We have to wait another year to return to Atlantis while the Fury Of The Gods is delayed by three months! Warner Bros plays the blockbuster release date merry-go-round again!
Just what the HELL is happening over at Warner Bros? Not being content with canceling the almost-complete ‘Batgirl’ movie, they’ve now pushed back two of their upcoming DC blockbusters. This Christmas, we should have been sitting down to view ‘Shazam: Fury Of The Gods.’ And in March of next year, we should have been returning to Atlantis with Jason Momoa and ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom.’ Well, not anymore. Both films have seen significant release delays announced. In ‘Shazam’s’ case, it isn’t THAT bad. But for ‘Aquaman’, it is REALLY bad news.
SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS
It is a case of shoving ‘Shazam: Fury Of The Gods’ around to where ever Warner Bros. wants it to go. The film was originally due to drop in the summer of 2023 before being moved up to December 21st of this year. Now, the film has been shifted to Aquaman’s announced date of March 17th, 2023. To be honest, it is probably a good thing for the film to move back. That way, it now avoids competing against James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water.’
Cameron’s long-awaited sequel is liable to rip the world’s box offices apart this Christmas. And ‘Shazam’ couldn’t hope to match it for box office dollars. This way, it now stands a better chance of being a box office smash at the start of the summer blockbuster season of 2023.
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM
With Shazam now taking its March 17th release slot, you’d be forgiven for thinking ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’ would see a late summer release instead. Not so. In fact, the film won’t even see the summer box office. We now have to wait until December 25th, 2023 for our return to Atlantis. That’s a delay of almost a year. Now, whether it is because of the release strategy Warners have now adopted or possibly due to reshoots is the question. After the Amber Heard liable trial verdict, rumors have been swirling. It has constantly been said that Warners is looking to refilm her scenes with a new actress in the role. Whether this is true or not, we wait to find out.
To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if this really is the case for the film’s delay. While I make no comment on the trial verdict, I do think that it would be a shame if Warners pursued this course of action. Amber Heard is perfect in the role of Mera. But with the way things now stand, and taking the backlash the actress has faced into account, I can see it actually happening. Her presence in the film could lead to audiences boycotting the film. And Warners won’t like that.
THE FLASH
The release date changes for Shazam and Aquaman begs the question: what is going on with ‘The Flash’ movie? Warner Bros has been extremely quiet in the face of the allegations against Ezra Miller. Despite admitting to his failings, Miller’s film could be too hot a potato for Warners to handle. Which leads us to ask: Are Warners thinking of canceling the film in the same way they’ve done to ‘Batgirl’? I wouldn’t put it past them, to be honest. And that would be a travesty. Not only has the world been waiting for the film to finally be released, but the return of Michael Keaton as Batman for the first time since 1992 would again be for nothing. He made an appearance in the Batgirl movie, only to see the film canceled, never to be seen.
FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
While the DC content is in a state of flux, Warners did make a surprise announcement. Two movies that were heading to HBO MAX will now, instead, be released theatrically. The reboot of ‘House Party’ will now hit theaters on December 9th, 2022. Meanwhile, Lee Cronin’s horror sequel ‘Evil Dead Rise’ will now hit theaters on April 21st, 2023. It has also been revealed that ‘The Nun 2’ will hit screens on September 8th, 2023 while an untitled event film will open on February 10th, 2023. Sadly though, the feature film version of Stephen King’s novel ‘Salem’s Lot’ has been moved out of its April 21st, 2023 release slot to a TBD date.
Keep checking back here at The Future Of The Force for any further developments in this continuing story.
Source: Deadline
Author
Carl Roberts is the News Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
