Draft:List of DC Extended Universe films

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) films are a series of American superhero films produced by DC Films based on characters that appear in publications by DC Comics. The DCEU is the shared universe in which all of the films are set. The films have been in production since 2013, and in that time DC Films has produced and released 10 films, with at least 16 more in various stages of development. It is the eleventh highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having grossed over $5.6 billion at the global box office. This includes Aquaman, which became the highest-grossing film of all time upon release.

Charles Roven has produced a majority of films in the series, alongside Zack Snyder, and Deborah Snyder for the Wonder Woman films, and Peter Safran for the Aquaman and Shazam films. The films are written and directed by a variety of individuals and feature large casts. Many of the actors, including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, and Margot Robbie, signed contracts to star in numerous films.

Their first film is Man of Steel (2013), which was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner. Bros have also distributed Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), Shazam! (2019), Birds of Prey (2020), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) while the streaming service HBO Max helped distributed the director's cut of Justice League (2021). Upcoming films include The Suicide Squad (2021), Black Adam (2022), Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash and Blue Beetle (all 2023). Several other films are in various stages in development slated for 2022–23 release dates.

Development
In 2002, Wolfgang Petersen was set to direct a Batman vs. Superman film from a script by Akiva Goldsman. Warner Bros. canceled development to focus on individual Superman and Batman projects after J. J. Abrams submitted another draft for Superman: Flyby. In February 2007, Warner Bros. hired husband and wife duo Michele and Kieran Mulroney to write a script for a Justice League film. Christian Bale, who starred as Batman in Batman Begins (2005), was not approached to reprise the role, nor was Brandon Routh, who starred as Superman in Superman Returns (2006). George Miller was hired to direct the film, reportedly titled Justice League Mortal, with Armie Hammer cast as Batman, D. J. Cotrona as Superman, Adam Brody as Flash, Santiago Cabrera as Aquaman, Common as Green Lantern, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, Hugh Keays-Byrne as Martian Manhunter and Jay Baruchel as Maxwell Lord. The project was put on indefinite hold in January 2008, after failing to secure tax breaks for filming in Australia, as well as the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike preventing progress on the script.

In 2013, a reboot of the Superman franchise, Man of Steel, was set to lay the groundwork for future DC films. The film contained references to other characters in the DC Universe, so if it were a success, it could launch a shared universe. At San Diego Comic-Con in July, one month after Man of Steel's release, Warner Bros. announced that Superman and Batman would meet for the first time in a cinematic format in a sequel to Man of Steel, establishing the shared universe. In October 2014, a slate of ten DC films was announced, with initial plans of those universe-driven films spanning through 2020. In June 2015, Warner Bros. president of creative development Greg Silverman explained DC's approach to their cinematic universe, saying, "We ... take these beloved characters and put them in the hands of master filmmakers and make sure they all coordinate with each other."

In May 2016, following criticism of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. established a DC Films division with DC's chief creative officer Geoff Johns and Warner Bros. executive vice president Jon Berg as its heads to oversee production and form a cohesive creative direction for the franchise. DC Films would not be fully autonomous, as Johns reported to DC president Diane Nelson and Berg reported to Silverman. Charles Roven was also moved from his day-by-day producer role on future DC films, which he had served since 2005's Batman Begins, to an administrative executive producer role. In December, Silverman was ousted from his role in Warner Bros., and Toby Emmerich was promoted to president and chief content officer in his place. By January 2017, Johns and Berg reported to Emmerich. Following the financial and critical success of Wonder Woman in June 2017, Johns stated that moving forward the films would focus on the heart, humor, hope, heroics, and optimism of the characters. As a result of Justice League's underperformance at the box office, Berg left his position by January 2018 and became a production partner with Roy Lee. DC also sought to deemphasize the shared nature of their films, with Diane Nelson stating, "Our intention, certainly, moving forward is using the continuity to help make sure nothing is diverging in a way that doesn't make sense, but there's no insistence upon an overall storyline or interconnectivity in that universe... Moving forward, you'll see the DC movie universe being a universe, but one that comes from the heart of the filmmaker who's creating them."

In January 2018, Walter Hamada was appointed the President of DC Films and co-runner of the DCEU, replacing Berg. The following month, Chantal Nong was named Vice President of DC Films. The pair were hired to oversee the franchise with Johns, as the key production team managers. However, Johns stepped down from his executive roles at DC in June 2018, and created a production company, Mad Ghost Productions, to have a greater hands-on role in various DC media as a writer and producer. After the financial success of Aquaman, Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara said the upcoming slate of DC films would be focused on individual character stories instead of interconnectivity. In 2021, WarnerMedia reversed course and announced that future films would once again be interconnected.

Untitled Wonder Woman 1984 sequel
After principal photography on Wonder Woman 1984 was completed, director and co-writer Patty Jenkins stated that the plot for a third Wonder Woman film had been written. She revealed that the story arc for Wonder Woman had been planned over three films, with the third taking place in the present. Jenkins and Gadot plan to work on other projects before proceeding with the sequel. In 2020, Jenkins said she has stories written for two more Wonder Woman movies completed.

Two days after Wonder Woman 1984 was released, a third film was officially greenlit by Warner Bros. Pictures. Jenkins will return as director, with a script she wrote, while Gadot will reprise her role as the titular heroine. In October 2021, Gadot stated that Lynda Carter will reprise her role as Asteria from the previous film.

In April 2022, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaszlav said that top-tier characters are being underused in the franchise, also saying in August that Wonder Woman will be one of three main superhero characters moving forward. In October, Jenkins revealed that the script for the film is completed, while also stating that she has tentative plans for further installments. Filming is expected to begin in mid-2023.

Untitled Man of Steel sequel
By October 2014, a sequel to Man of Steel was in development. Amy Adams stated that work had begun on the screenplay, while Cavill revealed that he was preparing to reprise the role. Matthew Vaughn had discussions with the studio to direct the film in 2017, but after two years, the talks with Warner Bros. ended in March, and he was no longer involved with development of the film. In discussing his work on the project he revealed that it was influenced by a previous trilogy pitch from 2008 that he had co-written with Mark Millar, with Vaughn describing the project as "a massive, uplifting, hopeful thing". Shortly after in July, Christopher McQuarrie said that he and Cavill had pitched a sequel idea to Warner Bros. over a year prior, with the plot having ties to Green Lantern Corps, but he moved on to other projects due to what he perceived as no movement on the films. Later, Michael B. Jordan had pitched his own take on the character, but was not ready to commit due to an already busy schedule. By November, Warner Bros. had entered negotiations with J. J. Abrams about taking control of the project. In December, Cavill said the future of Superman will be more faithful to the comic book source material. After confirming that though his casting in The Witcher had previously interfered with his availability for the role, he also said that the same would not be the case with the show's second season. In January 2020, James Gunn said that he chose directing The Suicide Squad over the next Superman film. The Man of Steel sequel was no longer in active development by May, but Cavill entered negotiations to reprise the role in a different film. Zack Snyder later stated that plans for the plot had included Brainiac and the Kryptonians who were banished to the Phantom Zone at the end of Man of Steel. Cavill reiterated his interest in continuing the role as of November 2021.

In April 2022, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaszlav said that top-tier characters are being underused in the franchise, including Superman, also saying in August that Superman will be one of three main superhero characters moving forward. In October of the same year, Dwayne Johnson stated that the creative team behind Black Adam worked for six years to try and get Cavill back as Superman, but the previous leadership denied their requests. Citing the new studio direction, he confirmed plans for the franchise's iteration of the character to return and reconfirmed plans for Black Adam and Superman to meet in the DCEU. Cavill reprised his role in Black Adam, setting up the next appearance of both characters within the franchise. The initial pitch for Cavill to appear in Black Adam was declined by Walter Hamada, leading to the creatives going around him and receiving approval from co-Chairman and co-CEO of Warner Bros., Michael De Luca. Later that month, the film centered around Henry Cavill's iteration of Superman was back in active development, and will serve as the first film focusing solely on the character since Man of Steel. Charles Roven will serve as producer, while the studio searches for a director and writer.

Untitled Black Adam sequel
In April 2017, Johnson stated that the DC Films plan on Black Adam and Shazam appearing in a future film together. Henry Cavill, who portrays Superman in the DCEU, said in April 2018 that there were plans for Johnson's Black Adam to face off against Superman in the future, though he believed this will take place after Black Adam and Shazam collide. Dany Garcia stated in May 2021 that Johnson and the other producers planned to make multiple Black Adam films during their "long-term relationship with DC", and Hiram Garcia reiterated in July that there was potential for Cavill and Johnson to appear in a future project together as Superman and Black Adam. That November, Hiram elaborated that they already had an outline for future films and spin-offs featuring Black Adam and the JSA that would be dependent on the first film being a success, and added later that other characters beyond Shazam and Superman were being considered as potential future rivals for Black Adam such as Wonder Woman. In October 2022, Johnson confirmed future plans for Black Adam to fight Superman in the DCEU, and reaffirmed plans for the character to crossover with Shazam. In a separate interview, Johnson stated that the character will interact with various characters within the DCEU continuity, while there are also options for iterations of characters that exist in their own separate universes (namely The Batman and Joker) to crossover through a multiversal scenario. Johnson also said that Black Adam is the first part of a sequence of movies that will expand the franchise. That month, producers Hiram Garcia and Flynn confirmed that there were already developments for a sequel, with plans to fast-track production on the project.

Untitled The Flash sequel
In September 2020, producer Barbara Muschietti stated that The Flash would greatly impact the future of the DCEU, by acting as a "reset", though it would also not "forget anything" that came before. Though this was meant to begin with Michael Keaton reprising his role as the Bruce Wayne / Batman of the DCEU as a result of the titular character's time-traveling, this was changed in post production following the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery, a new CEO in David Zaslav, and leadership changes at Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films. This included re-filming scenes he had shot for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom with Ben Affleck reprising the role instead, and a cancelation of Batgirl. Following a variety of legal issues and disorderly conduct in Ezra Miller's personal life, the conglomerate stated that the actor might not be a part of the franchise moving forward. As of October 2022, the script for a sequel to The Flash (2023) had already been completed by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, although the project's realization depends on the success of the first film.

Green Lantern Corps
A film based on the Green Lantern Corps was announced to be in development in October 2014 as part of the original 10 announced film slate of the DC Extended Universe. In January 2017, David S. Goyer and Justin Rhodes were hired to co-write the screenplay, based on a story by Goyer and Geoff Johns, with Goyer also serving as producer. Warner Bros. described the film as "Lethal Weapon in space". In January 2018, Goyer reaffirmed that despite the franchise's leadership shakeup the film was still in active development. By June 2018, Johns was hired to do a rewrite on the script, in addition to his role as producer. Johns stated that the script draws inspiration from his work on the New 52 Green Lantern comics. Green Lantern Corps was scheduled for release on July 24, 2020, but has since been delayed. In July 2019, Christopher McQuarrie said that he had sent a written proposal for the film to Warner Bros. over a year prior, which had ties to the Man of Steel sequel, but he had moved on to other projects due to what he perceived as no movement on further developing the film. By November 2019, Johns was expected to deliver his script to Warner Bros. by the end of the year. During the development of Zack Snyder's Justice League, the Green Lantern character John Stewart was removed from the film due to the studio already having other plans for him. The film is scheduled for Warner Bros. Pictures' 2022–2023 release slate.

Static Shock
In August 2020, it was announced at DC FanDome a live-action film centered around Static is in development. In October 2020, Michael B. Jordan joined the production team as a producer alongside Reginald Hudlin. In December 2020, Hamada described the film as a project that could be developed for HBO Max, as an exclusive film. By March 2021, Randy McKinnon was hired as screenwriter. The project will be a joint-venture production between Warner Bros. Pictures, Outlier Society, Milestone Media, and DC Films. The film is scheduled for Warner Bros. Pictures 2022–2023 release slate

Supergirl
In August 2018, a film centered on Supergirl, was announced to be in development with Oren Uziel penning the script. Warner Bros. is currently seeking a female director. In February 2021, Sasha Calle was cast as the titular character for the upcoming film The Flash and is expected to reprise her role for the solo film. The film is scheduled for Warner Bros. Pictures' 2022–2023 release slate.

Black Canary
In August 2021, it was announced that a film centered around Dinah Lance / Black Canary was in development with Jurnee Smollett reprising her role as the character from Birds of Prey. Misha Green will write the script and Sue Kroll will produce. The film will be a joint-venture between Warner Bros. Pictures and Kroll & Co. Entertainment. The project is being developed as an HBO Max exclusive film.

The Amazons
In December 2019, Patty Jenkins announced that she was attached as an executive producer to a spin-off of the Wonder Woman films, focusing on the Amazon race of Themyscira. However, despite the story for the project being completed, she currently has no indication of when production is set to begin. Jenkins later stated that she and Geoff Johns co-wrote the story, reprising their collaboration together on Wonder Woman 1984, with the narrative intended to be set between the latter film and the upcoming third standalone Wonder Woman film.

Hourman
In March 2021, a film centered around the character Hourman was announced to be in active development, with a script co-written by Gavin James and Neil Widener.

Nightwing
By February 2017, a film featuring Dick Grayson / Nightwing was announced, with a script written by Bill Dubuque and Chris McKay set as director, having previously collaborated with Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films on The Lego Batman Movie (2017). By February 2018, McKay stated that the script was nearing its final draft. In June 2021, McKay stated that the project had been continually delayed as a result of DC having "other priorities" in terms of film projects, but nevertheless reaffirmed his intention to direct the film, further adding that it could be reworked in order to remove the movie from the continuity of the DCEU, as had been previously done with The Batman (2022).

Plastic Man
By December 2018, a Plastic Man film was put into development with Amanda Idoko set to write the screenplay. The plot is described as being a comedy-action adventure. In December 2020, Cat Vasko was hired to rewrite Idoko's script, with the intention of reworking the project into being a female-centered movie.

Zatanna
By November 2018, Warner Bros. was considering Zatanna as a DC Comics character that could be developed for film. In March 2021, an AT&T investor presentation revealed that the movie had entered active development alongside the now-cancelled Batgirl with Emerald Fennell hired to screenwrite later that month. The film will be produced by J.J. Abrams and his production company, Bad Robot Productions. The film is set to released on and distributed by HBO Max as an original film.

Theatrical distribution
Since the first film in the DC Extended Universe, Man of Steel (2013), all theatrically released films set in the DCEU have been distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. In addition, Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) was distributed by HBO Max as will be the case for any future films in the franchise being developed for a straight-to-streaming release.

Physical
On May 29, 2018, DC released a 5-film collection for Blu-ray featuring the first five films: Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League.

Streaming
In May 2020, Warner Bros Pictures. released their own streaming service HBO Max allowing them to distribute films simultaneously to the theatrical release of DC films which included The Suicide Squad (2021). Upcoming films such as Black Adam, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, will release 45 days on HBO Max after their theatrical releases in 2022.

Other DC Films connections
During the “Multiverse 101” panel at the 2021 DC FanDome event, DC Films president Walter Hamada explained that the DCEU will include a multiverse such as “Earth-Prime”, which the current DCEU slate will be set in, Matt Reeves’s upcoming The Batman film series, and even Todd Phillips’ Joker film. Hamada further added that “this multiverse approach will help to create variety within the massive franchise. It will also help to keep order within timelines, as creatives won’t feel as though they’re stepping on anyone else’s toes.”