The DC slate has once again headlined the news after Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Shazam 2 and Aquaman 2 are delayed again. Recently Warner Bros. Discovery is already amid fire as a result of a series of project cancellations and also several other reports. On top of that, these new developments of movie delays don’t look good at all as the studio is facing widespread criticism. While various fans theorize it in different ways, a concrete reason for the delay is still unknown.
While Shazam 2 has been moved to March 17, 2023, from its initial December 21, 2022 date, Aquaman 2 has seen a jump from March 17 to December 25, 2023.
The woes of DC don’t seem to end
The cancellation of the HBO Max project Batgirl by the new CEO David Zaslav triggered a domino effect of a series of exciting updates from the studio. From the removal of several contents from the streaming platform HBO Max to the announcement of a new cost-cutting technique to announcing that only theatrical event films are to be made, the list’s long.
Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled the Leslie Grace starrer Batgirl due to its poor reviews from the test screenings. It garnered mixed responses from everywhere as they trashed a movie that was almost completed. Following that the new CEO announced that they have planned a long-term plan for DC and will only release good and profitable movies from now.
Even though with the promises made by the studio, the future looks bright still a large section of the audience is disappointed over a series of delays. Despite the lack of any concrete reason, some fans believe that this might be linked to the legal turmoil of actress Amber Heard. It was earlier reported that many of her scenes have been removed from Aquaman 2. But according to some others, it can also be the case with the reshoots. So with all the factors, it is pretty clear that there can be many reasons behind it.
No response from Aquaman 2 makers yet
Aquaman 2 was also set to recast Ben Affleck as Batman after replacing Michael Keaton’s version from the movie. It is also cited to be a reason for the delay of the movie but still, the issue of Amber Heard holds more points from the fans. Amber Heard is stuck in a legal drama since her separation from ex-husband Johnny Depp and it is still going on.
While we haven’t got any official update from the makers of Aquaman 2 yet, the Shazam 2 director David F. Sandberg replied to the news. According to Sandberg, it is a wise decision on the part of the studio as many of the screens were being taken by the sequel of Avatar so although he is impatient, he tells us to wait:
“While I’m an impatient b*stard who wants people to see it as soon as possible (the film will be fully done in just a few weeks), the move makes sense since Avatar was taking all IMAX/PLF screens. Fury of the Gods is a big movie & should be seen big!”
So although it seems a little mess now, it can be hoped that the studio might get the result they are trying to achieve in the future. Now although we have lost Shazam 2 from this year’s slate, we still have DCs Black Adam about to release on October 21, 2022.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, and Lucy Liu in pivotal roles and is going to hit the theaters on March 17, 2023
Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom stars Jason Momoa in the lead role and is set to release on December 25, 2023
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
