Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg, Aquaman and The Flash strike their best pose on this new Justice League banner (seen below) – all that’s missing is Henry Cavill’s Superman, who’s been kept out of most of the marketing material thus far.
From the looks of things, his absence will cause a rippling effect in Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s DC tentpole, with the recent theatrical trailer teasing a world that has fallen into chaos since his ultimate sacrifice at the tail-end of Batman V Superman. Crime rates are through the roof, and Ben Affleck’s brooding Dark Knight has been licking his wounds – both physical and emotional – in the shadows. But there’s a new threat emerging on the horizon – the cosmic horizon, that is, and it comes in the form of Ciaran Hinds’ Steppenwolf, who’s bound for planet Earth in search of the Mother Boxes.
They are, in essence, the film’s MacGuffins, as you no doubt know by now – three ancient artifacts that have been buried on our planet ever since Darkseid waged war on humanity eons ago. And the DC super-villain has sent his subordinate to collect them after all these years. Steppenwolf won’t be alone, though, as he’s brought an army of Parademons along with him to give the titular team a run for their money.
Justice League swoops into theaters on November 17th, when Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s blockbuster will become the fifth entry into the DC Extended Universe to date. But can it channel the smashing success of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman movie? Or will it struggle to overcome the hurdles and production woes that befell Suicide Squad? Only time will tell.
Beyond 2017, and aside from locking down a late 2019 release date for Wonder Woman 2, Warner Bros. has been coy about its future plans for the DCEU, but there have been rumblings that David Sandberg’s Shazam movie – a film that is seemingly much more light-heartened when compared to the rest of WB’s superhero output – is next in line to enter production ahead of its debut in the early stages of 2019.