Although there was a lot of promise in the idea of a shared universe of films based on DC Comics properties, the DC Extended Universe got off to a very shaky start. After the middling success, both critically and commercially, of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, Warner Bros. went gung ho in their attempts to catch up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League were introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ahead of an ensemble team-up just one year later. As the franchise has recovered from these blunders, the development slate has changed significantly. Here are 10 ways the DCEU deviated from the original plan.
Batfleck Has Been Replaced
Ben Affleck’s take on the role of Batman was one of the few things that was praised about Batman v Superman. However, after his casting was met with backlash and then he faced ruthless reception to the movie and then became disillusioned with all the mid-filming changes to Justice League, the actor decided to quit the DCEU.
He’s since been replaced by Robert Pattinson, who will play a younger, less experienced version of Bruce Wayne than the one Affleck played. Pattinson will debut in the 2021 solo movie that Affleck was originally slated to write and direct.
Justice League Never Got A Sequel
The DCEU’s Avengers-style superhero team-up, Justice League, was initially announced as two movies – Justice League Part One and Justice League Part Two – although producer Deborah Snyder insisted that it wouldn’t be one movie split in half. The first one was set to arrive on November 17, 2017, while the second was set to arrive on June 14, 2019.
A Justice League movie did make the November 2017 release, but “Part One” was dropped from its title and painfully obvious reshoots made it more of a standalone piece. After that movie’s box office disappointment and Ben Affleck’s departure as Batman, a sequel was never made.
Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn Broke Up With Jared Leto’s Joker
Before Suicide Squad came out, there were plans for a movie centered around Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Jared Leto’s Joker, under the working title Harley Quinn vs The Joker. The movie was set to be written, directed, and produced by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who had previously worked with Robbie on Focus and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
However, a Joker movie was made without Leto’s involvement and Robbie focused on Birds of Prey, which revealed early on that Harley Quinn had broken up with the Joker.
Cyborg’s Solo Movie Was Called Off
Ray Fisher’s on-screen portrayal of Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg has been given the short end of the DCEU stick. He was supposed to get a solo movie on April 3, 2020, but it appears to have been canceled, as there hasn’t been official word on it for years.
In Zack Snyder’s original version of Justice League, Cyborg was supposed to have a much larger role, with his whole origin story being filled in, but when Warner Bros. took over the project, most of Cyborg’s scenes were cut. As long as the arc of Victor’s backstory has been shot and those scenes exist, surely the studio can cut together a solo movie for fans of this fascinating, conflicted character.
The Flash Movie Has Faced Continuous Delays
When Warner Bros. executives were first putting together the DCEU’s release slate, a movie about the Flash was set to hit multiplexes in 2018. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Seth Grahame-Smith, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, Rick Famuyiwa have all come and gone from the project over the years. Ezra Miller even resorted to writing his own script at one point.
Right now, the film is set to be helmed by Andy Muschietti for a July 1, 2022 release. But of course, as history has shown, we shouldn’t put too much stock into a release date that Warner Bros. sets for a Flash solo movie.
Justice League’s Post-Credits Scene Went Nowhere
Emulating Marvel’s signature style, Warner Bros. slapped a post-credits scene on the end of Justice League that revealed Lex Luthor to have escaped from prison and taken a yacht out on the high seas.
He’s introduced to Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello, who seemed to be set up for a larger role as a villain in the DCEU’s future. In the three years since Justice League hit theaters, this tease hasn’t been paid off.
Joss Whedon Quit The Batgirl Movie
When Zack Snyder had to step down from Justice League due to a personal tragedy, Joss Whedon stepped in to finish the film for him. Having been impressed with his work, Warner Bros. then hired Whedon to write, direct, and produce a movie about Batgirl. However, just under a year after signing on, Whedon quit the movie.
It’s still in development, with Birds of Prey’s Christina Hodson working on the script, but it’s nowhere near as close to production as it was when Whedon was at the helm.
Jared Leto’s Joker Is Out
After the release of Suicide Squad, Jared Leto signed on to executive produce and star in a Joker solo movie. However, an unrelated Joker film was since released that became the first R-rated movie to gross over $1 billion and was nominated for more Academy Awards than any other movie of the year.
Leto’s unusual portrayal of the Joker was never very popular among fans, and that’s even more prevalent after Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning take blew Leto out of the water, so a Leto-led Joker movie being released after that would feel a little redundant.
There’s No Sign Of Green Lantern
It seems crazy that a Justice League movie was made without Green Lantern. It’s like Marvel making an Avengers movie without Thor; he’s a key member of the team who brings some very unique powers and character traits to the table, so it’s not the same without him.
The Green Lanterns did appear very briefly in Justice League, during the Mother Box montage, but we haven’t been introduced to a specific character, like Hal Jordan or John Stewart. And although a movie titled Green Lantern Corps was dated for June 19, 2020, it’s clearly not happening.
Man Of Steel Never Got A Sequel
Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is the movie that first kicked off the DCEU. Batman v Superman was essentially a sequel to Man of Steel, but Warner Bros. has consistently promised a direct sequel to the film focusing solely on Superman. Matthew Vaughn and Christopher McQuarrie have separately been in talks with the studio to helm the project, but in both cases, the negotiations fell through.
Michael B. Jordan has pitched his own take on Superman, which sounds exciting, but he wasn’t ready to commit to the role just yet. With the Henry Cavill-starring The Witcher taking off on Netflix, a Man of Steel sequel is looking less and less likely.