb. 8. Critics reviews for the project are fairly glowing with the film securing an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s part of the growing trend following Wonder Woman of DC films actually improving over time. (Need we remind you of the terrible and boring slog that was Batman v Superman?)
With the release of Birds of Prey, it seems like the DCEU films have hit a relatively hot streak. (Joker is not part of the DCEU, but its own standalone film. So it doesn’t count in the official tally.)
If you’re not ready for more of the MCU, then maybe it’s time to get amp for these exciting DC Universe movies that will head your way in the near future.
2020
Wonder Woman 1984 (June 5, 2020)
Ready to see Diana of Themyscira trade the dirty streets and battlefields of WWI London for the shoulder pads and artifice of Washing DC in the 80s? Wonder Woman 1984 is a sequel to the 2017 movie, which still represents a change in how DCEU films are seen. Wonder Woman 1984 follows Diana (Gal Gadot), who has thoroughly adjusted to the outside world and is in mourning for those friends she had decades ago.
With a mysteriously resurrected Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), a friend turned enemy in Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), and, most horrifyingly, Donald Trump-inspired Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), Diana definitely has a lot on her plate. Patty Jenkins returns to direct and co-wrote the script with Geoff Johns and David Callaham.
2021
The Batman (June 25, 2021)
Batfleck is dead. Long live, BatPatz! Robert Pattinson, after spending years distancing himself from the Twilight franchise, has returned to the world of blockbusters in order to become Batman.
Directed and co-written by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), The Batman promises to be a “more grounded” take on the character. According to reports, Pattinson’s version of the character is said to be around 30 and hasn’t become experienced in crime-fighting yet.
No one has called it a prequel. Frankly, the DCEU timeline is kind of a mess. Not as messy as the X-Men franchise, but. . .messy. We’re just going with it at this point.
Also joining the film is Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/Riddler, Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobblepott/The Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.
John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as D.A. Gil Colson, and Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál round out the cast. The Batman is currently in production. Frequent Reeves collaborator Michael Giacchino is composing the film’s score.
The Suicide Squad (August 6, 2021)
Before James Gunn returns to Marvel with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he has another crew of asshole misfits to handle. Described as a “soft reboot” of the 2016 David Ayer directed Suicide Squad, this is not a sequel. Please stop calling it that, you’re hurting James Gunn’s feelings.
From the original 2016 cast, only four actors return: Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and Jai Courtney as Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang.
Everyone else is new to the world and the story. While the cast is pretty large, we only know three other characters involved with the film and their actors: David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher, and Steve Agee will voice King Shark.
In the film, but with unknown roles are Idris Elba, Storm Reid, John Cena, Flula Borg, Nathan Fillion, Peter Capaldi, Pete Davidson, Alicia Braga, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, Taika Waititi, Joaquin Cosio, Juan Diego Botto, Mayling Ng, Tinashe Kajese, Julio Ruiz, and Jennifer Holland.
Phew.
The Suicide Squad began filming back in Sept. 2019 with Kinnaman describing the film as a comedy.
Black Adam (Dec. 22, 2021)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was first announced as the character back in..like 2014? It’s been a minute since Johnson was announced, but it’s just now that Black Adam is happening. This classic Shazam! villain turned antihero is one of the most fascinating in DC Comics. Not much is known about the project, but pre-production is underway. (Johnson is already posting his Black Adam workouts to his Instagram.)
What we do know is that Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra will direct the film from a script by Adam Sztykiel (Whiskey Cavalier). Black Adam is also said to serve as the introduction to the Justice Society of America to the DCEU.
2022
Shazam! 2 (April 1, 2022)
2019’s Shazam! did not set the world on fire, but it was a fun and sweet movie with an immensely likable cast and Zachary Levi having the time of his life. There’s no huge surprise that a sequel to the film was announced recently. Not much is known about the project, given that it has just been announced. (Though we’re dying to see Shazam and Black Adam go up against each other.)
Original director David F. Sandberg will return to direct with original writer Henry Gayden penning the script. The cast from 2019 is expected to return. Better go quick to production because the kid actors grow up pretty fast.
The Flash (July 1, 2022)
The Flash has been languishing in development hell for years, guys. It was originally supposed to be released in 2018, which obviously didn’t happen. It went through like five directors and just as many screenwriters. Currently, IT director Andy Muschietti is attached to direct the film with Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) to pen the script.
Hopefully, hopefully, between this and a release date, we’re actually going to get somewhere this time. But we’re not going to believe anything until we are in the theatres.
Ezra Miller, who recently reprised his role of Barry Allen/The Flash in a surprise cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths, is set to star in the film. Muschietti has confirmed that elements of Flashpoint will come into play for the film.
It makes sense. If the WB execs want to reset parts of the DCEU that didn’t work, then Flashpoint is a great arc to do it with. The rest of the cast is unknown at this time. We don’t even know if Kiersey Clemons is still Iris West anymore. So it’s kind of a wait and see sort of thing here.
Aquaman 2 (Dec. 16, 2022)
Seeing as how 2018’s Aquaman broke all sorts of box office records, it’s unsurprising that the film scored a sequel from the WB execs. James Wan, who directed the first Aquaman, intentionally left room for a sequel. Wan is expected to return to direct the sequel with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote the first film, returning to pen the screenplay.
Jason Momoa and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are expected to reprise their roles as Arthur Curry/Aquaman and David Kane/Black Manta respectively. Not much is known about the other cast members at this time.
There will be an animated miniseries, hailing from Wan over at HBO Max, that will follow Arthur’s first days as King called Aquaman: King of Atlantis. So keep an eye out for that.
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