DC Comics is home to many of the most famous and iconic superhero characters of all time. Ranging from the heavy hitters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman to more obscure characters like Swamp Thing and Mr. Miracle, the depth of DC characters and stories that exist is almost endless. DC has had a longtime partnership with Warner Bros that has led to numerous outstanding DC movies, such asSuperman: The Movie,The Dark Knight,The Suicide Squad,and more. In that time, there has also been a myriad of other DC movies, likeCatwomanandBlack Adam, that left audiences scratching their heads in confusion more than anything else.
However, for every DC movie that makes it to the big screen, there are countless others that are lost to the pits of development hell. Whether it be any of the canceledBatmanandSupermanmovies from over the years, or the slew of films from the DCEU and Snyderverse that failed to get off the ground, the world of DC films has more canceled movies than it does completed projects. There are various reasons for these films never seeing the day. Some of them were lost in the shuffle of company mergers; some conflicted with other plans DC had for their film universe, and others had to deal with unexpected outside forces that made their development impossible. Regardless of why they never happened, here are 21 canceled DC movies that we would have loved to see on the big screen:
21Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max
Green Arrow: Escape From Super Maxwas a standaloneGreen Arrowfilm that would have followed Oliver Queen as he was imprisoned for a crime that he did not commit. From there, the film would have been a superhuman take on a prison break story. Queen, who would have been out of his Green Arrow ensemble for most of the film, would have come across a myriad of DC villains in the Super-Max prison. While recognizable villains such as The Riddler, Lex Luthor, and The Joker were set to appear briefly, there would have been a more significant focus on B and C-level DC villains, such as Icicle.
The film was written by David S. Goyer and Justin Marks in 2007 and 2008. At the time, Goyer was coming off a number of other superhero scripts he had written and co-written, namelyBlade II,Blade: Trinity,Batman Begins,andThe Dark Knight, the last of which he only has a “story by” credit on. There has been little talk aboutGreen Arrow: Escape From Super Maxin the 15 years since it was written. The likelihood of the project happening was likely diminished after Stephen Amell’s version of the Green Arrow became a big hit in the CW seriesArrow. In 2015, Goyer discussed the film’s cancelation withDen Of Geek, saying “It was ahead of it’s time, to be quite frank. The executive on it was really visionary, but the higher-ups, none of whom are at Warner Bros anymore, just thought at the time, “You know, we just want to makeBatmanandSupermanmovies. We don’t want to make any other characters.’”
20Christopher Nolan’s Original Dark Knight Sequel
It’s true, the version ofThe Dark Knight Risesthat was released in 2012 was not what Christopher Nolan had originally intended his thirdBatmanfilm to be. However, the reasoning for the film’s change was not studio interference, developmental issues or any other business hangups. The original plan forThe Dark Knight Riseswas that the film would bring back The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, in a key role. Understandably, these plans were changed as a result of Ledger’s tragic passing in 2008, before the release ofThe Dark Knight. After Ledger’s passing, elements ofThe Dark Knightwere changed in order to avoid directly setting up the planned story for the sequel. The film would have featured The Joker’s trial in Gotham City, with Michael Jai White’s Gambol, who wasn’t intended to die inThe Dark Knight, also playing a larger role in the sequel. Nolan made the decision not to recast the role of The Joker, out of respect for Ledger, and the thirdBatmanfilm was restructured and re-written until it eventually becameThe Dark Knight Rises.
19Nightwing
In February 2017,The LEGO Batman Moviewas released to a surprising amount of critical acclaim and love from DC fans. Almost immediately, DC and WB signed the film’s director, Chris McKay, on to write and direct a live-action film centered on the Batman-adjacent character Nightwing. The film would have followed an adult Dick Grayson as he was living in Blüdhaven and embarking on his own crime-fighting journey after serving as Batman’s first Robin in his youth. McKay has stated that the film would have depicted Grayson’s struggle to grow past his relationship with Batman, who had been a dark and perhaps not-so-great mentor for him.
The film’s announcement came at a time when the DCEU was still struggling to gain a foothold, as the three films in the franchise so far (Man of Steel,Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, andSuicide Squad) had not been the universal hits DC and WB had hoped for. After the failure ofJustice Leagueand the multi-year squandering of the DCEU that followed, theNightwingproject was put on hold. In the summer of 2021, long before James Gunn’s restructuring of the DCEU into the new DCU,McKay spoke openlyabout his hopes thatNightwingwould still happen. He said, “I wouldn’t say it’s 100% dead in the water. It’s a movie that I still want to make. It’s a character I love. And then it’s a world that I’m passionate about.” There has, as of yet, been no word thatNightwinghas officially been canceled, but the silence surrounding the project speaks volumes about the likelihood that it is still happening.
18Man of Steel 2
A sequel to 2013’sMan of Steelwas one of the films most demanded by fans of the Snyderverse over the years. While there seemed to be some positive momentum for the sequel on several occasions, it is now about as far away from happening as possible. The sequel was first announced as part of the DCEU slate unveiled in 2014. Over the years, several directors had serious discussions with WB about helming the film, but none of them sealed the deal.Kingsmandirector Matthew Vaughn was in talks for a while, andMission: Impossible’s Christopher McQuarrie has also talked about a pitch he brought to WB for a Henry Cavill-ledMan of Steelsequel. J. J. Abrams was also in talks at one point. After years of no word, a sequel seemed the most likely after Cavill’s cameo at the end ofBlack Adamin 2022, as WB said they were actively looking for writers to take on the film. However,Man of Steel 2is another project that met its end with the hiring of James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead DC Studios, as they are now developing a rebooted Superman film titledSuperman: Legacy.
17Batman vs. Godzilla
The concept for this movie is pretty much exactly as it sounds based on the title. Back in the mid-1960s, there was early work done on a film that would’ve seen the iconic caped crusader going toe-to-toe with the most famous kaiju of Japanese cinema, Godzilla. The film was first proposed in late 1965, shortly before the debut of theBatmantelevision series, starring Adam West, in early 1966. The idea for the film came from Shinichi Sekizawa, who had previously written films in theGodzillaseries such asMothra,King Kong vs. Godzilla,Mothra vs. GodzillaandGhidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.
As incredible as it would’ve been to see West’s Batman go up against Godzilla, it’s likely that Sekizawa did not have West in mind to play the role when pitchingBatman vs. Godzilla, considering the show had not yet premiered. What we do know is that the film would have also featured other characters from theBatmancomics, such as Commissioner Gordon, Robin and Batgirl. It’s unclear at what point in developmentBatman vs. Godzillastalled, or whether DC was ever actually approached for the project at all. However, the concept of a ‘60s film with Batman fighting Godzilla is just too wild not to give at least some recognition to.
16Plastic Man
Another DCEU film that has, as of yet, failed to get off the ground is the live-actionPlastic Manfilm that has been in development since 2018. There have been many attempts to bringPlastic Manto theaters dating as far back as the early ‘90s, but none of them have come to fruition. The DCEU’s attemptedPlastic Manwas first announced in late 2018 when Amanda Idoko came aboard to write the film’s script. Nothing about the film was announced for a couple of years until Idoko was replaced as the film’s writer in late 2020. At that point, Cat Vasko joined the project and began rewriting the film essentially from scratch. Vasko’s film would have centered on a new female lead taking on the mantle of the comedic hero. There has been no more news about thePlastic Manfilm in the years since, and with the recent changes at the DC offices, the movie has become yet another entry in the long list of canceled DC movies.
15Justice League: Mortal
Justice League: Mortalis one of the most infamous of DC’s canceled projects, as it is likely the one that came closest to becoming a reality. TheJustice Leaguefilm was in development in the late 2000s and was originally set for release in the summer of 2009. George Miller, ofMad MaxandHappy Feetfame, was set to direct the film; a script was completed, and most of the key roles were already cast. The film would’ve been the start of a new DC franchise, with the characters of Superman and Batman recast from other recent filmsSuperman ReturnsandBatman Begins. D.J. Cotrona was to play Superman, Armie Hammer was going to be Batman, and Megan Gale was set as Wonder Woman. The rest of the superhero team was rounded out with Common as John Stewart/Green Lantern, Adam Brody as The Flash, Hugh Keays-Byrne as Martian Manhunter, and a version of Aquaman that was never cast. Other cast members ofJustice League: Mortalincluded Teresa Palmer as Talia al Ghul and Jay Baruchel as Maxwell Lord, the film’s villain.
Nearly everything was set and ready to go forJustice League: Mortal, but the film’s production ended up being delayed several times. One of the first delays was the result of an industry-wide strike from the Writers Guild of America, which lasted from late 2007 into early 2008. After that, the movie was supposed to begin filming in Australia in mid-2008, but production was delayed again when WB did not receive the tax rebates they expected from the Australian government. The film’s production was then going to be moved to Canada. However, with the massive success ofThe Dark Knightthat summer, WB instead decided to refocus their DC efforts on solo film outings. Then, just like that,Justice League: Mortalwas killed, and DC instead moved forward with Christopher Nolan’s third Batman film,The Dark Knight Rises, and new takes on classic DC characters with 2011’sGreen Lanternand 2013’sMan of Steel.
14New Gods
As part of the ongoing DCEU franchise in the 2010s, director Ava Duvernay was hired to direct a feature film based on theNew Godscomics. She was writing the film along with comic writer Tom King. The film was going to be a massive science-fiction epic and was set to feature many of DC’s most powerful and godlike characters, such as Mr. Miracle, Darkseid, Big Barda and more. However, development of the film was suddenly canceled in 2021 following the release ofZack Snyder’s Justice League. Duvernay has spoken about the film’s cancelation, saying that herNew Godsfilm featured a few DC characters that WB was not wanting to focus on at that moment. The odds are that the film was canceled as part of DC’s attempt to sever their film franchise from the “Snyderverse,” asZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueprominently featured several of the same characters, namely Darkseid and Granny Goodness.
Related:New Gods: What Happened to Ava Duvernay’s DC Sci-Fi Epic?
13Batman Continues
Tim Burton is largely responsible for transitioning Batman from a campy hero to a dark, more serious character in the eyes of mainstream audiences. His take on the character, played by Michael Keaton in 1989’sBatmanand 1992’sBatman Returns, is one of the most well-known and beloved versions of the Dark Knight to ever hit the big screen. However, Burton was only ever allowed to make those two films, as the box office and audience response to the director’s eclecticBatman Returnswas not nearly as positive as WB and DC had hoped for. While Burton had been planning on a third film, tentatively titledBatman Continues, the studio instead opted to ditch the director in favor of Joel Schumacher for the third outing, which becameBatman Forever.
Batman Foreverincorporated many of the same elements that Burton had envisioned forBatman Continues, such as the introduction of Robin, The Riddler, and Two-Face. Burton had even gone as far as casting the roles, with Marlon Wayans set to play Robin, Micky Dolenz was going to be The Riddler and Billy Dee Williams was to reprise the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face from ‘89sBatman. Michelle Pfeiffer was also going to return as Catwoman. WB and DC thought the script was too dark and too similar toBatman Returns. The reaction toReturnshad spooked the studio, and so they chose to say goodbye to Burton andBatman Continuesand take theBatmanfranchise in a more light-hearted and “family-friendly” direction.
As with many other DC characters, there have been several attempts to bring aLobomovie to life over the years. The first attempt was in 2009 whenSnatchandSherlock Holmesdirector Guy Ritchie signed on to direct a film based on the alien mercenary. Dwayne Johnson was eyed to star in the film, but by 2014 the movie was no longer moving forward. Several other directors have been attached to the project over the years. One of the most famous filmmakers that circled the project wasTransformersdirector Michael Bay, though that deal never solidified. At one point,San Andreasdirector Brad Peyton was signed on to the movie, though he stated that DC moved on from the film to focus on other core characters. Recently, there have been rumors that Gunn and Safran would likeAquamanstar Jason Momoa to shift roles and portray Loboin a standalone film instead, but there has been no confirmation of that as of yet.
