To say DC’s film universe, known as Worlds of DC, has undergone some upheaval would be an understatement of Kryptonian proportions. Whether you liked them or hated them, the company’s early movies didn’t perform as well as Warner Bros. wanted. They turned things around with Wonder Woman and Aquaman, then announced an overhaul of the executive and creative team behind the franchise. Thankfully writers and directors like Geoff Johns, James Wan and Patty Jenkins are still on board. We also know that stars Margot Robbie, Gal Gadot, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa seem to be sticking around. Despite the presence of familiar names, some of these changes have made it difficult to nail down exactly what’s happening with various projects. Of course, that has never stopped the internet from guessing what’s next.
Since the moment they announced that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was really happening, and the actors playing the Justice League were confirmed, there has been speculation about who will play which role. We can’t keep up with who’s coming and who’s going. Warner Bros’ DC changes also affected the release slate, as some films are no longer being made, while some have simply been moved to new dates. Though we can’t confirm much about the Worlds of DC, we can contemplate which rumors are worth our time, and which we should just hope stay on the internet. We’ve decided to make things easy by discussing the 10 rumors we hope are true and 10 we don’t want to happen.
20 HOPE IS TRUE: AMY ADAMS IS DONE AS LOIS LANE
Based on her comments during a recent Variety Actors on Actors interview, it seems like Amy Adams may be leaving Lois Lane behind. She told franchise newcomer Nicole Kidman, “I think I’m out of the DC Universe now. I think they’re revamping that. I don’t know the details.”
Look, we don't want Amy Adams to leave the DC Universe, we just think she deserves better. As Lois Lane, the award winning actress hasn't been given much to do other than follow Superman around and cry. With everything concerning Clark Kent up in the air, we'd like to see her set free to make more unexpected projects like Sharp Objects and Vice.
19 DON’T WANT: JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK
Justice League Dark is one of DC’s most fascinating titles and fans have been clamoring to see it on the big screen for years. In 2013, it seemed like things were on track when Guillermo Del Toro announced he was working on the film. Unfortunately, he left the project and was replaced by Doug Liman, who then left because of scheduling conflicts. The film has been stuck in development hell since then.
At this point, the studio should move on from a film adaptation and think about moving the project to TV. Between Matt Ryan’s spot as Constantine on Legends of Tomorrow and Titans, Swamp Thing and Doom Patrol set at DC Universe, the small screen is a much better fit.
18 HOPE IS TRUE: THE PENGUIN WILL BE IN THE BATMAN
It’s impossible to keep up with all the rumors surrounding The Batman. The latest to break says that The Penguin will be a major villain in the movie. The character previously fought the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, played by Danny DeVito. That incarnation was memorably over the top, but fit in perfectly with Burton’s weird aesthetic.
We’d like to see the bad guy return to the big screen in a more grounded way, similar to the version seen in Batman: The Animated Series or Gotham. Robin Lord Taylor’s portrayal of an unhinged crime boss controlling the city is the perfect tone to look for.
17 DON’T WANT: ALL NEW SUICIDE SQUAD CAST
For awhile it seemed like Suicide Squad 2 would be a victim of DC’s creative overhaul. However, things got going again when James Gunn was hired to write the sequel. Though Suicide Squad made money and won an Oscar, it was panned by critics and fans, so it’s no surprise Den of Geek reported the studio wants to start fresh for the next outing makes some sense.
Comics readers know that the team changes members frequently, but the movie should keep a few familiar faces and not be completely new. Right now all we know for sure is that Harley, Deadshot and The Joker are likely returning, but we wouldn’t mind seeing Amanda Waller, Katana or Rick Flagg back.
16 HOPE IS TRUE: TOM CRUISE AS HAL JORDAN
Following the flop of 2011’s Green Lantern, Warner Bros. was looking to do something different with its next outing. Green Lantern Corps was meant to feature Hal Jordan as an established hero helping Earth's newest Lanterns. Screen Rant reported on how the top choice for this role was superstar Tom Cruise.
It kind of makes sense, since Jordan shares a lot of qualities with one of Cruise's most famous characters, Maverick. However, with the actor set to reprise that part in a Top Gun sequel and make two more Mission: Impossible movies back to back, it’s increasingly unlikely he'll be available to take the Lantern oath. It's unfortunate since Hal Jordan would be the perfect role to finally bring Cruise into the superhero world.
15 DON’T WANT: THOMAS WAYNE IN JOKER
From the start, Warner Bros. made it clear that Todd Phillips’ Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix is not connected to the Worlds of DC. This meant we were all surprised when it was announced Thomas Wayne would be in the movie. ComicBook.com reported Brett Cullen was recently cast as Bruce Wayne’s father, though we don’t know what his role in The Joker’s story is.
The film not being a part of the current universe is confusing enough, adding in yet another Batman connection really muddies the waters. We’ve also spent years being told a specific origin for Bruce’s parents and it seems counterproductive to Batman’s story to change it at this point.
14 HOPE IS TRUE: PEDRO PASCAL IS MAXWELL LORD IN WONDER WOMAN 1984
Losing Steve Trevor was heartbreaking for a lot of reasons, but the saddest was that it meant Chris Pine would be leaving the franchise. However, it appears we were all premature, as the actor is returning for Wonder Woman 1984.
We Got This Covered has a report that suggests Pedro Pascal's mysterious role is actually Maxwell Lord. He uses magic to bring Steve back to entice Diana to protect him from Kristen Wiig's Cheetah. We're not sure about this one, since it sounds way more complicated than other theories, which include dream sequence, Steve's descendant or Martian Manhunter. Diana has never needed a reason to protect anyone, even someone as suspicious as Max.
13 DON’T WANT: AMAZO IS THE VILLAIN OF SUICIDE SQUAD 2
After the questionable choice to make Enchantress the villain of Suicide Squad, fans have had a lot of suggestions about who filmmakers should use in the sequel. You Tuber Grace Randolph is reporting that the studio is thinking of going with Amazo. For the unfamiliar, Amazo is an AI that can copy the powers of the heroes it fights. Since the Squad isn’t necessarily super powered it makes sense to send them in, but this feels like a downgrade from the other films.
Amazo was recently featured in the Arrowverse crossover "Elseworlds", where it was brought down rather easily by Supergirl and Superman, plus Barry and Oliver with switched powers. If they had no trouble, how could the Squad need a whole movie?
12 HOPE IS TRUE: BLACK ADAM CAMEO IN SHAZAM!
By now we’ve all heard that DC is embracing a more standalone approach to its films. This means that while Shazam! will live in the same universe, it won’t necessarily be connected to them. Since it’s an origin story, this isn’t a bad thing, but it also means the hero’s nemesis Black Adam, played by Dwayne Johnson, won’t appear.
In an interview with Heroic Hollywood, director David F. Sandberg said, “this movie’s mostly just about introducing Billy Batson and Shazam, and who he is, how he came to be.” We understand filmmakers want to set up Billy’s story, but here’s the thing, The Rock makes every movie better. It’s the one constant in Hollywood.
11 DON’T WANT: THE COURT OF OWLS AS MAIN VILLAINS IN THE BATMAN
Among all the reports that The Penguin would be one of the main villains in The Batman, Grace Randolph’s You Tube channel was one of the outlets saying The Court of Owls would be the real big bad. The Court of Owls is a collection of the most powerful people in Gotham who have secretly been controlling the history of the city.
The storyline was used on Gotham and a variation of it was used with Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins. The hero who doesn’t know who to trust because the city is so corrupt is a pretty common trope. It’s time for Batman to explore a different corner of his universe.
10 HOPE IS TRUE: RED HOOD WILL APPEAR IN THE BATMAN
DC is keeping everything close to the vest for The Batman, so other than rumors, no one has any real idea what’s coming. ComicBook.com has suggested the film could feature a younger Bruce dealing with the loss of Jason Todd. The site goes on to report that it may not lead to the appearance of Red Hood, but set that up for a future movie.
A former protege turning into a brutal vigilante is one of Batman’s most captivating stories and it seems crazy that it’s only been adapted in animation. As great as Under the Red Hood is, we’d love to see the character get the full big screen treatment. Of course, everything would depend on casting the perfect actor in the role.
9 DON’T WANT: THE JOKER IS JASON TODD
Losing Jason Todd to The Joker is the failure that haunts Bruce more than any other. This makes the rumor that The Joker could actually be Jason Todd surprising and not believable.
We Got This Covered chronicles how this started as a wild fan theory due to the villain’s new look and some very telling tattoos. There’s a lot of reasons why this just can't be true, including that it drastically changes a major Batman storyline and also erases the creation of the Red Hood. We understand that films are going to makes changes from the comic books, but this seems like such a crazy difference, no one at DC would be ok with it.
8 HOPE IS TRUE: BOOSTER GOLD MOVIE
Some time ago, Warner Bros. announced that one of its many in development projects was a Booster Gold movie. Michael Jon Carter is a scandalized and humiliated athlete from the future, who steals technology, so he can become a hero in the past. Screen Rant is reporting the studio is now thinking that Booster Gold will be featured in its recently announced Blue Beetle film. The two characters’ only on-screen team-up came in the season 10 Smallville episode “Booster.”
We’re not opposed to a Blue Beetle movie, but Booster Gold is such a fun, unique character he should get a chance to shine in something similar to Deadpool. Introduce his story, which then leads into Blue Beetle.
7 DON’T WANT: FLASHPOINT MOVIE
Early in its development, solo movies were announced for the major DC characters, among them The Flash. However, there was a twist. His movie might be based on Flashpoint. When problems in the franchise began to show, fans speculated that this would be the studio's way of fixing everything with a reset. Screen Rant even reported on a Flashpoint easter egg in Aquaman’s post credits scene.
As much as we would love to see a showdown between Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa's Aquaman, a timeline bending movie now would be a bad decision. The universe is finally starting to come together and the last thing the audience needs is for everything to change.
6 HOPE IS TRUE: GOTHAM CITY SIRENS
Way back in 2016 we were told David Ayer and Margot Robbie were working on a Gotham City Sirens movie. Then, several outlets, including Paste, began reporting that it was dropped or possibly merged into Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). As excited as we are about that movie, we still want Gotham City Sirens.
For a lot of fans, the team up between Harley, Poison Ivy and Catwoman is their favorite incarnation of these characters. If DC really wanted to do something new, a film featuring three strong, fascinating, unapologetically bad women would definitely be different. Not to mention, the friendship among these women is one of the best in comics and would work perfectly in DC’s new weird universe.
5 DON’T WANT: MORE JOKER MOVIES
Since Caesar Romero and Adam West first duked it out on TV, The Joker has been an important part of Batman's on-screen story. Jared Leto received mixed reviews for his version of the clown prince of crime, but apparently the studio liked it because now there are at least four more Joker movies happening.
Joaquin Phoenix will don the infamous make up in a standalone film not connected to the current universe, while Leto is set to return in three more projects. The thing fans love about The Joker is the mystery. Though there are several takes on his origin, none of us really know who he is. Saturating the big screen with his story takes that away and makes him less interesting.
4 HOPE IS TRUE: JOHN STEWART IN GREEN LANTERN CORPS
When it was announced that prolific comic book writer Geoff Johns was taking over as writer/producer on Green Lantern Corps, fans wondered what direction he would take the story in. Den of Geek has the film described as “Lethal Weapon in space” featuring grizzled veteran Hal Jordan showing new hero John Stewart the ropes.
Since appearing in the animated Justice League, John has been a character fans have long wanted to see on the big screen. Everyone from Common to Tyrese Gibson to of course, Idris Elba has been mentioned for the role. With a modern backstory and a completely clean slate to work with, John is DC's best choice to help establish the Lantern Corps and introduce that world.
3 DON’T WANT: BEN AFFLECK WILL NO LONGER BE BATMAN
Since his casting, the rumors about Ben Affleck's status as Batman have plagued the franchise. The repeated delays in The Batman production were where everything started. He originally signed on to write, direct and star in the solo outing, but eventually opted to just act in the film. Once Affleck very publicly announced at a convention he was staying, things died down for awhile, then the actor's off-screen troubles got everything going again.
It would be a shame to see Affleck leave the role, since his portrayal of a war weary Dark Knight was a highlight of Batman v Superman and Justice League. As of this writing, Affleck is still the current Batman, and we hope he at least sticks around through The Batman.
2 HOPE IS TRUE: NIGHTWING MOVIE
As the original Robin, and a character who's gone on to be a hero in his own comic series, Dick Grayson is one of the most popular members of the Bat family. Knowing this, it was no surprise when the studio announced it was developing a Nightwing movie. Chris McKay was announced as director and fans began wondering who would play the former Boy Wonder.
We've heard very little news on the project and lately and are understandably concerned about its progress, but McKay maintains it’s still happening. Dick is fascinating character with a myriad of stories to tell, so we really hope this makes it to the big screen and is given the same level of focus as Aquaman.
1 DON’T WANT: HENRY CAVILL IS DONE WITH SUPERMAN
In late 2018, fresh on the heels of nonstop speculation about Ben Affleck continuing as Batman, news broke that DC might be losing another member of the trinity, when reports circulated that Henry Cavill was done playing Superman. The rumors began with stories that negotiations concerning a possible Shazam! cameo had broken down.
Co-star Jason Momoa said that the actor was “absolutely” still Superman and Warner Bros. released a statement saying they were still working with Cavill, while the Man of Steel himself has remained mysterious on the subject. As the hero who started the universe, Cavill has been great in an extremely difficult role, so we would hate to see him hang up his cape.