DC Extended Universe
The DC Extended Universe is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The DCEU also includes comic books, short films, novels, and video games. Like the original DC Universe in comic books, the DCEU is established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
Warner Bros. began trying to bring various DC Comics superheroes together in films in 2002, when Wolfgang Petersen was to direct a crossover of the Superman and Batman film franchises. A planned Justice League film was put on hold in 2008. Initial universe plans were scrapped after the 2011 film Green Lantern was a critical and commercial failure. Warner Bros. finally established its shared universe with the 2013 film Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This was followed by 13 films and the first season of Peacemaker, a television series for HBO Max. The DCEU's 15th and final film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, was released in 2023.
The DCEU is the ninth-highest-grossing film franchise and the fifth-highest-grossing superhero film franchise, having grossed more than $7 billion at the global box office. The highest-grossing DC Comics–based film is Aquaman, which earned more than $1.15 billion worldwide, while several of the franchise's films failed to break even theatrically, being considered box-office bombs. Reception to the franchise was generally mixed among critics and fans.
A new rebooted franchise of films and television series, the DC Universe, was released in 2024 and was created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who were appointed co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios in a late-2022 restructuring. Certain DCEU characters, such as Peacemaker, Amanda Waller, and Blue Beetle, are played by the same actors in the DCU, while the second season of Peacemaker takes place in the new universe.
Etymology
Upon announcement of the film series, the universe was commonly called the "DC Cinematic Universe" by fans and the media, in keeping with the naming convention of the already established Marvel Cinematic Universe. Keith Staskiewicz, writing for Entertainment Weekly, jokingly coined the term "DC Extended Universe" in an article about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on July 1, 2015. This term and the abbreviation DCEU quickly spread among the press and fans who took it as the official name of the franchise over the following years. According to Vulture writer Abraham Riesman, DC confirmed to him in September 2017 that the term was not used internally and they did not consider it official.In 2016, as part of DC Films Presents: Dawn of the Justice League, both Geoff Johns and Kevin Smith referred to the franchise's name as being the "Justice League Universe". During the DC Films panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, a video banner displayed the words "Welcome to the Worlds of DC", after showcasing some upcoming films. As a result, some media outlets interpreted this as DC officially naming their shared film universe as the "Worlds of DC", but in March 2020, Jim Lee referred to the franchise as the DC Extended Universe at C2E2. The franchise was officially titled DC Extended Universe when the WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max launched the following May.
Following the appointment of Peter Safran and James Gunn as heads of DC Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery referred to DC's film and television series as part of the "DC Universe", which some media outlets interpreted as a rebranding of the DCEU.
Development and history
In 2002, Wolfgang Petersen was set to direct a Batman vs. Superman film from a script by Akiva Goldsman, but the project was shelved by Warner Bros. to focus on individual Superman and Batman projects. In 2008, a planned Justice League film directed by George Miller and titled Justice League: Mortal was placed on indefinite hold after it failed to secure tax breaks for filming in Australia. Man of Steel, a reboot of the Superman film series released in 2013, was intended to launch a shared universe if successful. Following the film's release, Warner Bros. announced a follow-up entitled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, establishing the DCEU. A slate of 11 DCEU films was then announced in 2014.In 2016, Warner Bros. established DC Films after Batman v Superman did not meet Warner Bros.' box office expectations and received negative responses from fans and critics. The division, led by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, was to oversee production and form a cohesive creative direction for the DCEU. After the failure of Justice League, Johns and Berg were replaced by Walter Hamada in 2018. The DCEU expanded to television with the release of the first season of Peacemaker on HBO Max.
Discovery, Inc. completed its acquisition of DC and Warner Bros. parent company WarnerMedia in 2022, forming a new company named Warner Bros. Discovery with David Zaslav as CEO. Zaslav sought to overhaul the DCEU, and began searching for a creative leader akin to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to lead DC's film and television projects. James Gunn and Peter Safran were subsequently announced as the co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios, the successor to DC Films. In 2023, the duo unveiled their slate of ten DC projects which were to be part of the DC Universe, a soft reboot and spiritual successor to the DCEU.
Films
''Man of Steel'' (2013)
, who arrived on Earth years ago as an infant from Krypton, struggles with why he was sent to Earth. Raised by his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark adopts the persona "Superman", and learns if his abilities are meant to maintain peace or conquer the world.During story discussions for The Dark Knight Rises, David S. Goyer told Christopher Nolan his idea regarding how to present Superman in a modern context. Impressed with Goyer's concept, Nolan pitched the idea to the studio, who hired Nolan to produce and Goyer to write based on the financial and critical success of The Dark Knight. In October 2010, Zack Snyder was hired to direct the film, and Henry Cavill was cast as Clark Kent / Superman in January 2011. Principal photography began in August 2011. Man of Steel was released in North America on June 14, 2013.
''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016)
-based vigilante Batman travels to Metropolis to preemptively combat Superman, fearing what would happen if the latter is kept unchecked, while another threat endangers humankind.By June 2013, Warner Bros. were fast-tracking a sequel to Man of Steel, with Snyder and Goyer returning as director and writer, respectively. Nolan was involved in an advisory role as executive producer. The sequel included Batman in a main role, and serves as a reboot of the Batman film series. Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, and Laurence Fishburne reprised their Man of Steel roles, while Ben Affleck was cast as Bruce Wayne / Batman. Chris Terrio was hired to rewrite Goyer's script. Originally scheduled to be released in July 2015, the release date was changed to May 6, 2016, to give the filmmakers "time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story". The film's title was revealed to be Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Initial filming occurred on October 19, 2013, at East Los Angeles College, before full principal photography began in May 2014 and concluded that December. Production took place in Detroit, Illinois, New Mexico, Africa and the South Pacific. After another date change, the film was released in North America on March 25, 2016.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set 18 months after the events of Man of Steel. The film introduces Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash, Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg, and Joe Morton as Dr. Silas Stone. Steppenwolf, who serves as the main antagonist in Justice League, was introduced through a brief scene not included in the film's theatrical release but instead revealed online by Warner Bros. on March 28, before being included in the Ultimate Edition home video release.
''Suicide Squad'' (2016)
After Superman's death, a secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions and rescue the world from a powerful threat, in exchange for clemency.In February 2009, prior to the development of the DCEU, Warner Bros. was developing a Suicide Squad film, with Dan Lin producing and Justin Marks writing the script. Warner Bros. announced Suicide Squad in October 2014, with David Ayer as director, also serving as screenwriter. The main cast included Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Karen Fukuhara, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis, and Joel Kinnaman. Principal photography took place from April to August 2015 in Toronto. Suicide Squad was released in North America on August 5, 2016.
Suicide Squad is set after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck and Miller reprise their roles as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Barry Allen / The Flash from that film. In a mid-credits scene, Amanda Waller meets Wayne in a restaurant and hands him a dossier containing information on future members of the Justice League.
''Wonder Woman'' (2017)
Diana of Themyscira, an Amazon warrior who is also the demigoddess daughter of the god Zeus, uses her talents and abilities to help humanity during World War I.In December 2013, Gal Gadot was cast as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman and signed a three-picture deal which included a solo film. The film was announced in October 2014, and Michelle MacLaren was confirmed to direct from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs the next month. MacLaren left the project the following year in April due to creative differences, and Patty Jenkins was hired to replace her. Filming occurred from November 2015 to May 2016 and took place in the United Kingdom, France and Italy. Wonder Woman was released in North America on June 2, 2017.