Warner Bros. Discovery has delayed Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Changes continue to occur over at Warner Bros. Discovery, with the studio now delaying high-profile DC films. Shazam! Fury of the Gods was originally set to come out a week after Avatar: The Way of Water on December 21, 2022, but the sequel will now take Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s March 17, 2023 release date. Meanwhile, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit theaters on December 25, 2023. Deadline was the first to report the news.
According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit, the move was made because Warner Bros. Discovery can only release Don’t Worry Darling and Black Adam this year due to financial reasons. March and December have both been strong months for DC films as of late, with the success of the first Aquaman back in 2018 and The Batman earlier this year.
Is Ben Affleck Sticking Around?
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s delay also raises questions about its place in the DC Extended Universe. It’s been long rumored that Michael Keaton would become the DCEU’s new Batman after the events of The Flash film.
However, it was recently revealed that Ben Affleck filmed new scenes as Bruce Wayne to replace the ones that originally featured Michael Keaton. Many believed this was done because the Aquaman sequel would hit theaters before The Flash, but DC might be changing their plans and sticking with Affleck as their Bruce Wayne moving forward.
Here is the synopsis for DC’s next film, Black Adam:
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a script written by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, the DCEU film stars Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, and Pierce Brosnan.
Black Adam opens in theaters on October 21, 2022. Be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news on the DCEU, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Deadline
