Recently, after a management shift at Warner Bros., the new Warner Bros. Discovery chair, David Zaslav, made some major strategic decisions concerning the studio’s most significant IP, DC Extended Universe. Zaslav announced that the DCEU would adopt a plan to launch future projects with an outlook for the next ten years to revitalize the creatively struggling franchise. Zaslav stated that the plan would be similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, explicitly mentioning Kevin Feige while also appreciating his work.
The plan makes sense as it has worked well with Marvel Studios and has made the MCU the highest-grossing franchise of all time. That shared continuity has grown steadily to fame and acclaim over a decade and has successfully launched twenty-nine films. On the other hand, DC and Warner Bros. have struggled to find a definitive continuity after ten years and ten movies.
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But then there is a whole line-up of films planned for release at least until the following year. And the ongoing confusion with the current timeline of events in the DCEU. The shared cinematic continuity carved out the stories from DC Comics began in 2013 with Man of Steel with director Zack Snyder as its creative visionary. Since then, the studio, which has undergone three changes in executive control over DC Films, has failed to keep the crossover narrative in a particular direction, leaving fans disappointed and without a clear layout for their favorite comic-book adaptations.
This ten-year plan to follow Marvel Studios creates both potential and confusion for fans and their expectations.
The Cancellation of Batgirl
Warner Bros. Pictures
Firstly, before initiating this ten-year plan, the current DCEU was shaken by one surprising cancellation. Citing issues in quality and lesser audience receptions in test screenings, the studio canceled Batgirl. Now, Batgirl wasn’t a big blockbuster DC event. In fact, Warner Bros. and DC Films didn’t even consider Batgirl for a theatrical release and kept it for a straight-to-streaming release for HBO Max. But, with Batgirl in the pipeline, it seemed that DCEU has finally outgrown Snyderverse disarray lingering for a while. It had been a while since there was an origin story from DC’s fantastic library of characters, which Warner Bros. had clearly underused. Batgirl felt like the franchise was bringing new, relatively unknown characters to the forefront and indeed ‘extending’ the shared universe. But, the studio decided to drain it down after spending $90 Million on production.
The cancellation further doesn’t clarify Warner Bros. Discovery’s rationale behind the new plans. Batgirl was shelved after just one test screening that hadn’t finished VFX. That alone couldn’t be a reason to consider a vital film a failure, especially when it featured Michael Keaton’s original Batman. However, Blue Beetle, another original story set within the DCEU, is still moving ahead with a 2023 release. That just confuses the whole idea of reworking the DCEU. Suppose Warner Bros. is unwilling to invest in low-stakes IPs and stick to the previous adaptations featuring characters such as Superman and Batman. How will it even head toward a Marvel-inspired plan? And suppose Blue Beetle is still in the works. In that case, Batgirl, which had a promising cast and a potentially appeasing storyline, must have been given a shot.
Marvel has always been about trying new characters and helping them grow through the subsequent films. Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff was introduced as a side character in Age of Ultron and eventually headed two primary Phase Four projects – WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If DC plans to build a franchise in line with the MCU, it has to be more strategic and creatively considerate of its sanctioned project.
DC and WB Need to Figure Out a Definitive Path
Warner Bros. Pictures
And it’s not just about Batgirl. Earlier, DC Films canceled projects like New Gods and The Trench, wherein the latter was a Black Manta movie in disguise. After Batgirl’s cancelation, there are no updates on other projects seemingly in development at Warner Bros. These include Static Shock, Booster Gold, Black Canary, Plastic Man, etc.
DC Films can also not figure out where they wish the DCEU to go. Zaslav says that they have done a reset for their focus on DC projects. It was reported that the upcoming film The Flash would play a central role in making that rewrite happen. Michael Keaton was playing Batman alongside Ben Affleck. Everyone assumed that his subsequent return for Batgirl would mean that Ben Affleck’s iteration of Batman would be replaced, marking an end of Snyder’s arc and commencement of a new one at DCEU. But now, Ben Affleck is returning as Batman, and the latest reports suggest that the studio might have to cancel The Flash. However, the latter is to blame Ezra Miller, whose recent criminal antics have thrown his reputation down the drain.
If that’s the case, then the confusion just adds to the new ten-year plan. Canceling The Flash would mean that a significant multiversal event would not officially occur in the franchise. And that means there wouldn’t be any reset in the storyline. From thereon, it would be tough for DC to continue the same storyline that began with Man of Steel and include it in its multi-year strategy. If Warner Bros. wishes to retain Snyder’s first two films, then canceling films like Batgirl won’t help either.
The DCEU Needs Longterm Vision and Leadership
Currently, there is no telling what definitive timeline of events DCEU will follow as it heads to take on Marvel. There are no significant decisions over what will come next, but there might be plausibility for Warner Bros. to reset the DCEU and begin a new franchise truly. That is something that can’t be thrown out, and Warner Bros. has solid proof to support this idea. When DC tried to form a cinematic universe with Snyder, it failed, leading to several rushed-up creative calls at the studio, damaging subsequent films. For a short while, DC Films focused more on solo ventures, which clearly worked. The Batman and Joker truly made an impact on the audience. It won’t be a surprise if Warner Bros. decides to reset the franchise and start afresh.
But for that to work, Warner Bros. needs to be patient. They earlier tried to match up to Marvel Studios without laying out a blueprint for the shared universe to span out. There won’t be a solid expansion of stories if Warner Bros. does not give the secondary characters from DC’s library a worthy shot at live-action. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman won’t be enough to create a live-action cinematic franchise.
Warner Bros. Discovery clearly needs a singular leadership to lay out plans for the future and stop rushing into stories to continue the DC Extended Universe. It’s essential to have a long-term vision and an open mind where all characters from the DC catalog can have a place for consideration. Only then will the fantastic stories from DC Comics become cultural phenomena like those at Marvel.
Batgirl’s cancelation is a hush move. The studio shall understand there won’t be a billion-dollar movie in the first run. It’s the expansive narrative of this shared continuity that escalates their popularity and business potential. Hopefully, the following announcements concerning DCEU will be uplifting.
