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DC: From The Penguin to Teen Titans (and a new DCU!), here are all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows

There's so much more DC TV and movie material coming to the screen than you might expect

Image credit: Max

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When it comes to DC’s on-screen presence, 2024 is a year of extremes. What will begin with the debut of the final season of the CW’s Superman and Lois will end with the return of Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime alongside Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in the R-rated Joker: Folie à Deux… oh, and maybe one or two teases about a very big rebirth for the DC Universe in the very near future, as well.

While those two projects are essentially standalones, fans can expect the first episodes of Max’s animated Creature Commandos before the end of the year, heralding James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, with the possibility of the beginning of Waller — the live-action follow-up to the acclaimed Peacemaker series — dropping around the end of the year also dangling out there, ever so tantalizingly.

Of course, those are just preludes of the main event: the summer 2025 release of Superman, the big-screen launch of the new shared DC Universe — and the first real chance to see what the next generation of DC superheroes look like in live action. (Pretty fitting, given that 2025 will be DC’s 90th birthday…)

Here is a full overview of the coming DC projects on film and television. This includes previously launched series that are currently expected to continue and upcoming movies, whether they are set in the DCU, DCEU, or their own separate canon. Release dates and windows are provided, where available, but with so much transition still in effect, many of the production details are still being kept under wraps.

If you're looking for a list of all the superhero movies in our future, here's our upcoming superhero movies guide.

Upcoming DC movies and TV show schedule

If you're looking for a quick rundown of everything with a date (or at least a year), we have that for you here:

Release Date Project Type Platform
April 25, 2024 Dead Boy Detectives, Season 1 Live-action series Netflix
”Post-April 2024” Superman and Lois, Season 4 Live-action series The CW
Fall 2024 Creature Commandos, season 1 Animated series Max
October 4, 2024 Joker: Folie à Deux Live-action movie Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets)
TBD late 2024/early 2025 Waller, season 1 Live-action series Max
TBD 2024 Sweet Tooth, Season 3 Live-action series Netflix
July 11, 2025 Superman Live-action movie Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets)
October 2, 2026 The Batman: Part II Live-action movie Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets)

If that seems like a particularly short list… well, it is. But there are a lot of additional features with no release dates attached that don’t appear above, as you’ll find out soon enough. Don’t worry; there’s a lot of DC projects coming your way, even if we don’t know when.

If you’re looking for more information about what’s to come, keep reading — but be prepared, because we’re going to break things down in a very specific order: the new DCU (announced officially as “DC Chapter One: Gods and Monsters”), and Elseworlds projects that exist outside of the new shared continuity that’s being built.

DC Chapter One: Gods and Monsters

Creature Commandos

Creature Commandos assembled in key art
Image credit: Warner Bros.

The first project expected to be released as part of Gunn and Safran’s DCU slate is the DCU animated series Creature Commandos. At the DC Studios presentation in January 2023, Gunn shared that he wrote the series, with the seven-episode first season already in the midst of production. The show follows a group of monstrous heroes, including Frankenstein and Weasel from The Suicide Squad. Gunn predicted that the characters may make the transition to live-action, with the show set to premiere on Max at some point in fall 2024. Gunn continued that the casting is intended for actors to be able to portray their characters in both animation and live-action as an added commitment to their versatility in the DCU.

Release date: TBD, expected to be fall 2024

Platform: Max

Waller

Amanda Waller stands in front of Task Force X
Image credit: Warner Bros.

Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is the most prominent character retained from the DCEU into the new DCU continuity, after making her debut in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Davis is set to reprise her role in her own television series, simply titled Waller, and set after the events of the first season of Peacemaker. Waller was last seen exposed to the press by her own daughter, Leota Adebayo, for her illicit role with Task Force X and attempts to incriminate Peacemaker. The series will be developed by Watchmen television series writer Christal Henry and Doom Patrol Max series creator Jeremy Carver, as announced by Gunn at the DC Studios January press event, with reports suggesting that a 2024 release was possible. (Those reports came before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, however, meaning that an early 2025 premiere might be more likely at this point in time.)

Release date: TBD, potentially late 2024 or early 2025

Platform: Max

Superman

Superman smiles above the clouds
Image credit: DC Comics

Just as 2013’s Man of Steel ushered in the DCEU, DC’s flagship superhero is set to kick off the DCU canon with the upcoming Superman, set to premiere July 11, 2025. Written and directed by James Gunn himself, the movie will recast the role of Superman as it will focus on a younger version of the character in the early years of his superhero career. Plot details remain scarce but Gunn has described the movie as having Superman attempt to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage and upbringing in Smallville as he balances his lives as Clark Kent and Superman. At the January 2023 press event, Gunn cited Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman as an inspiration, though clarified it will not be an adaptation of the comic book story. David Corenswet will play Superman, Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor, and we'll all play the role of theatergoers when the movie is released in 2025.

Release date: July 25, 2025

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

The Authority

The Authority assembles
Image credit: DC Comics

Among the most surprising announcements from Gunn and Safran’s presentation was the news that a film based on the Authority is coming for the DCU. Based on the postmodern superhero team created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch for DC’s Wildstorm publishing imprint in 1999, the Authority is a team of heroes more morally ambiguous than many of their DC counterparts. In order to defend the world, the Authority is open to committing more questionable acts, with Safran comparing the team’s morality to “Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men.” No details about the team’s cinematic lineup, plot details, or release window have currently been announced by DC Studios.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Supergirl sits on a beach
Image credit: DC Comics

As a new Man of Tomorrow comes to the DCU with Superman, Gunn and Safran are also introducing Kal-El’s cousin Kara in the planned film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Inspired by Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s 2021 comic book miniseries of the same name, Gunn observes that Woman of Tomorrow follows a “more hardcore” Supergirl than audiences might be expecting. Whereas her cousin was raised by a loving family on Smallville, Gunn explains that Kara witnessed those around her die until she arrived on Earth as a teenager, providing her with a sharp contrast in perspective and action from Superman. No release date or details about the production have currently been announced, although it has been announced that Milly Alcock will play the Maid of Might in the feature. (And possibly in other projects released earlier; I’m looking at you, Superman.)

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

The Brave and the Bold

Batman fights Damian
Image credit: DC Comics

Just as The Brave and the Bold was DC’s Batman team-up comic book title through the ‘70s and ‘80s, the planned film The Brave and the Bold is planned to be a team-up story focused on the Dynamic Duo themselves. The film will serve as the introduction for the DCU’s Batman, who will be played by a different actor than Robert Pattinson and be set in a different continuity than Matt Reeves’ Caped Crusader. As with Superman, The Brave and the Bold will be influenced by Grant Morrison’s Batman run, as Bruce Wayne teams up with his adolescent son Damian, who was raised by a shadowy order of assassins. No casting, production details, or release date has currently been announced for The Brave and the Bold.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing roars
Image credit: DC Comics

There are plenty of monsters coming to the DCU, with the biggest of them all in the first wave being a Swamp Thing film planned to close out the DCU’s opening chapter of film and television programming. Gunn described the movie as taking place in its own corner of the DCU that will feed into the steady expansion of the shared cinematic universe as it revisits the origins of Swamp Thing. No further details about the premise, production, or anticipated release date have currently been announced but it is not expected to be related to the short-lived Swamp Thing television series that ran for a single season on DC Universe in 2019.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Lanterns

John Stewart and Hal Jordan in action
Image credit: DC Comics

Arrowverse architects Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, with planned showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith had been developing a Green Lantern television series for HBO Max since 2019. Intended to star characters like Alan Scott and Guy Gardner, development faced a major setback when Grahame-Smith departed the project in 2021. Gunn and Safran announced that the initial Green Lantern series had been canceled, with a new Max series, simply titled Lanterns, set in the DCU in development. Though details about the series remain under wraps, Gunn teased that it would focus on John Stewart and Hal Jordan in a “terrestrial-based” mystery reminiscent of crime shows like True Detective.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

Paradise Lost

Diana overlooks Paradise Island
Image credit: Warner Bros.

Though the big screen future for Wonder Woman is still uncertain, with Warner Bros. not moving forward with filmmaker Patty Jenkins’ plans for a sequel to Wonder Woman 1984, the Amazons’ place in the fledgling DCU is taking shape. Among the television series announced by Gunn and Safran is Paradise Lost, a show set on Diana Prince’s remote island home of Themyscira some time before Diana’s eventual birth. Safran described the series as centering on “the political intrigue behind a society of all women” while Gunn compared it to Game of Thrones. No casting, release date, or production start date for Paradise Lost has currently been announced.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

Booster Gold

Booster Gold and Skeets
Image credit: DC Comics

Though Booster Gold made a memorable appearance in the series finale of Legends of Tomorrow, played by Donald Faison, DC Studios is giving a different version of the character his own television series. Set within the DCU continuity, Booster Gold is expected to stream on Max though no casting, release window, or production start date has been announced for the show. Gunn described Booster as “imposter syndrome as a superhero” and “a loser from the future,” with the character using futuristic tech to travel back in time to get people to like him but has not elaborated beyond that on the series’ premise.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

TBD

This project is an odd one: not named as one of the DCU projects, but potentially part of the new DCU, despite having been clearly part of the old DCEU before this… however, it’s the parent show for one of the new DCU projects, so… does this count as new canon, old canon, or entirely non-canonical? We’ll leave that up to you to decide, at least in the short term…

Peacemaker

Peacemaker first season cast assembled
Image credit: HBO Max

Springing from the events of 2021’s The Suicide Squad, filmmaker James Gunn created the spinoff HBO Max original series Peacemaker, which premiered to positive fan and critic response in January 2022. The show follows gun-toting antihero Peacemaker as he grapples with his complicated morality and penchant for violence while uncovering an alien infiltration on behalf of the intelligence agency A.R.G.U.S.. Though HBO Max officially renewed the series for a second season in February 2022, Gunn’s attention has since been focused on his new duties co-heading DC Studios. Gunn has clarified that plans now have prioritized development on Superman and the Waller spinoff series before moving onto production with the second season of Peacemaker, though no clear timetable, including release date, has been announced.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

Teen Titans

World's Finest; Teen Titans #1 cover
Image credit: DC

Oh yeah, it's coming. A live-action Teen Titans film will officially be a part of the new DCU, as announced recently by The Hollywood Reporter. It's close to the only detail that got announced - no word yet on who will be part of the team, what the release date will be, or who's in the cast - however, there was one bit of information that made it into the piece: the Teen Titans movie will be penned by screenwriter Ana Nogueira, who's also the scribe behind Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

Untitled Arkham Asylum series

The Joker in his cell
Image credit: Warner Bros.

Originally announced as a second television spinoff from The Batman intended for HBO Max, the Arkham Asylum television show recently made the switch to being officially part of the DCU. However, The Batman's director, Matt Reeves, is still attached as executive producer. The series signed Antonio Campos as its showrunner in October 2022, though there has been little news about its development since. Reeves previously described the show as having a more horror oriented tone befitting Arkham’s notorious reputation though little detail about the series’ intended plot have been disclosed. There are no currently announced details about the production of the Arkham Asylum series or its release window.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

Elseworlds (Not part of the shared DCU)

Dead Boy Detectives

Dead Boy Detectives
Image credit: Netflix

During their run on The Sandman, Gaiman and Matt Wagner created Dead Boy Detectives, two children who rose from the grave as ghosts to solve supernatural crimes around the world and starred in their own spinoff comic book series. A Dead Boy Detectives television series is in the works, initially planned for HBO Max before moving to Netflix in February 2023. A version of the characters appeared in the third season of Doom Patrol but the roles have been recast and there are no expected connections between the two series. Filming was scheduled to wrap in March 2023, and the show's release date was recently announced (via Variety) as April 25. Dead Boy Detectives is developed for television by The Flight Attendant creator Steve Yockey, who serves as co-showrunner alongside former Arrow showrunner Beth Schwartz.

Release date: April 25, 2024

Platform: Netflix

Superman & Lois

Lois and Superman stand together
Image credit: Warner Bros. Television

After the Flash came to an end (and the CW’s shared Arrowverse with it), Superman & Lois boldly moves into its third season. While Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch originated their title roles as part of the shared DCTV Universe, the show stands in its own continuity as Clark Kent and Lois Lane defend their world while raising their twin sons in Smallville. The third season upped the ante, introducing supervillains Bruno Mannheim and Onomatopoeia to challenge the Kent family. Unfortunately, the fourth season of the show will be its last, the CW has announced; final episodes of the series will debut at some point post-April 2024, according to sources.

Release date: TBD

Platform: The CW

Joker: Folie à Deux

The Joker laughs uncontrollably
Image credit: Warner Bros.

After the widespread critical and commercial success of 2019’s Joker, a sequel continuing a grounded and gritty look at the Clown Prince of Crime was something of an inevitability. Filmmaker Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix reunite for the follow-up, titled Joker: Folie à Deux – translated as “Madness for Two” – set to open in theaters October 4, 2024. While the 2019 film was rooted in influences from crime films and thrillers like Taxi Driver and Mean Streets, the sequel is expected to be a musical, with Lady Gaga joining the production rumored to be playing its version of Harley Quinn. Separate from DCU continuity, Joker: Folie à Deux began principal photography in December 2022 and wrapped the following April.

Release date: October 4, 2024

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

The Batman: Part II

Batman and Catwoman lean close
Image credit: Warner Bros.

After its successful debut in 2022, a sequel to The Batman was formally announced at CinemaCon the subsequent April, tentatively titled The Batman: Part II and set for an October 3, 2025 release. Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as the Caped Crusader, while filmmaker Matt Reeves will similarly return to direct and co-write the sequel, joined by co-writer Mattson Tomlin. No plot details or new cast members have currently been announced, though the film will be separate from DC Studios’ core DCU continuity, branded as a DC Elseworlds project. Principal photography on The Batman: Part II, initially expected to begin November 2023, was later moved to March 2024, pushing the movie from its original October 3, 2025 theatrical release to a new date of October 2, 2026.

Release date: October 2, 2026

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn holds hands with Poison Ivy
Image credit: Max

Between her growing comic book presence to Margot Robbie’s stellar cinematic performances, this is undeniably Harley Quinn’s moment. Kaley Cuoco puts her own popular spin on the character in the HBO Max original animated series Harley Quinn, leaning into decidedly adult humor and boldly forging its own take on the DCU and Harley’s place within it. The show's fourth season wrapped September 2023, followed quickly by an official announcement of Season 5 from Warner Bros. So far, a release date has not been announced.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

Kite Man: Hell Yeah!

Kite Man unveils his kite
Image credit: HBO Max

Harley Quinn’s success has spread to its own HBO Max spinoff series, previously called Noonan’s, after the criminal-frequented bar located in Gotham City. Formally ordered to series in April 2022, Harley Quinn series co-creator Patrick Schumaker teased that the spinoff follows Kite Man after he purchases the bar but runs into difficulties running it with his girlfriend Golden Glider. Schumaker reveals that Harley and Ivy are planned to make guest-starring appearances in the first episode before different supervillains visit each episode, with Schumaker comparing the show to a supervillain-oriented Cheers. The show is set for release in 2024, but Max has not announced exactly when.

Release date: TBD 2024

Platform: Max

The Sandman

Morpheus sits in a chair
Image credit: Netflix

Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg’s The Sandman is one of the most universally celebrated comic book series of all time and its inaugural season on Netflix was among the streaming service’s most popular series in 2022. Co-written and executive produced by Gaiman, The Sandman is largely faithful to its source material as Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, moves to rebuild his position after a lengthy imprisonment on Earth. Joined by other eternal personifications of the human condition, known as the Endless, Morpheus faces fantastic threats to his realm, including Lucifer themselves. Netflix officially renewed the series for a second season November 22 2022, and the show returned to production in late November 2023.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Netflix

Sweet Tooth

Gus stands in the forest
Image credit: Netflix

The Netflix adaptation of Vertigo Comics/DC Black Label’s Sweet Tooth was officially renewed for a third season in early February 2024, with the season intended to close out the acclaimed post-apocalyptic story created by Jeff Lemire. The show is set in a world ravaged by a contagion as animal-human hybrids are born around North America. A young deer-human hybrid named Gus and his gruff companion Jepperd navigate the ruins of the old world, evading roving scavengers and vicious paramilitary groups that have arisen in the chaos. The third and final season will debut at some point in 2024, according to the streamer.

Release date: TBD 2024

Platform: Netflix

Batman: Caped Crusader

Batman in Caped Crusader promo art
Image credit: HBO Max

Over 30 years after creating the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series, prolific animator and producer Bruce Timm is teaming up with J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves for the new animated series Batman: Caped Crusader. Initially ordered by HBO Max, the series was canceled by Warner Bros. as part of a cost-cutting move in August 2022, before eventually finding a new home on Prime Video. The show has received a two-season order, though a premiere window for the series has yet to be announced. Ostensibly serving as the spiritual successor to Batman: The Animated Series, Timm is joined by award-winning comic book creator Ed Brubaker, who runs the writers’ room and serves as an executive producer.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Prime Video

The Penguin

Oswald Cobblepot in his nightclub
Image credit: Warner Bros.

To help fans tide over the wait for The Batman: Part II, the spinoff HBO Max original series The Penguin returns viewers to this cinematic iteration of Gotham City and its denizens. Colin Farrell reprises his role as Oswald Cobblepot, with the show reportedly taking place “one week” after the events of The Batman. With Carmine Falcone dead, there is an enormous power vacuum in Gotham’s sordid world of organized crime, with Cobblepot squaring off against Sofia Falcone for control of their city. Filming started in New York City this March, and was subsequently put on indefinite hold due to the WGA strike in June. No exact release date has been announced for the show, with the planned spinoff slated to run for eight episodes.

Release date: TBD 2024

Platform: Max

Untitled Gotham City Police Department spinoff

Jim Gordon stares at a case
Image credit: Warner Bros.

Jim Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department played a prominent role in The Batman, with the 2022 film planning a television spinoff focused on Gotham’s police force to stream on HBO Max. Originally announced in 2020 with a series order, the police procedural has experienced some creative setbacks, with multiple showrunners departing the project mid-development. Despite these personnel changes, the series has still been cited as being in development as recently as October 2022, with Reeves serving as an executive producer. There has been no additional news about the show’s development, including a planned start to production or release window, since Gunn and Safran’s January 2023 announcement.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max


What is the next DC movie coming out?

The next DC movie hitting theaters is Joker: Folie à Deux, which will be released October 4, 2024. The follow-up to 2019’s R-rated Joker isn’t officially part of the upcoming new DCU, however; for the first cinematic installment of that story, you’ll have to wait until July 11, 2025’s Superman.

Officially, Superman will be the third DCU project; the small-screen Creature Commandos, which is anticipated to appear at some point towards the end of this year, currently has no official release date, with Waller expected to follow before Superman hits theaters.

Will Zack Snyder return to DC?

With another installment of his own Rebel Moon series in the works for Netflix and additional self-directed projects said to be in the works, Zack Snyder — who directed Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and one version of Justice League — is likely too busy to return to DC anytime soon; he has, however, previously spoken about a desire to make a faithful adaptation of Frank Miller’s seminal Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, suggesting that it’s the only thing that could bring him back to the studio and the characters.

DC, the ball’s in your court.

Will there be a Blue Beetle 2?

Officially, no sequel to 2023’s Blue Beetle has been announced, although director Angel Manuel Soto has spoken publicly about his desire to make two further movies in the series. It’s worth noting, however, that Xolo Maridueña has been confirmed to continue to play Jaime Reyes in the new DCU, leaving the door open for a sequel (or even two) further down the line.

Will Lobo appear in the DCU?

If you've been hanging around the rumor mill for long enough, you might believe this question has already been answered, especially after the report came out that Jason Mamoa was in talks for the role. However, as of December 2023, Mamoa has not signed on as the Main Man (via The Wrap). We'll let you know if that changes.

Will there ever be a Batman Beyond movie?

Hey, we're wondering the same thing. Despite a few attempts to get one going, there are not, as of right now, any plans for a Batman Beyond film, animated or otherwise. That's a real shame, especially once you consider (as Popverse's Trent Cannon has), how Batman Beyond could be DC's answer to Sony/Marvel's Spider-Verse.


Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out our guides to upcoming movies, upcoming TV shows, upcoming comics, and upcoming comic conventions. If you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we have all the upcoming MCU, upcoming Star Wars, upcoming Star Trek, and upcoming DC movies & TV for you. If you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons) as well.