The DC Extended Universe reached what proved to be an underwhelming end in 2023 with a series of critical and commercial flops. If nothing else, it died just as it lived (a disappointment).
The DCEU certainly wasn't all bad, of course, and Warner Bros. had a lot of good ideas over the years...most of which sadly never came to fruition. There are any number of reasons for that but as DC Studios and James Gunn continue fleshing out the new DCU, a handful are of those definitely worth revisiting.
In this feature, we take a look back at some of the movies that failed to become a reality and explore how they could be reimagined for the DCU. That could be in live-action, animation, in theaters, or on streaming; they all deserve a second chance, though.
You can see the projects we've singled out by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. Gotham City Sirens
Despite receiving mostly negative reviews 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. Ultimately, some of this project's ideas were 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. We're not sure that's the best idea - DC Studios is all about a fresh start, remember - but this would be another showcase for Margot Robbie.
7. Nightwing
It was way back in 2017 that Warner Bros. announced plans for The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay to helm a live-action Nightwing movie. It was unclear how that would connect to Zack Snyder's plans after he killed Dick Grayson but excitement among fans was high.
However, as time passed, it became clear that the project had fallen by the wayside at Warner Bros. Flops like Justice League and Wonder Woman 1984 would have done little to help matters, confining Dick's story to the so-so Titans TV series that started life as a DC Universe streaming app exclusive.
While The Brave and the Bold doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast, we'd imagine Gunn plans to establish the Bat-Family in the DCU as soon as possible. From there, Dick should absolutely get his own movie beyond the Dynamic Duo animated movie which may or may not be "canon."
6. The New Gods
Warner Bros. never had much of a plan for the DCEU, explaining 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.
While we're sure DC Studios wishes to distance itself from those past missteps, 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 would be no bad thing.
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 deliver a new type of story in the crowded superhero landscape.
5. Lobo
There's been chatter about a Lobo movie since at least 2009 with various iterations getting close to becoming a reality before...nothing. The character could easily hold his own in a feature and this is one project we believe DC Studios has at least considered.
When the DCEU ended with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it sounded very much like Jason Momoa had been promised this role. However, similar to how we were told DC Studios was excited to one day work with Henry Cavill and The Rock again, it's possible that was meant to simply soften the blow for Momoa (and fans) after he was basically fired.
Whether it's him or another actor, Lobo deserves a place in the DCU and is the kind of movie you have to believe would be well-suited to Gunn's zany, R-Rated tastes. Perhaps we'll get a cameo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
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 would 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 heroes who already exist in this world.
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 studio's most shocking and controversial decisions.
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 we'd ultimately just like to see any version of Barbara Gordon given the chance to shine in a solo outing.
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. Gunn did claim to really love The Flash, after all...
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. It's true that many of us 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 instead focuses on there being multiple versions of these characters unconnected to previous adaptations.