The recent launch of HBO Max appears to have rocketed the DCEU to the very top of WarnerMedia’s list of priorities, which marks a huge turnaround for a franchise that seemed clouded in uncertainty just a few months ago.
With the Snyder Cut of Justice League officially coming to the streaming service next year, Michael Keaton returning to play Bruce Wayne in The Flash, J.J. Abrams tackling a Justice League Dark series, Henry Cavill putting the speculation surrounding his future to bed by extending his contract, rumors that the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad could be next in line for reassembly and continued hints that Ben Affleck may be enticed into making his version of The Batman, the future of the comic book franchise is now loaded with exciting possibilities.
No matter what happens, the DCEU has little chance of dislodging Marvel Studios from their perch as the kings of the comic book genre on the big screen, but the slate of HBO Max projects indicates that they could be set to give them a real run for their money on the smaller one. The latest rumor is that both Snyder and Affleck’s returns could happen exclusively on streaming, and while it should be taken with a grain of salt, it does match up with some things we’ve heard from our own sources.
As per the scoop from tipster Mikey Sutton, “Snyder could be allowed to make up for lost time and make more DC-related movies if his cut of Justice League is successful.” Although, these future projects would very likely end up on HBO Max “since censorship and compromise won’t be an issue.”
With confirmation that Matt Reeves’ The Batman won’t be considered official canon and Keaton’s return opening up the multiverse, it’s also been claimed that Affleck’s take on the Dark Knight would be an HBO Max exclusive, with the streaming service primed to be the new home for more mature and adult-orientated DC content.
With the rumor mill having recently gone into overdrive, Affleck’s return is looking more likely by the day, and the thought of HBO Max becoming the go-to place for DCEU stories that are made with complete freedom and the absence of the studio interference that’s plagued the franchise so far could turn out to be a masterstroke by Warner Bros. from both a creative and commercial standpoint, one that would guarantee a huge influx of subscribers as a result.
