The DC Connected Universe (The Batman 2 Delayed a Full Year to October 2026)

DC Universe Streaming Service Set To Launch With Live-Action ‘Titans’, ‘Doom Patrol’, & ‘Swamp Thing’

We’ve known for some time that DC Comics has been preparing its own digital streaming service, but today, the company revealed that the platform will go far beyond just TV shows. DC Universe isn’t a streaming platform so much as a subscription service for all things DC, including comics, TV shows, and movies. A beta version will be going live this August.

The new original TV shows that will premiere on the service have already been announced: the live-action Titans is scheduled to debut later this year, with Swamp Thing and Doom Patrol scheduled for 2019. On the animated side, the third season of Young Justice: Outsiders and the new Harley Quinn series will debut in 2019, as well. But DC Universe will also feature other films and TV shows featuring DC Comics characters, including movies like Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the four original Christopher Reeve Superman films, and TV shows like Lois and Clark and the Lynda Carter series Wonder Woman. Conspicuously missing are more recent DC film adaptations such as Man of Steel, Justice League, Suicide Squad, and Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman. Given that several of those films underwhelmed fans, however, that could be considered a feature rather than a bug.

DC Universe will also be offering up many of the company’s animated films — Batman: Year One and Gotham by Gaslight are two of the titles mentioned — but what could make the service stand out is its selection of comics. At this point, the details are a little fuzzy as to which titles will be available. According to press materials, DC Universe will offer “a rotating, curated selection of digital comics” that will include various titles, stretching back to the introduction of Superman in the 1930s.

The service will be available on the web as well as on phones, tablets, and TV screens, with support planned for iOS and Android devices, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. The complete service will launch this fall, but those interested in getting a sneak peek can sign up to be part of the August beta release at the DC Universe website.

The idea of a subscription service dedicated to a specific brand or intellectual property isn’t new: MGM launched a Stargate service last year, and Disney is currently readying its own streaming service, which will be home to Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar shows and movies. But DC Universe’s ability to bring together so many different types of content, created across decades, does make it a unique proposition for hardcore fans of its characters. Whether the service will be successful, however, will no doubt come down to two things: pricing, which has yet to be announced, and whether the new original TV shows (listed below) will be strong enough to draw those subscribers who want more than just legacy content.

• Titans follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging. This gritty take on the classic Titans franchise finds Dick Grayson and a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness named Rachel Roth as they get embroiled in a conspiracy. They’re joined by Starfire and Beast Boy to become a surrogate family and team.
  
  
• Doom Patrol is a reimagining of one of DC’s strangest group of outcasts: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman and Crazy Jane. Led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder they’re called into action by none other than the ultimate hero for the digital age, Cyborg. These rejects band together on a mission that will take them to the weirdest and most unexpected corners of the DC universe.
  
  
• Swamp Thing is a scary love story following Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets.
  
  
• Young Justice: Outsiders features the return of the fan favorite animated series with a huge cast of DC’s most iconic young superheroes – plus brand-new characters, many of whom are just discovering their unique meta-powers and special abilities. Set against the backdrop of a rich, deep world that touches all corners of the DC universe, the season focuses on meta–trafficking, and an intergalactic arms race for control of these super–powered youths.
  
  
• Harley Quinn tracks the lovable, raucous villain with a fractured psyche after she breaks up with The Joker and tries to make it on her own to become Gotham’s main queen-pin.
  

Warner Bros Digital Launches DC Universe With Heroic Hopes

With hopes for a heroic future, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Digital Networks on Saturday launched DC Universe, a streaming site that entices superhero fans to pay $7.99 a month for access to new television shows, digital comics, fan forums, exclusive merchandise as well as a rotating archive of vintage DC movies and television shows.

Beginning Oct. 12, the streaming service will be the home to Titans, a new weekly live-action television series that features a team of young superheroes led by Batman’s protege, Robin (Brenton Thwaites) and includes the hot-tempered alien princess Starfire (Anna Diop), the mysterious empath Raven (Teagan Croft) and the green-skinned shape-shifter Beast Boy (Ryan Potter).

The same superhero team is featured in the Warner Bros. Animation theatrical release Teen Titans GO! To The Movies (which opened July 27 and has grossed $47 million worldwide to date) but the live-action version is billed as a far grittier and more intense iteration that is closer in tone to the 2016 DC film Suicide Squad. The pilot is directed by Brad Anderson, best known for the harrowing 2004 thriller The Machinist, which starred Christian Bale. Veteran creators Greg Berlanti, Akiva Goldsman, and Geoff Johns are the executive producers on Titans and wrote the pilot.

Three other live-action productions will join Titans on the DC Universe service in 2019: Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, and Stargirl. Plans are in place for those shows and Titans to shift to a twice-a-week release schedule in 2019. Two new animated series — Young Justice: Outsiders and Harley Quinn — are also in the works for DC Universe.

The five DC television adaptations that now air on the CW (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) will not be part of the DC Universe streaming service.

The archive of vintage superhero screen fare will rotate familiar favorites such as the 1970s primetime series Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter, the acclaimed 1990s cartoon franchise Batman The Animated Series and the Christopher Nolan-directed Batman feature films starring Bale.

Sam Ades, the general manager and senior vice-president at Warner Bros. Digital Network, manages the service.

joey con carne wrote:Here's a link to the membership fees and "perks" with each membership level.

https://www.dcuniverse.com/coming-soon/

There's two plans: $7.99 a month or a premium annual membership for $74.99.

Check it out, yo!

UltimateMarvel wrote:The idea is pretty cool! Marvel needs to do something like this too. I wish they started with $50 a year though. They could have slowly hiked up the price depending on the number of subscribers in a year or 2.

Tyger wrote:I don’t know why the content is revolving and not constant. I get the CW shows are probably tied up in other deals right now, but I would think they’d be added eventually.

Abe is right that Marvel should do this too since it’s not just streaming video but also access to digital comics. Not that I’d get it, but it’d be smart.

I’ll probably get the DC one, the annual cause it’s cheaper but I’m not in a rush.

To make the Disney-branded service as robust as possible, Disney will allow a lucrative licensing deal with Netflix to expire. Starting with “Captain Marvel” in March, all of the films that Walt Disney Studios releases in theaters will subsequently flow to the Disney streaming platform instead of to Netflix. (There are “no current plans” to move Marvel-themed television shows off Netflix, a Disney spokeswoman said.)

Tyger wrote:Again, that’s just talking about streaming video. They'd be smart to specifically make Marvel service with comics or just add books to the overall thing I guess.

Tyger wrote:Yeah that’s part of the DC service. It’s not just streaming video, it’s also digital comics you can view on all your screens.

WyldeMan wrote:

Tyger wrote:Yeah that’s part of the DC service. It’s not just streaming video, it’s also digital comics you can view on all your screens.

Oh I wasn't aware of that, I still prefer the old school way, I can't read books digitally either.

Rusty wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:

Tyger wrote:Yeah that’s part of the DC service. It’s not just streaming video, it’s also digital comics you can view on all your screens.

Oh I wasn't aware of that, I still prefer the old school way, I can't read books digitally either.

Same. I have to have a physical copy in my hands to read.

Tyger wrote:I think comics and books in general are some of the few things that I prefer digitally over physical. It’s more comfortable for me to read on my iPad than holding a book open for significant periods of time.

To the surprise of exactly no one (including Mr. Nobody), DC Universe will be relaunching with a new name — and minus its original TV programming.

It was announced on Friday that the original home of Titans, Young Justice: Outsiders et al will be known as DC Universe Infinite as of Jan. 21, 2021. (What, was DC Universe+ taken?) In its new incarnation — and with all original TV shows migrating, as long-speculated, to HBO Max — DCUI will house more than 24,000 comic books at launch. Subscribers will also have access to members-only DC fan events and a steady stream of recently released comics (six months after their physical versions hit stores).

Subscribers will also have earlier access to new Digital First comics that include titles such as Aquaman: Deep Dives, Batman: Gotham Nights, DCeased: Hope at World’s End, Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red, Injustice: Year Zero, Shazam!: Lightning Strikes, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing: New Roots and Wonder Woman 84. Also debuting on DCUI will be DC Universe Infinite Originals aka new comic content centered around beloved characters.

Following its Stateside launch, DC Universe Infinite will begin expanding globally in Summer 2021.

The rejiggered service will be available online at DCUniverseInfinite.com, iOS and Android devices for $7.99 a month or $74.99 a year (which works out to $6.25 a month). On Feb. 1, every DCUI subscriber, existing members, or those joining during the pre-order offer window will receive a special “thank you” voucher redeemable at the DC Shop (subject to terms and conditions. Annual subscribers will receive a $25 voucher while monthly subscribers get a cool $10).

HBO Max, meanwhile, will be the home for premium video content that will include new DC series, “key DC classics” and DC Universe originals like Young Justice Seasons 1-4, Titans Seasons 1-3, Doom Patrol Seasons 1-3, and DC’s Stargirl Season 1, and Harley Quinn Seasons 1, 2 and the newly ordered 3.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I knew this would happen. The renaming is kinda dumb, especially since they're giving some of their originals to HBO Max. Not so Infinite now, eh?

joey con carne wrote:Stargirl. LOL who the f cares about Stargirl?

This is why DC is garbage and will always be garbage. Countless heroes to focus on and they choose one no one gives a shit about.

joey con carne wrote:Stargirl. LOL who the f cares about Stargirl?

This is why DC is garbage and will always be garbage. Countless heroes to focus on and they choose one no one gives a shit about.

EXCLUSIVE: Hot off of winning the WGA Award for original screenplay on Sunday night, Promising Young Woman filmmaker Emerald Fennell is set to write the DC movie Zatanna for Bad Robot and Warner Bros. This deal has been done for a while, I understand. No word yet as to whether Fennell will direct.

The character, who is a magician, was created by Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, making her debut in November 1964’s Hawkman. Like her father Zatara, she has many magical powers, and in that first issue, she’s on a journey to find him. Zatanna has been involved with the Justice League, has had a childhood with Batman and was romantically linked to character John Constantine. The character was played by Serinda Swan for three seasons on the CW’s Smallville.

Bad Robot is producing through their deal with Warner Bros. DC Films President Walter Hamada is overseeing the project.

Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, which stars Carey Mulligan, has been on a hot streak since its world premiere at Sundance 2020. The pic is nominated for five Oscars, including three for Fennell in the Best Picture, Directing and Original Screenplay categories. The Focus Features release also is up for editing and Mulligan for Best Actress. Promising Young Woman was nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture Drama, Director, Screenplay and Mulligan in the Best Actress slot. The actress is up for a Lead Female Actor SAG Award, and the film is up for the top prize at the PGA awards.

Fennell broke an Oscar barrier last week when she became the first female filmmaker to be nominated as Best Director for a feature directorial debut. Along with Nomadland filmmaker Chloé Zhao, they became the sixth and seventh females to be nominated in the Best Director category. Fennell also is the third woman to be recognized with three noms in a single year, following Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation and producer Fran Walsh for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Fennell also stars as Camilla Parker Bowles in the fourth season of Netflix’s award-winning drama series The Crown. When stage theaters reopen in London’s West End, the musical Cinderella — which Fennell wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber on music — is set to raise its curtain.

UltimateMarvel wrote:A Zatana movie? I think of Serinda Swan every time I think of Zatana.

WyldeMan wrote:I was just reading that DC might be looking to retconn Kal-El being the last son of Krypton so that they can have a more diverse future and usher in their black Superman without making him Clark Kent.

But if that's the case though, then why can't Cavill continue?

WyldeMan wrote:And the internet wants Alexandra Daddario for Zatanna.

Following the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max last Thursday, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff shared the studio's detailed plans for the future of DC films, TV and comics.

Sarnoff spoke to Variety and confirmed Snyder's earlier comments that his cut of Justice League was done to close the loop on his trilogy. She further elaborated that the HBO Max platform facilitated the decision to move forward with letting Snyder complete his cut for the fans, which would not have been possible for a cinematic release. Sarnoff also confirmed that WarnerMedia is moving forward with all its current plans for DC, which include film, television and games. At the heart of DC's future is none other than DC publisher Jim Lee.

"The connective tissue in the middle is Jim Lee, who oversees DC Comics," Sarnoff said. "Jim lives and breathes the canon of DC and he works with all of the divisions to make sure the storylines are true to the canon. He helps them come up with ideas for new storylines. Jim is very much in the middle of everything. But the group together helps spur on new ideas. But there’s not one person calling the shots, because I want all the voices in the room to offer their expertise and knowledge of their formats."

Sarnoff also shared that she is excited about the diverse voices WarnerMedia has been tapping to move DC forward, including Between the World and Me author Ta-Nehisi Coates to write a Superman movie. Included in WarnerMedia's current plans is also a Blue Beetle film, which will mark the first DC film to be fronted by a Latinx character. The upcoming Andy Muschietti Flash film will also introduce the first Latinx Supergirl with actor Sasha Calle.

"We’ve got an incredible group of creators," Sarnoff added. "Television series creators, Max series creators, feature film creators — who are basically broadening the base of the talent that we work with on DC because we’re so excited about the potential to build out the DC multiverse."

New Line/DC’s Dwayne Johnson superhero movie Black Adam has cast Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate aka Kent Nelson, Deadline has confirmed.

Fate is a founding member of the Justice Society who becomes a being of great power when donning the magical Helmet of Fate. It’s Brosnan’s first role in a superhero movie.

Brosnan joins previously announced Society members; Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.

Brosnan’s feature credits include four James Bond movies, the Mamma Mia! franchise and The Thomas Crown Affair. He recently starred in the hit Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sagasoon alongside Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams and will be seen in Sony’s live-action retelling of Cinderella in July.

Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Johnson alongside Emily Blunt in Disney’s Jungle Cruise, will direct. Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions are producing Black Adam with Beau Flynn of FlynnPictureCo. FlynnPictureCo’s Scott Sheldon will serve as EP.

Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani wrote the latest draft. Adam Sztykiel wrote the previous draft.

WyldeMan wrote:I am a big Jim Lee fan, this could turn out to be very good news for the future of the DCEU.

Following the recent, seemingly hugely successful release of Zack Snyder's Justice League (AKA The Snyder Cut) a new fan campaign has emerged and calls for Warner Bros. to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse. The campaign began very quickly following the debut of The Snyder Cut on HBO Max, and #RestoreTheSnyderVerse is now picking up some speed, garnering over 1 million tweets, with Justice League star Ray Fisher even offering his support.

Of course, the gathering together of Zack Snyder fans on social media was the very thing that led to the completion and release of Zack Snyder's Justice Leage, and now that fans have seen what can be achieved if they just keep demanding things, no doubt many of them are hopeful that the Snyder Verse will eventually be restored. Warner Bros. on the other hand may have slowly begun to regret opening that particular Pandora's box...

The #RestoreTheSnyderVerse is sure to continue, having reached a bit of a fever pitch recently thanks to the 5-year anniversary of the release of one of Snyder's other DC ventures, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The hashtag has been trending ever since, with Snyder fans desperate to see the director's vision for the rest of the franchise realized, a desire which has gained even more traction thanks to The Snyder Cut ending on a cliff-hanger.

Since the release of the 4-hour long Snyder Cut, several details have been revealed regarding the director's plans for the Justice League, including the death of Ben Affleck's Batman, Superman and Lois' son eventually taking over the mantle of The Dark Knight, and the fact that one of the Justice League sequels would have been the Man of Steel sequel that Henry Cavill fans have wanted to see for some time.

Sadly, despite the #RestoreTheSnyderVerse campaign, it does not look like Wanrer Bros. are going to budge, with Warner Media CEO Ann Sarnoff recently all-but ruling out any chances of any Justice League follow-ups. "I appreciate that they love Zack's work and we are very thankful for his many contributions to DC. We're just so happy that he could bring his cut of the Justice League to life because that wasn't in the plan until about a year ago. With that comes the completion of his trilogy," Sarnoff said, while reiterating that they are looking to go in a different direction. "We're very happy we've done this, but we're very excited about the plans we have for all the multi-dimensional DC characters that are being developed right now."

Snyder himself has also been pretty zen about the whole thing saying, "Warner Bros. hasn't really expressed any interest in making more movies with me, and that's 100% fine. I understand."

While the more determined Snyder fan will no doubt believe that if they keep pushing, the Snyder-Verse will be restored, it's worth noting that this is a very different scenario to the director's cut. The vast majority of The Snyder Cut already existed, with Snyder only having to film small sections to add in. Restoring the Snyder-Verse though would require an astronomical investment from Warner Bros., as well as a massive adjustment to their future DC plans, something which they seem to have no interest in doing. So, perhaps it's now time we all move on to new DC adventures?

Zack Snyder's Justice Leage is available now on HBO Max. This comes to us courtesy of Discussing Film.

   #RestoreTheSnyderVerse is trending worldwide with over 1M tweets after the success of #ZackSnydersJusticeLeaguepic.twitter.com/TS2KO27It4
   — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 26, 2021

   #RestoreTheSnyderVerse
   — Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) March 25, 2021

UltimateMarvel wrote:So simple and clean! I like it. Looking forward to this one.

WyldeMan wrote:It feels like this movie was only announced 14 years ago. It's nice to see they didn't rush production.

WyldeMan wrote:Dwayne Johnson is said to have full and complete control over the Black Adam franchise and being one of the most powerful and influential celebrities on the planet, is said to be extremely unhappy with WB's call to end the Snyderverse as he has big plans for Black Adam to face off against Superman and the JL.

Apparently, Johnson's got some real clout with AT&T and is looking to go to bat for the Snyderverse so that he can make the Black Adam movies that he wants to.

Meanwhile WB execs are said to be furious with Snyder for spending so much of his own time promoting the SnyderCut on every platform willing to let him speak in the weeks leading up to the release. And in turn, Synder is said to be furious with the studio for not actually promoting the movie and putting it on all him to do so. Given that Netflix and Amazon have put huge exclusive deals on the table for Snyder, the snakes in suits at WB might just want to tread carefully if they want to keep their jobs.

It seems to be a battle of light vs dark as WB is looking to lighten up the DCEU by following the MCU's family fare path going forward. Meanwhile the internet and most of the contracted WB talent are calling for the restoration the ultra dark Synderverse.

Tyger wrote:Shazam was surprisingly really fun, but it wasn’t a The Rock movie, so I dunno