Before the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the DC Extended Universe was heading towards a theatrical adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of the most beloved crossover events published by DC Comics. However, as The Hollywood Reporter reveals, the plans of DC Films president Walter Hamada were scrapped in favor of Warner Bros. Discovery's new ten-year plan for the DCEU.
Hamada was brought on board DC FIlm in 2018, after the disastrous reception of 2017’s Justice League. His job was to restructure the film adaptation of DC properties, keeping the superhero money-making machine working as best as possible. It took a while for Hamada to clean the house, but the DCEU was finally ready to release three or four movies every year. Unfortunately, the merging between Warner Bros. and Discovery led to a complete restructuring of both companies, with many cuts being made to several films and series. In DC’s case, that meant a new reorganization of the DCEU and the shelving of several productions.
The first official victim of the merger was Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace as the titular heroine. The movie was shot for an HBO Max release, but since Warner Bros. Discovery now wants to reportedly only release DC films in theaters, Batgirl was axed despite having finished production. In addition, other highly anticipated projects, such as Supergirl and the Wonder Twins movie, are reportedly never going into production. Batgirl’s cancellation caused a massive commotion in Hollywood, and Hamada has allegedly decided to quit DC Films. However, Warner Bros. Discovery convinced Hamada to stay until at least October, when the next DC film, Black Adam, gets released. Even so, it would be an understatement to say things are pretty tense on the DC side of the business.
As for the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, in the comics, the crossover event led to the first significant reboot of the entire comic book universe. In the storyline, heroes and villains from all across the Multiverse must band together to fight against a villain who threatens to destroy every universe. While the DC heroes win the fight, the result is the destruction of the Multiverse, with a single unified Earth born from the disastrous combat.
If adapted for theaters, the Crisis on Infinite Earths could help the DCEU to eliminate any incoherence caused by the chaotic production of different movies. At the same time, the DCEU could keep its most beloved cast members and characters while still walking towards a cohesive narrative structure. Hamada’s plans were ambitious and exciting, and it’s a shame they got pushed back by the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Things are still fuzzy about what the DCEU will look like in the future, but some early news already confirms a few properties that remain on the company schedule. The Birds of Prey Black Canary-focused spinoff starring Jurnee Smollett is still a go and might still hit HBO Max. The Green Lantern live-action series is also alive and aiming for a 2024 release. James Gunn will also move forward with Season 2 of Peacemaker. Finally, Blue Beetle also survived the cut.
Black Adam comes to theaters on October 21. Check out Black Adam’s trailer below: