The DC Filmverse is a set of interconnected films produced by Warner Bros entertainment and DC Comics, based on characters within the DC universe. Started in 2005 with the release of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, the series has become one of the top grossing franchises of all time, and has seen several films released under its banner. Colloquially within the continuity of DC comics, the DC Filmverse has been referred to as Earth-34, following the 2006 event Infinite Crisis which saw the DC multiverse recreated.
Origins[]
The idea of a shared universe of DC films had never really taken hold despite the respective success of the Superman film franchise in the 70s and 80s as well as the Batman franchise of the 80s and 90s. While attempts were made at a Justice League movie as far back as 1997 (including a reference to Superman in the film Batman & Robin) and some ideas for a Batman/Superman crossover were considered, nothing materialized beyond pre-production.
In 2003, with their franchises stalled, DC Comics writer Dan DiDio was tasked with reinvigorating the DC brand across multiple media platforms by publisher Paul Levitz. DiDio saw the shared history of DC Comics as a strong asset, and advocated for several interconnected franchises as opposed to individual franchises. Calling upon other individuals in the film and television industry (including future DC COO Geoff Johns, who at the time was working on the WB show Smallville), DiDio was given the greenlight to create DC Films, a multimedia subsidiary within DC Entertainment under Warner Bros. DiDio turned all business matters over to Charles Roven, the co-founder of Atlas Entertainment and longtime film producer, while co-heading the creative aspect with Johns, artist Jim Lee and Batman The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm. It was quickly announced that reboots of the Batman and Superman franchise would be the inaugural films of the new studio. British director Christopher Nolan was brought in to direct and create the Batman universe that these new films would take place in, grounding everything in a sense of realism.
2005's Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader, John Malkovich as Victor Zsasz and Cillian Murphy as Johnathan Crane/Scarecrow, proved to be one of the biggest hits of 2005, grossing over $200 million domestically. The Superman reboot directed by Bryan Singer, retitled Man of Steel, would become one of the most expensive films ever made at the time with a budget ballooning to over $250 million, but grossing over $400 million worldwide.
More to Come...
List of Films in the DC Filmverse[]
| Film Title | Release Date | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Batman Begins | June 15, 2005 | Christopher Nolan |
| Man of Steel | June 28, 2006 | Bryan Singer |
| The Dark Knight | July 18, 2008 | Christopher Nolan |
| Green Lantern | November 7, 2008 | Martin Campbell |
| Superman: Last Son of Krypton | May 22, 2009 | J.J. Abrams |
| Wonder Woman | July 17, 2009 | Patty Jenkins |
| Justice League | May 14, 2010 | George Miller |
| Shazam! | November 5, 2010 | Brad Bird |
| Static Shock | March 18, 2011 | F. Gary Gray |
| Green Lantern Corps | June 10, 2011 | Martin Campbell |
| John Constantine | October 4, 2011 | Scott Derrickson |
| Wonder Woman: Amazons Attack | May 4, 2012 | Patty Jenkins |
| The Dark Knight Rises | July 20, 2012 | Christopher Nolan |
| The Cadmus Project | November 9, 2012 | David Fincher |
More films to come...
- Two-Face (upcoming film) directed by Bryan Singer casts by Rudy Swaby as Two-Face / Harvey Dent