Warner Bros. Pushes ‘Black Adam,’ ‘Aquaman 2,’ ‘The Flash,’ and ‘Wonka’ Release Dates
Warner Bros. has announced that upcoming titles “Aquaman 2,” “The Flash,” “Black Adam,” and “Super-Pets” will have delayed release dates.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “Black Adam” is being delayed until October 21, 2022, pushed back from its initial premiere date of July 29. In a surprising move, Johnson announced the news himself in an Instagram video, adding that the film will play through Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“The hierarchy of power in the DC is about to change,” Johnson added, referring to his title character, whose villainous superpowers match even Superman’s. “Black Adam” also stars Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, and Pierce Brosnan.
The animated “DC League of Super-Pets” is now moving into that July 29 slot, two months after its planned May 20 release date.
Meanwhile, after Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller reunited as Justice League titans Aquaman and The Flash, respectively, in James Gunn’s “Peacemaker” HBO series, fans will now have to wait a little longer to see both superheroes back on the big screen.
DC titles “Aquaman 2” and “The Flash” are both pushed to 2023, with the “Aquaman” sequel set for a March 17, 2023, release date (from December 16, 2022), followed by Miller’s “The Flash” on June 23, 2023 (from November 4, 2022).
DC title “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is the only Warner Bros. title in the announcement to get an earlier release date, moving from mid-2023 to December 16, 2022.
The various comic-tentpole date shifts suggest that these DCEU entries aren’t necessarily as interconnected as their MCU counterparts, which rely on a certain chronology and forward momentum for world-building.
Meanwhile, audiences will also have to be patient to peer into Timothée Chalamet’s take on Willy Wonka with “Wonka,” now releasing on December 15, 2023. The film was originally set to bow March 17, 2023, but will now get a family-friendly (and perhaps Oscar-friendly) release.
Directed by “Paddington” and “Paddington 2” filmmaker Paul King, “Wonka” will serve as an origin story for the iconic fictional chocolatier. Chalamet will be singing and dancing in the musical film that also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, and Olivia Colman.
The movies arrive as Warner Bros. celebrates a $301-million-plus box office take for “The Batman” so far, with the studio possibly not in a rush to cash in on its momentum.
Warner Bros. announced in March 2021 that the 2022 release date calendar would return to a more traditional theatrical release model with a new 45-day window. The production company previously opted for an HBO Max hybrid release model during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike Warner Bros.’ 2021 day-and-date films, “The Batman,” for example, won’t bow on WarnerMedia’s HBO Max until April 19 — 45 days after its March 4 release date.
Tom Brueggemann and Kate Erbland contributed reporting.
