Which DCEU Films Could Take WB’s 2020 Release Dates?

The DC Extended Universe is having quite a year, with Wonder Woman smashing records and expectations, and the highly-anticipated Justice League set to debut in November.

And now, the cinematic universe shows no signs of slowing down, with two new 2020 release dates, for February 14th and June 5th, just unveiled by Warner Bros. But with almost a dozen DC Comics properties in various stages of development, what could be taking those spots?

Of course, there’s a good chance that one or both of the films could be new properties that aren’t already in development. But for the time being, we’ll look at the ones already in some stage of pre-production.

Click through to see all of the possibilities, which we’ve ranked from least to most likely.

Black Adam

While Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of Black Adam has been in the works since well before the actual origins of the DCEU, talks of a solo film following the antihero haven’t begun happening until January of this year.

With Johnson accumulating an A-List status and quite a few other franchises, it would make sense for a Black Adam film to be filmed during a pocket in his increasingly busy schedule. But as one of the DCEU films without a definite director or a script, it feels less likely that Black Adam could be released as early as 2020.

Nevertheless, there’s a chance that fans can see Johnson’s portrayal of the character in the coming years, with rumors hinting that he could appear in two of the DCEU’s more hero-centric properties. But we’ll get to those in a minute.

Justice League Dark

Justice League Dark has gone through quite a few evolutions since the film was first announced. Between losing two directors and that name confusion with Universal’s Monsterverse, the film’s status is very much up in the air.

Nevertheless, there’s still a small possibility that DCEU fans could see Justice League Dark brought to screen by 2020. While the film does not have a cast or a concrete director, names for both certainly have been floated around. And we are still nearly three years away from the hypothetical 2020 release date, which is certainly less time than it took to bring fellow DCEU ensemble movie Suicide Squad to screen. 

Gotham City Sirens

News of a Gotham City Sirens film was first teased back in December, with many excited to see Poison Ivy and Catwoman brought to life, alongside Suicide Squad favorite Harley Quinn. But since then, little has been teased about the female team-up film.

With a script in development for over eight months, there’s a good chance that Gotham City Sirens could be one of the 2020 releases – but there’s also a chance it could hit screens sooner. Rumors of the film starting production sometime soon have been floating around for a while, and with a relatively small cast and budget needs, it could easily be released in one of the DCEU’s earlier slots.

While, at the time of this writing, it’s still unknown would will play Harley’s teammates, plenty of actresses, from Bryce Dallas Howard to Baby Driver‘s Eiza Gonzalez, have been suggested by fans.

Batgirl

Another Gotham-set property – the most recent DCEU film to enter development – is Batgirl. The live-action adaptation of Barbara Gordon’s story has been a hot topic of discussion amongst fans since being announced back in March. 

With Joss Whedon at the helm, and a script reportedly in development, it’s certainly likely that Batgirl could enter production in the near future. But, much like Gotham City Sirens, there’s almost an argument to be made for the film to be released earlier than 2020.

Beginning to bring Batgirl – who has yet to be cast – into the DCEU hot off of the success of Wonder Woman would bode well for the cinematic universe in a multitude of ways. And it would be relatively easy to bring to screen, as opposed to some of the DCEU’s more special-effect-heavy properties.

Nevertheless, Batgirl being unveiled in 2020 is still within the realm of possibility, as well as quite a few other ‘Batfam’ films. Which brings us to…

Nightwing

With a storied pop culture history – including a fan-favorite appearance in this year’s The LEGO Batman Movie – a Nightwing movie has been talked about for many months. And while the title role has yet to be cast, the film’s pre-production seems to be moving along, judging by the recent passionate Twitter thread by the film’s director, Chris McKay.

The reasons for and against Nightwing hitting screens in 2020 are about the same as Batgirl and Gotham City Sirens – it’s easy to produce, but almost too quick to justify a three year wait. Fans will have to wait and see what release date Nightwing ends up getting – and if it does, in fact, fall in 2020.

Green Lantern Corps

Green Lantern Corps has been in some form of development since the DCEU was first announced. And while a director and stars are not currently attached, the film does have one thing that helps its cause – it was initially projected to have a 2020 release date.

Of course, things change, and the release date for Green Lantern Corps easily could too. With the film said to be the DCEU’s answer to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, it would be rather ironic to see both hit screens within the same year (as Guardians 3 is projected for a 2020 release date). Fans of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and the rest of the Corps will just have to wait and see.

The Flash

After years of anticipation – and a slew of director changes – could we finally have a concrete release date for Barry Allen’s solo debut in the DCEU?

It’s certainly possible, but not a foregone conclusion at this point. The Flash still currently is without a director, although recent rumors have suggested that recently-ousted Han Solo directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller could circle back around to the film.

But as of right now, there are too many elements at play – including the response to Barry’s appearance in Justice League – to make a concrete guess.

The Batman

One of the most anticipated – and arguably most controversial – DCEU project has been The Batman. It’s been almost impossible to keep track of the rumors surrounding the project’s fate – as well as the tenure of its star, Ben Affleck, as the Caped Crusader – within the past year.

But now, The Batman has found a director in War of the Planet of the Apes‘ Matt Reeves, who recently spoke about his new script and the film’s noir influences. With things on the right track, it’s very possible that the film could finally debut in 2020, even though sources recently reported that it could hit screens a year before.

As of right now, either release date seems likely – meaning fans might have to wait until this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con for an answer.

Cyborg

Like Green Lantern Corps, Cyborg was also initially given a 2020 release date. And as of right now, there’s no reason it wouldn’t be able to keep it.

Ray Fisher, who is set to officially debut as the iconic role in Justice League, has been attached to the part for quite some time. And while, like a few other DCEU properties, writers and directors on the film have not been officially announced, there’s no reason that couldn’t change with this weekend’s SDCC.

Three years is more than enough time to properly bring the film to life, while taking into account the successes of both the future DCEU outputs, as well as Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated Black Panther, along the way.

Sequels

For the sake of not getting too repetitive, we’ve lumped any potential sequels – including Wonder Woman 2, Man of Steel 2, Justice League 2, and Suicide Squad 2 – into one category. And at this point, they all feel just about as likely.

Following Wonder Woman‘s smash success, it’s entirely plausible that we could see its sequel in 2020, or possibly sooner. Justice League could also get the same treatment, although the emergency departure of Zack Snyder from the first film makes the sequel’s creative direction a little less clear.

Man of Steel 2 has been speculated about for quite some time, but has yet to reveal a director or concrete plot details. And Suicide Squad‘s ensemble nature would make the film easy to turn around, although its unclear if the film will wait until more DCEU villains are introduced to become a reality. 

Shazam

As previously mentioned, the DCEU has been teasing the debut of Black Adam – and his superhero rival, Billy Batson/Shazam – for quite a bit of time. And a 2020 release date would bode pretty well for the film, for several reasons.

While the title role of Shazam has yet to be cast, plenty of actors have thrown their names into the running, and everyone from David F. Sanberg to frequent Dwayne Johnson collaborator Brad Peyton has been rumored to direct. A 2020 release date would provide more than enough time to get the film off and running, especially with its effects-heavy nature. In addition, it would allow the present-day DCEU to develop even further, crafting a universe that young Billy Batson could directly respond to – something that was proven effective in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.

As of right now, it’s unclear if Shazam will be released in 2020, although rumors are already beginning to suggest it. Fans will just have to wait – hopefully not for too long – and see.