The DC Extended Universe is known for its twists both on and off the screen, and that has certainly been the case over the last month. During this time Warner Bros. scrapped the Batgirl movie, while also delaying the sequels of both Shazam! and Aquaman. And now the directors of those upcoming DC movies, James Wan and David F. Sandberg, have responded to these delays.
While anticipation is building for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, both of their journeys to theaters just got a little bit longer. This is obviously a bummer for the hardcore DC fans out there who might be worried about the state of the shared universe. James Wan shared his thoughts about the delay to Aquaman 2, accompanied with some epic concept art of what we’ll be seeing when the project finally hits theaters in December of 2023. As he posted on Instagram,
There you have it. It looks like James Wan has found the silver lining in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s latest delay. Because now the movie will be a big Christmas movie release, just as the original movie was back in 2018. This decision has the potential to be a box office win for Warner Bros., although it means we have well over a year before finally diving back into that corner of the DCEU.
While Aquaman 2’s delay might be disappointing, the concept art that accompanied James Wan’s post will definitely help buoy excitement over the upcoming movie starring Jason Momoa. Just like its predecessor, it looks like the DC flick will be a colorful adventure through Wan’s imagination. And he’s since again using cutting edge technology to give the cast a sense of underwater weightlessness.
Of course, that’s not the only upcoming DC movie which unfortunately got delayed by Warner Bros. Shazam! Fury of the Gods was in the same boat, and I’ve truly lost count of how many times that blockbuster has changed release dates over the last few years. But like James Wan, director David F. Sandberg also found the silver lining in his movie’s delay, posting on Twitter:
While I’m an impatient bastard who wants people to see it as soon as possible (the film will be fully done in just a few weeks), the move makes sense since Avatar was taking all IMAX/PLF screens. Fury of the Gods is a big movie & should be seen big!
Points were made. While DC fans will have to wait a few more months to see the Shazam! sequel, this might have been a smart move for the project’s box office performance. Prior to this delay it was going to compete with Avatar 2 this coming December. Considering how massive James Cameron’s movie is expected to be, and how many big theaters it’ll be occupying, David F. Sandberg seems to be happy that Shazam! Fury of the Gods will have more time and space to thrive.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently expected to arrive in theaters on March 17th, 2023 and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will follow suit on December 25th 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
