When the Marvel Cinematic Universe was first introduced nearly a decade ago, it brought with it the concept of shared universes and serialized storytelling. This trend has changed the way blockbusters are produced, inspiring other cinematic universes like the MonsterVerse and the DC Extended Universe. But it turns out that the latter might not actually be officially named the DCEU after all. Vulture's Abraham Riesman recently interviewed some figure heads at DC Studios, and learned that the term "DC Extended Universe" is not used internally, and is mostly a fan creation. Mind. Blown.
Abraham Riesman revealed this on a Twitter thread, while also promoting his recent story about the shared universe's plans to move forward. It turns out that the inception of the DC Extended Universe's title came from a story EW published in 2015. Writer Keith Staskiewicz actually made up the title himself, and it may have partly been a joke. Since then, the fandom and media have embraced it, exclusively referring to the shared universe as the DCEU for past few years.
News that the folks over at DC don't refer to the shared universe as DC Extended Universe is a bit of a mind blower, for sure. And it also means that the studio has the potential to properly rename the franchise at any point. Considering how the MCU has become such an iconic brand, we can only assume that DC would want to follow suit with its competitor.
Then again, it's possible that Geoff Johns and the folks over at the studio already know that they've got a good thing going with the DCEU. Since the public has widely accepted this as the name of the shared universe, it's probably better off not to rock the boat. That's why Abraham Riesman was the one who broke the news, rather than anyone from DC. They've likely just accepted the given name, rather than attempting to rebrand.
Of course, the name of the universe doesn't make actually make much of a difference in regards to the DCEU's film schedule. The still budding universe has been announcing new projects every few months, many of which are without a director or even a concrete release date. The exceptions to this are of course the next two upcoming films, Justice League and Aquaman. The former is set to arrive in about a month and a half, and Arthur Curry's first solo movie will arrive December, 2018. But after that, we'll have to wait yet another year for Shazam and Wonder Woman 2 to arrive in 2019 (hopefully).
Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's Justice League will arrive in theaters on November 17, 2017. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2017 release list to plan your last trips to the movies before the New Year.
