DCU is going through a tumultuous period with many major changes.
The DC cinematic universe has had to go through a tumultuous year, with huge changes on the screen and in the operating system of Warner Bros. First of all, the name “DC Cinema Universe Extended” (DCEU) has gone into the past, with the replacement being “DC Universe” (DCU).
This is considered a new direction to help their superhero movie segment be more prosperous, enough to compete with Marvel and other competitors in the near future.
Next, from November 1, 2022, James Gunn and Peter Safran have officially become the presidents of DC Studios (former name DC Films, under Warner Bros.), the unit that directly supervises and produces the film segment. DC superhero images. Previously, this duo has left many bold impressions with a series of hit projects such as The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker directed by James Gunn; or Aquaman, Shazam! with Peter Safran as producer.
The change in operational goals means that many projects in DC are also affected in different ways and makes the future of DCU more uncertain than ever.
Wonder Woman 3 movie project canceled
On December 8, the prestigious website The Hollywood Reporter suddenly reported that Wonder Woman 3 is no longer in DC Studios’ future plans, despite the fact that this movie has been in development from 2020 to now. . Several sources indicate that the leadership team of Warner Bro. Film Group considers that the direction of this film no longer aligns with their new goals. That caused director Patty Jenkins to actively withdraw from the project, and at the same time put an end to the third Wonder Woman movie.
Coincidentally, this unfortunate incident happened just 1 day after actress Gal Gadot posted an article on the occasion of the day she was officially selected by DC to become Wonder Woman. On his personal Twitter, Gadot said: “I am so grateful for the opportunity to play such a classic and wonderful character. And most of all, I also especially cherish my fans. I can’t wait to share Wonder Woman’s next journey with everyone.”
Although director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 project has been canceled, this is not necessarily the end for superhero Diana Prince in the DCU. With James Gunn and Peter Safran actively “rebuilding” this cinematic universe, it is entirely possible that Wonder Woman may have a new direction in the future, or participate in the projects of some other superhero. . At the moment, DCU is still in the early stages of development, and it is difficult to say in which direction Gunn and Safran will shape this universe.
Wonder Woman 3 is not the only victim in DCU’s “death” plan
In August 2022, Warner Bros. disappointed DC fans when suddenly announcing the cancellation of the Batgirl movie project starring Leslie Grace. The film, which was almost finished production, was slated to release on HBO Max and was part of the DCEU at the time. However, Warner Bros.’s plan to cut costs as well as change its long-term goals for DC. deprived Batgirl of the opportunity to step onto the silver screen.
In fact, the DCEU once had a lot of big ambitions, with a plan to mass produce blockbusters to compete with the Marvel cinematic universe (MCU). However, their works did not achieve the expected success, with relatively modest sales figures compared to their competitors, plus many unnecessary scandals behind the scenes. That has caused a series of projects they cherish to be forced to cancel.
In it, we can mention a few very promising names like Harley Quinn vs. The Joker, Gotham City Sirens or The Joker played by Jared Leto. All three of these films are the works of Suicide Squad (2016) by director David Ayer – one of the most forgettable “bombs” of the DCEU. In the end, these 3 projects were merged into a single work with the title Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, released in 2020 but did not achieve the expected success when it earned only 205.3 million USD. .
Not only that, all the projects in the plan of director Zack Snyder have also been canceled by Warner Bros. Straight out of the DCEU, despite his version of Justice League being very well received when released on HBO Max in 2021. In which, the most prominent are the 2 sequels of Justice League, and Ben Affleck’s Batman solo film, with the main villain being Deathstroke. With DC being rebuilt at the hands of James Gunn, it can be said that the opportunity for the Snyder cinematic universe (Snyder-verse) to be revived is almost gone.
Besides, there are still many other names on the list of projects that “break the burden halfway” in DC. From Green Lantern Corps, Cyborg, Deathstroke, The Trench to New Gods, Deadshot or Wonder Twins, all are just at the concept stage – in development, and never realized on screen.
The future of DCU is still very vague and uncertain
Immediately after taking over as president of DC Studios, James Gunn immediately revealed that he had planned for the next 10 years of DCU, with many film and television projects. In particular, Black Adam is considered one of the central characters of this new universe, with the first solo movie released at the end of October.
The version of Superman played by Henry Cavill is also back in this blockbuster, and Superman’s confrontation with Black Adam is considered one of the most important events in the near future of the DCU.
However, Black Adam’s box office figures show that James Gunn’s plan seems to be off to a bad start. Up to now, this film has only grossed nearly 385 million USD (according to BoxOfficeMojo) after nearly 2 months of release.
On his personal Twitter, actor Dwayne Johnson confidently shared that Black Adam will earn about 52 – 72 million USD and will gradually build a new era for the future of DC. He even confidently compared his film to the MCU’s blockbuster Captain America: The First Avengers – the film has a box office revenue of $ 370 million.
However, there is one thing that Dwayne Johnson has overlooked, which is that Captain America premiered more than a decade ago. So any profit comparison between these two films is lame. The Hollywood Reporter even analyzed that with the current revenue, Black Adam is unlikely to get a second solo movie, and other “follow-up” projects will almost be cancelled.
In addition to Black Adam, Aquaman’s future in the DCU is also a mystery, despite the fact that the superhero’s first film has brought in more than $ 1 billion in revenue for Warner Bros. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Warner Bros. will not produce any more sequels after Aquaman and the lost Kingdom comes out at the end of 2023. Meanwhile, the male lead Jason Momoa will continue to stay at DCU as Lobo, a popular character. other of DC.
As mentioned above, Henry Cavill’s Superman is back, but this does not mean that DC will produce Man of Steel 2 or solo projects for Superman. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the character’s future in the DCU remains murky, especially since the cinematic universe seems to be squandering all of the characters that have existed in the DCEU and its franchises. Zack Snyder, including the trilogy of Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). In the immediate future, Henry Cavill will return with a cameo role in the blockbuster The Flash, which is expected to be released in 2023.
In this uncertain period, it seems that only The Batman 2 directed by Matt Reeves is still unharmed. After premiering earlier this year, The Batman received very positive reviews from both experts and audiences, and earned more than $ 770 million – an impressive figure in the context of the film market. started slowly after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sequel to this film was immediately “green lighted” just a month later.
Most importantly, The Batman was originally the project that started a whole new cinematic universe, unrelated to the Snyder-verse and also had little influence on the future of the DCU. James Gunn and Peter Safran can safely develop The Batman-related movies independently, while cleaning up the mess left behind by the DCEU and building a brand new DCU. That is why not only The Batman 2, but also a number of other “follow-up” projects such as the television series The Penguin continue to be produced according to the original plan of director Matt Reeves.