Cameras have started rolling on The Flash in England, and it's now been confirmed that the DC Comics adaptation will be taking us back to a familiar location.
This was to be expected, but as you can see below, the production has arrived at Burghley House in Petersborough, England, the same location that was used for Wayne Manor in Batman 1989. We don't know whether any time is supposed to have passed since the events of Batman Returns, but Bruce Wayne's home clearly hasn't fallen into a state of disrepair.
The concept art revealed during last year's DC FanDome pointed to Michael Keaton's Batman being the same age, while other reports have indicated he's set to portray an older Dark Knight.
Despite comments from Keaton that he might be unable to reprise the role of Batman due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19, Warner Bros. was clearly able to get something sorted out as it's since been confirmed that he'll reprise his most iconic role.
Check out these photos from the set of The Flash below:
Click on the "Next" button below to see our ranking of
upcoming DC Films from least to most anticipated!
10. Superman Reboot
On the one hand, we're extremely excited for a fresh interpretation of the Man of Steel. Casting a Black actor as Superman is a bold move on Warner Bros.' part, but one it's impossible not to get on board with (especially if those rumours about Michael B. Jordan are correct).
Ta-Nehisi Coates penning the screenplay is good news, but J.J. Abrams' role as producer feels like cause for concern. He may have successfully rebooted Star Trek, but Into the Darkness - a retread of a familiar story - was not positively received by fans, and the less said about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker the better (The Force Awakens, meanwhile, was a retread of A New Hope).
It's Abrams' involvement that makes this movie one it's hard to get excited about, hence why this reboot sits in last place. The fact most of us want more of Henry Cavill's Kal-El is another issue...
9. Wonder Woman 3
Wonder Woman 1984 was by no means a bad movie, but it's not difficult to understand why so many fans were left underwhelmed by what director Patty Jenkins brought to the table.
Embracing the cheesy 1980s aesthetic was a bold move and one that often worked well. However, that also meant Diana Prince was watered down to an extent, and her sword and shield being sidelined meant this gentler Wonder Woman failed to strike a chord with fans of the iconic character.
The badass who ran across No Man's Land and fought Doomsday was nowhere to be seen, and while it was hard to fault Gal Gadot, the disappointing lead villain and Steve Trevor's forced return didn't help matters. As a result, we're not exactly counting down the days until Wonder Woman 3...unless some big changes are made and the Amazon is brought into the present day.
8. Zatanna
Zatanna is a little further along than the likes of Justice League Dark and Green Lantern Corps, but we still don't know enough to rank it any higher than this. Despite that, this character's big screen debut is long overdue and with Oscar-nominated Promising Young Woman filmmaker Emerald Fennell penning the screenplay, it's a project which already has some top tier talent working on it.
In the comic books, after teaching herself how to get access to her power by saying her spells backwards, Zatanna became one of most powerful magic-users in the DC Universe.
Putting the spotlight on more female characters is a must for the DC Extended Universe, and it's hard to think of many characters better than this one to bring that sort of noteworthy diversity to this shared world. Zatanna is a legit badass, and someone it should be a blast to spend time with.
7. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Shazam! was a blast, and while it felt a lot like Warner Bros.' attempt to make a Marvel Studios-style DC movie, that worked for the most part. Zachary Levi was clearly having fun, but the forgettable Seven Deadly Sins and shoehorned in appearance of the Shazam Family...well, that wasn't great.
The sequel has the opportunity to expand on the latter, though, and while seeing them square off with Atlas and his daughters doesn't have us champing at the bit for this follow-up, it has potential.
Hopefully, Mister Mind and Doctor Sivana will make their presence felt too, though we can't help but think Shazam! Fury of the Gods would be that little bit more exciting if there were plans for Superman or Black Adam to make some sort of appearance. I guess we'll have to wait and see for now.
6. Blue Beetle
We're not 100% sure what's happening with Static Shock, but the long-awaited Blue Beetle movie recently took a big step forward when Charm City Kings director Angel Manuel Soto boarded the project.
Focusing on the Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle, the movie promises to follow the Mexican-American teenager after he discovers a scarab that gives him access to an alien battle suit. With incredible new superpowers, Jaime suddenly finds himself thrust into the world of superheroes.
Blue Beetle is a great character and one who promises to bring some much-needed diversity to the DCEU. It's likely to be a smaller budgeted project, but as we learned from Joker, that's not a bad thing.
5. Aquaman 2
Look, not all of you liked Aquaman, and that's fine. For the most part, it was a fun, pulpy romp through this shared world that introduced a vibrant, exciting new world in Atlantis. Patrick Wilson proved to be a highlight as Orm/Ocean Master, while Jason Momoa was definitely on top form here.
We don't know much about the sequel, but James Wan will return to direct, and Black Manta is likely to be the sequel's lead villain (we cannot wait to see more of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in action).
That alone is reason enough to be excited, and Aquaman 2 exploring what it means for Arthur Curry to be King of Atlantis has a tonne of promise. Throw in Orm manipulating events from the shadows and more of The Trench - we'll likely see more of them now that spinoff isn't happening - and this should be epic. It's bound to be a great Christmas blockbuster next December too.
4. The Suicide Squad
We're nearing the end of this feature, and it's getting tougher and tougher to rank these upcoming movies. With James Gunn at the helm, The Suicide Squad is almost certainly going to be amazing (the cast, meanwhile, is nothing short of phenomenal and clearly had a lot of fun shooting this thing).
The humour in this R-Rated blockbuster does look a tad juvenile, and Gunn's adult-themed movies have never been quite as good as what we saw from him in the PG-13 Guardians of the Galaxy.
Jokes about splooge raining from the sky aside, the action scenes look awesome, and the varied selection of characters who make up Task Force X are great. Throw in Starro as the big bad and more of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, and this could end up being the best comic book movie of 2021.
3. The Batman
Does part of us wish we'd seen Ben Affleck's version of The Batman with the Dark Knight battling Deathstroke with Batgirl by his side? Sure, but that has no bearing on our excitement for Matt Reeves' take.
This grim and gritty interpretation of the character is intriguing, and it's exciting to think that Bruce Wayne is finally going to be portrayed as the World's Greatest Detective (despite only being in his second year as Batman). With Catwoman and The Penguin both thrown in for good measure, there's certainly more than enough here for DC Comics fans to get on board with.
So, why doesn't it top this list? Well, The Batman seems like another grounded take on the character we already saw when Christopher Nolan rebooted the franchise, and it's honestly still far too soon to say whether Robert Pattinson was the best choice of actor to portray the Caped Crusader.
2. Black Adam
Dwayne Johnson's superhero movie debut has been a long time coming, as has Black Adam. It feels like a movie we've been talking about forever, but cameras are now rolling, and Warner Bros. has put together a cast of great experienced and new talent to bring this corner of the DCEU to life.
Pitting Black Adam against the Justice Society of America is an unexpected, clever move, and one which you just know is going to lead to some downright crazy fight scenes (they'll likely team up eventually).
We have no doubt that The Rock will do Black Adam justice - no pun intended - and there's an awful lot he can bring to the DCEU moving forward. Whether that's a confrontation with characters like Shazam and Superman, or a fresh take on the JSA, there are lots of reasons to be psyched for this.
1. The Flash
There are plenty of fans who aren't 100% on board with Ezra Miller's version of Barry Allen, but Zack Snyder's Justice League definitely went some way in redeeming his take on the Scarlet Speedster.
The Flash has already added Ben Affleck's Batman, Michael Keaton's 1989 Batman, and Sasha Calle as Supergirl, a series of casting additions it's impossible not to be excited for. Seeing what they'll all bring to the table here is a thrilling prospect, and following Barry on a trip through the DC Multiverse is bound to lead to heaps of unexpected Easter Eggs, cameos, and memorable moments.
This could even be the movie that reboots the DCEU and lays the groundwork for a new era of storytelling. Honestly, that might be what helps redeem and save this struggling shared universe.