Once again the pandemic has hit the movie industry hard, this time affecting Warner Brothers highly anticipated and packed release slate. This isn’t the first round of delays the studio has faced since theaters shutdown in mid-March, being one of the first to release a film PVOD.
On Monday it was announced that Matt Reeves’ The Batman would once again be facing another delay, moving from its October 1st, 2021 release date to March 4th, 2022. After shutting down production in March, the film had only just resumed filming this September before facing yet another day when their star Robert Pattinson, contracted COVID-19. The film has resumed filming in the UK and film more scenes outside in Chicago in the coming weeks.
The Batman delay was felt across the multiverse, reaching those in the main DCEU continuity with The Flash, Black Adam, and Shazam: Fury of The Gods all having their release dates reworked due to the uncertain times the industry currently faces. Andy Muschietti’s The Flash has shifted from its June 3rd, 2022 release date to November 4th, 2022, it’s become hard to keep track of all the delays this film has faced so hopefully this is the last. Shazam: Fury of The Gods will move from its November 4th, release date to June 2nd, 2023. It’s unclear if these release date delays will affect the films current production schedules, with Shazam it’s become and apparent issue that the cast is quickly aging and these delays could make it much more of an issue for the film. Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam faced probably the worst fate, having initially been dated to release on December 22nd, 2021, has now been removed from the release calendar and currently remains in limbo.
DC films such as The Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman 1984 remain in their current release dates but it isn’t hard to imagine that these films will also suffer the same fate. A delay for the next Wonder Woman film is almost certain, seeing as a Dune has moved from its December 18th, 2020 release date to October 1st, 2021, a date that belonged to The Batman before today’s announcements.
