Well, so much for that DC Films sizzle reel that premiered during the Super Bowl and was attached to each reel of The Batman over the weekend. After promising all the heroes we were going to see in 2022, it seems it was all a beautiful lie (sorry, Batfleck).
According to Variety, Warner Bros. has announced its shuffling nearly its entire 2022-23 movie slate. Speculation is that the pending Discovery takeover of WarnerMedia is behind the changes, but either way, some of the year’s most anticipated movies will have to be anticipated a little while longer.
Dwayne Johnson broke the news first on his Instagram, announcing a shifting schedule between his two DC projects — DC League of Super-Pets and the long-gestating Black Adam.
Super-Pets moves from May to July 29, while Black Adam vacates that date for an October 21 release.
Meanwhile, The Flash will be pushed (again) — meaning we’ll have to wait a little bit longer to see the return of Batmen Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck. Flash moves from a November release to June 23, 2023, which, coincidentally, is the 34th anniversary of Batman ’89.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is also being delayed until 2023. Its original December date is now a March 17, 2023 release. Interestingly, Warner announced that Shazam: Fury of the Gods, which was originally scheduled for Summer 2023, will be taking over the spot vacated by Aquaman.
After smashing box office expectations with The Batman, this is another example of DC snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. (At least they officially announced The Penguin series on HBO Max today). The Batman’s financial and critical success was supposed to be a harbinger for a new dawn (of justice) for DC. Instead, these schedule shifts portend a more uncertain future just as they were getting their footing.
Anyway, enjoy this teaser that didn’t age well — even though it was just released on 4,500 screens nationwide less than a week ago.
