The Batman 2, Wonder Woman 3, And Man Of Steel 2: Only One Is Still Happening
The incoming James Gunn and Peter Safran team is resulting in a line wide reset of all DCU movies according to The Hollywood Reporter. Rumored to be canceled films include Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3, with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman coming to an end with next year’s movie. According to the report, there is only one small section of the DCU that is not being touched: Matt Reeves The Batman universe, which was never really connected to the rest of the DCU.
The Batman 2, written by Matt Reeves and still starring Robert Pattinson, is expected to continue moving forward as planned. Also going forward is the spin-off series, The Penguin, featuring Colin Farrell as the Gotham gangster. Though not directly connected to any of the other DCU films, The Joker sequel starring Lady Gaga is also still going forward under the new regime.
While fans were expecting a dramatic change following James Gunn being given the keys from Warner Bros. Discovery in October, canceling most of the in-production films and re-casting actors goes beyond what was expected. Gal Gadot’s time as Wonder Woman may be over, Henry Cavill may be done, again, as Superman, but just as when the DC Comics rebooted following The New 52, Batman is untouched. Given that Batman and Batman-adjacent films occupy four of the five top earning DC movies, with The Batman coming in at number three, as a pure business decision, leaving The Dark Knight to do his own thing has always paid off.
In the DCU, Ben Affleck portrayed an older, more grizzled Batman that had no qualms with using firearms. The recent Matt Reeves The Batman was a more understated film, going back to the basics of the character, boosted by Robert Pattinson’s acclaimed portrayal of Bruce Wayne. Zoe Kravitz, as Catwoman, and Paul Dano as The Riddler, rounded out the cast of characters, with each actor also garnering praise for their work.
The rumored plot of Man of Steel 2 was that the film would be a “back to basics” for Superman, bringing the DCU character more in line with his comic counterpart. Wonder Woman 3 meanwhile, was supposed to be a team up movie, though between which characters was never officially confirmed. By contrast, The Batman 2 was always expected to expand on the Gotham underworld and continue to shut out the superpowered heroes.
Exactly what James Gunn and Peter Safran have planned for the DCU is unknown, whether it includes a different Batman from Robert Pattinson is also unknown. The Batman corner of the DCU may be the cornerstone for the rest of the franchise moving forward, or it may not. Stephanie Brown may finally make it to the big screen, or she may not, right now, all theories are valid and nothing can be cast aside.
Except for a Black Adam sequel, the underperforming movie has been a historic bomb for Warner Bros. Discovery and so any Dwayne Johnson follow-up is dead in the water. Films scheduled to be released in the next year, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom are still, as of today, going to be coming out. The Batman 2 has no release date, but it is comics accurate that even if the entire universe is changing and falling apart around him, Batman is the one constant.
