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DC Films That Never Happened
Numerous exciting film projects that DC has worked on over the years were regrettably shelved before they could be seen on the big screen.
While some appeared to push the limits of what was feasible in the superhero genre, others promised fresh perspectives on well-known characters or entire teams. Whether they were stand-alone movies, ambitious sequels, or even animated series, these 14 DC films were prematurely canceled, leaving fans to speculate about what might have been.
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Canceled: Batman: Year One
At this point in Batman’s eighty-year history, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know what happened to Bruce Wayne’s parents in Crime Alley. What some people might not know is the story of Batman’s first year as the Caped Crusader, Frank Miller’s epic Year One storyline.
Everything was set to shift in the early 2000s when Frank Miller penned a screenplay for Darren Aronofsky to direct. But creative clashes and Warner Bros.’ decision to pursue a different vision, one that eventually became Batman Begins, brought the project to a halt.
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Canceled: Superman Lives
Before the DCEU as we know it today became much maligned, the mere thought of Nicolas Cage as Superman was a headscratcher. But with the combined efforts of writer Kevin Smith and director Tim Burton at the helm, Superman Lives was intended to reboot the series while adapting “The Demise Of Superman” storyline for the big screen.
This film seemed doomed from the very beginning. The behind-the-scenes chaos is chronicled in the documentary The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened? Producer Jon Peters was fixated on having Superman battle a giant spider in the third act. Let that sink in, as wild as it sounds, the spider didn’t go to waste and made its grand debut in Wild Wild West instead.
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Could Be Made: Plastic Man
In 1995, the Wachowskis had written a script for DC’s Plastic Man. Nearly 13 years later, rumors were still swirling that the siblings and Keanu Reeves were collaborating to bring the story of Patrick “Eel” O’Brian, former crook turned to hero, to the big screen.
As of this date, Amanda Idoko is trying to tackle the stretchy superhero. There is no telling if she has access to, or even wants to borrow elements of the Wachowski’s script. But depending on what happens during the development, shooting, and release of the movie, Warner would certainly be open to dusting off the nearly 25-year-old script.
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Could Be Made: Batman Beyond
How many more ways can you tell the Batman story? That’s the beauty of Batman, it can be told a multitude of ways. Batman Beyond brought Batman decades into the future where an aging Bruce Wayne trains a young Terry McGinnis to be the new Batman.
The thought of a Batman Beyond movie is bandied about every few years or so. Recently, Entertainment Weekly made a mock cover for April Fool’s with Michael Keaton returning as old Bruce Wayne. Hopefully, someone at Warner Bros. saw it and is ready to make this a reality.
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Justice League: Mortal
George Miller is one of the most versatile writers and directors in all of Hollywood. The same guy that wrote and directed the Mad Max series also did the same thing for the Happy Feet and Babe series of films. Around the era of The Dark Knight trilogy, Miller was looking to bring the Justice League to the big screen.
The writer’s strike and budgetary concerns led Warner to back out of the project, but it would have had the look and feel of Mad Max Fury Road. That movie was nominated for an Academy Award, so who knows where the DCEU would be right now if we lived in a world where we got to see George Miller’s JLA.
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The Batman
Affleck might be out, but his version of Batman was still much better than anyone expected or hoped for. His version of a slightly older Batman was praised and reports that he would be writing, directing, and starring in his own solo Bat-flick was met with fervent anticipation.
Though Affleck eventually stepped away from the project, the original storyline featuring Deathstroke as the villain was shelved. Director Matt Reeves later reimagined the solo film entirely, releasing The Batman in 2022 with a new cast, tone, and continuity, completely separate from Affleck’s vision.
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Superman: Flyby
J.J. Abrams has been the go-to guy for anything science fiction or fantasy related for nearly twenty years now. The mastermind behind shows like Fringe and Lost, as well as rebooting both Star Wars and Star Trek franchises nearly rebooted the Blue Blur himself with Superman: Flyby.
Abrams’ take on Superman veers sharply from the classic origin story fans know and love. Even familiar elements came with jarring explanations (like Clark Kent’s glasses being lead-lined to control his supersight), which only fueled fan backlash. Had this version moved forward, it’s entirely possible Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel wouldn’t be the most divisive Superman film in the franchise.
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Batman 3
After Batman Returns, Tim Burton was gearing up for a third movie, tentatively titled, Batman Continues. Scripted by Lee Batchler, Burton had sought after Robin Williams, this time to play The Riddler. Billy Dee Williams’ Harvey Dent was slated to become Two-Face, and Brad Douriff had been tapped to play the Scarecrow.
However, Warner Bros. seemed more focused on who and how to market their Batman movies to than on how to make them. Hoping to steer the franchise in a more family-friendly direction (think: toys), they asked Tim Burton to step back into a producer role and brought in Joel Schumacher to deliver a kinder, gentler Batman.
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Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max
The opening few episodes of season seven of Arrow featured Ollie in jail. His friends and family are trying to get him out and clear his name. Meanwhile, he faces all kinds of enemies on the inside and outside. He has to work to save his Hyde in prison while trying to keep his family safe from threats outside of it.
If that sounds like a cool idea for a movie, that’s because at one point it was. David S. Goyer has planned to bring the Emerald Archer to the big screen with a similar storyline. Chances are that even if we get a Green Lantern Movie, it won’t be Supermax.
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Tim Burton’s Catwoman
One of the casualties of not having Tim Burton direct Batman Continues is that Burton’s proposed Catwoman flick was done for as well. According to Film Review magazine, the script was by Daniel Waters (Batman Returns) and had a unique premise.
After getting her clock cleaned in Batman Returns, Selina had amnesia and heads to Oasisburg (a resort area akin to Las Vegas). The city is run by superheroes, and the movie was going to poke fun a lot of male hero tropes. Since none of them would have been very good, Selina would have found her way back into her slinky leather catsuit.
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Batman Vs. Superman
No, not the 853-hour long director’s cut of Zack Snyder’s Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice. That director’s cut, by the way, makes a lot more sense than the theatrical version. Years before this movie, another proposed Batman / Superman movie was directed by Wolfgang Petersen.
Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en) had written the original script, which had taken place in an early-post 9/11 world. Superman had helped to stop a criminal act that would have been revealed to be committed by the Joker, bringing Superman to Gotham and meeting Batman for the first time.
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Green Lantern Corps
Many, including Ryan Reynolds himself, are not fans of 2011’s Green Lantern. While not a great film per se, it was far better than a lot of other comic book dreck out there. Any Green Lanterns are generally regarded as some of DC’s most beloved characters. The past few years have introduced more color rings and other Lantern Corps.
The entire series is rife for years and years of space opera action epics. The characters deserve far better than they got. If done right, there could be Green Lantern movies and an entire shared universe of its own for years.
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Justice League 2
While it was received better than the first two Snyder Superman flicks, Justice League still didn’t hit the expected marks that Warner Bros. had assumed it would. Very much like the rest of Snyder’s planned DCEU adventures, Justice League 2 has been shelved. By all accounts, it was completely abandoned.
The film would have in theory, not only introduced Darkseid (DC’s version of Thanos) but also started bringing Batman’s nightmare from BVS to the forefront and eventually, the DC Injustice video game storyline.
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Still Could Be Made: Lobo
Born on the Utopian planet of Czarnia, Lobo eliminated everyone else on his planet. His name roughly translates to “he who devours your entrails and thoroughly enjoys it.” Lobo is DC’s wildest superhero. At one point, they were the most popular, too. Guy Ritchie was attached to bring The Last Czarnian to theaters in 2009.
After he departed, Dwayne Johnson stepped in to play the alien anti-hero biker. But he and director Brad Peyton also left the movie. The character will be seen during the second season of Krypton. Hopefully, he’ll generate enough popularity on TV to finally warrant the big screen treatment.
Get ready for epic adventures and iconic heroes as the DC Universe is gearing up for some of its most exciting releases yet. Don’t miss out on the next chapter of the DC legacy.
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Last Updated: May 9, 2025
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