More than a dozen television shows will release after James Gunn's The Suicide Squad (2021) challenges the extend of what the superhero genre can exceed and which boundaries it can push. Joining Gunn's Peacemaker (2022) series comes a high volume of DC titles.
DC is still attempting to establish its brand through television and movies while cycling through identity crises (and Infinite Criss on Earth). They're continuing to feel out the direction that they want the studio to head in and how they want to present themselves through the ongoing CW Arrowverse, various animated shows through the Cartoon Network, and series that have spent time on streaming services.
Room for expansion on HBO Max has sparked the interest in executives who are taking cues from Marvel as they've transitioned into canonical television programs in 2021. There's been significant pressure put on DC to keep in stride with their direct competitor and produce their own slate of televised programming. Warner Bros. understood the demand for more content to extend past the barriers of moviemaking and moved forward with creating more DC TV exclusives.
Every series on this list is in development, both for live-action and animated means. Previously existing series and renewed series have not been included in this report.
Peacemaker: January 2022
Peacemaker is the inauguratory DC Extended Universe television piece and will be the closest to roll off of The Suicide Squad. Actor-wrestler John Cena is to star in the show as the eponymic character after making his debut in Gunn's first DCEU movie. This spinoff series will dig deeper into his origin story after proclaiming that he would stop at nothing - even killing women and chilling - in the pursuit of peace. Now, he'll be on to face even bigger threats. This HBO Max show will bear eight episodes in its first season. There has been no talk of whether HBO Max will extend the show past its first season.
Green Lantern: No Release Date
Multiple incarnations of the superhero are to cross over in live-action as Arrowverse co-creator Greg Berlanti teams up with Seth-Grahame Smith for this HBO Max series. Series specifics have not been accessible to the public as of yet, including when it will be able to be viewed through the streaming service. Green Lantern may not incorporate itself into the greater DCEU and could separate itself from its HBO Max companions. The Green Lanterns announced are as followed: Alan Scott (Jeremy Irvine), Guy Gardner (Finn Wittrock), Simon Baz, and Jessica Cruz. To fans' confusion, Hal Jordan hasn't yet been announced.
Strange Adventures: No Release Date
Much like Marvel Studios' What If...? (2021-), DC will cast their own anthology series into the ring. Strange Adventures is to be an hour-long anthology series that pulls back the curtains on the lives of superheroes and average citizens. It's expected that Adam Strange will be the main character as he leads his own book series as an interstellar-traveling hero. It's also assumed that this to be more of a science-fiction series that will stand apart from its superhero series that share the same home.
Gotham PD: No Release Date
Though FOX and the DCEU have their own Gotham series, Gotham PD will stand on its own legs away from the existing television universe. Instead, with the working title of Gotham PD, showrunner Joe Barton's series will partake in the same timeline that director Matt Reeves' The Batman (2022) exists in. Reportedly this Batman-inspired run will trail off after Commissioner Jim Gordon (Jeffery Wright). Wright has not issued a statement about the show, though the goal is to dip into Gotham's police department while the Dark Knight handles crime on his own.
Justice League Dark: No Release Date
J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, his production company, signed a deal with WarnerMedia in 2019 that would give them the rights to develop media for DC in a five-year span. In 2020 it was announced as Abrams, alongside Ben Stephson, will produce a live-action Justice League Dark series that will air through the means of HBO Max. There have been no formal announcements for which characters will assemble or how the series will present itself, though it's imperative that the superhero team is at the core of the show.
Constantine: No Release Date
Just as Bad Robot will toy with Justice League Dark, they will take on a solo project that will center around John Constantine. Actor Matt Ryan currently plays Constantine within the Arrowverse, but the character has seen a number of interpretations as he furthers his work with the occult and with magic. One defining factor that will set this version of Constatine apart from its previous runs will be an emphasis on horror instead of the religious aspects of his life.
Madame X: No Release Date
Madame Xanadu of the Justice League Dark will emerge into the live-action universe. The character is taken from Arthurian legend that features the enchantress Nimue. She is an immortal being that involves herself in the occult, and while she is the main character of her own series, happens to cross over with others throughout the DC Universe. No casting has been announced for the series.
Naomi: Estimated for 2022
The Arrowverse is giving way to its age as Arrow has drawn to a close and with Supergirl reaching its eighth season. Though its flagship series may be waring away with time, the CW is not ready to send off its Arrowverse quite yet. The television company ordered Naomi in 2021 that will set Naomi "Powerhouse" McDuffie at the heart of the show. McDuffie is the child of two of the 29 people to be given superpowers after a radioactive force broke through their Earth's atmosphere. Much like Superman, McDuffie was sent to Earth-Prime where she discovered her superhuman roots. Kaci Walfall will star in the series that is predicted to crash into the CW in 2022.
Val-Zod: No Release Date
Michael B. Jordan is to develop his own Val-Zod project for HBO Max after rumors have implied that he was to be cast as the character for years. Jordan will produce the series through his own studio, Outlier Society, and has not ruled out starring in the show. This will not overlap with Bad Robot's Black Superman project that has been confirmed. Instead, Jordan's vision will tell the story of a Kryptonian that landed on Earth-2 instead of Earth-Prime after fleeing Krypton. Details are slim aside from being an origin story for Val-Zod and removing itself from Bad Robot's work.
DC Superhero High: No Release Date
DC will dip their toes into comedy as Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman bring DC Superhero High to life in half-hour segments. This young adult approach could be more palatable compared to their previous attempt at comedy, Powerless, which was a workplace-themed adult comedy. The streamer has described the series as a teen show focused on the "fun and drama of adolescence at a boarding school for gifted kids." They will go through their day-to-day lives focusing on high school, not ultimately realizing they'll one day become "legendary" DC superheroes. There has been no casting solidified, nor characters confirmed to appear in the series.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis: Expected for 2022
This three-episode miniseries about Arthur "Aquaman" Curry will be produced by DCEU Aquaman director James Wan. While Mera, Vulko, and Ocean Master are to play a part in this animated series for HBO Max, it doesn't seem as if they will be connected to their DCEU counterparts. The show is to promote the popularity surrounding Aquaman and his deep-sea affiliates and intended to cater towards a more family demographic. No release date has been set in stone though it's anticipated that Aquaman: King of Atlantis will make a splash in 2022.
Batwheels: 2021
This tame take on Batman will run in the same vein as Pixar's Cars trilogy as it puts Gotham's crime-fighting vehicles in the foreground. The confirmed collective of characters includes Bam (The Batmobile), Bibi (The Batgirl Cycle), Red (The Redbird), Jett (The Batwing), and Buff (The Bat Truck). They will be featured as children in the series and will fight alongside Gotham's superheroes such as Batman and Robin. The vehicles will both navigate their new heroism and the life experiences that come along with childhood. Batwheels doubles as a Cartoon Network title.
The Night Begins to Shine: No Release Date
Cartoon Network is working on a Teen Titans Go! spinoff series that will put the four Titans - Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven - back into the worlds of the Night Begins. They must Shine and protect a mixtape which is the one key to saving the musical world. The series resulted from the popularity surrounding the song "The Night Begins to Shine" which was featured in one Teen Titans Go! episode in 2017, and one in 2020. Now, it earns a show of its own.
Batman: Caped Crusader:
A trine composed of Matt Reeves, J.J. Abrams, and Bruce Timm join forces to bring back an animated Batman to both Cartoon Network and HBO Max. The team aims to re-invent Bruce "Batman" Wayne through a new form of animation that will craft a visually striking world that will be brand new to Batman fans. Timm is noted for his work on Batman: The Animated Series and other work within the DC Animated Universe. Reeves joins in on the DCEU as he wrote and directed The Batman (2022). Abrams is another newcomer to the franchise through his production company, Bad Robot.
My Adventures with Superman: No Release Date
My Adventures with Superman is another animated piece shared between Cartoon Network and HBO Max. This coming-of-age story circles around Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen as they maneuver through their 20s. Clark will balance his career as a reporter with his obligations as Superman. Lane is to fully become the driven reporter that she is. The pair will develop their relationship as they become their iconic selves and take on the villains that threaten Metropolis.
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