Warner Bros.' ever-evolving DC Extended Universe has a massive slate of projects currently in development - and many of them are focused on the villains in DC's lineup, from famous faces like the Joker to lesser-known characters like Lobo. It's unlikely all of them will get made, but it's becoming clear that Warner Bros. believes the universe's villains are one of its strongest assets.

Suicide Squad may have been greeted by middling reviews, but it was a box office hit that made the likes of Harley Quinn and Deadshot household names. Warner Bros. clearly thinks they can repeat that success, as there are almost as many films starring DC villains as DC heroes currently in development. It's also something of a counterweight to Marvel's wildly successful cinematic universe, whose most often cited flaw is the shallow nature of its movies' villains. We're running down the slate of films featuring the darker characters of DC Comics, with everything we know about them at this point, including how likely they are to actually get made.

The Joker

Warner Bros. threw everyone a curve ball when they announced they were developing a standalone Joker film from producer Martin Scorsese and director Todd Phillips. The film will exist outside the boundaries of the DCEU, and will star someone other than Jared Leto as the clown prince of crime - with rumors swirling that Joaquin Phoenix is the top choice. The film - co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver - will supposedly serve as an origin story for the Joker, and will likely be a period piece set in the 1980s.

Related: All 6 Joker Movies DC Has In Development, Explained

Setting a Joker film outside of the established continuity might seem like a strange choice on its face, but the allure of talent like Scorsese playing with DC's most iconic villain was likely too enticing to pass up. Being unshackled from the overall continuity means Scorsese and Phillips can push the creative envelope, and won't have to service the beats of other films. There's currently no set release date, but given the film's status as a self contained entity means it could end up on screens much faster than some of its shared universe counterparts.

The Joker

Jared Leto The Joker

In addition to whatever Scorsese and Phillips have planned for their standalone film, Jared Leto's DCEU Joker also has his own solo adventure in development. This one is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser, since Leto's Joker is already slated to be in a number of DCEU films that have been in development for much longer. A DCEU Joker solo film would likely be deeply informed by the events of films like Suicide Squad 2 and Joker vs. Harley, films that are still in pre-production themselves.

There's a delicious irony to the fact that the DCEU Joker's future hinges largely on the development of his erstwhile lover/sidekick, Harley Quinn. After becoming Suicide Squad's breakout star, Margot Robbie's unhinged former psychiatrist has become the lynchpin for a surprising number of projects in active development. There's no official release date for Leto's Joker film, and at the moment it seems to be one of the least likely to actually get made.

Birds Of Prey

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn With Birds of Prey Comic Background

Birds Of Prey is generally a benevolent force in DC Comics, but the film is likely going to have a darker bent, as Robbie's Harley Quinn will be front and center in the film. Directed by Cathy Yan from a script by Christina Hodson, the film figures to be a fairly significant reinvention of its namesake comic book. It's supposedly based off Robbie's pitch of a "girl gang movie," and will likely be an R-rated adventure. Reports suggest Batgirl will play an important role in the film - Hodson is also scripting the solo Batgirl film now that Joss Whedon has departed - with the Penguin possibly serving as the film's villain.

Related: The 4 Different Harley Quinn Movies Explained

Traditional Birds Of Prey team members Huntress and Black Canary may also be involved in the film, but don't expect to see Catwoman. No release date has been made official yet, but with a creative team in place and Robbie's endorsement, this seems like one of the more likely DCEU projects to get made relatively soon. Rumors currently suggest the film is aiming to begin production in 2019.

Gotham City Sirens

Supervillain Movies Gotham City Sirens

Despite Suicide Squad's financial success, it was an infamously troubled production, with an initial script written in only six weeks and with heavy reshoots aimed at altering the film's tone. It seemed to be something of a mutual parting between Warner Bros. and director David Ayer, who had cryptically voiced his displeasure with the process on that film. Ayer is still rattling around the darker corners of the DCEU, however, and is attached to direct an adaptation of Gotham City Sirens.

A comic starring Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy, the film adaptation would be yet another opportunity to take advantage of Harley's surging popularity in the wake of Suicide Squad. Ayer certainly played a crucial role in Harley's emergence in the public consciousness, so it makes sense that he would get another swing at the character. But between the Suicide Squad sequel and Birds Of Prey, it's feeling more and more like Gotham City Sirens isn't a priority for the studio.

Page 2: More Joker, More Harley Quinn, Lobo, Black Adam and Suicide Squad 2

Harley Quinn with a mallet in Suicide Squad

Harley Quinn

Margot Robbie expressed an interest in pursuing a solo film for Harley unrelated to Gotham City Sirens and Suicide Squad 2. The character is certainly popular enough at the moment to support her own film, but it seems likely that the solo film Robbie was lobbying for eventually morphed into Birds Of Prey. That doesn't mean a more dedicated Harley film can't happen down the line, but it doesn't appear to be a priority for Warner Bros. at the moment. Not to fear - there will be plenty of Harley to go around in the DCEU very soon.

Related: All 26 Upcoming & In-Development DC Films

The Joker vs Harley Quinn

Yet another film starring Batman's greatest enemy and his demented sidekick, the Joker vs. Harley film is currently being developed by This Is Us producers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, both of whom would write and direct. There are no known plots details or release date, but it will almost certainly come out after the Suicide Squad sequel and would presumably be informed by the events of that film. The first Suicide Squad ended with Joker busting Harley out of prison and leaving her Task Force X friends behind; if Harley has a change of heart in the sequel, that could potentially set up this movie's conflict between the unhinged, bleach-skinned lovers.

Suicide Squad 2

Suicide Squad Movie Easter Eggs

With David Ayer moving on to other projects, The Accountant's Gavin O'Connor will take on the sequel to the hit bad guy team up film. The majority of the cast is slated to return, including Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto. The script is currently being written by a small army that includes O'Connor, David Bar Katz, Geoff Johns, and Gotham actor Todd Stashwick.

Related: Suicide Squad 2: Every Update You Need To Know

There are no concrete plot points known at this point, but the film is clearly a priority for the studio. The film was originally slated to begin filming in 2018, but was pushed back to 2019 in an effort to get the script right and make sure it fits into the expanding tapestry of the DCEU. There's no official release date, but this one will get made, and likely soon.

Black Adam

Black Adam will finally bring Dwayne Johnson to the world of cinematic superheroes. After multiple meetings with DC, Johnson decided the magical anti-hero was the comic book character he was meant to play. Traditionally a Shazam adversary, Johnson will not be featured in David F. Sandberg's 2019 film. Johnson has hinted that Black Adam may show up in the DCEU before his solo film lands, with rumors swirling that he'll make his debut in Suicide Squad 2. That's good for Black Adam fans, because movement on his own film has been slow.

There's currently no attached director, though Adam Sztykiel is reportedly working on a script. Johnson is one of the most in demand movie stars in the world, so getting the creative team just right and finding a hole in his schedule to actually make the film may be daunting. Considering the character's violent tactics, Black Adam is a likely candidate for an R-rated DCEU entry.

Lobo

Warner Bros. has been trying to bring The Main Man to the big screen for a very long time, and they may have finally found the right team to make it work. Transformers director Michael Bay is reportedly considering making the film, based off a script from Jason Fuchs. Lobo and Bay are a match made in a very explosive heaven - the obnoxious, universally homicidal space biker plays to every one of Bay's aesthetic strengths, as evidenced by five increasingly destructive Transformers films.

There's currently no release date, and Bay and Warner Bros. reportedly want a draft of the script that they can make for less than $200 million. That might be a bit of a challenge given the general scale of the character, but if anyone knows how to make things blow up on a sensible budget, it is absolutely Michael Bay.

More: Answering The Big Questions About Jared Leto's Solo Joker Movie

Key Release Dates