Not to be overshadowed by Marvel’s big Captain America 3 / Iron Man / Civil War rumour action earlier this week, Warner Bros. and DC have gone ahead and slapped a big, fat slab of news down on the table with a release date binge for films including Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad. They have also finally given confirmation that Jason Momoa has been cast as Aquaman and revealed that The Perks Of Being A Wallflower’s Ezra Miller will be The Flash.
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes took the opportunity to liven up an otherwise staid shareholder earnings meeting to drop word about Miller’s casting along with the other details.
The Flash – which will not be related to the just-launched US TV drama, where Grant Gustin plays the speedy character – will find Miller as Barry Allen, who awakens from a coma to discover that he now has super-speed. He pledges to use his powers for good and ends up part of the Justice League, which means he’ll be running circles around Batman, Superman and the rest in the team-up movies. Variety mentions that he’s likely to have a blink-and-you’ll miss him (he's fast, see?) cameo in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. We still want to pitch that his full name should turn out to be Sir Reginald Flashington Smyth Quick-Stuffe, with the nickname Billy Whizz, and canon be damned.
There is no writer or director attached to** The Flash **yet, but we do know it’s scheduled for 2018. The same goes for Aquaman, which is now confirmed to star Jason Momoa but which has yet to announce a creative team and will be out in 2018.
In related Warner Bros./DC news, there was a deluge of announced titles and release dates. Wonder Woman fans will be glad to hear that she’ll get her own film in 2017. The Suicide Squad – probably not this lot, but we’d watch it – is said to be the first title set after Dawn Of Justice, with Fury's David Ayer set to direct. The Justice League pic will land in 2017, accompanied by a Dwayne Johnson-starring Shazam and there's a second Justice League adventure scheduled for 2019.
Other films in development? More standalone outings with Batman and Superman, which linger without a confirmed release date just yet. Then in 2020, for those of you who enjoy filling your diaries way in advance, we can expect a Green Lantern reboot and Cyborg, starring Ray Fisher (he'll be introduced in Dawn Of Justice).
Meaty stuff then - what's your take on the DC slate? Share your thoughts below, and don't forget that a Harry Potter-related trilogy based on Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is in the works, as is a trilogy for **The Lego Movie. But will there be spaceships in it?