Warner Bros. formed DC Studios intending to create a comic book franchise every bit as successful as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That requires a plan, hence why James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed a slate of projects which will fall under the "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" moniker back in January.
The DCEU will end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom later this month, and while we still don't how many of that shared world's characters and actors will survive the transition, several movies deserve to be revisited in the coming years.
If the DCEU became well-known for anything, it's the projects that failed to materialise. Cyborg, Nightwing, and Deadshot are among the many big screen stories that we were promised, only for them to never get any further than being an idea. It's been a frustrating time for fans, but there are some solid concepts Gunn and Safran would be foolish not to return to in some way.
To find out which of those we hope to see happen in the new DCU, hit the "Next" button below...
7. Gotham City Sirens
Despite not receiving a particularly warm response from critics, 2016's Suicide Squad was a box office hit. Following its release, the plan had been for director David Ayer to return to the DCEU for a spin-off focused on Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy titled Gotham City Sirens.
Based on social media posts from the filmmaker, Black Mask was being lined up as the movie's big bad. However, at least some of this project's ideas were eventually recycled for Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. (which, in place of Catwoman and Poison Ivy, featured early versions of Black Canary and Huntress).
With that in mind, some changes would need to be made to the next iteration of Gotham City Sirens, but bringing Ayer back to finally deliver this movie...well, it might help put an end to those #ReleaseTheAyerCut demands. That happening in the DCU remains unlikely - DC Studios is all about a fresh start, remember - but this would be a good compromise and another showcase for Margot Robbie.
6. The New Gods
Warner Bros. never had much of a plan for the DCEU, hence why we started seeing movies take shape that contradicted what other filmmakers had planned. Zack Snyder, for example, had huge ideas for Darkseid and Apokolips, but Ava DuVernay was still given the green light to move forward with The New Gods.
In a DCU that's starting from scratch, Gunn and Safran can avoid similar issues, all while giving DuVernay and comic book writer Tom King the chance to revisit what sounded like a fun, ambitious approach to this cosmic corner of the DC Universe.
Darkseid was going to be front and centre in this Jack Kirby-inspired tale, with Mister Miracle and Big Barda serving as the lead protagonists. Regardless of whether there's a change in the creative team, we'd say a tale like this is exactly what DC Studios needs to stand out in the crowded superhero landscape.
5. Deathstroke
Joe Manganiello was cast to play Slade Wilson by Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck, with Justice League originally set to lay the groundwork for Deathstroke to target Bruce Wayne and Batman.
That story was supposed to play out in Affleck's version of The Batman, and everything we've heard about the movie sounds awesome. The moment has now passed, but we'd still like to see Gareth Evans' short-lived solo outing for DC's Terminator see the light of day under the DC Studios umbrella.
As a lower-budgeted project, Deathstroke would have mashed up the DC Universe with The Raid, and Manganiello's badass take on Slade Wilson is one we're sure comic book fans would have appreciated. The DCU slate needs to be made up of more than big-name superheroes, and this project sounds like an effective way to add a little variety to proceedings.
4. Super Max
Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max (which surprisingly isn’t based on a similar comic book arc) predates even the DCEU, and it would have seen the titular superhero framed for a murder he didn’t commit. From there, it was set to focus on his quest to escape from the high-security prison he’s placed in.
Along the way, the hero was going to face off against several instantly recognisable comic book villains, including The Riddler, Lex Luthor, and the Joker. Skipping an origin story altogether, Super Max was going to get straight to the point and David S. Goyer and Justin Marks’ script was more of a prison escape movie than a typical superhero outing.
It's a real shame this never became a reality; now, though, it would be a badass way to introduce Green Arrow to the DCU and flesh out the wider franchise by introducing some high-profile villains who have already been placed behind bars by the likes of Batman and Superman.
3. Batgirl
When Warner Bros. was acquired by Discovery, we expected some big changes, but the decision to scrap the near-completed Batgirl remains one of the most shocking news stories in recent memory.
Despite featuring In the Heights' breakout star Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, Michael Keaton as Batman, J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, and Brendan Fraser as the villainous Firefly, the studio came to the conclusion it simply wasn't worth finishing and releasing the HBO Max movie.
A lot of fans and filmmakers were left reeling by that, and finishing Batgirl - or even starting from scratch with a new creative team - might go some way in salvaging the studio's tarnished reputation. Gunn could punch up the original script for reshoots if needs be, but the curiosity just to see what all the fuss was about would go some way in proving David Zaslav wrong!
2. Batman Beyond
Fans have spent years hoping for a Batman Beyond movie, and it turns out the previous DC Films bosses were planning to head down that route with Michael Keaton's Caped Crusader.
After serving as a mentor to Barbara Gordon in Batgirl, Batman was going to train Terry McGinnis as his successor, giving the DCEU a new Dark Knight (allowing Robert Pattinson to continue playing Bruce Wayne in The Batman franchise). Adding salt to the wound is the fact Michelle Pfeiffer was being eyed to reprise the role of Catwoman!
This still has the potential to be a must-see standalone feature for the DCU, and while we'd probably tap a new screenwriter in place of Christina Hodson, DC Studios producing this as an Elseworlds project and sending Keaton off on a high would be, well, beyond brilliant.
1. Crisis on Infinite Earths
The original plan for the DCEU was for it to culminate with a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie. We're unsure what the plan was from there, but the idea was for multiple versions of our favourite characters to share the screen, including an Affleck/Keaton Batman team-up!
Would this project have been any better than those ghoulish CG cameos in The Flash? We'll never know, but it's hard not to wish we'd seen this one become a reality out of curiosity alone. As we write this, moviegoers have grown tired of the Multiverse, so why is it even included here?
Well, Crisis remains one of the most popular and iconic DC Comics stories ever told. With a fan like Gunn now calling the shots, just imagine what a new version of this story might look like, particularly if in place of bringing back familiar actors, he takes a deep dive into the comics and has those different versions appear on screen instead!