Nobody doubts that Christopher Nolan's Batman flicks are the measuring stick for all future superhero movies. What he's done to reinvigorate that franchise is beyond measure, and when The Dark Knight Rises hits next year it's going to leave a gaping void. Taking a broader view, though, Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment have been way behind the 8-ball when compared to what Disney and Marvel have done with their comic book catalog. Marvel's shared cinematic universe is a thing of beauty, appealing to staunch continuity nerds like myself, and casual folks who just want to watch buff dudes in silly costumes shoot lasers and stuff. The first phase of Marvel's strategy comes to a head next year with The Avengers, but DC's equivalent super team, the Justice League, has a less certain future. But maybe now we're starting to hear more info on what may lay ahead.
Take all this with a grain of salt, but Cosmic Book News has come across a rumor that Warner Brothers plans to move full steam ahead on Justice League after sequels have been completed for Green Lantern and Man of Steel. This would put the release somewhere around 2015 or 2016, which contradicts what we heard earlier that the film could be ready as soon as 2013. That always sounded optimistic to me, but 2015 sounds more plausible. The original Green Lantern writers have already begun work on the sequel, with the likelihood the next two films could shoot back-to-back. As for Man of Steel, it isn't going to hit until June of 2013, which means the sequel would have to be cranked out pretty fast to fit the time frame. Warner Brothers doesn't want to compromise the creative integrity of the Superman franchise, intending the sequel to be a stand alone story.
The hope is to have Christopher Nolan be involved in some way, likely as a producer or a consultant the way he is with Zack Snyder's flick. But any hope that Christian Bale will return as Batman have been dashed as he's stated numerous time he'll never don the cape and cowl again. So either Bats would be left out completely, or somebody new would be under the mask. What about Ryan Reynolds and Henry Cavill? It seems more likely they could appear as Green Lantern and Superman respectively, but it's just too early to tell. The studio definitely wants that to be the case, as the plan is to formally make Justice League part of a shared universe similar to Marvel's. It's about friggin' time.
Even if this story is true, it's so early in the process that things would likely change in the next few months. Superstar comic book scribe Geoff Johns(and DC's Chief Creative Officer) will be developing the framework of the Justice League story, with another writer, possibly David Goyer, coming aboard to bang out the script.
Personally I hope this news is accurate, but if DC and WB intend for the film to be a hit they need to get crackin' on building the other members of the team. Like getting that Flash movie off the ground, and how about letting Nicolas Winding Refn do his thing on a Wonder Woman flick? And what about that Aquaman movie we heard about possibly in 2015?
