This is a list of unmade and unreleased projects by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

. Some of these productions were, or still are, in "

development hell Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game en ...

" in other mediums.

Batman

Fleischer Studios' ''Batman''

Following the success of the Fleischer ''Superman'' cartoons,

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...

communicated with

over the possibility of adapting

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

. The communication got to the point of budget discussions as illustrated in a letter dated January 25, 1942, and reproduced in longtime Batman executive producer, Michael E. Uslan's 2011 memoir, '' The Boy Who Loved Batman''. It is, however, unknown how far the production of this project went before being abandoned.

CBS' Mike Henry Batman

Prior to the 1966 juggernaut that was the Adam West/Burt Ward ''Batman'' series, CBS attempted to launch a live action children's program based on the character. Former

Rams In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

and

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

actor Mike Henry was soon approached to appear as the character and even took publicity stills. The project went into limbo, and after a long stagnation, producers attempted to ironically sell it to NBC; they passed on the project in 1965.

''Batman vs.
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...
''

The original idea for this seemingly mismatched crossover comes from the hand of series writer Shinichi Sekizawa, who submitted a manuscript of the proposal in November 1965. Sekizawa's concept featured several characters from the Batman universe, including Robin and Commissioner Gordon. To actually battle the King of the Monsters, Batman and his sidekicks would have utilized several vehicles to engage in combat, including the Batmobile, the Batcopter, and the Batcycle. Interesting to note, the concept also featured the introduction of a weather control apparatus, an idea which would later be worked into the script for '' Son of Godzilla'' (1967). It was also going to have another device to control Godzilla himself, which would possibly indicate another antagonist pitting the two characters against each other. In terms of Sekizawa's motivation, his reasoning seems clear in these drafts: to try and repeat the mammoth international success that the crossover film '' King Kong vs. Godzilla'' (1962) enjoyed. This is made apparent in allusions to the earlier 1962 film, as even this extremely early take at the concept included mention of Godzilla's battle with King Kong, which was noted as being included with stock footage of the two titans fighting. Not surprisingly, though, the concept never got far enough for a full-fledged script to have been created. There are many questions related to the proposal still unknown as well, such as if

was ever actually approached with the idea or not. It is also not known to what degree the then-recent ''Batman'' TV series, which debuted two months after Sekizawa proposed this idea, might have played, if any. It is also interesting to note that references to "Batgirl" are made in the concept, which would predate the Barbara Gordon version of the character that would later become synonymous with the name in 1966.

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
''Batman Continues''

During the early development of the cancelled ''Catwoman'' spin-off, Burton expressed his interest in directing the third installment of the ''Batman'' film series that began with ''Batman'' in 1989.

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

lead drummer

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. (born March 8, 1945) is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the Pop music, pop-Rock music, rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, ...

was attached to star as the

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in Oc ...

, the film's main antagonist. Also, Harvey Dent's transformation into

Two-Face Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in '' Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). As one of Batman ...

was supposed to occur in the film, with

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thirt ...

reprising his role as Dent from the first film, after turning down the offer to appear in ''

Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman'' (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 ''Batman ...

''. Along with these, Michelle Pfeiffer was attached to return as

Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she ...

, Marlon Wayans was attached to star as

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

, and Rene Russo was attached to star as

Dr. Chase Meridian A collective of fictional characters appear in American comic books published by DC Comics featuring the superhero Batman as the main protagonist. Since Batman's introduction in 1939, the character has accumulated a number of recognizable suppor ...

. However, when Warner Bros. observed that the script was just as gloomy as the previous film, they decided to put

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. He ...

as the director of the third installment, leading to the release of ''

Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' (on-screen title is simply ''Forever'') is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The third installment ...

'', in which Burton served as producer, without being able to contribute ideas.

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. He ...
's ''Batman Unchained''

'' Batman: Year One'' live-action film

''Batman: Assault on Arkham 2''

In a 2016 interview, Jay Oliva mentioned that he had plans to make a sequel to '' Batman: Assault on Arkham'', but following his departure from Warner Bros. Animation, the project was pulled off.

''Batman: The Musical''

In 2002, Burton, Jim Steinman, and David Ives had worked on a theater production called ''Batman: The Musical''. Steinman has revealed five songs from the musical. The first is the opening theme for "Gotham City" and the entry of Batman with his tortured solo "The Graveyard Shift"; followed by "The Joker's Song (Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?)", "The Catwoman's Song (I Need All The Love I Can Get)", "We're Still the Children We Once Were" (the climactic sequence) and "In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King", sung by the corrupt bloodsuckers ruling Gotham; the last song mentioned here was covered on the

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

album '' Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''. After production was cancelled, these songs were released on the ''Batman: The Musical'' memorial site.

''Bruce Wayne''

''Gotham High''

An animated series that reimagines Batman characters as high school students was in development in the late 2000s and early 2010s. A similar idea was used for the ''

DC Super Hero Girls ''DC Super Hero Girls'' or ''DC Superhero Girls'' (in various countries) is an American superhero web series and franchise Produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the thi ...

'' 2015 shorts and the 2019 animated series.

''Batman: No Man's Land''

''Batman: Arkham''

After the success of '' Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero'', Warner Bros. greenlighted the production of a third installment, entitled ''Batman: Arkham''. Boyd Kirkland, the director of this film, was attached to write and direct. The film would have Batman and Robin facing off against a collection of

Arkham Asylum The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane (), commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital/prison, named after the city of Arkham which appeared first in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, and later appear ...

escapees, in addition to Batman finding himself falling in love with a new love interest, planned to be voiced by

Angie Harmon Angela Michelle Harmon (born August 10, 1972) is an American actress and model. She won ''Seventeens modeling contest in 1987 at age 15, signed with IMG Models, and appeared on covers for magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Esquire''. ...

. The main cast of '' Batman: The Animated Series'' was attached to reprise their roles. Steven E. Gordon also drew some art concept for the film. The film was ultimately cancelled in favor of '' Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' (which also featured Harmon), while ''Batman: Arkham'' eventually became a successful video game series by Rocksteady.

''The Batman vs. Hush''

A second movie of '' The Batman'' titled ''The Batman vs. Hush'' that featured Hush as the main villain along with the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman and Clayface was planned for a long time. The film ended up being scrapped. Before its cancellation, producer

Alan Burnett Alan Burnett (; born February 17, 1950) is an American television writer-producer particularly associated with Warner Bros. Animation, Hanna-Barbera Productions, DC Comics, and Walt Disney television animation. He has had a hand in virtually ...

had hopes of making one or two more DTV movies based on ''The Batman''. A similar film based on '' Batman: Hush'' ultimately came out in 2019 as part of the DC Animated Movie Universe.

''Batman Beyond''

''
Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...
'' live-action film

Untitled ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' sequel

A second ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...

'' film was planned for release, but was finally scrapped due to the dark tones and controversies of '' Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'' in 2001.

Untitled ''Batman Beyond'' animated film

Timm has mentioned that a ''

'' film is a possibility, and in August 2017, Tucker stated in his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

account that discussions about a possible ''Batman Beyond'' film occur several times at the studio.

In the Batman Family

''Batgirl''

A spin-off of the 1966 ''Batman'' show was noted in 1967 but did not go past a seven-minute presentation.

''Robin''

A spin-off to ''

Batman and Robin Batman and Robin are a superhero duo appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman and Robin may also refer to: Comics and literature * ''Batman and Robin'' (comic strip), a newspaper comic strip, started in 1943 *''All Star Ba ...

'' based on Robin was in the works, but was cancelled due to the critical and box office failure of the 1997 film.

''Batgirl: Year One''

'' Batman: Year Ones executive producer

Bruce Timm Bruce Walter Timm (born February 5, 1961) is an American artist, animator, writer, and producer. He has contributed to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably ''Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) and the subsequen ...

and co-director Lauren Montgomery expressed interest in producing an animated film based on '' Batgirl: Year One'', but DC cancelled all plans for an adaptation.

''Nightwing: The Animated Series''

An animated series featuring Nightwing was in development from Ki Hyun Ryu of '' The Boondocks'' and ''

The Legend of Korra ''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American Anime-influenced animation, anime-influenced Animated series, animated television series created by Michael Dante ...

'' fame. The series was rejected in favor for ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

''.

''Catwoman: The Animated Series''

In the massive success of '' Batman: The Animated Series'',

Fox Kids Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channels. Originally a j ...

approached

on making a spin-off based on

. The series was scrapped in favor of '' Superman: The Animated Series''.

Tim Burton's ''Catwoman'' spin-off

''Batman Returns'' would be the last film in the Warner Bros. ''Batman'' film series that featured Burton and

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in '' Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in '' Beetlejuice'' ...

as director and leading actor. With ''

'', Warner Bros. decided to go in a "lighter" direction to be more mainstream in the process of a

family film A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that contains children or relates to them in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films are ...

. Burton had no interest in returning to direct a sequel, but was credited as producer. With Warner Bros. moving on development for ''Batman Forever'' in June 1993, a ''Catwoman''

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

was announced.

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and producer. A prolific performer whose screen work spans over four decades, she became one of Hollywood's most bankable stars and popular sex symbols during the 1980s ...

was to reprise her role, with the character not to appear in ''Forever'' because of her own spin-off. Burton became attached as director, while producer Denise Di Novi and writer Daniel Waters also returned. In January 1994, Burton was unsure of his plans to direct ''Catwoman'' or an adaptation of " The Fall of the House of Usher". On June 6, 1995, Waters turned in his ''Catwoman'' script to Warner Bros., the same day ''Batman Forever'' was released. Burton was still being courted to direct. Waters joked: "Turning it in the day ''Batman Forever'' opened may not have been my best logistical move, in that it's the celebration of the fun-for-the-whole-family Batman. ''Catwoman'' is definitely not a fun-for-the-whole-family script". In an August 1995 interview, Pfeiffer reiterated her interest in the spin-off, but explained her priorities would be challenged as a mother and commitments to other projects. The film labored in

for years, with Pfeiffer replaced by

Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonn ...

. The film ended up becoming the critically panned ''

'' (2004), starring Halle Berry.

Untitled direct-to-video ''Catwoman'' film

Around 2003, during the production of '' Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman'', Warner Bros. approached Boyd Kirkland to write a

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

feature film as a tie-in with the 2004 live-action film. Although the script was written, the project was soon scrapped after the poor reception of the live-action film.

Direct-to-video ''Joker'' film

In 2016, '' Batman: The Killing Joke'' screenwriter

Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. Az ...

had stated that he would like to adapt his novel '' Joker'' into an animated film.

''The Joker vs. the Powerpuff Girls''

During the initial run of the Cartoon Network series ''

The Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic T ...

'', series creator Craig McCracken wanted to do a crossover episode featuring the Joker. On

Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a ...

, he said:

Superman

''Superman III: Supergirl''

Producer Ilya Salkind originally wrote a treatment for the third installment from the ''Superman'' film series starring

Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, best known for playing the title character in the film ''Superman (1978 film), Superman'' (1978) and three sequels. Born in New York City and raised in P ...

that expanded the film's scope to a cosmic scale, introducing the villains Brainiac and

Mister Mxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk (, ), sometimes called Mxy, is a character who appears in DC Comics' '' Superman'' comic books. He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with which he en ...

, as well as ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her ...

''. The original outline featured a father–daughter relationship between Brainiac and Supergirl and a romance between Superman and Supergirl, even though the two are cousins in the comics. Warner Bros. rejected the outline and made their own ''

Superman III ''Superman III'' is a 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the third installment in the ''Superman'' film series and a sequel to '' S ...

'' film.

''Superman V''

A sequel to the original ''Superman'' film series was in the works following '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace''. The film was cancelled due to the fact that ''Quest for Peace'' was a flop.

''Superman Reborn''

''Superman Lives''

''Superman: Flyby''

''Superman Returns'' sequel

Untitled ''Man of Steel'' sequel

Untitled ''Superman'' spin-off series

In June 2006, during an interview about '' Superman: Brainiac Attacks'', writer Duane Capizzi mentioned a Superman series set in the same universe of '' The Batman'', a possibility supported by Superman's revealed existence during the show's fifth season. Despite this, the expansion was never realized, and Capizzi never again mentioned the spin-off.

'' Superman: Red Son'' live-action film

In 2017, Jordan Vogt-Roberts pitched a ''Red Son'' adaptation to

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

, as an "offshoot" of the

DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters tha ...

with different actors for Superman and Batman, but "was told no". Mark Millar responded by saying that two friends of his had been approached by WB to direct a live-action ''Red Son''. An

animated film Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

ultimately came out in 2020 as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

In the Superman Family

''The Adventures of Superboy'' TV pilot

''The Adventures of Superpup'' TV pilot

''Metropolis'' TV series

In January 2018, '' Gotham'' producers John Stephens and Danny Cannon and Warner Bros. Television were reportedly given a 13-episode straight-to-series order for the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lante ...

series ''Metropolis'', which follows Lois Lane and Lex Luthor as they investigate the world of fringe science and expose the city's dark and bizarre secrets. Later in May, the series was being redeveloped, but no further news came of project's status.

Untitled ''Superman Family'' animated series

In May 2018, Vinton Heuck and Sean Galloway pitched an idea for a ''Superman Family'' animated series to Warner Bros. Animation but the pitch was rejected in favor of ''Harley Quinn'' animated series.

Wonder Woman

''Who's Afraid of Diana Prince'' TV pilot (1967)

A proposed 1967 television series, that only resulted in the production of a short pilot. The success of the ''

'' television series led ''Batman'' producer William Dozier to commission a pilot script by

Stan Hart Stan Hart (September 12, 1928 – July 27, 2017
) was an American comedy writer with many television ...

and

Larry Siegel Lawrence H. Siegel (October 29, 1925 – August 20, 2019) was an American comedy writer and satirist who wrote for television, stage, magazines, records, and books. He won three Emmys as Head Writer during four seasons of ''The Carol Burnett Show ...

. ''Batman'' writer Stanley Ralph Ross was then asked to perform a re-write, after Hart and Siegel's script was deemed unsuitable. A portion of the pilot, under five minutes in length, was filmed by Greenway Productions, the company behind the ''Batman'' show under the title ''Who's Afraid of Diana Prince?'' The piece starred Ellie Wood Walker (

Robert Walker Jr. Robert Hudson Walker Jr. (April 15, 1940 – December 5, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in films including ''Easy Rider'' (1969) and was a familiar presence on television in the 1960s and early 1970s. He became less active in lat ...

's wife) as Diana Prince, Linda Harrison as Diana's Wonder Woman alter ego and Maudie Prickett as Diana's mother. In the proposed series Diana Prince (not Wonder Woman) would have been the focus of the comedy. Diana, an awkward and rather plain young woman, lives with her mother close to a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

base. Much of the film consists of her mother berating Diana about not having a boyfriend. When her mother leaves the room, Diana changes into her Wonder Woman costume and admires her reflection in a mirror. What she sees is not Diana Prince, but rather a sexy super-heroic figure (played by Linda Harrison) who proceeds to preen and pose as the song " Oh, You Beautiful Doll" plays on the soundtrack. The pilot ends with Diana climbing out a window and flying away, indicating that, despite her apparent delusions regarding her alter ego, she does have some super powers. This pilot episode was never broadcast and the project was abandoned.

Filmation's ''Wonder Woman'' animated series

Animation studio

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and p ...

considered making an animated series based on Wonder Woman in 1968 following the then-massive success of the TV series ''

'', but nothing came out of it.

1999 NBC series

'' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' producer Deborah Joy LeVine attempted to do a Wonder Woman TV series in 1999 for NBC. The character was stated to be, "a Greek history professor, a young and very bright woman having a hard time juggling her personal life with her work".

Early attempts of a ''Wonder Woman'' film

''Wonder Woman 2'' (2011)

There were plans to make a sequel to the 2009 direct-to-video film ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as being ...

'', but was cancelled due to poor DVD sales.

''Wonder Woman'' TV pilot (2011)

A TV series based on Wonder Woman was in the works in 2010 that would have aired on NBC in 2011.

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
's ''Amazon''

In 2012,

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

, Warner Bros. Television and

announced that they were developing a new origin story for Wonder Woman called ''Amazon''. In early 2013, the network pushed the pilot back until the 2014/15 season. The same year in May, The CW announced that the show was still in development, with a new script by

Aron Eli Coleite Aron Eli Coleite (sometimes credited Aron Coleite) is an American comic book writer, television writer and producer best known for his work on the Netflix series '' Daybreak'', the NBC series ''Heroes'' and on the comic book series ''Ultimate X- ...

, replacing Allan Heinberg, who wrote the previous script for the planned pilot, but in July '' The Flash'', by

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director of film and television. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' Everwood'', '' Political Animals'', ...

and Andrew Kreisberg was fast-tracked instead. Mark Pedowitz confirmed that "''Amazon'' is on pause (as) the script is not exactly what we wanted, and with an iconic character like Wonder Woman, we have to get it right". The project was canceled in early 2014, as Pedowitz confirmed to ''The Hollywood Reporter'': "We did not go forward with it ..it all depends on the script. We were very careful with ''Arrow'', and we're being very careful with Flash ..these are iconic characters, so we're going to be very careful with Wonder Woman. You only get one shot before you get bit". Pedowitz later said in August 2017 that the success of the feature film has killed any current attempts to bring the Amazonian warrior to the small screen on their channel.

Justice League

''Justice League of America'' (1990)

In 1990, Magnum Pictures developed a script for a Justice League TV show starring Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Fire and Ice plus other members from the comic's ''

Justice League International Justice League International (JLI) is a fictional DC comics superhero team that succeeded the original Justice League from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. The team enjoyed several comic books runs, the first being written by Keith Giffen and ...

'' run.

George Miller's ''Justice League: Mortal''

''Justice League of America''

Early attempt at a ''Justice League'' series

An early attempt at a

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

television series was to feature lesser known superheroes, like the

Question A question is an utterance which serves as a request for information. Questions are sometimes distinguished from interrogatives, which are the grammatical forms typically used to express them. Rhetorical questions, for instance, are interrogat ...

and

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...

, that would have been part of the

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televisi ...

. The series was cancelled in favor of ''

''.

''Justice League: Worlds Collide''

Circa 2004,

announced that a

''Justice League'' feature film was in the works. The film was intended to make a bridge between the second season of ''Justice League'' to the first season of ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 United States, American superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. ...

''. The film was planned to reveal how

acquired her Invisible-Jet, and also planned to feature the

Crime Syndicate Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally tho ...

as the main antagonists, an idea that was originally conceived for the two-part episode "A Better World", until the Syndicate was replaced by the

Justice Lords Justice Lords are a fictional team of anti-heroes/anti-villains who first appeared in the two-part ''Justice League'' episode "A Better World", which was broadcast on November 1, 2003. The Justice Lords were brought into DC Comics' canonical Mult ...

. Dwayne McDuffie wrote the script and

Andrea Romano Andrea Romano may refer to: * Andrea Romano (voice director) (born 1955), American casting director, voice director and voice actress * Andrea Romano (politician) (born 1967), Italian politician * Andrea Romanò Andrea Romanò (born 23 July 1 ...

assembled the cast, but Warner Bros. finally scrapped the project. In 2010, the film's plot was used for the non-DCAU film '' Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'', but removing all references to the continuity of the

DC animated universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televisi ...

, and replacing

John Stewart John Stewart may refer to: Business * John Aikman Stewart (1822–1926), American banker * John Killough Stewart (1867–1938), businessman and philanthropist in Queensland, Australia * John K. Stewart (1870–1916), American entrepreneur and inve ...

with

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in ...

as the

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness ...

''JLA/Avengers'' film

In 2009, Bruce Timm has expressed interest in an animated film based on the '' JLA/Avengers'' crossover limited series. As of 2020, no updates have appeared since.

''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' film

In 2009, Bruce Timm mentioned the possibility of an animated film of ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to ...

''.

Untitled direct-to-video ''Justice League'' film

An untitled ''Justice League'' direct to DVD film was in the works in 2008, with a design by James Tucker.

Untitled ''Justice League'' sequels

A sequels to ''Justice League'' (2017) were in development, with Zack Snyder attached to direct. By 2019, Warner Bros. had prioritized standalone films over the project.

Superman and Batman

Untitled Batman/Superman TV series

There were plans to make an animated series featuring Superman and Batman. It would have been an origin story.

''Batman vs. Superman''

Teen Titans

Hanna Barbera's Teen Titans

In the 1980s, Hanna Barbera planned a TV series for the Teen Titans in the same universe as the ''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League ...

''.

DCAU's ''Teen Titans'' TV series

An early plan for the ''Teen Titans'' TV series was to include it into the DC Animated Universe. This idea was later abandoned in favor of being its own stand-alone series. This roster would have included

Kid Flash Kid Flash is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first version of the c ...

Wonder Girl Wonder Girl is the alias of multiple superheroines featured in comic books published by DC Comics. Donna Troy, the original Wonder Girl, was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani and first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #60 (June/July ...

Speedy Speedy refers to something or someone moving at high speed. Speedy may refer to: Ships * HMS ''Speedy'', nine ships of the Royal Navy * ''Speedy''-class brig, a class of naval ship * ''Speedy'' (1779), a whaler and convict ship despatched i ...

Aqualad Aqualad is the name of two fictional comic book superheroes appearing in media published by DC Entertainment. The first Aqualad, Garth, debuted in February 1960 in ''Adventure Comics'' #269 and was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist ...

, the

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...

, and

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a b ...

''Teen Titans'' live-action film

Around the time of the cancellation of ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to ...

'' (2003–06), WB was thinking of a live action film version of the Teen Titans with different looks, but later on it got scrapped and left behind a well-hidden Easter egg in 2007's '' I Am Legend'', where Will Smith's character enters a local video store and in the background is a 2009 ''Teen Titans'' movie poster saying that the film is coming soon to DVD. This was turned into '' Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo''.

Blackbirds

In September 2014, TNT announced a live-action Teen Titans television series originally titled ''Titans'' before ''Blackbirds''. In November, Akiva Goldsman and Marc Haimes wrote the script for the pilot. Filming was scheduled to begin mid-2015 but was postponed to October. The project was ultimately cancelled in January 2016. The roster would have included Nightwing, Starfire,

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

Hawk and Dove Hawk and Dove are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates, they appeared in '' Showcase'' #75 (June 1968) during the Silver Age of Comic Books. The duo has existed in ...

and

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The wor ...

The Flash

Early attempts at a ''The Flash'' live-action film (2000s)

The WB's ''Flash''

In 2003,

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...

was planning a ''Flash'' TV series with Todd Komarnicki signed on to write and executive produce it. Inspired by the 1960s science fiction drama ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...

'', the series would have been a loose adaptation of the Flash, depicting him as a fresh-out-of-college

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, t ...

resident who uses his powers to travel backwards and forwards in time, going on missions. As with ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar/ ...

'', the series would have eschewed superhero costumes altogether.

Plastic Man

Early attempts of a live-action ''Plastic Man'' film

A live-action feature film featuring

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in '' Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the first superheroes t ...

was in the works in 1992. It would have been produced by

Amblin Entertainment Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy (producer), Kathlee ...

, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks SKG, written by

The Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born June 21, 1965, formerly known as Larry Wachowski) and Lilly Wachowski (born December 29, 1967, formerly known as Andy Wachowski) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans ...

, and to be directed by Brian Spicer, following the success of 1989's ''

''. Nothing was made official until 14 years later, following the box-office disaster of The Wachowskis' ''Speed Racer'', they decided to resurrect the old script and make the film with a release date set for December 2009. Both

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy t ...

and

Bruce Campbell Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is known for portraying Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' franchise, beginning with the 1978 short film '' Within the Woods''. He has starred in many low- ...

were considered for the role, until

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in ''Youngblood'' (1986). H ...

was announced to play Plastic Man. Nothing came out of this proposed 2009 film either. In 2013, rumors began to spread that

David Tennant David John Tennant ('' né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the ...

would play Plastic Man in the 2017 ''

'' film as a comical character, something that The Flash's role in the film is. Later in December 2018, a new development of a Plastic Man film was announced as part of DC Extended Universe, with Amanda Idoko instead writing the screenplay and Robert Shaye executive producing. Cat Vasko was later hired to do rewrite of her screenplay, now reworked as a female-centered film.

''Plastic Man'' animated film

Filmmaker and comic book writer

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...

mentioned at Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo that he met with

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He se ...

and pitched an animated

film that he wrote for DC. There have been no further developments since.

''Plastic Man'' TV series

Several attempts to make a TV series based on Plastic Man were in development, one being in 1967 at

Hal Seeger Harold Seeger (May 16, 1917 – March 13, 2005) was an American animated cartoon producer and director who owned his own studio the Hal Seeger Studio (Hal Seeger Productions). He is most famous as the creator of the 1960s animated series ''Batfin ...

Productions, and another at

. Another attempt was in the 2006 where Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network commissioned an animated pilot titled "Puddle Trouble". They ultimately decided not to pick it up as a series, but the pilot can be seen on the ''Plastic Man: The Complete Collection'' DVD set.

Aquaman

''Aquaman'' TV pilot (2006)

''Aquaman'' animated film

An animated film based on

was first mentioned by

in 2010, but was cancelled due to marketing concerns. Filmmaker Adam Green even wrote a screenplay to ''Aquaman''.

Early attempts of an ''Aquaman'' live-action film

In 2003, Sunrise Entertainment made plans to produce an ''Aquaman'' film with Warner Bros., with first time writer Ben Grant set to write the screenplay. Nothing came out of this. Until a year, Leonardo DiCaprio signed on to the project that would have been produced by his production company,

Appian Way Productions Appian Way Productions is a Los Angeles based film and television production company founded in 2001 by actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio. Jennifer Davisson serves as President of Production. Since its launch, Appian Way has released a dive ...

, but nothing came out of this either.

Green Lantern

Early attempts of a ''Green Lantern'' live-action film

''Green Lantern: First Flight'' sequel

There were plans to make a sequel to '' Green Lantern: First Flight''; nothing came of it due to poor DVD sales.

''Green Lantern'' (2011) sequels

''Sinestro Corps War'' animated film

DC's executive editor

Dan DiDio Dan DiDio (; born October 13, 1959) is an American writer, editor, and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. From February 2010 until February 2020, he was the co-publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee. '' Wiza ...

has expressed interest in seeing the 2007–2008 ''

Sinestro Corps War "Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book crossover event published by DC Comics in its ''Green Lantern'' and ''Green Lantern Corps'' titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, and Ethan Van Sc ...

'' comic storyline adapted.

Green Arrow

In 1990, according to TV Guide magazine at the time, Green Arrow live action series was in development but nothing came of it.

''Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max''

Untitled ''Green Arrow'' animated film

Bruce Timm has said that he would like to do a Green Arrow film.

Cyborg

''Cyborg'' TV series

A planned Cyborg series was in development with Drake as the character.

''Cyborg'' film

A solo ''Cyborg'' film in the

was announced in October 2014, with Ray Fisher set to reprise his

role A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given indivi ...

from the then upcoming '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice''. Joe Morton was also set to reprise his role as Silas Stone. Though the film was consistently stated to be in production until 2020, by 2021, amidst a dispute between Ray Fisher and Warner Bros. Pictures regarding an investigation in the reshoot process on ''Justice League'', he stated that he would not play the role in any film that has then President of

DC Films DC Studios is an American film and television studio that is a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. It is dedicated to the production of films, series, and animations based on characters from DC Comics, ...

Walter Hamada's involvement. DC Films responded by stating that they will not recast the role.

Deadman

''Deadman'' film

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films '' Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and '' The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for ...

has taken interest in producing a film based on Deadman, supposedly from the only source. '' Variety'' reported that Nikolaj Arcel was set to direct the film. Since then, no updates have emerged for the project.

''Deadman'' TV series

Following the success of ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to ...

'' in 2000, Warner Bros. Television announced that a Deadman television film for TNT was in development, which was also being considered as a pilot for a potential television series. The project was still in development by 2003, but was later shelved. In 2011, WBTV hired ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' creator Eric Kripke to helm a Deadman television series for

, as the network was looking to commission a new superhero series. The following year, another superhero series debuted on the network. A Deadman series never materialized and Kripke has since moved on to other projects.

Rōnin

''Rōnin'' film

In 1998,

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction. Arono ...

signed a deal with

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...

for a film adaptation of the graphic novel ''

Rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master ...

''. In 2007, Gianni Nunnari, producer of '' 300'', announced he would be producing and Sylvain White, director of '' Stomp the Yard'', directing the ''Rōnin'' film adaptation. No further news came after its announcement.

''Rōnin'' TV miniseries

In April 2014, the Syfy channel revealed that they are adapting ''Rōnin'' into a miniseries. No further news came after its announcement.

Watchmen

Early development of ''Watchmen'' live-action film

''Watchmen'' animated direct-to-video film

Warner Bros. announced in April 2017 to develop an R-rated animated film based on the comic book.

Static

''Static Shock'' TV series

In October 2014, Warner Bros. intended to launch a live-action '' Static Shock'' program from Reginald Hudlin as part of the company's new Blue Ribbon Content digital division, and were eyeing Jaden Smith for the role of Virgil Hawkins/Static. Actor Tyler James Williams said in May 2015 interview that Jaden Smith was cast as Static, but this has yet to be confirmed by Blue Ribbon Content or by Warner Bros. Hudlin,

Chief Creative Officer

, and

Denys Cowan Denys B. Cowan (born January 30, 1961) is an American comics artist, television producer, media executive and one of the co-founders of Milestone Media. Early life Denys Cowan was first inspired by superheroes as a child from reruns of the 1950s ...

are collaborating on the live-action project. Since then, there have been no new announcements.

''Static'' animated direct-to-video film

In August 2017, when asked on his Twitter account if the character could have a feature film set in the

as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, producer James Tucker responded that there is interest in Static on the studio. There have been no further discussions for such a project.

Lobo

''Lobo: The Animated Series''

Following his appearance on '' Superman: The Animated Series'', plans for a children's television show based on the character

Lobo Lobo may refer to: Places *Lobo, Batangas, a municipality in the Philippines *Lobo, Texas, a ghost town *Lobo, Indonesia *Lobo, Cameroon, a town in Cameroon *Lobo Hill, near Belchite, Aragon, Spain * Lobo, Ontario, near London, Ontario, Canada Pe ...

was in development at

Kids WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming service and brand of The WB that aired on the network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. The block moved to The CW (a result of the merger of Time Warner's The WB ...

. Due to executive issues, the series was converted into an adult-oriented

Flash animated Adobe Flash animation or Adobe Flash cartoon (formerly Macromedia Flash animation, Macromedia Flash cartoon, FutureSplash animation, and FutureSplash cartoon) is an animation that is created with the Adobe Animate (formerly Flash Professional) p ...

web series that was released in 2000.

''Lobo'' TV series spin-off

Syfy announced a ''Lobo'' spin-off series from season 2 of ''Krypton'' in June 2019, with ''Krypton'' executive producer Cameron Welsh serving as executive producer/writer. Two months later, Syfy cancelled the ''Lobo'' spin-off along with ''Krypton''.

''Lobo & Crush''

Olan Rogers pitched an adult animated series based on Lobo and his daughter Crush to WB in 2020 before it was scrapped year later in September.

Others

Booster Gold

In 2011, Syfy revealed that were developing a live action

Booster Gold Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in '' Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League ...

series. Two years later, a pilot script was turned in but nothing came of it.

Unlimited Powers

In 1989, Danny Bilson and Paul Renal worked on a live-action series starring The Flash, Dr. Occult, Book from the "Legion of Superheroes" and the daughter of Green Arrow. It didn't make it past the script phase.

Early development of ''Zatanna'' film

In 2005, '' Ice Princess'' screenwriter Hadley Davis was hired to write an action-comedy film about a teenage version of

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in '' Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with ...

. Warner Bros later put Zatanna solo film as part of the

''Deathbed'' TV series

In January 2021, TNT was set to develop a television series adaptation of Joshua Williamson and Riley Rossmo's

Vertigo Comics Vertigo Comics, also known as DC Vertigo or simply Vertigo, was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug u ...

limited series ''Deathbed'', with Neil Reynolds writing the series and Julie Plec to executive produce via My So-Called Company along with Warner Bros. Television. There have been no further announcements since.

''Blue Beetle'' TV series

announced a

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

TV series featuring the Jamie Reyes version of

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ...

. They made a test trailer with stuntman and actor Garrett Plotkin as Jaime Reyes. Scenes of this trailer were shown as part of the upcoming

DC Nation DC Nation was a programming block of DC Comics series and shorts that aired on American television channel Cartoon Network on Saturday morning. It premiered on March 3, 2012, and was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Some of the shows in DC Nat ...

block of programming in 2012 on Cartoon Network during the premiere of '' Green Lantern: The Animated Series''. Since then, nothing has been announced about the project.

''Swamp Thing'' reboot

In 2009,

Joel Silver Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is an American film producer. Life and career Silver was born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, the son of a writer and a public relations executive. His family is Jewish. He attended Columbia High Schoo ...

announced plans to produce a reboot of

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations i ...

'' film from a story written by Akiva Goldsman. In April 2010,

Vincenzo Natali Vincenzo Natali (born 1969) is an American-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, known for writing and directing science fiction and horror films such as ''Cube'', ''Cypher'', ''Nothing'', and '' Splice''. Early life and education Natali ...

was confirmed to direct, but on May 12, Vincenzo Natali decided to delay the ''Swamp Thing'' reboot to pursue other projects. Since then, nothing has been said about the project.

''Metal Men'' film

A film adaptation of Metal Men entered development in 2007. Later in June 2012, Barry Sonnenfeld was in talks to direct the film. The project was in limbo until October 2021 when it was listed as part of

''Hourman'' TV series

In November 2013, a live-action Hourman series was revealed to be in development at

. Michael Caleo was writing the script, to executive produce the series alongside Dan Lin, and Jennifer Gwartz. The premise of the series "centers on a brilliant-yet-troubled pharmaceutical analyst who discovers that the visions that have plagued him since childhood are actually glimpses of tragic events occurring one hour in the future. Determined to win back his ex-wife and son, he heroically prevents these tragedies from unfolding, finding both purpose and redemption along the way". Since then, no progress on the series was made after its announcement.

''Spectre'' TV series

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

announced in 2011 plans to develop a television series featuring the

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...

. There have been no further developments since.

''#4Hero'' web series

Machinima Inc. and DC Entertainment were producing a live-action web series based on an updated version of '' Dial H for Hero''. Titled ''#4Hero'', the VFX-heavy comedy would have been about a young woman named Nellie Tribble who discovers a smartphone app that allows her to temporarily gain semi-useful superpowers dictated by whatever is trending at the moment. Since then, no production updates were announced.

The original ''Human Target'' TV series

The original version of ''

Human Target The Human Target is the name of two fictional characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first is Fred Venable, while the second is private investigator and bodyguard Christopher Chance who assumes the identities of clients tar ...

'' was created by Warner Bros. Television and Pet Fly Productions, producers of '' The Flash'' and later '' The Sentinel'' for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. The original pilot for the series was filmed in 1990 but ABC declined to pick up the series for the 1990-91 television season and this pilot never aired. In the original unaired pilot, musician

Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for The E Street Band. Clemons released several s ...

who was trying to establish himself as an actor, played Chance's pilot. Harvey Shephard, then the president of Warner Bros. Television, told ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in December 1991 that ''Human Target'' was intended for both American audiences and the international television market. A different pilot was filmed, resulting in the 1992 short-lived TV series ''

''.

''Jonah Hex'' TV special

In 2000,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

developed a one-hour adaptation based on the character Jonah Hex to television with producers Akiva Goldsman and Robert Zappia involved, but the project never made it into production.

''Starman'' television series

There was a television series planned based on Jack Knight adventures from the creators of ''Smallville'' and ''Birds of Prey''. It would have featured both Jack and

his father His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...

, been set in

Opal City Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of ...

, and attempted to follow the comics as closely as possible. However, in 2003, after the failure of ''Birds of Prey'', it was last referred to as being "indefinitely on hold". There has since been no sign that it will ever be produced.

Early attempts at a ''Mad'' TV series

A 1974 animated television pilot based on the ''Mad'' magazine that used selected material from the magazine was commissioned by ABC, but the network decided to not broadcast it. Dick DeBartolo noted that "nobody wanted to sponsor a show that made fun of products that were advertised on TV, like car manufacturers". The program was instead created into a TV special and is available for online viewing. In the mid-1980s,

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer t ...

developed another potential ''Mad'' animated television series which was never broadcast.

''Sgt. Rock'' film

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Arnold Schwarzenegger was attached to the title role of a '' Sgt. Rock'' film, despite the seeming incongruity of an Austrian actor playing an American G.I. in World War II. Screenplays were written by David Webb Peoples in 1987, Steven E. de Souza in 1988,

John Milius John Frederick Milius (; born April 11, 1944) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. He was a writer for the first two '' Dirty Harry'' films, received an Academy Award nomination as screenwriter of ''Apocalypse Now'' (1979), ...

in 1993, and Brian Helgeland in 1996, depicting Rock as having a German-American father and being able to speak German (a skill he uses to ambush the enemy). Producer

still attempted to make a Sgt. Rock movie. John Cox has written the latest screenplay, which is not based on any of the previous screenplay drafts. Cox has stated that Schwarzenegger is no longer attached to star in the project. In April 2007, David Gambino, VP at

Silver Pictures Silver Pictures is an American film production company founded by Hollywood producer Joel Silver in 1980. The Silver Pictures logo, also called The Chip, is modeled on a block pattern that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for the exteriors of the St ...

said: "The good news is we have a fantastic screenplay and everybody's really happy with it. It's really just about trying to attach cast right now and really decide what the movie is going to be, how we're going to make it".

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series '' Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero ...

was reportedly under consideration for the role. In December 2008, Guy Ritchie reported that the film has been shelved due to his work on '' Sherlock Holmes'' but confirmed that the ''Sgt. Rock'' film will indeed be set during World War II and include the members of Easy Company. Silver later announced in February 2010 that the setting was changed from World War II to another battle in the near future. Since then, there have been no further announcements.

''New Gods'' animated film

Writer J. M. DeMatteis was interested in scripting a

New Gods The New Gods are a fictional extraterrestrial race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in ''New Gods'' ...

film set in the DC Animated Movie Universe.

''Project 13'' TV series

In October 2017,

was developing a one-hour drama series based on Traci Thirteen and her father Dr. Terrance Thirteen, titled ''Project 13'', with

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...

attached as an executive producer.

''Secret Six'' TV series

In October 2018, ''Suits''’s Rick Muirragui was to write and produce a Secret Six TV series with Bill Lawrence's Doozer Productions for CBS.

Early attempts of a ''Shazam!'' film

''Monolith'' film

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian- American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquarter ...

announced in August 2016 that an adaptation of ''

Monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...

'' was in development with visual effects director Dave Wilson as director.

''The Mighty'' film

In June 2011,

acquired the rights to ''

The Mighty ''The Mighty'' is a 1998 American coming of age buddy comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chelsom and written by Charles Leavitt. Based on the book ''Freak the Mighty'' by Rodman Philbrick, the film stars Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Gil ...

''. There have been no further developments since.

''Kamandi'' TV series

In the late 1970s, an animated Kamandi television series was optioned, but was cancelled before entering the production phase.

''Doom Patrol'' film

In 2006, Warner Bros. hired Adam Turner to pen a

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has ...

screenplay.Warner making room for 'Doom'
'' Variety'' (July 19, 2006). Retrieved July 22, 2006. No director, cast, or release date has been announced.

References

{{DC Comics animated TV series Works based on DC Comics

Unproduced projects Sequential lists of films based on comics, arranged in chronological order Superhero films

Unproduced DC Comics projects