When Zack Snyder made Man of Steel with Henry Cavill, there were no plans of building a DCEU. However, DC executives were eager to catch up with Marvel, who were thriving with their superhero franchise. In their misguided vision for a DC franchise, the studio tried many things unsuccessfully before opting for a complete restructuring under James Gunn.
The DCEU already underwent several course corrections before the restructuring, resulting in a bunch of canceled or abandoned projects. After the new regime took over control, all planned films in the former DCEU were effectively canceled.
10. Hourman
The Hourman film was announced by WBD in March 2021 about a superhero who can use his power only one hour at a time. Gavin James and Neil Widener were attached as the writers. Chernin Entertainment was announced as a producing partner alongside Warner Bros. and DC Films (via Deadline).
But the movie did not take off and the DCU restructuring meant that the plan was canceled. The character was created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily and originally appeared in the Stargirl comics. Cameron Gellman portrayed a version of this character in The CW’s shortlived Stargirl series.
9. Batman Beyond
Michael Keaton was set to play a dark and gritty version of a retired Batman in this film. The story explores Keaton’s Batman training Terry McGinnis, the next Batman. The film depended on the success of The Flash, where Keaton briefly reprised his role. However, it was canceled in January 2023 after the new regime took over.
The new DCU may see the Batman Beyond concept after all in an animated version. Writer-director Patrick Harpin and production designer Yuhki Demers have pitched a potential story to WB. While the initial response was negative, Demers revealed that their interest in the project later turned the “never” into a “maybe” (via r/BatmanBeyond).
8. Black Canary
The film was a spinoff of Birds of Prey, intended to be released on HBO Max. Jurnee Smollett-Bell was set to return to her role as Dinah Lance / Black Canary. In the Margot Robbie film, the character appeared as a singer in Sionis’ club while moonlighting as a vigilante. She had the metahuman power of hypersonic screams.
Misha Green was hired to write the film for the streamer. The movie even got a tease in a scene from another canceled DCEU project, Batgirl (via Comicbook). The last update on the project came in May 2022, but the DCU reboot may have essentially canceled the project.
7. Justice League Dark
A Justice League Dark movie was initially planned by Guillermo del Toro. In 2016, Doug Liman took over the directing duties from del Toro. Liman left the movie a year later. J.J. Abrams was approached for a TV project after three years. In February 2023, plans for both the movie and the HBO Max series were canceled.
DC Animated Universe came up with a Justice League Dark animated film in 2017, featuring the characters John Constantine, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Black Orchid, and Etrigan the Demon.
6. Batgirl
Batgirl fell victim to the new WB Discovery regime’s tax write-off scheme. The film is the only completed film on this list to get shelved. It was scheduled for an HBO Max release in 2022, but WBD eventually decided to cancel the completed film. In a Variety report, WBD shared that a tax write-off was the most financially sound way to deal with Batgirl.
New DCU CEO James Gunn reached out to directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to express support after the news of the cancellation. His co-CEO Peter Safran told Variety that the studio was focused exclusively on theatrical releases and Batgirl was unreleasable in theaters. He shared, “[The film] would not have been able to compete in the theatrical marketplace.”
Safran also praised the talent involved in the film. The film featured Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, alongside J.K. Simmons, Brendan Fraser, and Michael Keaton.
5. Nightwing
Originally announced in 2017, the film about Batman’s first sidekick was intended as a spinoff of Affleck’s Batman movie. In 2023, director Chris McKay hinted at carrying the story into DCU. After years in development hell, sources suggested that the project was dead with the DCU restructuring.
However, it is not the end of the road for a live-action Nightwing. Last year, it was reported that DCU is developing a Teen Titans movie with Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira writing the script. Dick Grayson’s Nightwing is one of the prominent members of this superhero team.
4. Deathstroke
Gareth Evans was attached to a solo Deathstroke film featuring Joe Manganiello’s character from Justice League. Before the solo film, the character was supposed to feature in Affleck’s canceled Batman film. Despite a planned budget of $40 million, Manganiello confirmed to THR that the project was canceled.
In an attempt to win over the new regime, he took his Deathstroke screenplay Jim Lee at DC Comics, intending to make it into a graphic novel. However, he told Comicbook that no one at DC, including James Gunn, could assure him that the graphic novel would bring the attention of directors or producers to his character.
He was advised by The Suicide Squad director to finally let go of the character. After his DCU snub, Joe Manganiello has joined Netflix’s One Piece as the character Crocodile.
3. Wonder Woman 3
Despite the film’s success in the DCEU, a third Wonder Woman project was canceled after the DC restructuring, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Patty Jenkins confirmed that the project was dead, and the new DCU will not feature Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman.
There were initially rumors that Gal Gadot was retained in the DCU for a rebooted version of Wonder Woman. Gadot herself shared that she was invited to a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran, who told her that they loved her in the role (via Flaunt). However, recent updates suggest that the new regime is looking at other actresses for the role.
2. Man of Steel 2
Henry Cavill had to settle for just one solo movie in the DCEU throughout the franchise’s nine-year run. After his appearance in Black Adam in 2022, Cavill was all set to return to a Man of Steel sequel, written by Steven Knight of Peaky Blinders fame. According to THR, Cavill’s Superman would have fought Brainiac in this second film.
The sequel would have eventually happened, if not for the restructuring of DCEU into DCU under James Gunn. Cavill shared with fans on Instagram that he had a talk with Gunn and Safran, who had decided that his take on the role was no longer in their plans.
1. Justice League Part 2
Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio initially conceived Justice League as a two-part film. However, when it was decided as a self-contained film, Snyder was left with ideas for a second film. A sequel to the film was scheduled to be released in June 2019, with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins expressing interest to direct the film.
However, several reasons including Snyder’s departure, the poor performance of Joss Whedon‘s version, and the behind-the-scene issues during the first film stopped Justice League 2 from happening.
According to Comicbook, DC Films producer Charles Roven stated in August 2021 that a sequel was still possible in the future of the franchise. That plan ended after the DCU restructuring.
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