JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK Film And TV Projects In The Works At WB From J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot

We were wondering what the recent partnership between Bad Robot and Warner Media would yield, and now we know. Apparently, there are big and small screen Justice League Dark projects in early development.

By MarkCassidy - Jan 21, 2020 05:01 PM EST

Filed Under: Justice League Dark

Fans wondered if the recent partnership between J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot and Warner Media would result in any DC Comics projects, and it looks like we finally have our answer.

According to Deadline, there are movies and TV shows based around the mystical heroes and villains of Justice League Dark in early development. The report doesn't get into specifics, but Bad Robot’s Head of Motion Pictures Hannah Minghella and Head of Television Ben Stephenson are expected to begin meeting with talent reps and writers to decide which characters will get the spotlight.

There was talk of a Zatanna solo movie a little over a year ago, so that's a decent possibility. We can probably also expect the likes of John Constantine, Dead Man, Etrigan and Swamp Thing to be strong contenders. It's not known if Abrams will actually wind up directing any of these projects, but he is expected to focus on his upcoming HBO sci-fi fantasy drama Demimonde next.

JLD has proved to be a notoriously difficult property for Warner Bros. to crack in the past, so let's hope this latest attempt gets off the ground.

Let us know what you think of this news in the comments, and continue reading for updates on the future of some other major DC Comics characters.

Simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!

Superman

We'll start with the character DC fans are most curious about, The Man of Steel.

It doesn't sound like anything is set in stone when it comes to this iconic hero, but Variety does confirm that the studio has had discussions with director J.J. Abrams to see if he could "help find a way to make Superman relevant to modern audiences." Michael B. Jordan was also in talks to play the character, but apparently he wasn't ready to commit to the project.

Henry Cavill recently stated that he wasn't done with Supes yet, but it certainly sounds like the role is vacant!

A new Superman film is unlikely to hit screens before 2023

Batman

We know Matt Reeves is in the process of rebooting The Dark Knight with Robert Pattinson taking over the cape 'n cowl, but it sounds like there are also tentative plans in place for spin-offs featuring the villains that'll be introduced in the movie, including the Riddler (Paul Dano), Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz).

Apparently, "key cast members from The Batman and Birds of Prey have contract options to appear in sequels and standalone films."

Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad

Image result for birds of prey and the fantabulous

The success of Todd Philips' Joker appears to have inspired a lot of confidence in future R-rated projects, and it looks like Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad will both carry the more adult-oriented rating.

These Harley Quinn-centric outings are not expected to be in the "pitch-black, grim vein of Joker" however, and will likely be much lighter in tone. A series of recent Birds of Prey reshoots are said to have "dramatically improved test screening results."

Green Lantern

Despite the recent announcement of a Greg Barlanti-produced Green Lantern series for HBO Max, that Green Lantern Corps movie is still said to be a priority at WB.

Apparently, Geoff Johns is set to deliver a script at the end of the year, and the project may be presented to Abrams and Bad Robot to see if the company would be interested in producing.

The Flash

Despite rumors to the contrary, that standalone Flash movie is still very much in development with It director Andy Muschietti at the helm.

Ezra Miller is set to reprise the role of Barry Allen, but he is tied up until shooting finishes on the next Fantastic Beasts film, which means that cameras are unlikely to roll until 2021. Christina Hodson (Bumblebee) is working on the screenplay, and will then move on to write the solo Batgirl movie (UPDATE: The Flash now has an official release date).

Aquaman and The Trench

James Wan is still attached to direct a sequel to the billion-dollar hit that was Aquaman, but shooting is not expected to commence until early 2021.

Warner Bros. is also still planning a spin-off based around the villainous undersea creatures known as The Trench, and a director is currently being sought.

The "Snyder Cut" Of Justice League

Finally, we have a disappointing update on the fabled "Snyder Cut" of Justice League.

Despite the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag gaining a lot of traction with several major stars such as Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot showing their support, insiders reckon it's "never going to happen," describing the movement as a "pipe dream."

Although HBO Max is reportedly "looking for DC properties that could inspire films that premiere on its platform," there are currently no plans for the Snyder Cut to find a home on the streaming service.

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88 Comments

1 2 3

MCUKnight11 - 1/21/2020, 5:27 PM

I wonder if this is such a good idea after the Rise of Skywalker...

MCUKnight11 - 1/21/2020, 5:28 PM

I wonder if it they will even have Justice League in the title after the last thing called JL performed.

Krona13 - 1/21/2020, 5:56 PM

@MCUKnight11 - just call it the Shadowpact like it should’ve been called from the jump

TheUnworthyThor - 1/21/2020, 6:41 PM

@Krona13 - Yes thank you! Shadowpact is an awesome name for a team of supernatural heroes. I loved that title back in the day. They should definitely use it instead of what would sound like the weird sequel to Justice League. And Shadowpact has all kinds of awesome characters they could use in addition to the core five that always speculated about and were in the animated movie.

Battabing - 1/21/2020, 6:45 PM

@MCUKnight11 -
The team/film should be called Sentinels of Magic.
And I'd read that DC/WB had not plans for Zatanna.

Battabing - 1/21/2020, 6:49 PM

@MCUKnight11 -
There was a time they were called Sentinels of Magic.

rabid - 1/21/2020, 8:21 PM

@Krona13 - The Swamp Thing tv series has already set up 4 Shadowpact members, so I have a feeling they might build on that.

E4Nigma - 1/21/2020, 5:33 PM

GhostDog - 1/21/2020, 5:36 PM

As long as J.J. doesn’t have any creative input

E4Nigma - 1/21/2020, 5:38 PM

I'm ecstatic WB is making JLD. Now please cast Matt Ryan. He is Constantine.

LSHF - 1/21/2020, 7:54 PM

@E4Nigma - Keanu stated that he wanted to do the role again, so he might get first shot at it, unless he would rather it just be a Constantine film.

GhostDog - 1/21/2020, 5:41 PM

Constantine

Already have concept art of the guy

Spock0Clock - 1/21/2020, 5:47 PM

@BlackBeltJones - Yep... that's a good one. I binged Downton Abbey recently and keep forgetting how sharp his jawline is now.

Nightmare - 1/21/2020, 5:55 PM

@BlackBeltJones -

GhostDog - 1/21/2020, 6:00 PM

@Spock0Clock - dude lost a lot of weight

Super12 - 1/21/2020, 7:36 PM

@Nightmare - Is that...is that Pewdiepie?

santoanderson - 1/21/2020, 5:42 PM

John Constantine stares into darkness in the middle distance. A random elderly woman walks toward him and asks…

“Who are you guys?”
“We’re the uh… Justice League?”
“The Justice League Who?!”

Constantine looks back to the darkness and responds…

“Justice League Dark”

-written by JJ Abrams

GhostDog - 1/21/2020, 5:43 PM

@santoanderson - LMAO!

Nightwing1015 - 1/21/2020, 5:45 PM

@santoanderson - "What are we? Some kinda Justice League Dark?"

E4Nigma - 1/21/2020, 5:47 PM

Think what you will of Abrams, but his production company Bad Robot makes great content.

1 2 3

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK Film And TV Projects In The Works At WB From J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot

We were wondering what the recent partnership between Bad Robot and Warner Media would yield, and now we know. Apparently, there are big and small screen Justice League Dark projects in early development.

Superman

Batman

Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad

Green Lantern

The Flash

Aquaman and The Trench

The "Snyder Cut" Of Justice League

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J.J. Abrams' JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK Project Has Officially Been Scrapped

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