DC may fast-track another movie to fill The Batman's 2018 slot

Well, this sounds like something with a high probability of not ending well.

It’s little secret that the DC Extended Universe, the Warner Bros-owned comic company’s attempt at a rival to the mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe, is struggling. Whilst its three existing movies – 2013’s ‘Man of Steel,’ and 2016’s ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and ‘Suicide Squad’ – all performed well at the box office, none of them have won over audiences or critics the way Marvel have. Moreover, some of the future DC films lined up for production have been beset with behind the scenes trouble, most notably ‘The Batman,’ production on which has now been pushed back, after the film had initially been expected to hit screens in 2018.

This means that, at present, the only DC movie lined up for release in 2018 is ‘Aquaman.’ However, it has emerged that the studio are contemplating filling the gap left by ‘The Batman’ by accelerating the development process on one of their planned films.

This news comes from Variety reporter Justin Kroll, who claimed the following on Twitter:

If Kroll’s claims are accurate, fans can be forgiven for thinking this might not be the best course of action for DC. The last film they rushed into production in such a manner was ‘Suicide Squad,’ and most would agree the end product was – to put it generously – very untidy.

However, if DC are considering such a move, it’s hard not to ponder which it will be: the all-female team-up film ‘Gotham City Sirens,’ which will see Margot Robbie reprise Harley Quinn alongside the as-yet uncast Catwoman and Poison Ivy; ‘The Flash,’ first solo movie from Ezra Miller’s Scarlet Speedster (which is currently without a director, having lost its first two picks); ‘Green Lantern Corps,’ expected to be a cosmic buddy movie most likely centring on the Hal Jordan and John Stewart characters; the ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel; or ‘Dark Universe,’ AKA ‘Justice League Dark,’ another team-up movie centred on DC’s creepier heroes including John Constantine, Swamp Thing and Zatanna.

DC may aspire to match Marvel’s productivity, but when the product itself isn’t quite measuring up yet, there’s a lot to be said for putting quality before quantity – so let’s hope none of these projects gets rushed into cinemas before they’re good and ready.

In the meantime, the DC Extended Universe will continue with ‘Wonder Woman,’ in UK cinemas 2 June, and ‘Justice League,’ opening 17 November.

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