DCEU: Ranking the rumored movies in development
By Matt Moore
6. Justice League Dark
As one of the more recent additions to the DC Comics roster, Justice League Dark has only been around since 2011 but still managed to make an impact. The team features characters like Constantine, Deadman, and Zatanna. They specialize in the supernatural which allows them to exist alongside the Justice League of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
A Justice League Dark film has been in talks since 2012 with director Guillermo del Toro attached to direct and then later produce. The rumored roster featured more characters like Swamp Thing, Etrigan the Demon and Zatara. Director Doug Liman was attached to direct by 2016 but left the project in May of 2017. Since then, updates have been scarce but an animated film was released in 2017 to mostly positive reviews.
If Justice League was considered a failure after Joss Whedon was brought in to lighten the mood, then how exactly would Justice League Dark help the DCEU? There would be a few advantages to bringing this team into the fold. For starters, as a relatively unknown property Justice League Dark could avoid any negative stigma associated with the DCEU. If it’s a hit, then it’s a great way to explore a different side of the comic world. JLD could serve as the DCEU’s Dr. Strange by focusing on the supernatural in the way the Sorcerer Supreme fights mystical threats.
The roster of JLD also features characters that are somewhat known to audiences that could attract more viewers. John Constantine was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in the film Constantine. The character also had his own television series that crossed over into Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow. Swamp Thing has been around since the 1970s and had his own set of films and a television series in the 1990s. Aquaman director James Wan is bringing a Swamp Thing series to DC’s streaming service which may hinder any chances of the character appearing in a film. Zatanna has also been a popular character when appearing in the comics, animated television series and films, and her stint on the live action series Smallville.