Justice League made its big-screen debut a few weeks ago, giving audiences the next major chapter of the DC Extended Universe.
And while the film’s release has been bogged down by occasional controversy and negativity, it gave plenty of viewers hope about what could be coming next. While it’s certain that the film will have an impact on a lot of the DCEU’s central characters and storylines, there’s still a question of how that will manifest over Warner Bros.’ upcoming slate.
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Sure, we have a few other Justice League-adjacent projects to look forward to, with Aquaman debuting a little under a year from now, Wonder Woman 2 set for a 2019 release, and Flashpoint earning some ever-confusing production updates. But with a large number of DCEU films in various stages of early development, what films could – and should – we see next?
Here are five already-announced Justice League-connected DCEU projects that we’d like to see get made (or at least, get further along in production) in the near future.
‘Deathstroke’
This one feels like a given, considering the fan response to Justice League‘s post-credits scene.
Slade Wilson/Deathstroke’sย (Joe Manganiello)ย tenure in the DCEU has been a bit of a mystery, with many assuming that he’d been written out of both Justice League and The Batman. But with the one-two punch of the Deathstrokeย solo film announcement, as well as Manganiello’sย cameo in Justice League‘s post-credits scene, it’s clear that the DCEUย has a plan for Slade Wilson.
There’s still a lot of mystery surrounding the Deathstrokeย solo film, which is set to be directed by The Raid‘s Gareth Evans. And now that fans have gotten the context of Justice League‘s post-credit scene, the possibilities seem almost more limitless.
Could Deathstrokeย be an adaptation of Gods of War? Could Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) make a cameo? Could one of the film’s storylines involve Slade recruiting members of the DCEU’s Legion of Doom? We don’t know, but we’d love to find out.
‘Cyborg’
Justice Leagueย was tasked with introducing quite a lot to the DC Extended Universe, while getting audiences excited for bothย Aquamanย and Flashpoint. But one thing’s for sure – it also made fans excited for a Cyborgย solo film.
Victor Stone/Cyborgย (Ray Fisher) was given quite a lot to do within Justice League, largely thanks to the film’s plot involving his ties to one of the Motherย Boxes. Along the way, audiences got to see Victor gradually come to terms with his extraterrestrial “gifts”, even getting an upgraded suit in the process.
Aย Cyborgย solo film was first announced with DC’s initial slate, with a proposed release of 2020. Unfortunately, not a lot of updates have been provided since then, aside from Silas Stone actor Joe Morton saying that it could still be on track for that release date. And while Fisher does know when he’ll play the character next, it’s unknown exactly what project that will occur in.
Now that Justice League has been released, and Victor has been properly introduced into the DCEU, there’s certainly good reason for Cyborgย to still make that 2020 releaseย date (or something close to it). And hey, Fisher already has an idea of what villain he’d like to go up against in the solo film.
‘Green Lantern Corps’
After months of speculating (and trolling from Armie Hammer), a member of the Green Lantern Corps did make their way into Justice League.
During the film’s “History Lesson” sequence, a Lantern was shown fighting alongside various tribes in the battle against Steppenwolfย (Ciranย Hinds). The Lantern – who has since been identified as Yalanย Gurย – quickly perished in the battle, but his presence was just enough to get fans excited.
Like Cyborg, Green Lantern Corps has been a project that’s been teased since the DCEUย originated. The film has been teased sporadically in the years since, with it being billed as a combination of Guardians of the Galaxy and Lethal Weapon.
As with Cyborg, there’s certainly no reason for Green Lantern Corps to not meet its 2020 release date, once it gets a director and stars attached. The film would certainly show fans and skeptics alike another side of the DCEU, all while using the awesome Lantern special effects showcased in Justice League.
‘Man of Steel 2’
Before Justice League was released, it was difficult to go too long without discussing Clark Kent/Superman’s (Henry Cavill) role in it. Whether it was speculating about a certain black suit, joking about #MustacheGate, or simply wondering if he was going to be in the film at all, the return of Superman was a pretty big deal.
In Justice League, Clark wasย resurrected by the League, and occasionally began to grapple with the fact that he was resurrected. In the process, Cavill gave fans a Superman they hadn’t really seen from him before, as seenย that awe-inducing final shot of him in the film.
Considering the response – both good and bad – to Superman’s Justice League role, an argument can definitely be made for Man of Steel 2 being released sooner rather than later. The project would be able to play off of what Justice League nailed about Superman, while also being free of the many jokes surrounding Cavill’sย mustache CGI.
According to a report from last month, there’s a chance that Man of Steel 2 couldn’t come to the screen for a while. But with the right script and director (both Patty Jenkins and Matthew Vaughn are willing), who knows what could happen?
‘Justice League Dark’
While the concept of another ensemble movie might seem risky to DC fans, there’s a very good chance that Justice League Dark could work in a post-Justice League landscape.
The film has been in various stages of development for quite some time, with fan-favorite director Guillermo del Toroย initially behind the project. After del Toroย stepped down from the role, Doug Liman took over, before eventually doing the same. In recent months, Justice League Dark has received occasional updates, most recently that Housebound director Gerald Johnstone is “polishing” the film’s script.
With the right script and director, Justice League Dark could present fans with a wider look at the DCEU, including the introduction of fan-favorite characters such as John Constantine, Zatanna, and Swamp Thing.
In the process, it could use some of the “team-up movie” tropes and conventions used in Suicide Squad and Justice League, but in a widely different context. And hey, maybe it’d get the taste of Universal’sย Dark Universeย — which Justice League Dark has been unintentionally compared toย — out of audiences’ mouths.
Before You Go
Justice Leagueย is now playing in theaters. The film will be followed in the DC Extended Universe byย Aquamanย on December 21, 2018,ย Wonder Woman 2ย on November 1, 2019,ย Shazamย on April 5, 2019,ย Cyborgย in 2020, andย Green Lantern Corpsย in 2020.
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