Amid the massive DC movie shakeups that are going on at Warner Bros. Discovery, Aquaman 2 and Shazam 2 may move their release dates again. While the DCEU is attempting to go forward, things have gone in a different direction since the completion of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. After Warner Bros. and Discovery came together as the new merged studio, there was a reported overhaul for DC films and TV shows. The massive Arrowverse cancellations hinted at DC's new TV strategy, but the plan for the film side remained unclear until now.
This week, Warner Bros. Discovery made the shocking decision to cancel the Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon. Despite having completed principal photography on March 31, the newly formatted studio officially pulled the plug on the DCEU product as it won't be heading to HBO Max or theaters. While Batgirl may have been scrapped, there are still other DCEU films coming, with Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods later this fall. In 2023, the highly anticipated sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, starring Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, will be hitting theaters.
However, it seems that two of those DCEU projects may be getting delayed once again. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery is considering moving Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from their respective December 21, 2022, and March 17, 2023 release dates. The Hollywood Reporter didn't state what the potential re-scheduling would be caused for, as both films have been in post-production stages for quite some time now.
In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's case, a potential delay may be due to the surprise return of Ben Affleck's Batman. Affleck, who was set to appear as his Batman in next year's The Flash, was revealed by Momoa himself that he was currently shooting new footage for the Aquaman sequel, with reports claiming that it was to replace Michael Keaton's Batman, who was supposedly in this film. Why Shazam! Fury of the Gods would be delayed from December 2022 to anywhere in 2023 is extremely unclear.
With Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed to hold their quarterly earnings this week, it's possible that newly appointed CEO David Zaslav will clarify, confirm, or even debunk some of these reports, especially in regards to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. With this supposed shuffling of dates, the controversies surrounding Ezra Miller's The Flash, and the cancellation of Batgirl, the DCEU is in a weird flux, leaving many to wonder what is in store for the future of Warner Bros. Discovery's vision for the DC IPs. Until said otherwise, Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be in theaters this December, while Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrive in March 2023.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter