Warner Bros. and DC Films moving away from the shared universe approach

Warner Bros. will put less emphasis on the cinematic universe for the DC films going forward.

Since its conception, the DC Extended Universe has taken some interesting creative turns. It has some elements of Marvel’s successful cinematic franchise, but it has relied less on interconnectivity. The franchise will even expand outside of the main universe to create true standalone projects like the Joker film. It now appears that Warner Bros. and DC Films are in fact changing their strategy for this franchise.

DC heads Geoff Johns and Diane Nelson recently spoke with Vulture and revealed that the studio is going to move away from the cohesive universe approach. Nelson assured that continuity will still be important, but it won’t necessarily be a vocal point:

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"“Our intention, certainly, moving forward is using the continuity to help make sure nothing is diverging in a way that doesn’t make sense, but there’s no insistence upon an overall story line or interconnectivity in that universe.”"

She also added that this decision will allow for the filmmaker-driven approach that the folks at Warner Bros. and DC have been aiming for:

"“Moving forward, you’ll see the DC movie universe being a universe, but one that comes from the heart of the filmmaker who’s creating them.”"

Johns added that characters will still be connected and can still interact with each other. However, the goal is not to have each film merely be a set-up for another:

"“The movie’s not about another movie. Some of the movies do connect the characters together, like Justice League. But, like with Aquaman, our goal is not to connect Aquaman to every movie.”"

This is an intriguing development to say the least, but it could actually be a smart move. By doing this, Warner Bros. and DC may have finally found a way to truly differentiate themselves from their competition. It will also make things easier for viewers, as they won’t have to watch one movie to understand another.

Next: Does DC Comics need a cinematic universe?

The filmmakers could definitely benefit from this as well.  With this, directors won’t feel as obligated to include characters or elements from other properties. As a result, there’s a chance for more varied storytelling. It’s still too early to tell if this will work, but you can bet that we’ll all be watching intently as it unfolds.