Following rumors that the studio was considering doing so, Warner Bros. has officially delayed its upcoming DC Extended Universe films Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.Per The Hollywood Reporter, the Aquaman sequel has been pushed back a whopping nine months, moving from March 17, 2023 to Dec. 25, 2023. Meanwhile, the Shazam! sequel has been delayed three months, moving from Dec. 21, 2022 to Lost Kingdom's previous release date of March 17, 2023."While I'm an impatient bastard who wants people to see it as soon as possible (the film will be fully done in just a few weeks), the move makes sense since Avatar was taking all IMAX/PLF screens," Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg wrote in a tweet addressing his film' delay. "Fury of the Gods is a big movie [and] should be seen big!"
The DCEU Is Undergoing an Overhaul
Still, these delays come at a rather tumultuous time for Warner Bros. and its DC projects. Warner Bros. Discovery recently pulled the plug on the nearly-completed DCEU film Batgirl, which was slated for a streaming premiere on HBO Max before being canceled outright. Warner Bros. was also recently said to be weighing its options regarding the long-gestating DCEU film The Flash due to the various controversies surrounding lead actor Ezra Miller. Moreover, DC's animated miniseries Aquaman: King of Atlantis was just one of many shows removed from HBO Max amid WBD's content purge, which resulted in a significant drop in the company's stock.
That said, plenty of DC projects are still moving forward as planned. As far as the DCEU is concerned, the Shazam! spinoff film Black Adam is due to hit theaters later this year on Oct. 21, while The Flash is still currently scheduled for release on June 23, 2023. The DCEU film Blue Beetle is also set to hit theaters on Aug. 18, 2023 after previously being planned as an HBO Max release. What's more, the second season of the DCEU's Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker remains in development at HBO Max.
Outside the DCEU, the upcoming film Joker: Folie à Deux -- the sequel to Todd Phillips' 2019 standalone DC film Joker -- has gotten the green light at Warner Bros. and is scheduled for release on Oct. 4, 2024. What's more, the sequel to director Matt Reeves' standalone DC film The Batman remains in development at Warner Bros., though has not been formally green-lit. Finally, despite animated and children's content being hit especially hard by Discovery's cost-cutting, the animated series My Adventures With Superman is still moving forward at Cartoon Network.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits theaters on March 17, 2023, followed by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on Dec. 25, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter