Warner Bros. Launching New DC Movies Franchise That's Not Part of the DCEU

Kofi Outlaw

11/09/2017 05:16 pm EST

In a shocking revelation, it's been announced that DC Films and Warner Bros. are planning a Joker origin movie that will introduce a new actor in the role of the iconic Batman villain - but that story has a footnote that DC fans will freaking out about!

According to Deadline's initial report about the Joker origin movie:

"This will be the first film under a new banner that has yet to be named in which WB can expand the canon of DC properties and create unique storylines with different actors playing the iconic characters."

This news will hit with the impact of a bombshell, as there has been so much controversy up to this point about DC/WB's approach to launching the DC Extended Universe franchise of films.

Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad made money but didn't sway fans into the DCEU brand - and even after Wonder Woman's milestone success, the upcoming Justice League movie is mired in rumor in speculation over why director Zack Snyder left the project, and just how much work director Joss Whedon is having to do to salvage the project. That's not even counting the rumors of major franchise stars like Ben Affleck (Batman) and Jared Leto (Joker) being unhappy with their statuses in the DCEU franchise.

What Does This Mean?

With this latest move, Warner Bros. is basically taking the same approach it has with both its TV and animated divisions. The DC TV Universe is separated from the DCEU movies, and while some TV shows like Arrow and The Flash are connected, other shows like Gotham and the upcoming Black Lightning stand on their own. In the animated universe, there is a main continuity of Justice League and Batman films that are interconnected, while there are still many standalone animated features the company also releases.

For fans, this is simply going to be more confusion to sift through. There will now be both TV and multiple movie characters to keep straight. With this announcement alone, there will be a younger actor cast in the Joker origin movie - while Jared Leto's Joker from Suicide Squad is presumably still part of the plan for upcoming DCEU films. Meanwhile, the future of the DCEU seems a lot more uncertain; after all, if standalone films or franchises like this Joker film or Chris Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy are still possibilities, then will fans be as willing to deal with the turbulent happenings of the DCEU?

We'll keep you updated as this story develops.

Justice League will be in theaters on November 17, 2017.

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