The DC Extended Universe has been in a state of disarray for several years now, with 2023 proving to be particularly disastrous. When Warner Bros. Discovery was formed, David Zaslav set about making some changes and decided to create a rival to Marvel Studios.
Several creatives were eyed to take charge of what has since become known as DC Studios, with James Gunn and Peter Safran ultimately chosen to relaunch the franchise. Once Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is released later this month, the DCEU will be relaunched as the all-new, all-different DCU.
Many of you will argue that it's for the best and, honestly, it's hard to disagree. Even so, there were some very exciting projects in the works at Warner Bros. that, while not necessarily guaranteed to be good, had us intrigued.
Below, you'll find a definitive list of the DCEU movies (and TV shows) which were scrapped when DC Studios decided to start over...
7. Batman Beyond
Michael Keaton returned as Batman in The Flash, but there were once plans for his Dark Knight beyond that. He was first set to serve as a mentor to Barbara Gordon's vigilante in the now-scrapped Batgirl movie and even shot a cameo for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
With him established as the DCEU's new permanent Caped Crusader, all of this was going to culminate with a Batman Beyond movie. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson was penning the screenplay, and with Robert Pattinson playing Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise, it would have made perfect sense to have the DCEU's Batman pass the mantle to Terry McGinnis.
As if a Batman Beyond movie wasn't already a perfect way to end Keaton's tenure as this iconic character, one idea considered for that was for his Bruce Wayne to rekindle his romance with Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
6. Wonder Woman 3
One of the most high-profile casualties of DC Studios' formation was Wonder Woman 3. It was said that Patty Jenkins' vision for the threequel didn't fit into what Gunn and Safran had planned for the DCU, and vague promises about the project being revisited were half-heartedly made.
Gal Gadot has insisted that she'll reprise the role of Diana Prince, but reliable insiders claim otherwise and Gunn - who is quick to debunk even the most minor of rumours - has said nothing about the situation.
We'd say it's pretty obvious that Gadot's time as Wonder Woman is over and that Wonder Woman 3, in any form, will no longer happen. A new version of the Amazon Warrior will almost certainly be cast down the line, but we'd bet on it being a younger actress that better fits in alongside David Corenswet's Superman and whoever plays the next Batman.
5. Man Of Steel 2
There's a great deal of confusion surrounding when all these DCEU plans changed. However, we now know Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson was responsible for going around Walter Hamada to bring Henry Cavill back as Superman.
That happened last summer/early fall, and with the actor back in the fold, Warner Bros. started mulling over Man of Steel 2 ideas. Man of Steel producer and writer Charles Roven pitched a follow-up to former DC Films executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, but they weren't keen and chose to wait for the new leadership at DC Studios to be appointed before forging ahead with anything.
A separate Superman movie pitch from Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) was considered, but the studio was similarly unsure about his approach to the character. That left poor old Kal-El in limbo until Gunn decided to reboot the franchise with Superman: Legacy.
4. Superman vs. Black Adam
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson quite fancied building the DCEU around himself and Black Adam, and he knew that throwing Cavill's Man of Tomorrow into the mix would help with that (hence why news of the actor's surprise cameo leaked before the movie's release).
DC Studios had other ideas, hence why Johnson attempted to once again force the studio's hand; he did so by leaking financial data about Black Adam and sharing plans for a Hawkman movie he no doubt hoped would get fans behind him. Alas, the movie was so underwhelming, that it didn't exactly go as planned.
Still, had he got his way, Black Adam was going to be followed by Man of Steel 2, Black Adam 2, and then an eventual face-off...which likely wouldn't have included Shazam in any way, shape, or form given Johnson's apparent disdain for the character.
3. J.J. Abrams' Justice League Dark
A Justice League Dark project had been in the works at Warner Bros. for years. However, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams was ultimately tasked with taking charge of a slate of projects revolving around the supernatural superhero team.
Like the rest of the projects he'd taken on as part of an overall deal with the studio, this never really came to anything. Sure, the movie might have happened eventually, and TV shows revolving around Zatanna, John Constantine, and Madame Xanadu were beginning to take shape when DC Studios was formed.
Honestly, given Abrams' work in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, we're not exactly mourning the fact his time as part of the DCEU ended with something of a whimper. With a new Swamp-Thing movie on the way, perhaps this team will get a second chance in the DCU!
2. Crisis On Infinite Earths
While Johnson has led us all to believe that he was solely responsible for Cavill's Superman return in Black Adam, that isn't strictly true. Yes, he makes it sound like there was no other choice than to go around studio brass to make it happen, but Walter Hamada had how own important plans for the Man of Steel.
While The Flash would end with Superman being written out of reality (and replaced by Supergirl), the endgame was for Cavill to make his grand return in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Would it have been a "welcome back" or permanent "farewell," though?
We don't know, but either option seems likely. Hamada had intentions to reboot the DCEU, and with plans for a Black Man of Steel, chances are Cavill's Clark Kent was going to take centre stage in this movie before making the ultimate sacrifice, probably taking The Flash's place from the comics.
1. Justice League 2
Warner Bros. is said to have shot several cameos for The Flash before DC Studios was formed, though we know now Gunn left most of them on the cutting room floor (including an ending with Superman, Supergirl, and Keaton's Batman all there to confront Barry Allen in a new timeline).
It's now become clear the vast majority of DCEU actors are being ditched in the new DCU, and given the dismal box office performance of the "greatest superhero ever made," The Flash 2 clearly won't be happening. However, Justice League 2 was among the projects being mulled over by Warner Bros. either pre or post-Crisis.
This wouldn't have been a follow-up to Zack Snyder's effort, though, and was instead eyed as a fresh start for the superhero team; as of now, we don't know whether DC Studios has something simular planned. Either way, we'd have been curious to see what form the film took and who was brave enough to consider following in Joss Whedon's footsteps.