Why The Gothamverse Will Be Essential For Worlds Of DC

The Rest Of The Bat-Family

A few years back, it looked like every DC character was getting a film. We heard that Chris McKay would oversee a Nightwing movie and Joss Whedon was locked in for Batgirl. McKay has gone silent on the former as he works on Dungeons & Dragons, while Whedon’s since departed the franchise.

Undoubtedly, Justice League‘s fallout impacted future projects, leaving them in a state of limbo. Once Warner realized that superhero films aren’t money for jam anymore, it had to recalibrate and shift gears. While no one’s said anything to contradict this, these projects are likely on the backburner pending the success of other movies.

In the case of Batgirl and Nightwing, these two characters are paramount to the Batman lore, so it makes sense why they’d both be placed on hold to see how the other productions do first. Additionally, if The Batman follows a young Caped Crusader, releasing a Nightwing film – for example – will make no sense from a canon point-of-view. How can Bruce Wayne’s ward, Dick Grayson, also be in his mid-20s?

If Hamada’s behind the Gothamverse, this will be methodical and carefully planned. Yes, there’s the potential to tell storylines from all over the timeline – such as sequels and prequels – but he’s unlikely to greenlight Bat-Family movies without seeing the reception to the “new” Caped Crusader and Joker first.

It’s obvious that Warner’s straying away from the topic of Justice League and trying to detach itself. Sure, there’s the possibility of Bat-Family films in the Batfleck continuity, but the studio probably doesn’t want to head down that road.

And in retrospect, it’s probably a smart move. Many fans were left disappointed that Warner didn’t announce a plethora of projects at this year’s Comic-Con, but it shows that they’ve learnt from previous mistakes. Rather than overpromise and underdeliver, the studio’s decided to take a cautious and calculated approach. Let’s just hope this works out for Worlds of DC.