LAST UPDATED: March 8th 2009 (constantly updated when new developments occur).

In a Wall Street Journal article titled Fewer, Bigger Movies, Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov announced that the studio were looking to adapt fewer comic book superheroes every year but make them bigger and of better quality than ever before. 

Epic productions like The Dark Knight and Watchmen are the blueprints for this new direction.

So bare in mind, we shouldn’t expect more than two movies from DC/Warner Bros. per year. 

2010 

JONAH HEX – Coming Aug. 6th 2010 

From former Pixar animator, turned director Jimmy Hayward (HORTON HEARS A WHO) and starring Josh Brolin (Hex), Megan Fox (as love interest Leila) and John Malkovich (as the villain Turnbull). It’s based on a screenplay by Crank creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor.

GREEN LANTERN – Coming Dec. 17th 2010

From director Martin Campbell (CASINO ROYALE, MASK OF ZORRO) and based on a screenplay by Dawson’s Creek and Eli Stone writer Greg Berlanti. Warner Bros. are said to be struggling to find a lead to play Hal Jordan, having repeatedly been turned down by Ryan Gosling. 

2011

(and beyond… these movies are in “active development” according to Robinov)

(none of these have confirmed release dates)

SUPER MAX (featuring lead character GREEN ARROW) – Most likely for release 2011 because it’s the only potential project WB have a script currently completed and in development for.

Written by hot new geek scribe Justin Marks (Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li, upcoming Masters of the Universe remake), it’s a different take on a superhero origin movie as the first act sees Arrow wrongly imprisoned and forced to share a cell with the villains he put away. 

Project is of great geek fascination as it will feature villain cameos from B to Z list characters who otherwise wouldn’t see the light of day in any other movie. Script reportedly also has more recognisable characters of Lex Luthor, The Riddler and even The Joker as inmates. 

No director or cast as yet… and the film has lost it’s 2008 steam of publicity and hype. Some wonder if the script is really, “all that” because of the persistent delays.

UNTITLED SUPERMAN REBOOT – We know Warner Bros. are aggressively looking to make a new Superman movie soon. They are inviting pitches from anyone with a good idea of how to reboot the character after the failure of Superman Returns. 

Mark Millar (comic book writer of Wanted and Kick-Ass) has been most vocal about how he would tackle the character and is said to have a top director interested in adapting his pitch. You can read his pitch for an epic new trilogy HERE. 

Or read the whole development of the Superman franchise, HERE. 

UNTITLED BATMAN 3 – Likely to be directed by Christopher Nolan, who by all indiciations has a struck a deal to make his original science fiction film INCEPTION (for release Summer 2010) as a wager for doing a third film. 

The likelihood is that Batman 3 now won’t see the light of day till 2012 as this sci-fi project is a bigger undertaking than The Prestige (which was in between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) and hasn’t gone into production as quickly as that Bale/Jackman flick.

Christian Bale will play Bruce Wayne/Batman in the last of his three movie deal (doesn’t necessarily mean last time we will see him in the cape and cowl as that contract could be extended) and will feature the regular supporting players of Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, etc. 

You can read about the developments, HERE.

THE FLASH -  From his comments in Nov. 2008, Scottish comic book writer Grant Morrison revealed he was in talks with Warner Bros. over The Flash. We don’t know if that means a movie and whether that means he will be writing/directing but The Flash is one of the major DC characters yet adapted. Like the Green Lantern, he will get his movie eventually. 

WONDER WOMAN – Since the Justice League project, Warner Bros. have spoke little of a stand-alone Wonder Woman flick except that it’s in “active development”. 

DC WASTELAND

WATCHMEN 2 – Unlikely, especially after the box office drop after the first few days of release. Zack Snyder has already denounced much chance of a return if Warner Bros. were to greenlight a sequel which would likely cause fanboy uproar. However, like the infamous red missile button, if times get desperate… who knows?

SHAZAM (featuring lead character Captain Marvel) – Was to be directed by Get Smart director Peter Segal from a John August (The Nines, Big Fish) screenplay with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson playing the villain Black Adam (no-one had been cast as Marvel) but in January 2009, it was announced by August that the project had been scrapped by DC. 

JUSTICE LEAGUE – The talk of 2007… dominated internet fanboy discussions. You can read about all the developments of George Miller’s (MAD MAX, HAPPY FEET) doomed production HERE.

The future of the project seems to be that the negative reaction of a superhero team-up, featuring the characters of Batman and Superman in non-related canon to what was already in development  has soured the project for at least till mid part of the next decade. Once the Batman and Superman characters are more established, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the project rear it’s head again. 

There seems little doubt that DC will make a BATMAN/SUPERMAN team-up one day. The money potential is simply too big to not make.