Last Updated: April 5, 2021
Warner Bros. and DC Films have only two DC Comics-based movies releasing in 2021 (one of which has already debuted). Historically, DC has not released more than two movies in a year and this year was supposed to be a huge one for them. In comparison, DC Films' chief rival, Marvel Studios, started releasing three movies per year in 2017, and they'll be moving up to four movies per year in 2022. Obviously, films have been massively delayed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing productions to shut down and pushing back release dates several times.
DC Films currently has seven movies with confirmed release dates following Zack Snyder's Justice League, which was released to HBO Max March 15, 2021. Three months prior, the highly anticipated sequel to Patty Jenkins' record-breaking movie Wonder Woman, titled Wonder Woman 1984, was released simultaneously to theaters and HBO Max in December 2020. The film reunited Diana Prince with Steve Trevor and saw the Amazonian battling the likes of Maxwell Lord and Cheetah.
The DCEU got off to a rocky first few years, with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Though both movies featured DC's two flagship heroes (and more), neither film was the box office hit that DC and Warner Bros. were expecting. In fact, 2017'a Justice League was largely considered a box office disaster. Things started to look up for DC when Wonder Woman raked in $821 million, followed by Aquaman, which topped the $1 billion mark and became the highest grossing film based on DC Comics. Both Shazam! and Joker (which isn't set in the DCEU) have also performed well at the box office. It remains to be seen if DC will be able continue this success in the coming years. 2021 and, more importantly, 2022 will be a major test, considering that it'll be DC's busiest years yet.
The Suicide Squad - August 6, 2021
James Gunn, who helmed both Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel Studios, will direct the sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad for DC. The Suicide Squad is currently the only DC film confirmed for a 2021 release date after all the delays, releasing August 6 to theaters and HBO Max, where it will be available for a month. The first movie centered on a group of super villains sent on dangerous, secret missions for the government. The Suicide Squad will presumably follow the same premise, and feature at least some of the same characters. Regardless, it will serve as a soft reboot of sorts, hence the title. It's been said that The Suicide Squad will be able to stand on its own. One thing that will make it different from the first movie is a greater emphasis on comedy.
The Suicide Squad is missing Jared Leto's Joker and Will Smith's Deadshot, but the movie still boasts an enormous cast full of both A-list stars and lesser-known actors, including several returning actors from its predecessor, along with Idris Elba, Nathan Fillion, John Cena, Peter Capaldi, Michael Rooker, Taika Waititi, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, John Cena, and quite a few more. However, it's likely that a large portion of the cast won't even survive the first half of the movie. Some of the confirmed characters are D-list villains from DC Comics who could end up dying in the movie's opening act, making way for a new version of the Suicide Squad.
The Batman
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman was originally scheduled for release in June 2021. However, the global pandemic affected not only the release date, but the film's production, with Robert Pattinson coming down with coronavirus at one point (he's okay now). Warner Bros. shifted The Batman first to October 2021, but pushed it back even further and into 2022. Now, the film is scheduled to hit theaters March 4, 2022. Filming has wrapped.
With Ben Affleck no longer attached to the role of the Caped Crusader, DC's first solo Batman movie since The Dark Knight Rises will star Pattinson as Bruce Wayne instead. So far, the cast of The Batman indicates that the movie won't be set in the DCEU, since it features two characters who appeared in Batman v. Superman and Justice League, but neither of them are being played by the same actors. In The Batman, Andy Serkis plays Alfred Pennyworth, with Jeffrey Wright as Batman's longtime ally in the police force, Commissioner Gordon. Zoe Kravitz and Paul Dano will fill the roles of key Batman characters, Catwoman and Riddler, respectively. Colin Farrell is set to play Penguin.
The Batman isn't an origin story, but it will take place before Batman becomes the world's greatest detective. The Batman will indeed bring out the detective side of the Dark Knight, which suggests that a mystery will be at the heart of the plot. This could be why The Batman is expected to include multiple Batman villains. Having several enemies (particularly the Riddler) in one movie could make finding the real mastermind an interesting challenge for Batman.
Black Adam
In DC Comics, Black Adam is the villainous opposite of Shazam, and a character who possesses a similar powerset. Introduced in 1945, the immensely powerful Black Adam was an Egyptian hero who became corrupted by power. Over time, he became enemies of the Marvel Family (aka Shazam Family), and has long been at odds with Shazam and other DC heroes. Though Black Adam was utilized as a villain for most of his comic book history, he was reimagined as an anti-hero in the 2000s.
Before the DC Extended Universe even had a name, DC was working on bringing Black Adam to the big screen. In 2014, Dwayne Johnson confirmed that he had been cast as Black Adam. At the time, it was expected that Johnson's character would appear in Shazam!, but this was not the case. Black Adam was dropped from Shazam!, allowing him to be introduced in a solo movie before meeting the DC superhero. The Black Adam movie is finally moving forward, with Jaume Collet-Sera attached to direct. Black Adam will begin filming in April 2021, after initially being scheduled to film in the summer of 2020. What story DC and Warner Bros. have in mind for Black Adam's live-action debut hasn't been revealed, though Johnson's comments may be indicative of the direction the film will take. Interestingly, Johnson's description of Black Adam suggests that the character will be a superhero, rather than a villain or anti-hero.
Black Adam was originally scheduled for release in December 2021. However, with filming pushed back indefinitely at the time, the WB pulled the film from the schedule altogether before finally settling on a release date of July 29, 2022. Time will tell if that date will change once more, but for now Black Adam seems finally good to go.
