Warner Bros. Discovery has announced there won’t be a DC FanDome event in 2022. The disappointing news came amidst a complete restructuring of the DC Extended Universe, which included the canceling of multiple productions such as Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah's Batgirl and the Supergirl and Wonder Twins movies.
Created in 2020 as a way to keep fans hyped during the pandemic, the DC FanDome has two successful editions in which Warner Bros. shared trailers for highly-anticipated projects such as Matt Reeves’ The Batman and James Gunn’s Peacemaker. The event also allowed the cast and crew of major DCEU movies to reveal behind-the-scenes secrets and served as a welcome replacement for all the in-person events that got canceled due to COVID.
According to an official note, that’s exactly the reasoning behind scrapping the DC FanDome, as people can now gather to share their love for their favorite franchise. The official statement reads:
“With the return of in person events, Warner Bros. Discovery is excited to be able to engage with our fans live at numerous comic-cons around the world and will not be scheduling DC FanDome for 2022.”
While it would make sense to prioritize big events such as the Comic-Cons instead of investing money in an exclusive showcase, DC’s presence at 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con was disappointing, to say the least. We did have new trailers for Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but there were no surprises regarding the DCEU. The surprises came after, when Warner Bros. Discovery decided their merge demanded a complete rethinking of how DC properties are handled.
Besides canceling multiple movie projects in favor of a unified theatrical strategy, Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t renew Young Justice and completely scrapped Batman: Caped Crusader. It looks like Reeves’ corner of the Batverse is safe, and Joker: Folie à Deux is moving at all speed. However, the overall future of DC’s movies and TV shows is hanging in the air while Warner Bros. Discovery discusses a 10-year plan that will theoretically unify every production under a single banner, similar to what Marvel Studios does.
Considering the complicated position the DCEU is at right now, Warner Bros. Discovery wouldn’t have much to announce in an eventual DC FanDome anyway. Even so, we sure hope the event will come back next year, when the Warner Bros. Discovery merger is done, the DCEU has a clear direction, and the company stops canceling so many exciting projects.
The next DCEU film to hit theaters is Black Adam, on October 21. Check out Black Adam’s trailer below.