Warner Bros. had high hopes for the so-called DC Extended Universe when the studio announced an ambitious slate of 10 films in 2014. Although Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeSuicide Squad and Wonder Woman achieved financial success, negative reviews for the first two features preceded the critical and commercial failure of 2017's Justice League, which grossed only $659 million worldwide. That represented a potential loss of between between $50 million and $100 million for the studio, which then began massive restructuring efforts that seemingly killed any hopes of a sequel.

Director Zack Snyder had big plans for Justice League, which he envisioned as a trilogy, However, he stepped away from the film following a family tragedy, leaving Joss Whedon to oversee what was reported as extensive reshoots. Following the response to the final product, which represented a not-so-harmonious mashup of the two filmmakers' visions, fans called for the release of a "Snyder Cut," although the studio says it has no such plans.

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Today, June 14, 2019, was the day on which Snyder's Justice League 2 was originally intended to be released. There's not a lot that we know for certain about the abandoned sequel, but there's some indication Darkseid would have appeared in Justice League and then would have become a major focus in Justice League 2. Snyder indicated Batman v Superman featured a reference to his plans for Justice League 2 in the form of crosses during Superman's death scene. Snyder also said he would have killed off Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne/Batman at some point.

Warner Bros.' original DC film slate, announced in 2014

Whether Justice League 2 will ever materialize remains to be seen, although it's unlikely the movie will in any way resemble what Snyder planned. Affleck has exited the DCEU, with obert Pattinson taking up the role for Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is reportedly set in the '90s. Henry Cavill reportedly left the DCEU in September, although there's never been official confirmation.

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Warner Bros. previously said it will downplay the shared cinematic universe elements of the superhero franchise following the successes of Wonder Woman and Aquaman. The studio appears to be shifting focus toward individual characters such as Wonder Woman, Shazam, Aquaman and Harley Quinn, the latter of whom will star in a bevy of films starting with next year's Birds of Prey (And the Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn will helm The Suicide Squad, which has been called a "total reboot," despite some prominent actors from the first film returning. There's also Todd Phillips' Joker, which arrives in October.

As for other films announced at the same time as Justice League 2: Ray Fisher's Cyborg solo film, which would have released next year, doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon; Ezra Miller's Flash movie was originally slated for last year, but still hasn't materialized. Miller reportedly doesn't like the script from directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, and has teamed with comics writer Grant Morrison to pen a "darker" movie. Miller's holding deal expired last month, so his status in regard to the project is unknown.

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At the time, a Green Lantern movie slated for release on June 19, 2020, was also announced, but there's been little information in regard to that project, and it's entirely possible it's gone the way of some of the other reported or confirmed DC films for which little information has been released (Booster GoldBatgirlBlue Beetle, et al).

However, not everything on that original slate failed. Shazam! was relatively successful at the box office due to its comparatively low budget for a superhero film of about $100 million. That movie seems poised to receive a sequel sooner rather than later. Wonder Woman and Aquaman were commecially successful, with the latter earning more than $1 billion worldwide. The former's sequel is slated for release on June 5, 2020, while the latter has a sequel coming Dec. 16, 2022.

So, although Justice League represented the blackest night for the DCEU, the future might just hold brighter days.