Every Upcoming DC Movie We Know About So Far

There are plenty of DC movies on the way over the next few years, and we've listed everything we know about so far.

The world of DC movies has been through a lot over the past five years. While Marvel started the slow build of its Cinematic Universe back in 2008, reaching 22 hugely successful movies by 2019, the film progression of its comic book rivals DC has been more faltering. With Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises ending that particular run of blockbuster DC cinema in 2012, the studio turned its attention to trying to replicate the massive success of the MCU by creating its own interconnecting cinematic universe.

But while the MCU developed organically over the course of a decade, DC clearly didn't want to wait. The keys were handed to Zack Snyder, who scored massive financial success with Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, but found little of the critical praise that Marvel was enjoying. David Ayer's Suicide Squad was also a box office hit, but terrible reviews and stories of behind-the-scenes conflicts didn't help, and the 2017 movie Justice League was a notorious debacle that ended the idea that a DC universe could match what Marvel had achieved in the same way.

But, of course, DC's superheroes are among the most popular pop culture creations of all time, so it didn't take long for the studio to find its feet once more. It largely abandoned the idea of making every movie connect, and has instead focused simply on making good movies. Aquaman and Wonder Woman were big hits, both critically and commercially, and Shazam showed a comedic side sorely lacking from Snyder's films. And the dark, R-rated Joker was both a record-breaking box office success and--almost unheard of for a comic book movie--an awards success.

Like all studios, DC's parent company Warner had to readjust its release schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wonder Woman 1984 was released straight into HBO Max in December last year, with The Suicide Squad getting a simultaneous theatrical and streaming release in August this year. Other movies have moved back to 2022 and beyond, and as the streaming wars continnues, the studio is now developing movies specifically for release on HBO Max. Of course, not all of these might happen, but nevertheless, there's a ton of great superhero content for DC fans to enjoy in the coming years.

Release date: March 4, 2022

DC's next standalone Batman movie has had a strange history. It was originally set to be directed by and starring Ben Affleck, but when Affleck stepped down as director, Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes) was brought on as director. Then Affleck left the project entirely. Reeves stayed on, and the movie will now star Robert Pattinson as a much younger version of the caped crusader. It's got an impressive cast that also includes Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Paul Dano as Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. The movie won't be an origin story and will instead focus on Bruce Wayne in his second year as Batman, and this early trailer certainly suggests the "noir-driven Batman story" that Reeves has teased in interviews.

Release date: May 22, 2022.

An animated film focusing on the superpowered animals of the DC universe was first announced in 2018, and the following year its 2022 release date was confirmed. Jared Stern, who previously wrote the Lego Batman Movie, will write and co-direct with Sam Levine, so expect to see Krypto the Super-Dog, Streaky the Super-Cat, Bat-Cow, and Flexi the Plastic Bird in action on the big screen for the first time.

Release date: July 29, 2022

Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but he's yet to appear in a superhero movie. That will change with Black Adam, which has been in development for many years and will star Johnson as Adam, a former slave from the fictional nation of Kahndaq who was granted powers by the wizard Shazam. The movie will also introduce the Justice Society of America to the DC movie universe, and the cast includes Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, and Quintessa Swindell as JSA members Atom Smasher, Hawkman, and Atom Smasher, plus Pierce Brosnan as Dr Fate. The movie is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise, The Shallows).

Release date: November 4, 2022.

The Flash movie has had the most troubled history of any movie on this list. Star Ezra Miller has been attached since the movie was first announced way back in 2015, and since then it's been through multiple directors, including Seth Grahame-Smith, Rick Famuyiwa, and John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The movie finally started production in April 2021, with It director Andy Muschietti directing. The film will be based on the Flashpoint comics, allowing for a DC multiverse and the returns of both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as Batman. During DC FanDome, Muschietti suggested that the film will tie all of DC's live-action properties together. "This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic iterations that we've seen before are valid," he said. "It's inclusive in the sense that it is saying all that you've seen exists, and everything that you will see exists, in the same unified multiverse."

Release date: December 16, 2022

The first Aquaman stands as the most successful DC universe movie yet, so unsurprisingly a sequel is on the way. Jason Momoa returns as the Atlantean hero, with Amber Heard and Patrick Wilson reprising their roles as Mer and Orm respectively. James Wan is back as director, and at FanDome he gave some hints about what to expect from the next aquatic adventure. "I'm trying to find new things to do that I didn't get around to doing in the first film," he said, and added that the sequel will be "a little bit more serious, a little bit more relevant to the world that we're living in today."

Release date: June 2, 2023

The sequel to 2019's comedic superhero movie Shazam will once more star Asher Angel as teenager Billy Batson and Zachary Levi as his heroic adult alter-ego. Director David Sandberg is back, and while we don't know many plot details, the story will presumably deal with the fact that Batson's entire adopted family all now have Shazam's superpowers. There have been two recent additions to the cast--Rachel Zegler (the upcoming West Side Story) in an unknown role, and Helen Mirren (Fate of the Furious) as the villainous goddess Hespera.

Release date: TBD

The powerful sorceress Zatanna is a member of the supernatural superhero team Justice League Dark, and it has been announced that Oscar-nominated Promising Young Woman writer/director Emerald Fennell will write a movie based on the character. The film is being developed by J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, which was hired last year to develop movie and TV ideas for Justice League Dark characters. There have been numerous attempts to make a movie based on the team over the years, but it looks like the focus is finally being put on JLD heroes other than John Constantine and Swamp Thing.

Release date: TBD

Jamie Reyes, AKA the Blue Beetle, is set to get a movie directed by Charm City Kings' Angel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala, Scarface). This will be DC's first Lantio-focused film, and it will debut on HBO Max. In DC Comics, Jaime Reyes is the third person to hold the Blue Beetle mantle-- he's a Mexican-American teenager in El Paso, Texas, who's life was turned upside down when he stumbled upon an Alien scarab artifact that fused itself to his body, giving him the ability to summon a sentient suit of high tech armor. In August 2021 it was announced that Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña will play Reyes.

Release date: TBD

A Batgirl film was first announced back in 2017, with Joss Whedon on board as writer and director. Whedon left the project a year later, stating that he "didn't have a story." Soon after, Birds of Prey and Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson was hired to work on a new script. In May 2021 it was confirmed that the movie was still alive, and will now premiere on HBO Max. Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are on board to direct, with Leslie Grace (In The Heights) set to play the lead role of Barbara Gordon.

Release date: TBD

Black Canary was one of the main characters in Birds of Prey, a reluctant vigilante superhero who possesses hypersonic screams and teams up with Harkey Quinn to take down her former boss Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask. It's been reported that Lovecraft Country showrunner Misha Green has been hired to write a Black Canary movie for HBO Max, which will see Jurnee Smollett reprise her role from the movie. No other details have been revealed yet, but Smollett was one of the stand-outs from Birds of Prey's superb ensemble cast, so let's hope it happens.

Release date: TBD

DC confirmed that the third Wonder Woman movie was being fast-tracked shortly after Wonder Woman: 1984 hit screens back in December 2020. Patty Jenkins will write and direct, with Gal Gadot playing the iconic Amazonian hero once more. Although Warner boss Toby Emmerich stated that this will be the final part of Jenkins' trilogy, it's hard to imagine such a popular character won't pop up in future DC movies. What isn't clear is when it will be released. Jenkins is also set to direct the Star Wars movie Rogue Squadron, which has a December 2023 release date, so don't expect Wonder Woman 3 any time soon.

Release date: TBD

One of the most exciting upcoming DC projects is a new take on Superman to be written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by JJ Abrams. Coates is known for his Black Panther and Captain America comics as well as his acclaimed nonfiction political books. Reportedly, DC is committed to hiring a Black director to helm the movie, and it will be an origin story about a Black Kal-El. Directors under consideration reportedly include Steven Caple Jr (Creed II), Regina King (One Night in Miami), Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), and J.D. Dillard (Utopia, The Twilight Zone).

Release date: TBD

A Static Shock movie was first announced during FanDome, and in October it was announced that Creed and Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan will co-produce the movie with House Party director Reginald Hudlin. Static is the alter ego of teenager Virgil Ovid Hawkins and possesses the powers of electromagnetic control and generation. The character is best known for the 2000s animated series Static Shock, and Jordan has described the movie as "part of building a new universe centered around Black superheroes."