In 2021, Warner Bros. and DC brought superhero fans the highly demanded "Snyder Cut" of Justice League, James Gunn's wild take on The Suicide Squad and animated adaptations of Batman: The Long Halloween and Injustice. On sheer number of releases alone, 2022 promises to be an even bigger year for DC movies -- and hopefully the quality will make it an even better one as well.
Here's CBR's guide to every new DC superhero film scheduled for release in 2022.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This feature was updated on March 10, 2022, to reflect changes in the release dates of Black Adam, DC's League of Super-Pets, The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, due to COVID-related production delays. Amid the shuffle, Shazam! Fury of the Gods moves from 2023 release to 2022.
Catwoman: Hunted
The first DC movie of 2022 is an animated East-West co-production written by Greg Weisman and directed by Shinsuke Terasawa. Young Justice fans will be happy to hear that this Catwoman story is "adjacent" to Weisman's HBO Max series, while anime fans have drawn comparisons between the trailer's jazzy style and that of the similarly caper-themed anime Lupin the Third.
Catwoman: Hunted will be released on home video and digital Feb. 8, 2022.
The Batman
Easily the most hyped-up DC film of 2022 is Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is set in its own continuity outside the mainline DC Extended Universe. Robert Pattinson goes from vampire to bat as he takes up the cowl of a younger, angrier Bruce Wayne still in the process of establishing himself as the hero we know and love. Paul Dano's Riddler should make an intimidating adversary, while Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman looks to contribute some cunning and romantic tension.
The Batman opens in theaters on March 4, 2022.
DC League of Super-Pets*
For those too young for the darkness of The Batman, there's Warner Animation Group's CG-animated family film DC League of Super-Pets. Krypto the Superdog, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, leads a team of animals with newly discovered superpowers on a mission to save the Justice League. It looks a lot like Illumination's The Secret Life of Pets series, but with some superhero flavor.
Originally planned for release on May 20, 2022, DC League of Super-Pets is now set to open on July 29, the date previously occupied by Black Adam.
Green Lantern: Beware My Power
Green Lantern: Beware My Power will be the third Green Lantern-centric DC Universe Animated Original Movie, following Green Lantern: First Flight and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. The film was announced at the 2021 DC FanDome event, but no details have yet to be revealed about the plot, cast or crew.
Green Lantern: Beware My Power will be released on home video and digital in summer 2022.
Black Adam*
A long in-the-works passion project for star Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam promises to establish Shazam's ancient arch-nemesis as the DCEU's biggest antihero. Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously worked with Johnson on Jungle Cruise, is directing. The movie will introduce the DCEU's Justice Society of America, including such heroes as Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan).
Originally set to open on July 29, 2022, Black Adam's release has shifted to Oct. 21.
The Flash*
Marvel has already embraced the multiverse with Spider-Man: No Way Home and will continue to explore it with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Now DC's doing its own timeline-crossing, nostalgia-baiting movie. Ezra Miller's Flash might be The Flash's title character, but much of the hype for this Flashpoint-inspired DCEU film is based around the chance to see Ben Affleck's Batman share the screen with Michael Keaton's.
Previously targeted for release on Nov. 4, 2022, The Flash will now arrive on June 23, 2023.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom*
Nobody expected the first Aquaman film to become the most successful worldwide blockbuster in the whole DCEU, but here we are. Director James Wan and stars Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Amber Heard (Mera) are now back to try and up the ante for the sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The new film is said to feature more horror elements and a complex story, while also upping the action and comedy from its predecessor.
Originally set for release on Dec. 16, 2022, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been pushed to March 17, 2023.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods*
The sequel to the 2019 hit Shazam!, director David F. Sandberg's Shazam! Fury of the Gods reunites stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer and Djimon Hounsou, among others -- not to fight classic villain Mr. Mind, as set up by the end-credits scene of the original, but to take on Helen Mirren as Hespera and Lucy Liu as Kalypso, daughters of the Titan Atlas.
Amid the COVID-related delays, the shifted The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from 2022 to 2023, Shazam! Fury of the Gods was actually moved up on Warner Bros.' release calendar, from June 2, 2023, to Dec. 12, 2022.
Merry Little Batman
The idea of a Batman Christmas movie isn't a new one (Batman Returns says hi), but the upcoming animated TV movie Merry Little Batman looks to offer more wholesome form of holiday cheer than Tim Burton's freak-out. The story centers on six-year-old Damian Wayne, who has to become "Little Batman" to save Christmas in Gotham from various criminals and supervillains.
Merry Little Batman premiere on Cartoon Network for Christmas 2022.
Teen Titans Go! vs. DC Super Hero Girls
The Cartoon Network shows Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls have already had multiple crossover episodes, but why stop at just crossover episodes when you could have a full movie crossover? The first preview for the Teen Titans Go! vs. DC Super Hero Girls movie from DC FanDome 2021 showcases the wacky humor and meta self-awareness these cartoons are known for.
A release date for Teen Titans Go! vs. DC Super Hero Girls has yet to be announced.
Batgirl
The Batgirl movie is almost here -- and thankfully it's no longer being handled by Joss Whedon. Instead, it's being directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (who are also doing Ms. Marvel for Disney+) and written by Christina Hodson (the Birds of Prey screenwriter who's also writing The Flash). Leslie Grace from In the Heights is playing Barbara Gordon, while Michael Keaton's casting as Batman gives a hint as to The Flash's continuity implications.
Batgirl will premiere on HBO Max at a date yet to be announced.
Battle of the Super-Sons
Battle of the Super-Sons is another direct-to-video animated film announced at DC FanDome 2021. This one centers on Jon Kent and Damian Wayne, the respective children of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne. Details about the plot, cast and crew have yet to be announced, but one detail that might make this film one to pay attention to is that it's the first DC Universe Animated Original Movie done entirely in computer animation.
A release date for Battle of the Super-Sons has yet to be announced.