James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-CEOs of the new DC Studios, have revealed that the Joker and The Batman will be a part of their new DC Universe. However, the films will remain standalone and thrive under their new category tagged DC Elseworlds.
The duo made this announcement during a press event at Warner Bros. Studios lot in California where they revealed their movies and TV plans for the first half of Gods & Monsters, the new DC Universe’s Chapter 1 – their equivalent of Marvel’s Phase 1.
During the press conference, Gunn and Safran said that their main DC Universe will not subsume Todd Phillips’s ongoing Joker films, nor Matt Reeves’s ongoing The Batman. They stated that these films, as well as others like them, will exist in other universes different from their own interconnected films. They further revealed the banner these films will live under as "DC Elseworlds".
The new heads of DC Studios also stated that Joker and The Batman are the first of many Elseworlds movies, which indicates they are open to creating more films that will exist outside their universe.
Since coming on board to lead the DC Universe, Gunn and Safran have canceled numerous projects in favor of building a new connected universe akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a result, many fans feared The Batman and Joker would trail the same path, especially since they always set out to be standalone films. However, given the films’ critical and commercial successes, it is hardly surprising the duo has decided to keep them going in some way.
By the way, they've also announced the title and release date of The Batman sequel. The film will be titled The Batman Part II and is slated for release on October 3, 2025.
Fans of DC Comics will recognize the Elseworlds tag from the comics where it served a similar purpose to what Gunn and Safran are doing with it. It was a DC Comics publication imprint that told stories of superheroes who were not a part of DC’s main projects.
Gunn and Safran also unveiled their film slate up till 2025. The lineup, which has five feature films and five television series, includes a Batman and Robin film titled The Brave and the Bold, a new Superman film titled Superman: Legacy, and Swamp Things, which will introduce a lesser character to the DCU. It also includes a spin-off Suicide Squad series titled Waller that will see Viola Davis reprise her role from the now-defunct DCEU, as well as a Wonder Woman prequel series titled Paradise Lost and a Green Lantern series titled Lantern.
Gunn and Safran’s plans are still at the nascent stage. As a result, details are light on their planned films and television series. So far, Davis is the only confirmed actor for any of the planned projects and there is no information regarding the directors, other cast members, and release dates.
Joker: Folie a Deux and The Batman Part II are slated for release on October 4, 2024, and October 3, 2025, respectively.
