Beyond December's Aquaman and next year's Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984, we don't know what movie will be arriving next in DC's cinematic universe (Todd Phillips' Joker isn't in the DCEU). While WB has a lot of irons in the fire, the one that everyone wants to know about is Matt Reeves' Batman movie. Given Batman's importance as arguably the most popular character DC has and really the most successful big screen superhero ever, you might expect The Batman to be on the fast track to theaters. But it sounds like Matt Reeves' movie might be a little further down the queue than we thought or hoped, not arriving until after Birds of Prey and The Flash. Take a look:
We won't know anything for certain until DC starts announcing official release dates or a revised slate, but it seems like The Batman is still a ways off from even beginning production. According to The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez, Matt Reeves' script for the film isn't finished, and it's not expected to be turned in until after Labor Day next month. At that point, if everything is good to go with the script, pre-production could begin, with shooting set for sometime next year. On the other hand, Birds of Prey and The Flash seem to be further along and should arrive first. So if this is true, on the bright side, we have The Flash and Birds of Prey to look forward to in the somewhat near future, but on the downside, the much anticipated Matt Reeves Batman movie is still a ways off.
While The Batman has been a slippery film to pin down in a number of respects, we have heard that Birds of Prey is on the fast track. Cathy Yan was brought aboard to direct the film earlier this year. and with most of the speculation pointing towards an early 2019 start date for production, that would seemingly put Birds of Prey in line for a 2020 release date. We've heard a little bit less about the state John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's The Flash, but it sounds like the Scarlet Speedster will be lapping Batman in the race to theaters.
If all of this is right and things don't change, as they certainly could, it would make sense for Birds of Prey and The Flash to be the DCEU's 2020 films if WB only does two a year. That would push The Batman until 2021. That would be a bummer, but ultimately might be for the best. DC knows that it has to get this Batman movie right. So Matt Reeves should take as long as he needs on the script and pre-production to ensure another iconic entry in Batman's filmography. This would also show that the other two films are in a good place. We've talked about the advantages to fast-tracking Birds of Prey, and seeing more of Ezra Miller's Flash sooner rather than later is a good thing.
Hopefully we'll hear more details about Birds of Prey and The Flash soon as we have plenty of DC stuff to look forward to. Keep an eye on our calendar for all of the upcoming DCEU movies, and for all your superhero news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
