Before the new DCU begins, the DC Extended Universe is expected to come to an end next year. What will be the final movie of the old DCEU?
The DC Universe will be coming to an end in the final months of 2023, but what will be the last movie before James Gunn’s revamped DCU officially begins? With only a handful of films left in DC’s current slate, the final project should feel cathartic in many ways since it could be the last time that actors like Zachary Levi and Jason Momoa get to play their characters. Whether those and other actors remain, it will be the last time they are seen in the current DCU before new stories are told in Gunn’s “new” DCU.
Warner Bros. Discovery currently has four DC films scheduled for release within the next year, concluding a decade of storytelling throughout 16 movies (not including Zack Snyder’s Justice League) that began with Man of Steel and a single television streaming series, Peacemaker. DC Studios has many changes to make in the very near future. With all signs pointing to a DCU reboot, there is a justifiable conclusion around what the actual last DC movie will be should the reboot move forward and potentially ignore the previous canonicity.
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The Final DCU Movie Will Likely Be Aquaman 2
Before the final DCU film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases in December 2023, the other DC movies scheduled to release are Shazam! Fury of the Gods in March, The Flash in June, and Blue Beetle in August. There have been many reports suggesting that The Flash will act as a reboot of the DCU, but Aquaman 2 will still be the last DC movie to release in 2023. It wouldn’t make sense to start the franchise over from scratch with The Flash and then immediately release another film afterward from the old continuity, but it doesn’t change the project’s release date.
Should the Aquaman sequel be the last time Jason Momoa is seen playing Aquaman, Momoa’s rumored new DC character, Lobo would be the perfect way to keep him in the franchise since the actor has been pushing his enthusiasm about taking on the new role. Momoa recently expressed his love for the character and has collected Lobo comic books. With James Gunn now running DC Studios, his focus on storytelling could earn the franchise better reception, particularly if Momoa is cast as Lobo and moving on from his tenure as Aquaman.
The Old DCU Could Still Exist Post-Reboot
DC Comics are renowned for keeping and returning to previous continuities after reboots such as with the pre-New 52, post-New 52, and rebirth worlds. The DCU could use this approach to bring back former DC actors to return as their respective characters through the Multiverse or even in new roles, such as with Momoa as Lobo. Considering this is an approach currently being explored by Marvel’s MCU, DC has the opportunity to learn from the highs and lows of both the old DCEU and MCU as they create future plans.
James Gunn’s new DC plan announcement is on the horizon, and several projects being put on indefinite hold such as Wonder Woman 3 indicate that even though many of these actors won’t return as their characters any time soon, it doesn’t mean that they never will. With a company like DC having the luxury of being able to choose from a large catalog of stories, the perfect way old DCU characters return likely hasn’t even been committed to yet. The DC Universe has a bright future ahead post-Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and a clean slate could be exactly what the franchise needs.
