J.J. Abrams set to have "largest footprint" on DC movies and shows as Zack Snyder's universe brought to a close
J.J. Abrams looks set to have a big part to play in the DC Universe moving forward
The Snyderverse is over. Zack Snyder's vision for the DC Cinematic Universe has seemingly come to an end with the Snyder Cut – now, Warner Bros. and DC are reportedly putting their faith in Star Wars rebooter J.J. Abrams.
A new report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals new details about the upcoming Superman adaptation, including that Warner Bros. has already met with various directors to helm the Ta-Nehisi Coates-penned script. Abrams will serve as a producer on the movie, with no intention of directing.
The report adds that the new Superman movie is key to the studio's future DC plans, and is looking to the upcoming The Flash movie to open up the multiverse. THR adds that Zack Snyder's Justice League was the SnyderVerse's "last hurrah" and that only hand-picked stars will remain: they are Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), and Ezra Miller (The Flash).
It appears that Abrams is seen to have "the largest footprint" at DC, with the filmmaker having inked a $500 million deal with WarnerMedia back in September 2019. As well as producing the next Superman movie, Abrams will oversee the Justice League Dark Universe which will span both movies and TV. The report says that one of the rumored projects is a Constantine reboot for HBO Max.
While some may be skeptical of Abrams following the response to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there's no denying the director is an excellent world-builder, having helped steer the successful Star Trek, Cloverfield, and Mission: Impossible universes, as well as executive produce the excellent Lovecraft Country with Jordan Peele. Other production credits include Lost, Westworld, and Fringe.
Warner Bros. and DC have multiple more projects on the way, with The Hollywood Reporter also noting that a Joker sequel could still be on the way, as well as a Blue Beetle movie from Angel Manuel Soto, Ava DuVernay's Naomi, and a Green Lantern series. That's a whole lot of heroes and villains coming to the big and small screen.
In the meantime, be sure to check out everything we know so far about The Batman, one of DC's most exciting upcoming movies.
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Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.