Earlier today, Dwayne Johnson announced that his upcoming Black Adam movie was going to be changing release dates, and while that news in and of itself wasn't all that strange, the choice of weekend had fans scratching their heads. After all, the movie is now set to come out on October 21, which was just a couple weeks away from the theatrical debut of The Flash on November 4. This didn't make much sense – but now everything is much clearer, as the upcoming slate of DC films just got a major shake-up.
According to The Hollywood Reporter's Aaron Couch, The Flash, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods have flip-flopped in release order, and first two are no longer going to be coming out in 2022. Though it was originally scheduled to come out on June 2, 2023, the Shazam sequel is now been dated for December 16, which means that it will be the DC blockbuster that follows Black Adam (and goes toe-to-toe with Avatar 2).
The Flash, starring Ezra Miller, has moved to June 2023, though it isn't specifically taking over Shazam! Fury Of The Gods' date, as it will be coming out on June 23, 2023. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, meanwhile, will be heading to theaters on March 17, 2023 (a.k.a. about a year from now).
For those keeping count, this now reduces the number of DC movies in 2022 from five down to four. We just saw the release of the first, Matt Reeves' The Batman, this past weekend, and the animated DC League Of Super Pets will be next, set to come out on July 29. The field was a bit crowded with Black Adam, The Flash, and Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom all coming out within the back half of the year, so it makes sense that the films are being spread out a bit more.
Of course, now 2023 is shaping up to be a crazy time for DC fans. Not only are Aquaman 2 and The Flash now on the calendar, but there's also the Blue Beetle movie heading to theaters on August 13. Let's also not forget that Batgirl is on the way, in production as an HBO Max exclusive (starring Leslie Grace, Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton, and more).
So why are these changes happening? According to sources talking with Deadline, the moves are in part influenced by what are described as "Covid-related delays" – but the trade doesn't get more specific than that. These superhero movie shifts are happening alongside some other notable changes on the Warner Bros. slate, as the Wonka movie with Timothée Chalamet has moved from March 2023 to December 2023, and The Meg 2: The Trench with Jason Statham (which started filming last month) has been dated for August 2023.
For a full breakdown of the various DC blockbusters that are currently in the works, check out our Upcoming DC Movies guide.
