Sony/Columbia will release an untitled film set during the 1960s space race starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum on July 12. The studio has also set “Wolfs,” a thriller starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt and directed by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” filmmaker Jon Watts for release on Sept. 20.

The pair of upcoming films continues a theatrical distribution partnership between Sony and Apple that began with last month’s Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” a $200 million-plus historical epic whose budget was footed entirely by Apple and grossed $189 million at the global box office.

By normal standards, that amounts to a box office flop, but Apple’s high-spending, partnership-filled strategy is looking for profits later down the line. Apple is hoping that a theatrical release for its films will increase awareness and interest among audiences to see those films later on Apple TV+, increasing its subscriber count.

Sony, meanwhile, gets new additions to its theatrical slate in exchange for a distribution fee rather than having to shoulder any production costs. Apple has also formed partnerships with other studios on films like Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” released theatrically by Paramount, and Matthew Vaughn’s “Argylle,” which will be released by Universal early next year.

The Johansson/Tatum film, previously known by the working title “Project Artemis,” is filling a summer slot that was previously held by Sony’s “Venom 3” before it was delayed to November after the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

“Wolfs” will fill an early autumn slot and will hit theaters alongside Universal/DreamWorks’ family animated film “The Wild Robot.” It will share theater space with other franchise releases hitting September like Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice 2,” Paramount’s “Transformers One” and Lionsgate’s “Saw XI.”

The post Sony Adds 2 Apple-Produced Films to 2024 Release Slate appeared first on TheWrap.

“I just was so excited to take on something that just felt different from anything I’ve ever done before,” Moore told TheWrap. The Peacock original marks the first major television series the actor has starred in since the conclusion of “This Is Us.” But it was the knowledge that Édgar Ramírez would be part of this project as well that really sold the actress on the series.

“We both love Season 1, and I just knew we were going to make something special,” Moore said.

“We really wanted to work together. When I heard that Mandy wanted to do it, I was so happy,” Ramírez told TheWrap, noting that he felt like the planets were going to “align” for them on this project.

“Ultimately, as an actor, I really want to have experiences like the one we had where you can really abandon yourself completely to your partner and be safe with them,” Ramírez said. “We knew that we were going to navigate very, very dark waters.”

Much like Season 1, the second installment is indeed a dark story. But unlike its predecessor, Ramírez described this season as “a beautiful love story that then gets shattered.”

Just like the podcast of the same name, “Dr. Death’s” second season is based on the real-life reign of crimes orchestrated by the Italian thoracic surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. In the mid 2010s, Macchiarini became a major name in the medical community due to his method of using patients’ own stem cells as trachea transplants. But the more famous he became, the more those around him began to question his claims. His medical malpractice eventually led to an investigation by the Swedish Prosecution Authority, and he was eventually convicted by the courts for causing bodily harm.

Unlike Season 1’s deep dive into Christopher Duntsch, Season 2 centers around the budding romance between this too-good-to-be-true surgeon and journalist Benita Alexander (Moore). Even though this true crime tale is the center of Season 3 of the podcast, executive producer Ashley Michel Hoban called Macchiarini’s story “a no brainer” for Season 2.

“In Season 1, we got to explore Duntsch’s downfall. But this season, we’re falling in love with a man along with Bonita, and we’re falling in line with the man along with the whistleblowers,” Hoban told TheWrap. “It’s a different way to approach the whole ‘Dr. Death’ franchise.”

Adding to the enthralling nature of this season was its international focus. Because Macchiarini’s work spanned the globe, this season becomes more of a critique of international medical standards than simply U.S. healthcare.

“I think we were all surprised in this season to find that somewhere like Sweden, or anywhere in Europe, could have some of the same systemic problems that we see in our medical system,” Hoban said. “We have these peer-reviewed research papers that are a kind of self a self-policing system, and we explore in the show the problems with that. With medicine and money, when those two things come together, it doesn’t always necessarily lead to patient advocacy.”

Then there was Bonita Alexander’s role in Macchiarini’s rise to fame. Because of her position as a journalist who produced a story on the surgeon, the season questions what it means to blur the lines of journalistic ethics.

“She’s so capable and so strong and really at the top of her field,” Moore said of her character. “I hope that because of that people are able to see themselves in her. She’s sort of a surrogate for the audience.”

Hoban emphasized that it was important that the audience meet Paolo Macchiarini through Benita’s eyes. “She is skeptical, she does her research, she’s smart. And it all checks out. The fact is, it did all check out,” Hoban said of Macchiarini’s lies. “I think audiences will find her character sympathetic and that people will really find her struggle universal. Because this can really happen to anybody, frankly.”

When it came to creating Season 2, neither Hoban nor executive producer Patrick Macmanus reached out to the real-life people at the center of this stranger-than-fiction saga. Rather, they relied heavily on interviews from the original Wondery podcast while still trying to keep the patients most impacted by Macchiarini’s crimes “in the forefront.”

“We named the patients. That was really important for all of us that we name these patients, the real people, and try to tell their stories because their journeys were so difficult and harrowing,” Hoban said.

Yet it was equally important for the team to “shine a light” not just on the faults of the healthcare system but on the people who have put their lives and reputations on the line to try and do the right thing.

“As much of a horror story as both seasons of ‘Dr. Death’ can be looked at, it should also be looked at through the heroic lens,” Macmanus told TheWrap. “What I’ve always hoped from Season 1 and on was that we really were focused more on the heroes than on the villains of the story.”

All episodes of “Dr. Death” Season 2 are now streaming on Peacock.

The post Mandy Moore Was Drawn to ‘Dr. Death’ Because It ‘Felt Different’ Than Anything She Had Done Before appeared first on TheWrap.

The Season 2 finale of Max’s “Rap Sh!t” sees up-and-coming rap group Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) cementing their management with Francois Boom (Jaboukie Young-White) as they attempt to “fast track” their success in the hip-hop world, according to showrunner Syreeta Singleton, leaving their longtime alliance with Chastity (Jonica Booth) in the dust.

“He’s shinier and he comes with shinier people,” Singleton told TheWrap of Francois Boom, pointing to rapper and songwriter Pardison Fontaine, who is introduced to Shawna and Mia by Francois at the beginning of the final episode. “What it takes to make it a lot of times it’s like alright, ‘Where am I going to get the most eyes?'”

After working with Pardi on what the duo thinks could be their next hit, Singleton notes that they are drawn to the access provided by Francios’ connections, especially Pardi, who’s worked with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

“By working with Francois Boom, by getting to work with Pardi who’s written for all these other women who are in places that they want to be, they think that, ‘OK, so that means that I’ll be there as well.'”

Francois’ ultimatum prompts Shawna and Mia to turn their back on Chastity, who reminds them of the times Francois has left the girls hanging while she has always advocated for them.

“I think a lot of times [Shawna and Mia] struggle to see [Chastity’s] value, especially because she is like them and she comes from where they come from, and they’re eager to get to that other side and [they’re] wanting to skip some steps,” Singleton said. “We’ve seen them really struggle and build things from the ground up and I think they’re just tired of doing it from the ground up — even though a lot of times that’s what most sustainable.”

Instead, Singleton notes that Shawna and Mia are “looking to fast track themselves” as they search for the next thing that will make them go viral again.

Below, Singleton teases why Chastity was meeting with Gat (Patrick Cage) and what other storylines we might see in a potential Season 3, and discusses Lord AK’s mental health crisis.

TheWrap: At the end of the episode, we see Chastity meeting with Gat. Can you tease what that meeting might have been about?

They now have a common enemy. Gat and Shawna have kind of gone back-and-forth online and Shawna has promised to expose what she knows and what she’s seen behind-the-scenes and now Chastity feels like she’s been like taken for granted and looked over. Shawna and Chastity have always had a rough relationship — Shawna has never really shown her much respect. Chastity has taken a page out of Shawna and Mia’s books where [she’s thinking] “you guys are gonna go with who you feel is gonna get you on the fastest, alright, let me make my own alliances.”

In Episode 5 we saw Lord AK (Jacob Romero) attempt suicide by lighting himself on fire, which a lot of viewers didn’t see coming. How did that idea come together?

When we were speaking during Season 1, we talked about the state of rap and all of the drug overdoses that we were seeing with a lot of artists and a lot of the deaths that we see happen in the industry and how a lot of the music had become so sad, that was something that we were talking about a lot and wanting to touch on that in this world. When Season 2 came around, and we had this headliner, it was a lot of conversation around the pressures of the industry, the lack of support that people feel when it comes to your mental health, but also as a young Black person who’s at the height of their career and has all these expectations and pressures on them … and just this constant “go, go, go” society that never allows you the chance to really check in with yourself and get the help that you need.

Unfortunately in hip-hop, it seems like we’re always losing someone and [their groups] keep going — you look at Migos and what happened to Takeoff and then still putting out music. We also were thinking about Houston, who was an artist back in the day with Capitol Records, who gouged his eye out at a party and all of these kinds of conversations came together and we put inside of this character, Lord AK, and as commentary on some of this stuff that we see.

Even in the aftermath of that labels make more money off of these artists, after they’ve either hurt themselves or died, and other people use it and they do press tours and it just becomes another viral thing and the world just keeps going. It’s dark, but very real, and it’s really real for like the current state of hip-hop.

After seeing Gat smugly talking about Lord AK and advocating for mental health, Shawna claps back at him, and draws the support of some pretty big female rappers like Flo Milli and Rico Nasty. How did those cameos come together?

We were like, we want to legitimize Shawna going forward and make Shawna excited — she almost ends up kind of using this story and what happened to Lord AK to her own benefit. We wanted to find real women rappers who are recognizable, who are loved to help push Shawna in that direction.

[Raedio president] Benoni [Tagoe] reached out to see who would be interested and we’re such fans of Flo Milli and Rico Nasty and were excited when they said yes. We had Flo Milli actually come in and then I remember talking to [Rico Nasty] through how to use the equipment that they sent her and talking them through the story. They were excited to do it and we’re really happy to have them.

Amid all the chaos, Shawna abandoned her plans to see Maurice off as he heads to prison. Why did she neglect those plans and do you think she’ll feel bad about not saying goodbye?

I think she feels bad about not saying goodbye because of the relationship that they have, but also because of now what that’s done to what Maurice is then going to do in turn.

She got so caught up and I think Shawna is very attention-seeking and she’s desperate. That’s what it is. She’s desperate to make it and and sometimes I think she loses sight of her “why” — it’s just caught up in that drive. It took her away from being there for Maurice because, “Oh, look, now I have the song happening, I have all this stuff happening online.” I think we saw what her priorities were.

I know Season 3 is not official yet, but can you tease any storylines or ideas you would be excited to explore for a potential next season?

All of the stuff that we’ve talked about is in very early stages. We definitely want to continue to pick up on Shawna, Mia and Chastity and continue with all the characters that we kind of set up here in Season 2 and and see what that next level is for Shawna and Mia.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

“Rap Sh!t” Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Max.

The post ‘Rap Sh!t’ Showrunner Breaks Down Shawna and Mia’s Season 2 Finale Alliance, Shares Season 3 Hopes appeared first on TheWrap.

But at a time when scandals have pushed the highest court’s legitimacy into question, former CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin believes there is a legal argument that SCOTUS could use to put Trump back on the ballot “without embarrassing themselves.”

In a conversation with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Toobin analyzed the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that disqualified Trump from being on the ballot for violating Section 3 of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. That section, originally created after the Civil War to prevent the leaders of the Confederacy from running for federal office, disqualifies those who “have engaged in insurrection” against the United States.

In a 4-3 ruling, the state court declared that Trump’s involvement in inciting his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was grounds for declaring a violation of Section 3. But Toobin believes that an “intellectually respectable” way for SCOTUS to overturn that ruling is on the argument that Trump was not given “adequate due process” to defend himself.

“He was not given adequate opportunity to prove that he did not engage in [the insurrection]. The trial was too brief, he was not allowed to subpoena witnesses, he was not allowed to take depositions. That is a way 0f getting rid of the case without too embarrassing themselves,” he said.

Hayes acknowledged that such a ruling would be a more sound argument than the one made by five conservative SCOTUS justices in the landmark Bush v. Gore case in 2000 that denied Al Gore the right to a recount of votes in Florida, handing George W. Bush the presidential election. The host even called the Colorado case “Bush v. Gore 2.0.”

NYU law professor Melissa Murray also noted that the dissenting opinion in the Colorado case “laid the seeds” for the potential ruling Toobin suggested, saying that those judges “were reluctant to disqualify someone in the absence of a criminal conviction for insurrection.”

The Supreme Court will have to hand down a ruling quickly, as the deadline for ballot entry in Colorado is Jan. 5. But even if SCOTUS puts Trump back on the ballot in Colorado, Toobin notes that the Republican frontrunner isn’t out of the woods yet as he is still facing criminal indictments in several states.

“If he’s convicted for a first time, then you will see other states come back to this issue, and there will be an even better case [for disqualifying Trump] because he will have had due process. What is better due process than a criminal trial?” he said.

Watch the clip from “All In With Chris Hayes” above.

The post Jeffrey Toobin Explains How SCOTUS Could Put Trump Back on Ballot ‘Without Embarrassing Themselves’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The decision states that Disney failed to properly license the MOVA Contour technology, owned by Rearden, despite knowing that its visual effects partner, DD3, may not have had rights to use or sublicense the software. Disney continued to benefit from using the proprietary MOVA system in “Beauty and the Beast” regardless, the jury ruled.

The jury awarded Rearden about $600,000, including $350,000 meant to represent Disney’s profits attributed to using the copyrighted MOVA technology. While Rearden had asked for over $100 million in damages related to the film’s success, the jury’s award indicates they did not see a strong connection between MOVA Contour and the film’s box office performance.

Other films like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the “Avengers” franchise had also been under dispute, but the sole claim in this case focused on “Beauty and the Beast” and Disney’s liability for knowingly sublicensing software it did not own rights to.

A prior federal court decision already found that DD3’s licensure and ownership transfer of MOVA Contour was fraudulent. While Disney was not party to that ruling, a subsequent case may still be brought over the two “Avengers” films released following that initial judgment.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

The post Disney Loses ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Case Over Visual Effects Technology appeared first on TheWrap.

The network said Thursday that the eighth and final episode of the latest season reached a series high as it gained in premiere-night viewers for a sixth consecutive week.

“We’re so proud of what Julian Fellowes and ‘The Gilded Age’ family have achieved,” HBO programming executive VP of drama series and films Francesca Orsi said. “From the costumes to the production design and performances, the show has captivated so many week after week. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we are thrilled to continue this grand tale for a third season.”

Season 2 of Julian Fellowes’ (“Downton Abbey”) latest drama series premiered Oct. 29 on HBO and Max and rolled out weekly through this past Sunday.

“There is much more story to tell with ‘The Gilded Age,'” Universal Television president Erin Underhill said in a statement. “We’re delighted that HBO is giving fans another season of Julian Fellowes’ incredible storytelling. The cast and crew put so much of their heart and soul into the last two seasons, and we’re so proud that all this hard work is paying off with another season…you won’t want to miss what’s next!”

The ensemble cast of the sprawling historical television series includes Nathan Lane, Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, Jack Gilpin, Simon Jones, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Harry Richardson, Taylor Richardson, Blake Ritson, Douglas Sills, Erin Wilhelmi, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, John Douglas Thompson, Ashlie Atkinson, Laura Benanti, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Christopher Denham, David Furr, Ward Horton, Matilda Lawler and Robert Sean Leonard.

“Season 2 of ‘The Gilded Age’ begins on Easter morning 1883, with the news that Bertha Russell’s bid for a box at the Academy of Music has been rejected,” the official logline of the show says. “Through the eight episodes of the season, we watch as Bertha challenges Mrs. Astor and the old system and works to not only gain a foothold in Society but to potentially take a leading role in it. George Russell takes on his battle with a growing union at his steel plant in Pittsburgh. In the Brook House, Marian continues her journey to find her way in the world secretly teaching at a girls school while much to everyone’s surprise Ada begins a new courtship. Of course, Agnes approves of none of it. In Brooklyn, the Scott family begins to heal from a shocking discovery, and Peggy taps into her activist spirit through her work with T. Thomas Fortune at the NY Globe.”

Executive produced by Gareth Neame as well as director David Crockett, and produced by Michael Engler, the show is also executive produced by Bob Greenblatt, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and writer Sonja Warfield. “The Gilded Age” is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television.

Dessi Gomez contributed to this report.

The post ‘The Gilded Age’ Renewed by HBO for a 3rd Season appeared first on TheWrap.

At one point Michael Keaton shot a cameo scene for the movie, and then Ben Affleck shot a scene as well that even “Aquaman” headliner Jason Momoa posted on his social media back in July 2022.

“REUNITED bruce and arthur. love u and miss u Ben WB studio tours just explored the backlot alright. busted on set all great things coming AQUAMAN 2 all my aloha j”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies)

Earlier this year, Momoa was asked at the TheWrap’s Sundance Studio what it was like filming scenes with Keaton’s Batman.

“I shot with a couple different Batmans, but you just don’t know what’s going on and we’ll see what the end product is,” Momoa said.

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” director James Wan recently spoke out on whether the film would connect to other DCEU movies like “The Flash” or feature cameos from characters like Batman.

“The tricky thing early on was not knowing whether Aquaman would come out first or come out after [The Flash],” Wan told Entertainment Weekly. “So, we just had to be prepared. At the end of the day, the best thing I would say about this movie is that it is not connected in any way to any of those films. That’s the bottom line. [When asked if either Batman appears in the movie] That’s a ‘no comment,’ right now. You’re going to have to wait for the movie to come out.”

Does Michael Keaton or Ben Affleck’s Batman Appear in “Aquaman 2?”

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Neither Michael Keaton or Ben Affleck’s Batman appear in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” Neither does any other member of the DCEU – no Flash, no Wonder Woman – appear in the film. So if you were looking for a final “Justice League” reunion in the film, it doesn’t happen. Goodbye DCEU, enter the DCU.

How is the film? In his review of “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” TheWrap’s William Bibbani wrote: “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is a hacked up mess, and that’s not just the editing, but boy is it also the editing. The film tediously recycles the plot of the original, with two characters switching places and another one cut out so haphazardly that it’s genuinely embarrassing and hurts the whole film. 

The post Does Batman Appear in ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 31-year-old Spencer Elden, argued that the album cover was similar to a “sex worker grabbing for a dollar bill” and that its legacy had dealt trauma to Elden as an adult. The lawsuit was dismissed in September 2022 by a Los Angeles federal district judge, who ruled that the suit against several record labels, the band’s surviving members and the estate of late guitarist Kurt Cobain was barred by a 10-year statute of limitations.

But a new ruling from a three-judge appellate court filed Thursday and obtained by TheWrap, ruled that since each new publication of the “Nevermind” cover may constitute personal trauma, the lawsuit was not bound to the statute of limitations.

“Elden’s complaint does allege new injuries, stemming from the Defendants’ redistribution of the album cover during the ten years prior to the action, within the limitations period,” read the ruling from George W. Bush appointee Judge Sandra S. Ikuta.

Since its release more than 30 years ago, “Nevermind” has become one of the bestselling and most influential rock albums ever released with more than 30 million copies sold. Elden’s family was friends with the photographer who shot the album cover and received $200 for allowing him to use the newborn Spencer Elden for the picture.

While Elden recreated the album cover in 2016 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of “Nevermind,” he filed a lawsuit against the band in 2021, arguing that by not covering his genitals on the cover with a sticker — something that Kurt Cobain staunchly refused — Nirvana had failed to protect him from sexual exploitation. The lawsuit was dismissed but with the opportunity to refile left open. Elden did so with the current lawsuit in January 2022.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

The post Nirvana ‘Nevermind’ Cover Art Lawsuit Revived by Federal Judges appeared first on TheWrap.

Action-oriented series continues to be a winning genre when it comes to the biggest screen in the home. “Reacher” is back on Amazon’s Prime Video, making a strong viewership debut in its second season.

The sophomore season premiere scored 1.3 million U.S. households viewing within the first three days available to stream, according to the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report for the week of Dec. 11 to Dec. 17.

The second season’s premiere saw more than a 20% increase compared to the prior season opener. Viewership of the series tended to resonate most with older adults, as Baby Boomers (adults aged 65-74) over-indexed by 10% based on the initial three-day viewing window.

Then there was a jolt from “Barbie” which catapulted Max to No. 3 this week. The much-anticipated streaming release of “Barbie” garnered 1.2 million U.S. households in the first four days it was available to stream. That’s more than five times the number of households who watched Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster film live on demand when it first arrived, signaling a strong preference to stream the movie via subscription service rather than rent or buy the film at home.

Of all income earners, higher-income households making over $200,000 over-indexed by 16% in the initial four-day viewing window compared to the average household.

Coming-of-age drama “My Life with the Walter Boys” starring Suits actress Sarah Rafferty took fourth. In fifth this week was “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” streaming on Netflix and VOD.

The second half of “The Crown’s” final season soared into sixth place, as nearly 700,000 U.S. households tuned in to get their final fix of the Royal Family drama within the first four days available on Netflix. While that’s down double digits from the first part of this season (the fifth season premiere saw 778,000 households tuning in within its same four-day initial viewing window), the fascination around another royal scandal may keep the series on the leaderboard for weeks to come. “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” on Paramount+ followed at No. 7.

With families gearing up for the holidays, Christmas programming had another strong week. Amazon Prime Video’s “Candy Cane Lane” and Netflix’s “Family Switch” both topped the charts at No. 8 and No 9, respectively. Rounding out the final spot is “World War II: From the Frontlines” a docu-series unlike any other, with archival stories and footage with accounts on both sides of the conflict.

On broadcast television, NBC’s “The Voice” earned yet another week atop the leaderboard as the remaining contestants battled it out in the semifinals. Two additional telecasts earned spots among the Top 10.

This week’s linear charts also saw several country music specials make the list. At No. 2 was “Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration” airing on CBS, while “CMA Country Christmas” on ABC earned No. 5. 

ABC, meanwhile, has aired the beloved “The Sound of Music” musical this time of year for decades, making it a TV event that is highly anticipated around the holidays. The Rodgers & Hammerstein film came in at No. 3 this week. Game show program “Wheel of Fortune” nabbed three telecasts in the Top 10, followed by CBS’ “Survivor.”

Cole Strain is VP and Head of R&D at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. Click here for more data and analysis  from Samba TV. 

The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most watched movies and TV series from the past week across both streaming and linear television sourced from viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households drawn from over 25 million connected TVs, balanced to the U.S. Census.

The post ‘Leave the World Behind’ Holds Off ‘Barbie’ and ‘Reacher’ to Win Streaming Top 10 | Charts appeared first on TheWrap.

And yet, largely thanks to Zack Snyder, there’s an overarching story that’s been told, and one you can follow if you watch the films in a specific order. Below, we run down how to watch the DC movies in chronological order.

DC Movies in Chronological Order

The DC Extended Universe

When trying to watch the DC movies in chronological order, most people are talking about the interconnected universe of films that kicked off with Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot “Man of Steel.” From then on, a universe was constructed in which characters crossed over from one film to the next, only to be somewhat abandoned after the release of “Justice League.”

The theatrical cut of “Justice League” was finished off by Joss Whedon after Snyder left during post-production and after hefty reshoots that largely abandon teases for future DC films. “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” meanwhile, is Snyder’s epic four-hour version of the story that teases grand DCEU plans that will not be coming to fruition following his departure.

After either version of “Justice League,” you’ll find DC connectivity is more sparse.

“Black Adam” takes place after the events of “The Suicide Squad,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” takes place after “Black Adam” and the multiverse-traversing “The Flash” takes place all over the place — but is chronologically set around the same time as “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” the final film in the DCEU, ostensibly takes place furthest in the timeline but includes few connections to the overall continuity.

Without further ado, here’s how to watch all the DCEU movies in chronological order:

• Wonder Woman
• Wonder Woman 1984
• Man of Steel
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
• Suicide Squad
• Justice League // Zack Snyder’s Justice League
• Aquaman
• Shazam!
• Birds of Prey
• The Suicide Squad
• Black Adam
• Shazam! Fury of the Gods
• The Flash
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

DC Movies in Release Order

The DC Extended Universe

If you simply want to watch the DC movies in the order in which they were released — which, frankly, makes a bit more sense connectivity-wise — here’s a complete rundown of the DCEU movies in release order:

• Man of Steel (2013)
• Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
• Suicide Squad (2016)
• Wonder Woman (2017)
• Justice League – (2017)
• Aquaman – (2018)
• Shazam! (2019)
• Birds of Prey (2020)
• Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
• Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
• The Suicide Squad (2021)
• Black Adam (2022)
• Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
• The Flash (2023)
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Is “The Batman” Part of the DCU?

If you’re wondering why the new Robert Pattinson-led reboot “The Batman” isn’t on this list, it’s because it’s not part of the DCEU. Which means you could watch it at any time without worrying about where it fits on the timeline.

The Matt Reeves-directed box office hit takes place on “Earth-2,” meaning it’s in an entirely different universe than the one populated by Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman. It’s completely disconnected from any of these aforementioned movies, just like the Joaquin Phoenix-led “Joker.”

Upcoming New DC Movies

Now that James Gunn and Peter Safran are building out a new slate of DC movies, the interconnected DCEU is about to get even more complicated, with a handful of films that were greenlit under the previous regime still rolling out in 2023 and Gunn and Safran launching their new vision for the DCU — titled “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.”

All of this to say, here’s a list of the DC movies currently in the works that are set for release:

• Joker: Folie a Deux – Oct. 4, 2024
• Superman: Legacy – July 11, 2025
• The Batman II – Oct. 3, 2025

The post Here’s How to Watch the DC Movies in Chronological Order appeared first on TheWrap.