The superhero movie genre is the biggest around, and with so many different superhero movies in the works at any given time, it can be hard to keep things straight. While we have an exhaustive list of every upcoming superhero movie’s release date, we wanted to bring you a more specific list focusing exclusively on upcoming DC movies. Warner Bros. officially kicked off a DC Extended Universe with Man of Steel, which was followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. And after a bit of rejiggering and adjustment, Warner Bros. and DC Films have put together an ambitious slate of movies currently in the works.
Below you’ll find an extensive list of every upcoming DC movie officially in the works, including what we know so far and a status update. Not all of these movies might actually come to fruition, but it’s clear Warner Bros. has ambitious plans to mine the DC Comics library for years to come. So take a look below.
Shazam!
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: April 5, 2019
Status: In post-production
Director: David F. Sandberg
Cast: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand,and Mark Strong
What We Know So Far: Making his superhero movie debut, Dwayne Johnson opted to take on the role of the villainous Black Adam in this DC comics adaptation, but Warner Bros. has now decided to hold Johnson for a separate Black Adam movie, so Shazam will be all about that hero. Lights Out and Annabelle: Creationdirector David F. Sandberg is directing, and this serves as Warner Bros.’ next DCEU film after Aquaman, with Sandberg presenting a lighter tone in the vein of Superman meets Big.
Zachary Levi plays the title superhero character, with Asher Angel playing his young counterpart Billy Batson and Jack Dylan Grazer (It) playing Billy’s BFF. The story revolves around a young boy who can transform into a powerful superhero simply by uttering the word “Shazam!”. Mark Strong is playing the film’s villain, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
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Joker
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: October 4, 2019
Status: In post-production
Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beets, Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, Shea Whigham, Frances Conroy, Bill Camp, and Glenn Fleshler
What We Know So Far: This is a weird one. In the wake of Batman v Supermanand Suicide Squad, and with Wonder Woman proving to be a massive success, Warner Bros. began changing up its plans for the DCEU. One idea is to kickstart a new arm at WB that will develop and produce one-off DC Comics adaptations not connected to the DC Extended Universe, meaning filmmakers can come in, try something really radical, and not have to worry about setting up a franchise or fitting into an established timeline. The first of these to hit the trades was a Joker origin movie directed by The Hangover and War Dogs filmmaker Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script with The Fighter scribe Scott Silver. The idea is to craft something in the vein of Taxi Driver, a gritty, hard-boiled crime picture set in the early 1980s.
The lead actor would not be Jared Leto, but someone else entirely—WB reportedly wanted Leonardo DiCaprio, and when he passed they moved on to Joaquin Phoenix, who signed on after prolonged negotiations. Zazie Beets and Robert De Niro co-star, and Alec Baldwin was very briefly attached to play Thomas Wayne, a role that will now be filled by Brett Cullen. Rounding out the cast is American Horror Story alum Frances Conroy, along with Shea Whigham (Kong: Skull Island), Glenn Fleshler (Barry), and Bill Camp (The Night Of).
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Birds of Prey
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: February 7, 2020
Status: In production
Director: Cathy Yan
Writer: Christina Hodson
Cast: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, and Ewan McGregor.
What We Know So Far: Birds of Prey vaulted ahead of Suicide Squad 2and Gotham City Sirens in terms of production order, as star/producer Margot Robbie held fast to securing a female director for this female superhero team-up film. Warner Bros. is walking the walk too, hiring Asian-American filmmaker Cathy Yan to direct based on the strength of her Sundance indie Dead Pigs.
Patrolling the streets of Gotham City alongside Robbie will be Mary Elizabeth-Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, and Rosie Perez as GCPD detective Renee Montoya, with newcomer Ella Jay Basco playing Cassandra Cain and Ewan McGregor filling the villain role of Black Mask.
The story finds the aforementioned female superheroes teaming up to protect Cain when she discovers an item of value that belongs to Black Mask. Oh, and the full official title is Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).
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Wonder Woman 1984
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: June 5, 2020
Status: In post-production
Director: Patty Jenkins
Cast: Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Pine
What We Know So Far: Wonder Woman marked a major turning point for the DCEU with wildly positive reviews and massive box office, so anticipation is high. Director Patty Jenkins returned to direct and crafted the story with Geoff Johns, and the two co-wrote the screenplay with writer David Callaham (The Expendables). The story fast forwards in time and takes place in 1984, hence the title, with Kristen Wiig playing the main antagonist Cheetah. Also, Chris Pinereturns as Steve Trevor. How? We have no idea.
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The Batman
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: June 25, 2021
Status: In development
Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: There is a long, long, long development history for this one, so we’ll keep it brief. After months of speculation, Warner Bros. finally got Ben Affleck to agree to direct and star in a Batman standalone called The Batman in July 2015, with Affleck having penned a script with Geoff Johns. However, Affleck subsequently stepped down from the director’s chair, opting instead just to star in this standalone while Warner Bros. set Dawn of the Planet of the Apesfilmmaker Matt Reeves to take the helm instead. Rumors swirled that Affleck might exit the film altogether, and indeed in January 2019 it was finally confirmed that Batfleck is no more.
Reeves’ film will introduce a younger Batman and is intended to be noir-esque in tone, with Reeves wanting to really hone in on the detective aspect of the character that hasn’t yet been fully explored in film. With a release date finally set, look for filming to begin by the end of 2019
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The Suicide Squad
Clay Enos/ & © DC Comics Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: August 6, 2021
Status: In development
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: David Ayer definitely isn’t coming back to direct this sequel, and Warner Bros. looked at some intriguing names for his replacement. Mel Gibsonwas approached towards the end of 2016, but Warner Bros. eventually moved on and offered the movie to Jaume Collet-Serra of The Shallows and Non-Stop fame, only to see him pass. Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant) was subsequently set to direct, but while this film seemed primed to start shooting in Fall 2018, O’Connor’s take was apparently too similar to the Birds of Prey movie, which was poised to start shooting first, and he left the project entirely.
Then Warner Bros. hired James Gunn to write a script with an eye to direct, and a few months later it was revealed that Gunn will indeed be directing this film, which is now titled The Suicide Squad. It’s described as more of a reboot than a sequel, including either very few or zero returning characters from Ayer’s initial film. Will Smith has already confirmed that he’s out, but Warner Bros. wants to bring Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn back. Filming is due to begin in September 2019.
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Aquaman 2
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: December 16, 2022
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard
What We Know So Far: When Aquaman hit theaters in December 2018, it surprisingly became the highest-grossing film of the DCEU thus far, topping out at over $1.1 billion. With that in mind, Warner Bros. set about getting the wheels in motion on a sequel, though director James Wan cautioned that he wouldn’t move forward on it until the script was right. The studio has now set a far-away 2022 release date to give the film enough time to develop, and Aquaman co-writer (and frequent Wan collaborator) David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick has been tasked with writing the screenplay. Wan hasn’t committed to directing Aquaman 2 just yet, but this one is no doubt a priority for Warner Bros. given the popularity of the first movie.
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The Trench
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: Based on the immense success of Aquaman, and given director James Wan‘s horror proclivities, Warner Bros. has put into development a spinoff called The Trench. The idea is to further explore the Trench location from the hit DC movie and create a film with a lower budget than Aquaman, but more of a horror tone. Up-and-coming screenwriters Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald have been tasked with penning the script, and Wan is onboard as a producer alongside Peter Safran.
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The Flash
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: TBA
Status: In development
Directors: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
Cast: Ezra Miller, Kiersey Clemons, and Billy Crudup
What We Know So Far: The Flash movie has had a pretty long road so far. Back in April 2015, Phil Lord and Chris Miller were hired to write a story treatment with the hope that they would direct, but the duo departed to take the helm of the Han Solomovie instead. Ezra Miller remained attached to star, having been cast as The Flash for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and in October 2015 Dark Shadowsscreenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write the script and direct. Grahame-Smith was them removed from the project in April 2016, with WB wanting to take the film in a different direction, and Dope helmer Rick Famuyiwa was hired as his replacement. Famuyiwa cast Kiersey Clemons as Iris West and Billy Crudup as Flash’s father Harry Allen, but by August 2016, Famuyiwa departed the project over creative differences.
While the film was supposed to start filming in early 2017, Famuyiwa’s exit threw a wrench into WB’s plans and the studio opted to slow things down while Miller went off to shoot Fantastic Beasts 2. Joby Harold (King Arthur) came on to do a page-one rewrite of the script, and in May 2017 Robert Zemeckis and Matthew Vaughnsurfaced as WB’s top choices to direct. The studio revealed in July 2017 that the film would be titled Flashpoint, indicating the story will be adapting the famous comics arc that sees Barry going back into the past to save his mother’s life, thus creating an alternate timeline. Speculation abounds that this Flashpoint twist could allow WB to “fix” some issues in the DCEU by altering the timeline.
At long last, Warner Bros. hired Vacation directors and Spider-Man: Homecomingco-writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein to take the helm in early 2018, based in part on the strength of their Warner Bros. action comedy Game Night.
But production is being pushed once again, as Ezra Miller is due to shoot Fantastic Beasts 3 in Fall/Winter 2019. Filming on The Flash movie won’t begin before that.
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Batgirl
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBA
Status: In development
Director: TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Warner Bros. pulled Joss Whedon over from Marvel to write and direct a Batgirl movie in Spring 2017. Whedon had said he favored hiring an unknown or little-known actress in the lead role, but his work on Batgirl was waylaid when he was tasked with taking over directorial duties on Justice League, overseeing reshoots and post-production. Then, in early 2018, Whedon announced he was departing Batgirl altogether, saying it took him a year to realize he “didn’t have a story.” All signs now point to WB enlisting a female filmmaker to bring Batgirlto the big screen and take over the project. They’ve hired Christina Hodson(Bumblebee) to write the script.
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Green Lantern Corps
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: This will be a reboot of the Warner Bros. franchise so Ryan Reynolds is not expected to reprise his role—plus he’s also busy being Deadpool. The title of the reboot tells us this will be a team-up film featuring two Green Lanterns. Tyrese Gibson has been openly campaigning for one of the roles, as the film will find Hal Jordan and John Stewart in a Lethal Weapon-type situation. Warner Bros. kicked the tires on this one in January 2017, hiring David S. Goyer(Batman Begins, Man of Steel) to co-write the script with Justin Rhodes. However, when it was announced in June 2018 that Geoff Johns was vacating his role as head of DC Films, it was revealed that he’ll now be taking point on the Green Lantern Corps screenplay.
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New Gods
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: Ava DuVernay
Cast: Unknown
What We Know So Far:In March 2018, after releasing her history-making Disney blockbuster A Wrinkle in Time, it was announced that acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma) would be making a New Gods movie for DC. The film will be an adaptation of the Jack Kirby comic, which saw a legion of new gods rise up after the old gods were destroyed by Ragnarok. It involves lots of weird stuff and the villainous Darkseid, but there’s no telling what specific story DuVernay has honed in on here. She’s been busy shooting a Netflix limited series called When They See Us so this one’s still a ways out.
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Blackhawk
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: Possibly Steven Spielberg
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: After directing Ready Player One for Warner Bros., the studio convinced Steven Spielberg to remain in-house—at least potentially—to make his superhero movie debut. The project is Blackhawk based on the DC Comic of the same name which revolved around a team of ace pilots during World War II. To be fair this is less a superhero movie than a comic book movie, and when initially announced, all we know for sure is that Spielberg is going to produce the film with the possibility of directing. This is very tenuous, as Spielberg has his fingers in a lot of pots at all times, but if the right script comes along he could certainly pull the trigger and get this thing rolling.
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Untitled Jared Leto Joker Movie
Clay Enos/ & © DC Comics Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: Jared Leto
What We Know So Far: Yes indeed, this is a separate Joker standalone movie from the Joaquin Phoenix one. It was announced in June 2018 that Jared Leto‘s Joker is getting his own standalone movie as well, with Leto serving as executive producer. That’s about all we know at this point, and the project could very easily never happen, but Leto has separately attached himself to Sony’s Morbius movie, so make of that what you will.
Untitled Joker/Harley Quinn Movie
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: TBA
Status: In development
Directors: John Requa and Glenn Ficarra
Cast: Margot Robbie and Jared Leto
What We Know So Far: Warner Bros. is developing what’s described as a “criminal love story” Suicide Squad spinoff revolving around Joker and Harley Quinn, with Margot Robbie and Jared Leto poised to reprise their roles. Robbie’s Focusand Whiskey Tango Foxtrot filmmakers John Requa and Glenn Ficarra have been pegged to write, direct, and produce the film. There are conflicting reports as to whether this film is the evolution of the now-dead Gotham City Sirens, or if that film is still separately in development alongside this one. But Ayer’s involvement in Gotham City Sirens is unclear, whereas this Joker/Harley Quinn spinoff was announced in August 2017. Requa and Ficarra turned in their script, which they described as Bad Santa meets This Is Us, but it’s up to Warner Bros. if/when they want to make it.
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Supergirl
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: It was revealed in August 2018 that Warner Bros. was putting into development a Supergirl movie, with Oren Uziel (The Cloverfield Paradox) writing the screenplay. Not much else is known at this time, but this is one that’s certainly in the works.
Nightwing
Image via DC
Release Date: TBA
Status: In development
Director: Chris McKay
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: Warner Bros. revealed in February 2017 that The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay had been signed to direct a Nightwing movie with Bill Dubuque (The Judge) writing the screenplay. The filmmaker has teased a “badass action” take on the comics character, who in comics lore is the grown-up alter ego of Dick Grayson aka Robin. McKay has said pre-production could begin in early 2018, but as of March that hasn’t happened yet. Moreover, McKay seems to be hedging his bets in case Nightwing goes south, as he has since signed on to direct a Dungeons and Dragons movie, a Jonny Questmovie, and Netflix’s Millarworld adaptation Reborn.
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Justice League Dark
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: Warner Bros. has been developing an adaptation of Justice League Dark for awhile now, with Guillermo del Toro first writing a script a few years ago before departing the project. But with the DCEU now up and running, Edge of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity helmer Doug Liman signed on to direct in August 2016, and then left the project in May 2017 to direct Gambitfor Fox/Marvel. WB is looking for a replacement and had been eyeing an A-List ensemble for the pic, which focuses on the DC superheroes with more supernatural powers as opposed to the bright and shiny heroes of the Justice League proper. The protagonists of Justice League Dark aren’t exactly antiheroes either, as the comics lineup has included folks like John Constantine and Swamp Thing.
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Gotham City Sirens
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: TBD
Status: Unknown
Director: David Ayer (?)
Writer: Geneve Robertson-Dworet
Cast: Margot Robbie
What We Know So Far: Shortly after the release of Suicide Squad, Margot Robbieput in motion a female-centric spinoff film that would follow her Harley Quinn and other DC characters like Poison Ivy. Suicide Squad writer/director David Ayer was subsequently announced as the one spearheading the project with Geneva Robertson-Dworet writing the script, but it’s been a couple of years since we had an update on this project and Ayer is now gearing up to make Bright 2 for Netflix, so the filmmaker’s involvement is unclear at best.
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Blue Beetle
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: Not much yet. It was revealed in November 2018 that an adaptation of the Latino comics character Blue Beetle was in the works, with Gareth Dunnett-Alcocer writing the screenplay.
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Plastic Man
Release Date: TBD
Status: In development
Director: TBD
Cast: TBD
What We Know So Far: Nada. It was revealed in December 2018 that Warner Bros. was developing a film centered around the hero Plastic Man, with Amanda Idokowriting the screenplay. The tone is described as a comedic action adventure, but this one is so early days that there’s no guarantee it even gets made.
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Untitled Man of Steel Sequel
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: TBA
Status: In Development
Director: TBA
Cast: Henry Cavill (?)
What We Know So Far: Instead of crafting a traditional sequel to Man of Steel, Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. opted to expand the DC universe with a follow-up film called Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And while a Man of Steel sequel has not officially been announced as on the books, Henry Cavill has expressed interest in doing another solo Superman movie and we know that Warner Bros. is quietly trying to put one together. Matthew Vaughn, the filmmaker behind Kingsmanand Kick Ass, has most recently been in discussions with Warner Bros. about directing what he describes as a colorful and heroic Man of Steel 2, so it’s certainly a possibility.
Then all hopes for this movie were dashed in September 2018, when it was reported that Cavill is now out as Superman and Warner Bros. is instead focusing on Supergirl and potentially rebooting the Superman property with a new actor. So who knows, this project could very well be dead.
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Untitled Deathstroke Movie
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: TBA
Status: In development
Director: Gareth Evans
Cast: Joe Manganiello
What We Know So Far: Joe Manganiello was cast as Batman villain Deathstroke for Justice League while the film was in production under the direction of Zack Snyder, and while it was reported that Deathstroke would be the primary villain of Ben Affleck‘s standalone The Batman, that’s likely out the window now that Batfleck is no more. Matt Reeves took over as director of The Batman and is reportedly working on his own trilogy idea, but Warner Bros. entered talks with The Raid filmmaker Gareth Evans to direct a Deathstroke, standalone movie in October 2017. Evans has since said he has no idea if this project will ever happen, so we’ll see.
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Untitled Black Adam Movie
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBA
Status: In development
Director: TBA
Cast: Dwayne Johnson
What We Know So Far: This project actually first surfaced years ago, when Warner Bros. secured Dwayne Johnson to play Shazam villain Black Adam. The idea was for Johnson to star in the Shazam movie, but in the spring of 2017 Johnson revealed that they had decided to make two separate movies: one for Shazam, and one for his antagonist/antihero Black Adam. Johnson will lead the latter while Shazam is heading to start production in early 2018. This one’s been in development for a long time, but movement is starting to occur as Warner Bros. most recently set Due Datewriter Adam Sztykiel to pen the screenplay. Per producer Hiram Garcia, this remains a priority for Johnson.
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Untitled Lobo Movie
Image via DC Comics
Release Date: TBA
Status: In development
Director:TBA
Cast: TBA
What We Know So Far: This project actually precedes the DCEU, as Warner Bros. first started developing a Lobo movie in 2009. Guy Ritchie toyed with the director’s chair for a bit, then Brad Peyton (San Andreas) signed on to direct in 2012 with Dwayne Johnson in the running to star. Johnson subsequently jumped ship to play Black Adam in the DCEU instead, and in spring 2016 Pan and Wonder Womanco-writer Jason Fuchs signed on to rewrite the script. This one’s still on the backburner at the moment, but Michael Bay is reportedly being eyed to direct.
Cyborg
Image via Warner Bros.
Release Date: TBD
Status: Unknown
Director: TBD
Cast: Ray Fisher
What We Know So Far: When Warner Bros. first announced an ambitious slate of movies through 2020, Cyborg was on the list to hit theaters towards the tail end. But there have been no developments or updates since that time, so it’s unclear if this movie is still in the works.
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