‘Batman’ Moves To 2022, WB. Delays All Their DC Superhero Movies, But ‘Matrix 4’ Arriving Early

Well, it was all but a matter of time and that time was a matter of hours. Today, Warner Bros. delayed their upcoming “Dune” tentpole from December to October 1, 2021, due to theatrical COVID-19 concerns. As everyone pointed out, October 1, 2021, was the release date of Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman” and another release date shift was definitely in the cards. And well, that’s totally the case. Tonight, Warner Bros., just a few hours after the “Dune” push, announced not only a release date delay for “The Batman,” but for all their upcoming DC superhero movies. And that means it’s going to be a long wait, almost two years for the next DC movie.

READ MORE: ‘Dune’ Delayed Until Fall 2021 As Studios Once Again Shuffle Dates

So, the first delay is “The Batman.” With Dune taking its slot, Reeves movie starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader moves to March 4, 2022, six months after its intended October debut.

READ MORE: Analyst Says Studios Have To Be “Willing To Take A Hit” For Theaters To Survive

There’s more. Delayed more times than anyone can count, “The Flash,” currently scheduled for summer 2022 is now moving to November 4, 2002. “Shazam! 2,” currently slotted for that same November 4, 2022 spot is not moving all the way to summer 2023, four years after the original film’s release.

READ MORE: Cineworld CEO Blames NY Governor’s “Inflexibility” For Causing Company To Shut Down US & UK Theaters Again

The last delay is the most telling and possibly most severe of them all. Dwayne Johnson’s “Black Adam” movie that will co-star members of the Justice Society Of America, once set for December 22, 2021, has been taken off the calendar entirely and now is undated. Perhaps the move suggests the film needs work, but it was originally intended to arrive before “Shazam! 2” and now it’s either coming after, TBD 2023 or they’re still finding the proper window to release the movie. Tentpoles, and especially superhero movies, often dependent on premium and available release dates are really taking it in the teeth this year.

That said, curiously missing in this announcement is “Wonder Woman 84.” The Gal Gadot-starring picture is currently scheduled for Dec. 25, 2020, but with “Dune” vacating its December 2020 slot, surely the superheroine movie is also saying goodbye to 2020. The question is, when?

READ MORE: ‘Black Adam’: Dwayne Johnson Reveals His Justice Society Adversaries

At this rate, the earliest we’re going to see James Wan‘s “Aquaman 2” is 2024, which would be six years after the original. That’s gotta be hard for an interconnected superhero universe, trying to get over its troubled false starts and trying to build momentum.

READ MORE: Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ Will Do A Week Of Reshoots; Ray Fisher’s ‘Flash’ Negotiations May Have Stalled Though

The silver lining of it all, Lana Wachowski‘s “Matrix 4” will arrive several months earlier than anticipated. Once expected on April 1, 2022, the Keanu Reeves-starring movie will now debut on Dec. 22, 2021.

The Warner Bros. Release date shifts are as thus:

— THE BATMAN moves from 10/01/21 to 03/04/22
— THE FLASH moves from 06/03/22 to 11/04/22
— SHAZAM! 2 moves from 11/04/22 to 06/02/23
— BLACK ADAM moves from 12/22/21 to UNDATED