JJ Abrams’ Justice League Dark HBO Max series has been silently cancelled. It appears that this DC team that deals with the supernatural will have to wait to get their live-action adaptation.
Back in 2020, it was announced that Justice League Dark for HBO Max was in development with Bad Robot, JJ Abrams’ production company. There were also plans for other DC projects under his company, like Constantine, Superman, Zatanna and Madame X. But this was before the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger.
Bad Robot and WarnerMedia had a deal in 2019 to make several movies and TV projects for five years. There were several projects in line, just like the ones mentioned earlier. This also included others like Demimonde.
After the merger in April 2022, several projects in development, even the ones that were almost finished were in jeopardy. And with several reports saying that Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav was unhappy with Bad Robot’s progress, it’s not a surprise that JJ Abrams’ lineup of projects would get the axe.
Now with the new DC Studios team of James Gunn and Peter Safran, the future of the new DC Universe is in their hands; we don’t really know which projects will move forward or will be cancelled. Not every DC project has been cancelled. As for Robert Pattinson’s Batman and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, these still continue with bright green lights.
JJ Abrams Justice League Has Been Scrapped
READ MORE: Constantine 2 Still Happening Despite Rumoured Cancellation
A report from The Playlist says that Justice League Dark for HBO Max has been “scrapped.” It’s interesting that the news actually came from The Hollywood Reporter, but the title was only mentioned with other cancelled projects like Overlook and Demimonde. The news was actually about a project called “Duster” that has been greenlit.
It’s not really a surprise, though, as I mentioned earlier. Also, with the new DC Universe being developed, several DC-related projects were expected to get the can. It’s more of a surprise to learn if they do keep something, especially with projects that haven’t started development yet.
One thing Justice League Dark needs established characters before they can start. Since the DC Universe is in the middle of rebooting, it seems unlikely that a JLD series would get started anytime soon. The series could have required JJ Abrams’ version of Zatanna, Madame X and Constantine. All of which are also members of JLD. There was a point where Abrams wanted Swamp Thing to be added to the team, which would have been great.
This doesn’t mean that there is no future for JLD. With the new DC universe being planned several years down the line, the supernatural team of superheroes could still eventually turn up.
Justice League Dark Won’t Be Moving Forward
Credit Warner Bros. Animation
READ MORE: James Gunn Shows Inconsistencies In New DCU Interconnectivity
Justice League Dark has been in the plans for many years now. All the way back in 2012 with Guillermo del Toro. There was even a point that it would be part of Zack Snyder’s DCEU. But for reasons unknown, this hasn’t panned out and of course, it was cancelled in favour of the JJ Abrams version. And again, even that is also gone.
So far, Keanu Reeves’ Constantine sequel for his 2005 film will be pushing through. This is not the one JJ Abrams envisioned because he wanted a Black actor to take the role. In addition, since Reeves’ Constantine is being planned as not being part of the new DCU, the project is essentially an Elseworld film.
In other words, Constantine will not be meeting any other superheroes. But this feels like more of a fan film since the original movie was not a box office hit. But over time, it did grow a cult following. Warner Bros Discovery is hoping that is enough to get people into theatres to watch the sequel.
Would Reeves’ Constantine lead to a Justice League Dark movie or series? It seems unlikely at the moment. With DC Studios trying to focus on one universe only, they are only letting Robert Pattinson’s Batman and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker survive only because they are the best money makers under DC’s brand. But both franchises have no plans to lead to a bigger universe which is why DC Studios is focusing more on the new DCU.
What do you think of JJ Abrams’ Justice League Dark being cancelled? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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