What's Next for the DC Extended Universe?

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   Wonder Woman is proving to be a success both critically and financially for Warner Bros and their DC properties. It's the first film of the new DC Extended Universe, otherwise known as the DCEU, to receive a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes at an astonishing 92% approval rating. It's beginning to look like WB and DC are finally getting on the right track as far as their cinematic universe goes. So what does Wonder Woman's success mean for the DCEU? What are they going to do next?

   As I mentioned above, Wonder Woman scored a 92% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, which is great for several reasons. First of all, only two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have either tied or exceeded that score, and those films are the original Iron Man (94%) and The Avengers (92%). So Wonder Woman is in pretty good company as far as Rotten Tomatoes goes. The second reason that 92% is a good sign is how it compares to the other films in the DCEU. Man of Steel scored a rotten 55% approval rating (which I still don't understand how, but that's an argument for another day), and Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad were far below that with 27% and 25% respectively. Wonder Woman is the first film in the DCEU that hasn't been divisive amongst audiences. At the very least, people are thinking it's okay, but most people out there are absolutely loving it. 
   So what does this mean for the DC Extended Universe? Well, hopefully, it means they're on the right track. Last year Warner Bros brought on DC Comics' chief creative officer Geoff Johns and WB producer Jon Berg to take the reigns and run the DCEU. At the point they were hired, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad already had a lot of work done on them, so there wasn't a whole lot they could do there. However, Wonder Woman was mid-production with over a year until its release, so Johns and Berg probably had a lot of creative input on it. If it is true that Johns and Berg had a big part to play in Wonder Woman, that's very encouraging because they will also carry over into all of the DC films moving forward.
   Speaking of the DC Films moving forward, there are quite a few that are in some stage of development. If all the reports are to be believed, there are over a dozen films based on DC characters in development right now. However, there are only two of those films that actually have release dates and have begun filming. The first of those two is Justice League. Justice League is set for release this November and is currently in the middle of post-production and reshoots (keep in mind, almost every major film goes through reshoots). Justice League has had a big shake up recently though. About a month ago, it was announced that director Zack Snyder had stepped away from the project to deal with a family tragedy. Filling in for him to direct the reshoots and oversee post-production is Avengers director Joss Whedon. We've already seen two trailers for Justice League and will undoubtedly get a third by the end of the summer, probably during San Diego Comic-Con. Justice League is set for release on November 17th of this year. 
   The second DC Film that is confirmed to be coming down the pipe is Aquaman starring Jason Momoa. Aquaman is currently filming in Australia. The film is being directed by James Wan, who is famous for directing such films as Saw, The Conjuring, and Furious 7. Not much is known about the plot of the film, and we haven't seen much from it yet, but I would wager a guess that the first footage will be shown at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Aquaman has assembled an all-star cast that includes Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Ludi Lin, Dolph Lundgren, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Temuera Morrison, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Aquaman is set for release on December 21st, 2018.
   As for the rest of the films DC has in development, some of them are definitely going to happen, some of them I'm not so sure. The ones that will definitely happen and it's just a matter of when would be The Batman directed by Matt Reeves (Dawn/War of the Planet of the Apes) and starring Ben Affleck, The Flash starring Ezra Miller, Shazam starring Dwayne Johnson as the villain Black Adam, Batgirl directed by Joss Whedon, and the recently announced Wonder Woman sequel. The rest of the films DC is working on, I'm unsure as to if or when they'll ever happen. Those films include a Cyborg film, Justice League Dark, Green Lantern Corps, a Justice League sequel, Man of Steel 2, Suicide Squad 2, a Harley Quinn spin-off entitled Gotham City Sirens directed by David Ayer, a Black Adam film, and a Nightwing film directed by Chris McKay (The LEGO Batman Movie). 
   The reason that, out of all of these films, there are only two actively in production is that Warner Bros and DC are being smart about their properties. They're waiting to see what reaction critics and audiences have to Justice League, then they'll make adjustments and move forward as they see fit. If I had to guess, I would say that the first film we'll see after Aquaman, would be The Batman sometime in 2019. 

   So what do you think about the current state of the DC Extended Universe? Are you excited to see Justice League? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this article, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don't forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and other miscellaneous movie thoughts!

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