DC Films Shakes Up Release Slate as ‘Aquaman’ and ‘The Flash’ Head to 2023
The DC Films promotional video hyping up their 2022 slate is looking a little unusual now, as both Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash have been delayed to 2023 while Shazam!: Fury of the Gods is now a 2022 release.
Warner Brothers announced a series of cascading release date shifts for many of their projects, most of which are tied to DC Comics adaptations. (Deadline has indicated that the moves are tied to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.) Four movies are shifting back later into the year or into next year, while one is actually moving forward into this year. (Outside of the realm of DC Films, Warner Brothers has confirmed that Meg 2 will be released on August 4, 2023, and Wonka will be released on December 15, 2023.)
The new DC Films release slate, as it is now, reads as follows:
- DC League of Super-Pets will be released on July 27, 2022.
- Black Adam will be released on October 21, 2022.
- Shazam!: Fury of the Gods will be released on December 16, 2022.
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released on March 17, 2023.
- The Flash will be released on June 23, 2023.
- Blue Beetle will be released on August 18, 2023.
The last move seems to be somewhat strategic on the part of Warner Brothers, since that release date marks the thirty-fourth anniversary of Michael Keaton’s initial outing as Batman in the 1989 film. Meanwhile, it’s a bit puzzling that the Shazam! sequel is set to be counterprogramming to Avatar 2, though there is room for it to move earlier into the month given the distance between now and its release. This push will give more time for post-production and reshoots for Black Adam, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and The Flash. In the meantime, there has been no major news with regard to new film projects on the DC Films slate, although more news should likely follow in the weeks ahead.
Conversely, no new release date has been announced for the HBO Max movie Batgirl, but given that the film serves as a spin-off to the events of The Flash, it will likely move to 2023 at some point after the release of that film. Other DC Films movie projects that have been announced (but not dated) for theaters and HBO Max include the DCEU’s Black Canary, Static Shock, Green Lantern Corps, Supergirl, Zatanna, Wonder Woman 3, and Hourman, alongside Elseworlds projects like the sequel to Joker and an untitled Superman project that serves as a period piece film. In addition, new DC Films television projects headed HBO Max includes the likes of the DCEU’s Green Lantern, Constantine, Madame X, and Justice League Dark, alongside a second season of Peacemaker, plus Arkham and The Penguin shows that will be set in the same continuity as The Batman.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
