Despite being four films in with Wonder Woman, the DC Extended Universe is still very much in its infancy. A ton of changes have been made behind the scenes, while the DCEU also has continued to announce new projects for the future. One of the highly anticipated installments that has been long developing for the shared universe is Justice League Dark, which will bring magic to the center of the DCEU. Unfortunately, the film lost its director in Doug Liman, and now the man himself has revealed why he departed the project. It turns out it was all about scheduling.
Director Doug Liman recently spoke to IGN about his various film projects, including leaving the Gambit movie. Regarding Justice League Dark, Liman spoke to how his busy schedule prevented him from helming the DCEU installment, saying:
I was really excited by the characters and that world, but I'm doing Chaos Walking for Lionsgate next and then Tom [Cruise] and I are hoping to do the sequel to Edge of Tomorrow so it just became a scheduling nightmare. That's the problem with directing. Producers can do multiple films, you know? Directing is like being married.
This explanation actually makes perfect sense, and might help to console DC fans who are disappointed with Doug Liman's departure. But due to how long it takes to get a movie in the can, directors can only take on so many projects at a time. And with an Edge of Tomorrow sequel coming in addition to his other movies, Justice League Dark was just too much for Liman.
Part of the reason why Doug Liman's departure felt like such a hit to DC fans is because of how much behind the scenes drama has already unfolded with the DCEU. Liman is not the first DC director to drop a project during its development. Just a few months ago Rick Famuyiwa departed as the director of the Flash movie, a role which still hasn't been filled. And there were also shakeups coming from further up the DCEU food chain, as Geoff Johns has taken over as the creative visionary behind the shared universe, following the poor critical reception of Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
With Doug Liman no longer leading the charge, it seems like Justice League Dark will likely spend some time stewing in development hell. There are so many silver screen installments to be produced by DC, so some of the films that have a more put together production team will likely move forward first. I'm looking at you Joss Whedon's Batgirl movie.
DCEU fans can currently catch Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman in theaters. After that, we'll have to wait for Zack Snyder's Justice League on November 17, 2017.
